Neocore E1 Quad Core Best Cheap Tablet?

Is the E1 one of the best out there in it's weight class? Reviews would suggest its up there with the best. Tablets that dwell within the £50 - £100 price range are by no means hard to find for sale. This is the most common bracket, where people who just want a basic tablet for messing around with usually make a beeline for. And for that reason, this is the most crowded of all the price points.

There are so many cheap tablets from China to sift through. But amongst all the "trash" there is some treasure. Three brands that dominate this category are Fusion5, Neocore and Linx. Although, a lot of the larger screened Linx tablets, Ten Inch and above, like the 1020, are slightly more expensive. But the 7" and 8" do fall within this low budget range. There are some great deals to be had with refurbished examples.

The Neocore E1 is currently only sold in the UK, so if you are visiting here from the USA and want to know what the best cheap tablet is in America, I would probably go with the Fusion5 104Bv2. It's very cheap to buy, has a predominantly positive review score, and has a great specification.

Now back to the Neocore E1. Is it the best cheap tablet?. Well, the word "best" is really down to the individual and their experience with the device. You might get one person who owns the E1 and thinks it's terrible and has had nothing but issues with it. Then, another person might have theirs for years and never have one problem with it. Sometimes it really is down to luck of the draw. Quality control, and quality consistency play huge roles here. And that's not just with the Neocore E1, Linx or Fusion5 models either, but also the same with the much more expensive tablets like the Apple iPad's, Samsung Galaxy S2's and Surface Books. Usually, paying more means better reliability, but that isn't always the case.

Anyway, enough about all that. What makes the Neocore E1 a tablet that could be considered as one of the best. Well, if we stay within Neocore's own product line the E1 already has a big battle on its hands with the N1, C1 and B1 models. They are excellent devices, and they have slightly better review scores on Amazon. However, the thing with the E1 is that it's their latest model. As a result it has a tad more quality, and a mini revamp / upgrade of some key features. This isn't a review, but more of a general talk about this newish model. It isn't exactly brand new on the scene for 2017. It came out in 2016, so still very relevant. And even today, some of the features are still seldom seen in many competing tablets.

You know when you get those nice little finishing touches to a device that just set it apart from the rest?. That's what this model has. One of those being a real glass screen. This feature is rarely seen on tablets at this price. Generally, they are made of plastic. Also, the ability to add significantly more storage space by being able to hold an SD card of up to 200GB. Other specifications that are impressive is the Dual-Band WiFi (for better connection), IPS display, A53 Quad Core Processor, Dual cameras, two internal speakers, mini HDMI port and Android 6.0 (Marshmallow).

It also has an anti-slip style back housing / casing, which offers a more secure grip when handling the device. And there's more. The E1 also has GPS, Bluetooth and a very impressive battery life. This is all rounded off nicely with a two year UK warranty. All things considered, that's why this tablet is up-there with the best in it's category. You get so much for the money. Honourable mention has to go to the Samsung Galaxy Tab E 9.6 Inch, which falls into the same slot of the models mentioned here. Great device.

Update to this post. This "review" was written a few years ago now, and since then newer models (generations) of the E1 have been released. The 2019 model has seen some significant improvements added to the already impressive specification. Some of those include a more hand-friendly back casing, which now has more grip, better battery life, as well as  more frugal power consumption when in stand-by mode. The glass screen is still present and the warranty is still 2 years. There's also a larger capacity SD card ability, which is now able to hold up to 400GB. Although, one area which Neocore really should have updated with the newer model, is the fixed internal storage space. This is still only 16GB and should have really been updated to 32GB.

So what else is there regarding this update. Well, the reviews on Amazon are mixed, and while some people still praise the E1 for being a really good all-rounder, some buyers are claiming the battery life is very poor. As well as that, some issues with sound and overall build quality are starting to make an appearance. Obviously, this is not good for a product that a few years back had a really good reliability rating and performance track record with its customers.

Don't get we wrong, the positive reviews still far outweigh the negative, but its still a bit of a concern. But we have to keep in mind, no Tablet is perfect. Just take a look at the reviews for some of the top of the range iPads, Surface Pro's and Samsung Tabs for confirmation of this. However, I'll keep an eye on this issue and may report what route the reviews go down when I have the time.

 

Update: Neocore E2 Review [Latest Model For 2021 / 2022]

 

If you're looking for a tablet that can do all the day-to-day tasks and pass times, like online shopping, social media, sending / recieving emails, YouTube, browsing the Internet, watching films and gaming to a certain extent, the Neocore E2 is a good choice for those who are looking for a high performance tablet at a budget price.

 

In  terms of specification, it's near the top of the tree for the price point. Stand out features that are exclusive to the E2 over other Neocore tablets are: Android 10, an uprated Quad Core Processor that runs at a faster speed, better high definition display with an increased resolution, powerful WiFi that runs on 2.4GHz and 5GHz, longer battery life, SD card slot with a 1TB limit, clearer back camera with autofocus and an elegant metal back case

 

 

Neocore E2 Series

Like the earlier E1 model, the E2 has 32GB storage, 3GB RAM, HDMI, GPS, Bluetooth and a 3.5mm headphone socket. So as you can see, the specification is very good for the price.

Offerings from other brands, such as Samsung and Lenovo that have models around the same price do have a much longer track record and much more brand recognition, but the spec of their tablets at the same price point are generally not quite as good when it comes to things like RAM and the function to add super high capacity SD cards.

Does quality and potentially better internal components from the top brands make up for their spec shortcomings. In some ways it does, because brand trust is such a key factor when a consumer is trying to make their decision when buying any product. I know it is with me, that's for sure.

But the lure of a very high spec is so tempting, and really, even the top brands, especially within the tablet marketplace, all have their fair share of bad reviews. Of course, they have many good ones too, that far outweight the bad, but it kind of evens itself out and gives the marketplace a more level playing field.

So it's a toss up really between going with a more well-know brand Vs a higher spec device  [on paper] that is from a brand that hasn't been around as long. Does buying British come into it? Afterall, one of Neocore's main selling points, or marketing strategies is that they are a "Great British Brand".

But how British can any electrical device be these days given the fact that almost all internal components that are in tablets, whether the Tablet is made by Samsung, Lenovo or almost any other brand sold on Amazon / online are made / sourced / manufactured in Asia.

So unless Neocore do actually manufacture their products in the UK [not known for sure], which would be more costly and reduce profit margins, chances are the manufacturing / building process of their products takes place somewhere in Asia, then the finished product is shipped to the UK. What could be completed in the UK is the making of the packaging, the box printing / design.

After looking at Neocore's range of Bluetooth speakers [See their flagship Wave A4 model] it is clear to me that they are buying ready-made products from Asia and just sticking their branding on them. I say this because other people / companies are selling the exact same Bluetooth speakers under a different brand name. Literally exactly the same other than the name. It's a dead giveaway.

They are generic, mass produced designs that are manufactured in Asia which anyone can buy ready built from sites like Alibaba / madeinchina.com. I believe they will even do the branding for you if you send them the name + design.

So let's presume the tablets, actually all of Neocore's products are built somewhere in Asia, with components made / produced in Asia just like what's inside 95% of brands that produce electricals. I'm struggling to see any Britishness at all other than the fact that their products are sold in Britain. This makes it hard to see the "Great British Brand" slogan as nothing more than a marketing tactic. 

I'm not putting Neocore down, as they do have some good products. I'm just pointing this out in case any unsuspecting buyers really think they are buying British, because the chances are, they are not. Regardless of that, the E2 is a top contender which offers considerbly good value for money and should be on your shortlist of potentials.