Who would have thought even 2 years ago that you would be able to walk into your local Aldi and pick up a pretty decent 7inch Android tablet for less than 100euro (granted, it’s only 1euro less, but it’s still less!)
On the 27th of March 2014, Aldi are putting the Medion LifeTab on sale around the country. This is a 7inch tablet with a quad core processor, 16gb of storage (expandable via microSD) and runs Android 4.2.
The Medion LifeTab is by no means an ugly tablet, but it not the prettiest of the bunch either, in saying that, it feels pretty good in the hand and solidly built. The back of the tablet has a nice metal plate in the middle, flanked by a textured plastic. It definitely make it easier to hold and doesn’t feel like it’s going to slip out of your hand. Also on the back, there’s a 2mp camera and the speaker.
The top edge of the device has the 3.5mm headphone jack, MicroUSB Port, MicroSD card slot and the mic. Other than that, the left hand side has the volume rocker and the power key. Nice and simple. The front of the tablet has the 7inch screen (1024×600) and a front facing VGA camera.
In terms of performance, we were pleasantly surprised at how zippy it was. There’s 1gb of RAM on board which should be more than enough for most people. Opening applications happened pretty quick and there was only minor slow downs when jumping between applications. While playing HD videos on YouTube, we didn’t notice any stuttering at all. There was a little stuttering when playing more graphically intensive games, but those games will strain even the best tablets out there.
Most people will probably be on Facebook, Twitter and web browsing on the LifeTab and it’s perfectly suited to those activities, with the battery holding out most of the day and viewing photos / scrolling around content happening without delay.
The only area where the LifeTab lets its self down is on the viewing angles of the screen, specifically to the left. Going off center to the left by a few degrees caused the screen to almost invert. It won’t be deal breaker for most, but it’s worth keeping in mind if you’re planning on more than one person looking it videos / photos at one time.
For 99euro, it’s a highly recommend tablet, but do keep in mind the weaker viewing angles of the screen.
**The model number of the tablet reviewed was the E7318 (MD 98691)
Here is the press release from Aldi:
Aldi’s tablet is just the remedy for techies
Supercharge your digital life with Aldi’s Medion Lifetab 7″ Tablet PC (€99.99 each). With the latest Android operating system and HD screen, this stunning piece of kit delivers on quality, reliability and performance to help users take care of business.
In today’s constantly-connected world, people want a device that enables them to combine their personal and professional lives and Aldi’s Medion Lifetab 7″ Tablet PC is designed to help you work and play on the go. This compact device is powered by a quad-core processor, enabling users to multitask at everything from email and web surfing to gaming and streaming. It features an integrated speaker, making it ideal for streaming movies and music, and is also equipped with front and rear cameras for photos and video chats.
Available in silver or white, this high performance tablet comes with 16GB internal memory, 1GB DDR3 RAM and also boasts WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 compatibility.
Techies will find the above product in Aldi’s 106 stores nationwide from Thursday, 27th March while stocks last.
have just got one . very good
Thanks for the review.
Is yours actually an e7318? Got mine yesterday after queuing for 20 minutes before store opened and discovered last night that it’s actually an e7316 with only 512mb of RAM. It is unbelievably slow and can barely run 3 apps at once.
The box it came in says e7318 and it also says the same at the bottom of the metal plate on the back however when I go to settings>about it states the model as e7316.
Keen to know if yours, or anyone else’s, has the same problem?
Hey Rick,
We don’t have the tablet any more, was a review unit, but it was definitely the e7318 we made sure to check the About when we had it.
Might be worth dropping you back or getting in touch with Aldi for a replacement.
Brilliant performance especially on viewing video from BBC Iplayer and 4OD apps, unfortunately the ITV player and Demand 5 are not for this platform from playstore. No GPS but what the heck typing using an external keyboard is a breeze and | am hoping that the multi-USB port may take the advertised HDMI cable from the Medion shop – still got to find out about that – it is the cheapest of its type despite the high postage cost. For the low price and the fact I had to stand in line to get it I am very pleased with the purchase. I do have a 1 core 7″ no-name tablet which has now lost its case / stand to my new quad core. Keeping the old 1 core for its GPS !
