Best 7-inch Windows 8.1 Tablet – at budget friendly prices

Samuel J Tan Personal Technology, Tablets, Technology 0

When considering a small 7-inch Windows 8.1 tablet, you will find that there aren’t many out there but the few that are, are seriously cheap.

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The Best 7-inch Windows Tablet at Bargain Basement Prices

Microsoft is striking back with a vengeance. Seeing their market share erodes especially in the tablet segment, Microsoft joint forces with some of the manufacturers here to offer Windows 8.1 Tablets at super low prices. To top it off, they have also included a full year’s subscription to Office 365 personal, 1TB of OneDrive storage and 60 minutes of free Skype calls every month. These together with the Windows 8.1 license would normally cost more than the retail prices of these tablets yet the manufacturers are able to offer these tablets with further discounts, cash backs and free memory in the hope of enticing more buyers.

So if you are in the market for a budget tablet, under a hundred, and still offers the versatility of being able to run your normal desktop app.

HP Stream 7 Signature Edition Tablet – [GOOD BATTERY LIFE]

If you think you can only get super low prices and budget-friendly 7″ tablets from lesser known brands, think again. The HP Stream 7 powered by the new Windows is available from under a hundred. Even at this price HP is not cut corners with the usual build quality and reliability you would expect from the technology giant. This stylish tablet has narrow side bezels making it grip friendly. It’s compact, slim and lightweight design is great for commuters and business travelers looking for a tablet to read, browser the web, watch movies and TV shows, socialise and more. A Signature Edition Tablet is also available, free from bloatware and comes with an anti-virus software that never expires. The quad-core performance you’ll enjoy smooth streaming, web surfing and gaming apps. Office 365 Personal subscription (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote Publisher and Access), 60 minutes of Skype for international calls per month and 1TB of OneDrive storage for your photos, videos and documents are included.

7-inch HD touch screen 1280 x 800 pixels resolution IPS display
Intel Atom Z3735G quad core 1.33 GHz with Burst Technology up to 1.83 GHz
1GB memory/32GB eMMC Storage, MicroSD expansion slot
Up to 8 hours battery life, 3000 mAh Li-Ion 11.1Wh
Cameras 2MP back-facing camera, 0.3MP front-facing camera
Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n (Miracast-enabled), Bluetooth 4.0, 1 Micro USB 2.0, Audio combo
Dimensions and Weight: 192.78 x 110.74 x 9.90 mm, 353.8 grams
Office 365 Personal (1 Year subscription)
1TB of OneDrive storage
Windows 8.1 with Bing, 32-bit

Linx 7-inch Tablet – Black

There is currently a limited time cash back offer on this tablet. With the trade-in, this is a low priced Windows Tablet in the market. So if you have an old tablet lying around that you use as a doorstop, why not take advantage of the offer. The Linx 7 is fully loaded with features, such as parental controls built-in for online safety, front and rear cameras for capturing those memorable moments and making Skype calls a breeze, and a powerful Quad core processor. As with the HP Stream 7, a one year subscription to Office 365 Personal and 1TB of online storage with OneDrive is thrown in making it super value-for-money. The specs are pretty much the same as the HP Stream 7 and while the screen is plastic and can only manage 4 hours of battery life between charge, at this price, you can’t go wrong. A year ago, this may be an unknown brand, but with three tablets, Linx 7, Linx 8 and Linx 10 as well as many positive ratings from buyers, Linx is quickly becoming a household name.

7-inch HD touch screen 1280 x 800 pixels resolution TFT LCD display
Intel Atom Z3735G quad core 1.33 GHz with Burst Technology up to 1.83 GHz
1GB memory/32GB eMMC Storage, MicroSD expansion slot
Up to 4 -6 hours battery life 3500mAh
Cameras 2MP back-facing camera, 2MP front-facing camera
Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, 1 Micro USB 2.0, Audio combo, HDMI out
Dimensions and Weight: 192 x 110 x 9.5 mm, 285 grams – LIGHTEST
Office 365 Personal (1 Year subscription)
1TB of OneDrive storage
Windows 8.1 with Bing, 32-bit

*cash back offer is time limited.

Toshiba Encore Mini WT7-C-100 7-inch Tablet

Not quite as compact as the other 7-inch we have seen so far, the Toshiba Encore Mini doesn’t have the super narrow side bezel or the grip friendly profile of newer tablets. It is however still a good size tablet with plenty of mobile fun for kids, students, gadget lovers and families with the familiarity and functionality of the new Windows. While the screen isn’t High Definition but WSVGA, it delivers hours of entertainment with battery life second to only the HP Stream 7. The Encore Mini also has less storage memory at 16GB compared to the others with their 32GB. But some retailers are making up for this by throwing in a 16GB MicroSD card free. As with the other Windows tablets above, the Encore Mini comes with an Office 365 Personal 1-year subscription included. This also includes 1 TB OneDrive online storage to save, share and access your files from anywhere. And for as long as you have the Office 365 Personal subscription, you can also enjoy 60 minutes of Skype calls per month to international numbers.

7.0-inch diagonal WSVGA LED-backlit (1024 x 600), 5-finger multi-touch support
Intel Atom Z3735G quad core 1.33 GHz with Burst Technology up to 1.83 GHz
1GB memory/16GB eMMC Storage, MicroSD expansion slot (16GB MicroSD Card from some retailer*)
Up to 7 hours battery life, Lithium polymer
Cameras 2MP back-facing camera, 0.3MP front-facing camera
Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n (Miracast enabled), Bluetooth 4.0, 1 Micro USB 2.0, Audio combo
Dimensions and Weight: 199.00 x 119.80 x 10.90 mm, 340 grams
Office 365 Personal (1 Year subscription)
1TB of OneDrive storage
Windows 8.1 with Bing, 32-bit

*Please check for availability of offer

Our Line-up

Here is a quick look at our small windows tablet line-up. For the most up to date prices, please click on the links below:

HP Stream 7 Signature Edition Tablet – [GOOD BATTERY LIFE]
Linx 7-inch Tablet – Black
Toshiba Encore Mini WT7-C-100 7-inch Tablet

NOTE: Prices are correct at the time of writing based on UK retailers current offers and are subject to change.

Turn Your Tablet into a Desktop

Why not add a Bluetooth keyboard, Bluetooth mouse and Miracast dongle or HDMI cable to your compact tablet to turn this into a desktop.

Here are some recommendations to get yourself set:

Microsoft Wedge Mobile Bluetooth Keyboard or Microsoft Universal Mobile Bluetooth Keyboard or Anker Bluetooth Ultra Slim Keyboard
Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse or Microsoft Sculpt Touch Mouse or Logitech M185 Wireless Mouse
HDMI Miracast Dongle
Micro HDMI to HDMI Cable

8-inch Windows 8.1 Tablets – the bigger siblings

If you are after something a little bigger, check out our Best 8-inch Windows 8 Tablets article. You can find a quick list of 8-inch Windows Tablets below: