Hannspree Hannspad SN1AT71 review

The Hannspad SN1AT71 has a 1.2GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A9-based processor and 1GB of memory, so we expected the tablet to be reasonably capable when it comes to most tasks but, simply put, performance is abysmal. Hannspree has sensibly avoided adding a custom user interface on top of the default Android 4.1 launcher, but the Hannspad SN1AT71’s performance is still much slower than we’d like it to be. Home screens stutter as you swipe between them, apps take much too long to load and even settings menus take several seconds to open. Things improve slightly if you only do one thing at a time, but once several processor-intensive apps are open the tablet slows to a crawl.

The SN1AT71 completed the SunSpider 1 web-based benchmark suite in 2,506ms, which is one of the lowest scores we’ve seen for any tablet. In comparison, the Asus MemoPad FHD 10 completed the test in 1,123.5ms. Meanwhile, the Asus MemoPad HD 7 completed the test in 1,468ms, and feels much quicker in everyday use.

TABULA RASA

Hannspree hasn’t filled the tablet with preinstalled software, and the SN1AT71’s storage is essentially bare when you take it out of the box, with just a basic office suite installed as standard. Even some Google apps that we take for granted and expect to be pre-installed on a tablet were missing, including Chrome and Google Play Music. Thankfully, the Hannspad SN1AT71 has full access to the Google Play Store, so you can easily download them. However, it’s a pain to have to add manually what usually comes installed as standard.

At least the SN1AT71’s battery life is reasonable for a budget tablet, lasting eight hours and 43 minutes in our video rundown test.

The Hannspad SN1AT71’s 16GB of internal storage might not sound like a lot, but it’s a very generous amount for a budget tablet, and that’s before you take the tablet’s microSD card reader into account. The card reader lets you add an additional 32GB of storage should you run out of room on the tablet itself.

CONCLUSION

Considering how painfully slow it is to use, there’s no way we can recommend the SN1AT71. You’d be much better off buying a smaller 7in tablet such as the Asus MemoPad HD 7, which is quicker and matches the Hannspad for screen resolution, or pay considerably more for the Asus MemoPad FHD 10.