ONDA V919 3G AIR (REVIEW)

The Onda V919 3g Air Tablet is a 9.7" tablet was built to mirror the design of the Ipad Air.  The dimensions are practically identical as is the metal back, button placement and overall look.  Before turning it on, it could very easily be mistaken for an Ipad.  Turn it on and  you are in for an even more pleasant surprise.  Rather than running iOS, this unit dual boots to either Windows 8.1 or Android.  There are several advantages of having a dual boot system.  The Windows 8.1 operating system comes pre-installed.  The tablet is easily updated to Windows 10 for free.  A full version of Office 365 giving the user full access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, Outlook, One Note and the other Office apps is also included.  This allows the tablet to really serve as a laptop replacement.  In Android mode the tablet is a zippy Android tablet providing access to the Google Play store which now boasts more apps than the iTunes store.

Performance:

The Onda V919 is powered by an Intel Bay Trail Z3736F Quad Core 64bit processor.  Paired with 2GB of RAM the tablet is super fast.  In our test, we experience no lag and no issues in Windows 10 and no issues in Android KitKat 4.4.4 running graphics intensive programs or watching full screen movies.  The Intel Bay Trail chips are used in full size laptops, so it packs plenty of punch for a tablet.

Screen: 

The screen is quality is awesome.  Onda went all out with the screen on this tablet.  It is a Retina display offering  2048 X 1536 Pixels which is really impressive.  The picture quality for viewing photos or movies is outstanding.  The one missing feature here is a light sensor.  Without the light sensor the user is forced to manually adjust the screen brightness which is not a big deal.

Memory :

With 64GB of onboard memory this compares to high end Ipads.  The memory is split between the two operating systems.  Roughly 32GB for each.  Given the system memory required by the operating systems (8GB per system) that leaves roughly 24GB of useable space for each system.  The optional SD card slot enable the memory to be expanded by up to another 128GB.  While storing apps on the SD card might pose a problem files saved on the SD card can be easily shared between the operating systems.

Value :

The Onda V919 Dual Boot Tablet is an outstanding tablet for the money.  The 64GB version tested here is available for $188 through Gearbest.com.  For that price you will get a stellar tablet that is well built, resembles an Ipad and runs both Windows 10 and Android KitKat 4.4.4.  Windows 10 greatly improves this tablet.  The new operating system runs smoothly and enhances productivity.  Onda promises an upgrade to Android Lollipop, but nothing has been released so far. When comparing the specs to an iPad, a Microsoft Surface Pro or a Samsung Tab Pro this unit compares well, especially considering the price. None of those other units can boast similar specs at $159.  The inclusion of a SIM card slot operating on GSM is an added bonus, but we did not test the OTA capabilities.

Conclusion :

At $220 this tablet was an awesome deal.  At the new lower price of $159 you cannot beat this tablet.  The ability to dual boot is really cool and provides great flexibility.  The inclusion of a full version of Office 365 is amazing and can really turn this tablet into a productivity workhorse.  64GB with expandable memory, retina display and 3G OTA Sim card slot is unheard of at this price point.

If you are in the market for a new tablet, I highly recommend the Onda V919 Dual Boot.  To match this feature set in an iPad you would be looking at spending $729 for the 64GB with wifi and cellular.  That would not include expandable memory.