T-Mobile SpringBoard Review

Introduction and Design:

The T-Mobile SpringBoard is not only a pocket-sized tablet, but the price is modest as well, under $180 with contract. The SpringBoard is based on the Huawei MediaPad tablet, and shares many of the same features including the 7” display and dual core processor, and goes head-to-head with the higher priced Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.

The SpringBoard’s construction feels well made and solid overall, with silver and white plastic used on the back of the device. It is also comfortable to hold, but does feel a bit heavy at 14.1 oz, which is 2oz more than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. Located on the front of the SpringBoard is the reasonable size 7” IPS TFT display that features an HD resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Both images and text look amazing on it, colors are vibrant, and off-axis viewing angles are good. The only issue we had was trying to view the display outside in the sun, as the screen just wasn’t bright enough, even though we did turn the backlight all the way up, and the sun’s reflection didn’t help either.



On the top of the tablet are dual stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headset jack, with the power/lock key and volume rocker on the right side, leaving the power input, microUSB port, microphone, and Type-D Micro HDMI output that supports 1080p video on the bottom. The back has the 5MP camera, and there is microSD memory card slot and SIM slot hidden under the bottom white plastic cover.

Interface:

Running on the T-Mobile SpringBoard is Android 3.2 Honeycomb. This is pretty much a stock version, as there’s no extra user interface layer over top of it, such as what Samsung does with their TouchWiz UX interface. It has the basic 5 home screen layout and a modest assortment of widgets, though T-Mobile does include a few of their MobileLife widgets, which includes a calendar and shopping list.


Response is good on the tablet, as it’s running a 1.2GHz dual-core MSM8X60 processor with the Adreno 220 GPU and 1GB of RAM. There is also 16GB of internal memory, and you can install microSDHC memory cards up to 32GB in size, which would provide plenty of room for your pictures, music, and video collection.

Internet:

The main area where the SpringBoard shines is with its web browser. Thanks to the tablet using T-Mobile’s 4G network, web pages are quick to load, as our PhoneArena.com site was up in 20 seconds. Adobe Flash is also supported, allowing you to view sites as they were intended. Scrolling around is fast and fluid, though we did notice a few stutters when using pinch-to-zoom.

When using the SpeedTest.net app, our download speed averaged around 5 Mbps, and uploads were at 2-3 Mbps. Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n is also on board, as is Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.


Camera:

The camera interface is basic, and only allows for a few adjustments, such as the white balance, color effect, resolution, and zoom level. When pressing on the shutter icon, it takes about 2 seconds for camera to focus before capturing the shot.


Unfortunately, pictures that we took with its 5MP shooter look below average when compared to most other tablets. Outside images have unnatural colors and look murky, which makes them unattractive to view. Inside images share these characteristics and lower-light images appear out-of-focus.

Videos can be recorded at 1280x720p resolution, but the image looks blotchy instead of being clear and sharp, and once again color reproduction is poor.

T-Mobile SpringBoard Sample Video:



Because of this, we really can’t see using the camera or video capture on the SpringBoard despite its low price, considering that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus with its 3.2MP camera does a bit better here.

Performance:

Packed inside the SpringBoard is a massive 4100mAh battery, which is rated at 7 hours under full use or 12 days of standby time. During our testing, which included web browsing, video playback, and app usage, we were able to get about 8 hours of continuous use on a full charge.

When running the Quadrant Benchmark app, the tablet got a score of 1800, which is not the best out there, and the AnTuTu benchmark provided a mark of 5300, which is less what you may get with the Motorola XOOM, but the device still feels plenty fast when using it.

Conclusion:

For the current price of $179.99 after rebate, there’s a lot to like about the T-Mobile SpringBoard. Its Android Honeycomb experience is easy to use, and feels quick with the 1.2GHz dual-processor and 1GB of RAM. We also appreciate the 4G data speeds, which provide for fast web page downloads, and the 16GB of on-board storage gives ample room for your files. The 7” HD display also does a nice job with images and text, and viewing angles are good, though it can be tough to see in sunlight. The only downfall we find on the SpringBoard is with its camera, as images and videos look bad enough that it’s not even worth using. Alternatives are the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus ($70 more with a contract) or the budget Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet.

Software version on reviewed unit:
Android 3.2
Baseband: 3132
Kernel version: 2.6.35.11
Build number: S7-303UV100R001C201B026SP01

T-Mobile SpringBoard Video Review: