Hannspree Hannspad SN1AT71 review

Hannspree has somehow managed to sell the 10in Hannspad SN1AT71 tablet for £150, which is the same price as most budget 7in tablets. Of course, price isn’t everything, but the quad-core processor and 16GB of internal storage makes the Hannspad SN1AT71 look promising on paper.

With its unassuming black screen bezel and brushed metal rear fascia, the Hannspad SN1AT71 doesn’t look like a budget tablet, although on closer inspection the front panel and edges are built from plastic and the whole thing doesn’t seem particularly well constructed. As an example, the SN1AT71 creaks worryingly when you apply pressure to each of the four corners. At 9.8mm thick the Hansspad SN1AT71 is reasonably svelte, even if it does weigh a substantial 620g, making it over a third heavier than an iPad Air.

There is at least space for plenty of ports around the edges. Hannspree has included a micro USB port for data transfers and battery charging, a mini HDMI video output, a microSD card reader and a 3.5mm headphone port. There’s also a separate DC power input, which charges the tablet more quickly than if you charge it over micro USB.

BIG FUN

The Hannspad SN1AT71’s 10.1in screen is the main reason to consider the SN1AT71 because there are very few tablets available that are as large as this tablet for the same price. The Hannspad SN1AT71 is certainly big enough to watch films or share photos, but the screen’s 1,280×800 resolution is actually lower than that of many mid- to high-end 7in tablets. This makes it easy to spot the panel’s pixel structure once you look closely, and although images still look reasonably detailed at this resolution it simply can’t compete with Full HD alternatives. At least colours look vibrant once the brightness is turned up to its maximum setting, but when you turn it down it’s possible to spot the touch digitiser on darker images. Viewing angles are at least above average, but we’d rather have a higher quality smaller screen than a mediocre large screen. The bezels are also very thick, which leaves space for your hands but somehow gives the impression that the Hannspad SN1AT71 has a smaller screen compared to other 10in tablets.

The SN1AT71 has a rear-mounted 2-megapixel camera sensor, which is sensibly placed at the top and centre of the tablet so that you don’t accidentally cover it with your fingers. Unfortunately, the camera’s incredibly basic to the point that we almost wish Hannspree hadn’t bothered to include it. There’s no tap-to-focus, the tiniest amount of light forces the sensor to over-expose and it takes several seconds for an image to save before you can take another. The Hannspad SN1AT71 also has a 0.3-megapixel front-mounted webcam for making video calls, which is handy.