We review the Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7!

Today we’ll be reviewing the Cherry  Mobile Tegra Note 7, a very nice budget-ish tablet from NVIDIA, sold here in the PH by Cherry Mobile. This particular tablet has been out for a few months now, and has been sold in different territories with slightly different names depending on who NVIDIA partners up with. In the US it’s known as the EVGA Tegra Note 7, and in the Philippines it’s dubbed as the Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7. The premise of NVIDIA is simple – offer a relatively fast, gaming focused tablet for less than what other international players offer. And while the Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7 manages to deliver on most fronts, it slightly stumbles in some areas.

Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7

• 1.8GHz NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core CPU
• 72-core NVIDIA GeForce GPU
• 1GB RAM
• 7-inch HD IPS display, 1280 x 800 resolution display
• 16GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 32GB
• 5-megapixel rear camera
• VGA front camera
• WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS
• 4,100mAh battery
• 199 x 119 x 9.6mm
• Android Jellybean, can be updated to KitKat via OTA

A revamped gaming tablet

If you do a cursory Google search of the EVGA Tegra Note 7, you’ll notice that it has a radically different design compared to the version that’s being sold by Cherry Mobile. A NVIDIA rep actually told us that this is the second version of the tablet, sporting much of the same hardware but a radically different outer shell. Gone is the futuristic, rubbery back, replaced by a more conventional looking matte black one.

Unlike most tablets, the Tegra Note 7 features two front facing speakers, which makes it easier for you to hear what’s going on in your game or movie (whatever the case may be). Externally the Tegra Note 7 is a bit busy – with the tablet oriented sideways, you’ll find the power button, 3.5mm jack, USB and micro-HDMI ports. On top lies the volume rocker and micro-SD slot. On the right lies the holster for the DirectStylus.

Along with a new outer shell, the NVIDIA Tegra Note 7 is also getting a new OEM. While the company did not tell us who the previous OEM of the first batches of the NVIDIA Tegra Note 7 was, they revealed that Foxconn – the same company that makes Apple’s iPhones – are now manufacturing the redesigned Tegra Note 7. This is good news, because the first batches of the Tegra Note 7 suffered from freezing problems in some resource heavy games. NVIDIA is aware of this, and has assured us that the new version doesn’t suffer from any of the hardware issues that plagued the previous version.

In terms of build quality, the Tegra Note 7 is built pretty much like most tablets from an international company. It’s very solid, has absolutely no creaks anywhere on the device, though it’s a bit hefty, especially compared to other tablets in the same price range. If you haven’t noticed yet, the Tegra Note 7 has a stylus that allows it to be used much like Samsung’s Galaxy Note line of smartphones, with a few caveats.

The DirectStylus is a hybrid passive stylus system that tries to mimic the performance of an active stylus usually that requires a Wacom Digitizer, in the case of Samsung’s Note lineup, without increasing the cost. The results are mixed – while the DirectStylus does a good job capturing our strokes and has several levels of pressure sensitivity, it has a small delay in actually registering what you did on the display before it actually showed up. The included drawing app is a bit of a miss as well, though there are a ton of drawing apps out there (both free and paid) that can replace the built-in one in a pinch.

The 7-inch display, while decent, is a missed opportunity, in our opinion. NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 CPU and the 72-core GeForce GPU has enough grunt to handle the slightly higher resolution, and it’s a shame that they didn’t take advantage of that with a higher resolution screen, which would also improve the fidelity of graphically intense Android games.

Ultimate Android gaming machine

If there’s one thing NVIDIA knows how to do, it’s make games look great, and the Tegra Note 7 is no exception. You have a 1.8GHz NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core CPU plus a fifth core that’s designed to handle menial tasks to conserve power, as well as 72-cores in the GPU. This means Android games (both the standard fare and the ones that are optimized for NVIDIA chips) run smoothly, without any hiccups, making it the perfect gaming tablet for those people who want the best Android gaming experience possible. Pair the device with a Bluetooth controller or a USB powered one via the USB port, and you have a Android gaming machine that can play everything without a hitch. The two front facing speakers put out a good amount of volume as well, making the Tegra Note 7 perfect for either gaming or watching videos and movies.

Of course, all of that performance means heat, and there’s a lot of users that are worried about possible heat issues while playing their Android games. Well, the good news is that the Tegra Note 7 doesn’t get uncomfortably warm while playing, unlike some other, powerful tablets that we’ve tested.

Ho-hum camera

The Tegra Note 7 ships with an aftermarket camera app Camera Awesome instead of the stock Android one. Unfortunately, while the Camera Awesome app makes it easier to shoot with Tegra Note 7, and adds a couple of neat features to the mix (like always-on HDR), it can’t take away from the fact that the camera is a bit on the weak side. While the camera is capable of producing decent snaps, it suffers from washed-out images, soft focus and somewhat inaccurate color reproduction.

Okay-ish battery

By now most people would probably be asking – how’s the battery life? Surprisingly enough, the battery isn’t terrible, considering how powerful the tablet is. With normal use, you’re looking at more than a day of battery life before the Tegra Note 7 requires a trip to the charger. During our HD video loop test, the Tegra Note 7 managed to clock in around 9 hours and 30 minutes, which isn’t bad at all. As far as Android gaming is concerned, expect to play around 4 hours and 40 minutes before the tablet dies completely.

Verdict: Powerful, affordable gaming tablet

So, is the Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7 worth the price it’s asking for? Short answer is yes. Long answer: it’s one of the most powerful Android tablets out in the market right now, and handles most Android games without any issues. If you’re the sort of person that puts a premium on Android gaming above everything else, then the Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7 is definitely for you.