Smartron is an upcoming Indian brand which started operations back in 2014, and after two years of R&D, has come up with two new products - a hybrid Windows tablet and an Android smartphone. While the t.phone will be launched next month, the t.book hybrid tablet will be available for buyers at Rs. 39,999. It will be available via Gadgets360 from April 8, 2016. Bookings for the t.phone will start from April 18, 2016. The company has plans to extend its product portfolio across home, auto, enterprise and infrastructure markets.
The t.book, which was announced earlier today, is a hybrid tablet offering Windows 10 out-of-the-box. On first glance, the device looks like the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, but similarities began to disappear on closer look as the t.book is built for budget segment users. Before we move further, here is a quick glance at the specifications.
Processor: Intel Core M 5Y10c
RAM: 4GB DDR3
Storage: 128GB SSD
OS: Windows 10 Home / Pro
Keyboard included
The t.book features a bright 12.2-inch display. It uses an IPS panel and on initial usage, the display seems quite good. The viewing angles were good and colour saturation seemed accurate. The display has a 2560 x 1600-pixel resolution, which puts it at par with the Dell XPS 13. Since this is a hybrid tablet, it also supports touch input, and after using the device for a short span of time we quite liked it, although we are not sure how well palm rejection fares on it.
The one major feature that Smartron is introducing with its range of products is its embedded IoT-centric hub, which will let users control and use connected devices with ease. Once the company brings its range of IoT products into the market, users will be able to manage all of those products as well as third party smart products from a single hub - Hubtron. This platform will come pre-installed on Smartron devices.
The t.book comes with a keyboard cover connected to the laptop using pogo pins. We tried the keyboard, and on initial impressions, liked it. The keys have reasonable depth and produce a faint but satisfying click upon being pressed. As for key actuation, we might to need to test the device thoroughly to give you its verdict. We would have loved the keyboard more if it had backlighting, but at Rs. 39,999, we are guessing that it’s too much to ask.
The t.book featues a Magnesium-Aluminium alloy unibody build that feels quite sturdy. However, we felt that it was slightly heavy for our liking. The square-ish design, combined with the sharp edge profile makes it aesthetically appealing. However, people will find it uncomfortable after holding it for long durations.
The t.book is meant to be used as a laptop, and comes with a kickstand. The kickstand seems fine if you are using the device on a desk, with or without the keyboard. However, if you want to place the device in any other position, you will find the hinge quite restricted.
While we are not very fond of tablet photography, tablet and hybrid laptops makers do include one to curb a niche requirement. At the back, it has a 5MP camera with autofocus, and at the front is a 2MP camera which can shoot HD videos, and should be good enough for Skype calls.
For a device of such capabilities, Smartron has kept all the essential ports and given no reason to complain. To the right, the device features a microSD card slot, two USB 3.0 ports, one micro HDMI port and a USB Type-C 3.0 port which doubles up as a power port for charging. To the left, there is only one port - a 3.5mm headphone-microphone combo jack.