Creative Ziio 7-inch review

Creative Ziio: Verdict

The Ziio is not a premium product. It's not going to win any awards for performance or functionality – and certainly not for its looks – but as a budget tablet it's a decent piece of kit.

We liked:

At 412g, it's not too heavy. While it could be thinner, the Creative Ziio is a reasonably sized tablet.

The price is a massive part of what makes it worth considering. At £199, it carves itself a niche in exactly the same way that most budget tablets don't.

The sound quality is excellent and the presence of X-Fi is a big bonus. However, chances are you're unlikely to sit around listening to music on the tablet.

We disliked:

The screen is horrible and it's not a great-looking tablet in general. The lack of Android 2.2 is also a drawback, especially when you consider the absence of the Android Market and all the standard Google apps.

It also takes an uncomfortable length of time to wake the device once it's gone into sleep mode. Where other tablets are instant-on, the Ziio takes at least five seconds to respond when you press the standby button.

There's also no native Flash support which is a bummer, and is likely to confuse some end users.

Verdict:

It's a long way behind the iPad and the Galaxy Tab in terms of overall usability. But at just £199, the Creative Ziio does offer great value for money. If you've got £200 to spend, you won't find a better tablet than the Creative Ziio.