Just played with mapping and somehow it does have sat info – just that I cannot find a hardware control for it. The sound does improve with the addition of a bluetooth speaker.
I hv recently bought a medion tablet from aldi. Is it a good tablet or not as im not good wit these tablets. Some advice please.
I also have one with E7318 on the case, but the Settings says E7316. Specs for the E7316 say it has 1Gb memory, but I have written to Aldi customer service to ask for their comments
i actually bought two tablets only to find out that it was the E7316 model that was in the box. Not sure why Aldi cannot correct this error. I have since returned one but kept the other to study it more. I actually wanted a cellular tablet, so I am worried at the moment, as I cannot use the tablet in areas where there is no wifi.
Same with me. The sound is also not loud enough. With a 3G, it would have been worth it, especially with HP Slate coming out.
I contacted Aldi technical department (!) who assured me that the E7316 and E7318 are technically identical – the only difference being that the E7316 was released a few months ago when they had the offer on then. It was renamed as the E7318 for this latest offer. There must have been a few left over. It still does not explain how a 7316 was put into a 7318 box!
My dad has just bought one for my mam mainly for Skype and Facebook, when we try launch skype though it says check mobile network settings but I can’t find them, anyone else having this problem or know what to do?
Audrey.
Audrey I have the same problem. I can’t find the mobile networks settings to launch skype. I have tried to log in to my skype account and even set up a new account but to no avail. It just keeps coming up with check mobile network settings.
Alison my dad got it sorted…. He went into Google play store and downloaded the app, the icon was there but you needed to actually download the app…. Hope it works for you and you can see these replys!!!
Best of luck x
Hey Audrey,
The comments are all approved so hopefully Alison does see them. Thanks for the feedback! If Alison doesn’t reply in a day or two we should be able to forward the info you’ve posted here directly to her!
Ah great Tony thanks so much, hate to think that such a simple thing would stop anyone from using something they bought….
Audrey :0)
so did I,and off it jolly well went!
Same here Alison and that was the main reason for my dad buying it. I’ll ring him later to see if he got it sorted and I’ll post back. :0)
Alison he rang Aldi Tech and they said it was a problem with Skype but dad said he can get Skype on all the other devices so she have him a number for a different tech place but it’s out of service…..
My husband thinks it might be the version of Skype that’s on the tablet so we are going to uninstall dad’s and reinstall it!!
Watch this space……………
Where are the instructions?
I typed in the link (www.medion.com/downloads) only to get a message telling that the page could not be accessed and an Error 404.
I’ve bought two of these and a smartphone. I am worried that the support will be almost non-existent.
I have sent 3 emails to Medion but as yet only automated responses have been received.
Brian the manual is actually on the tablet, it’s an icon think it says ‘manual’ or ‘median manual’.
Audrey.
Me again – and so soon!
I am beginning to think that the E7316 and the E7318 are one and the same with regard to the instruction manual. The information is still woefully inadequate whichever way you view it.
I still can’t gain access to the website with the link offered in the “Quick Start Guide”. Strangely, when you check all of the countries covered, it seems that Australia may be the only one where information can be gleaned from!
I bought the tablets, (and smartphone), on the strength of the description in the Aldi magazine which is available at the shops and also as a circulated email message.
It states that has 16GB internal memory expandable to 64GB. How do you do this? The E7316 doesn’t appear to tell you. Do you do it with an SDHC card – because I haven’t seen many 64GB SDHC cards. Or do you do it by hanging a 64GB flash drive off it using the provided cable adaptor?
Does the tablet support Bluetooth? I can’t see that either! Although somewhere I have read, glancing, that you can attach a separate keyboard for when you are typing lengthy documents – surely this where Bluetooth comes in handy?
I need these questions answering. A detailed manual would help, particularly a dedicated one and not one that was written for another model.
Brian those questions are a bit too technical for me I’m afraid, I know my dad was saying something about a ‘micro SD’ card if that helps?
Ring the Aldi tech support number to see if they can help.
Audrey.
