Micromax Canvas Tab P690: Read, don't play

At Rs 9,999 (Rs 8,999 on Flipkart.com), the Micromax Canvas Tab P690 is good for those not into heavy gaming and multi-tasking. The tablet has a stylish grey metallic back. The eight-inch display is particularly impressive. The size and the bezelled edges makes it an easy-to-hold device. Text is readable and makes it a top-runner for those looking to read e-books.

It is slim, but maybe, therein lies the problem. The makers, in order to make it sleeker, slimmer, may have had to cut corners, in the process compromising the battery. It is powered by a 4,000 mAh battery, which died before the day ended after I browsed, played games for half an hour and watched some videos. I had to wait for a considerable amount of time for the tablet to charge, which was frustrating.

The tablet has an Intel quad-core 64-bit processor at work. It has 1 GB of RAM and only 3.8 GB of the 8 GB internal memory is available for use . The P690 runs on Android 4.4.4 (KitKat) but is equipped to upgrade to Android 5.0 (Lollipop).

Though it boasts of a multi-tasking feature, I experienced it freezing at times when multiple applications were running on it. Though it survived heavy gaming (FIFA 15, Angry Birds Transformers) without any glitches, the battery gave up too soon.

The front camera is two-megapixels (MP) and doesn't capture good quality images. The primary camera is 5MP, though phones in the same price range offer better cameras.

Go for this one only if you love reading and want a cheap option that could serve other purposes too.