Advent Vega review

Can this budget Android 2.2 tablet compete with its more expensive competition?

advent vega review
The Advent Vega is a budget Android tablet which excels and disappoints in equal measure

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advent vega

There are some enormous drawbacks with the Vega, but it's nowhere near as bad as we thought it would be. In fact, if it weren't for a couple of the biggest flaws, we would actually really like it.

But those drawbacks aren't going anywhere, and so this is a tablet that only really works as a device for browsing the web and reading emails. Anything more and the Vega starts to creak at the seams.

We liked:

The screen is responsive and the web browsing experience is pretty decent. Pinch to zoom works pretty well, and scrolling is also quite smooth.

Web browsing and email reading are both quick, easy and actually pleasant to use since the basics are done well. Again, we have to keep reminding ourselves that this is a £250 tablet, not a £500 one.

We disliked:

The absence of a Home button is a deal-breaker. It makes it fiddly to use, and the little silver buttons are so small and tricky to get a handle on as to be totally exasperating.

The screen's viewing angle is also quite poor, but we'll forgive it that because of the price. Anyone who wants to spend £250 on a capacitive touchscreen tablet cannot expect a top-notch panel.

The absence of the Android Market is a real pain, and the difficulty in getting apps installed isn't worth the effort.

Verdict:

This is a fairly accomplished touchscreen internet device with additional features including checking your emails and, er, telling the time. As such, it's a decent effort at a very attractive price. But anyone looking for a fully fledged Android tablet should look elsewhere or risk disappointment.

James Rivington

James was part of the TechRadar editorial team for eight years up until 2015 and now works in a senior position for TR's parent company Future. An experienced Content Director with a demonstrated history of working in the media production industry. Skilled in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), E-commerce Optimization, Journalism, Digital Marketing, and Social Media. James can do it all.