Audrey Got it sorted now , thanks, Alison
Ah good to hear.
Audrey.
Medion have sent me a link for an 80 page manual.
http://www1.medion.de/downloads/download.pl?lang=uk&filename=bda_40046662.pdf&id=12916&type=anleitungen
I haven’t had time to look through it yet. I’ll probably put it my other tablet (BlackBerry PlayBook) so I can get away from my computer screen for a bit!
Now all I have to do is decipher it!
Any body know if there’s a manual for the Smartphone (E4001) that came out at the same time?
bought medion lifetab e7318 i switched off will not switch on rang help line advised to take back to aldi has anyone had this problem
No, no problems yet, touch wood.
You’ve got a 3 year warranty though – take it back.
Same here no problems to report. The pain in the arse thing is you will get a refund no problem but probably wouldn’t get a replacement as they will be all sold so you’ll have to start all over. Have you left it charging fully and try to turn it on then??
Its not always the case. Medion supply Aldi and there’s no reason why they can’t do a replacement.
I have taken a couple ofitems back to Aldi and the only one where I was forced into a refund situation was a small deep fat fryer wich packed up after a month.
Ah that’s good Brian, I never thought of that so hopefully James can get sorted.
please l would like to know if Life Tab Model E7318 Made in china can work or function with a SIM CARD.because l currently have one give to me by my senior Brother and have not been able to use it.
No it doesn’t.
It only works with a WiFi link. If you want that facility you need to go for Apple (iPads) or BlackBerry where you can “bridge” the BlackBerry phone with the BlackBerry PlayBook.
I have the BlackBerry and I’m in the process of getting away from it – it’s just too slow and there are fewer apps. Saying that the build quality of the PlayBook is far superior to anything else I’ve seen. The one I have boasts an internal unexpanded memory of 64GB whereas most of the others struggle with 16GB or less!
Its a pity it never took off. I put the PlayBook in the same sort of genre as Betamax vs VHS. Betamax was a far better format but for some reason VHS became the industry standard.
My Name is Leon and I am very displeased with this product I have had this tablet for less then a year and it stopped working it does not come on any more I have charged it over and over it does not come on They told me I had a year manufactures warranty. I cannot find the number to the company to complain purhaps some one can help me I feel taking advantage of
Hi Leon,
can you not take it back to the shop you bought it from??
Can anybody tell me if the medeion e7318 can connect to a TV via a HDMI cable. I’ve just bought one for 4.99, bargain, but the TV has not recognised it. Im thinking that it has no HDMI output, I assume. Does anybody know, should’ve checked first.
The nice people at Which? Have recommended an adaptor cable but I fear it probably will not work well if at all. However it works with some stuff – I’m currently using my tablet with my PS3 and playing Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag using the companion app and it works great.
This thing is garbage. You can get a $20 from best buy that performs better than this. I have been using this thing non-stop since I have it and I have constantly have to restart it and mess with it because it keeps losing connectivity. I run tablets all day for um work and this is the only one in my farm that gives me trouble.
I am considering to buy 7 tablet pc 7318. I like in Africa. I read the review. I have mixed feeling I cannot say it is good product from the customer’s review. Could any of you advise on what product to buy. I want the one I can skype where there is scanty internet. We do not have regular internet. I want to send e-mail with it. To read on internet with it. I was thinking this product is the one that can serve me in those areas. But I do not know whether if that is the case. Please advise me if you can. Nicodemus Ude
I am considering to buy 7 tablet pc 7318. I live in Africa. I read the review. I have mixed feeling I cannot say it is good product from the customer’s review. Could any of you advise me on what product to buy. I want the one I can skype where there is scanty internet. We do not have regular internet. I want to send e-mail with it. To read on internet with it. I was thinking this product is the one that can serve me in those areas. But I do not know whether if that is the case. Please advise me if you can. Nicodemus Ude
I have just resantly bought this product and it is crap I only had it for five days and it is no longer charging it says charging but the percentage is not going up I am very displeased with this product and will never buy one again
For 99 euro i think this is a very good product some times a little slow and the sound is not good but otherwise worth 99 especially good for downloaded bits and pieces