Kata T4 Review

The Kata T4 has been finally launched locally and it seems that Kata has decided to make its pricing very aggressive which is very good for us consumers. Like I mentioned in my unboxing and initial review, I was quite impressed with this mini tablet. My only real concern was the price and it I believe that Kata has done their pricing homework. Let’s list down the specs again and see if my final review keeps up to my initial impression.

Kata T4 Specs:

- Resolution: 1024 x 768 IPS
- 1.3 Ghz Quad Core MTK MT8382 CPU
- 1GB RAM
- 8 GB Internal Memory
- Expandable up to 32GB
- Dual Camera
- 8.0 MP Back Camera
- 5.0 MP Front Camera
- Battery: 3000 mAh
- Bluetooth 4.0
- OTG Support

Price: Php 5,999.00 (with free Flip cover case and screen protector for a limited time)

Design

There is really no getting away from it but the design is almost identical to that mini fruity tablet from Cupertino. At least we can all agree that design-wise, it looks pretty nice. In fact, they are so similar that almost any case designed for that mini tablet will fit the T4. With only access to the SIM and Micro SD cards being covered, but since you hardly use those slots, it’s really not a big deal. The build quality is pretty good considering the plastic metallic like body, but at this price you can’t really complain. Check out the photos below for more details on the case and Sim card access slots.

Dual SIM slots and Micro SD

Kata T4 vs iPad Mini

Kata T4 using iPad Mini case

Back of T4 using iPad mini case

Performance

First of all, let’s get realistic for a moment. If you read the specs you will know that is a budget tablet. However, with that said, it does admirably well as an everyday dual-purpose device. The screen is not Full HD but thankfully to make up for that, Kata put a nice and bright IPS screen with good viewing angles. It may also not have the fastest processor but navigating around the device is very fluid and most games I played with worked just fine. Even more demanding games like Dead Trigger, Experiment Z, Zombie Highway (notice the Zombie theme) and Plane Simulator were all very playable. You might have to wait a bit for the games to load but overall, not bad. I’ll post some screen shots of game play and benchmarks below. The T4 is still running Android Kitkat 4.4.2 and while I would have liked to have seen a new version of Android, the OS is pretty stable and with only the app drawer being modified to give you an iOS type of app layout. The camera is pretty average for a tablet. It won’t blow your socks off but it’s not that terrible and as long as you take photos in good lighting conditions, it’s good enough for posting on your favorite social media account. Again, I will post some sample photos below so that you can judge for yourself. The real icing on the cake here is the Dual SIM phone functionality of this tablet. It may seem awkward using it as a phone but in reality you get used to it and it really saves you from buying and carrying two devices. While it may not have LTE, it has 3G and you can choose which SIM slot uses data. The battery is 3000mAh which I thought was pretty small for a tablet but it lasted the whole day with still some juice left. Of course if you use 3G then expect battery life to take a hit.

Main camera

Dog selfie using front camera

Kata also pre-installed some software very similar to the Kata Box like Mega VPN, Netflix, CBS, FOX, Crackle, etc. which adds to the value and usefulness if you love to watch videos. You can check out my Kata Box review to know more about those apps.  

Verdict:

Android tablets maybe a dime a dozen nowadays, but there are only a few that have a nice design with Dual-SIM phone functionality at this price. Kata has done a good job with the T4 providing a good tablet experience without sacrificing too much in terms of specs and performance. Honestly, if you have a budget of Php6000, and you couldn’t decide between getting a phone or tablet, the T4 should be on the top of your list. Just make sure you have big pockets.

The Good:

-         Price

-         Dual-SIM phone functionality

-         Nice IPS screen

-         Free Case and Screen protector (limited offer)

-         Micro SD expansion

The Bad:

-         Higher resolution screen would have been nice

-         Only 8GB memory

-         Still running Android 4.4.2 Kitkat