Looking for a powerful yet inexpensive tablet? Dragon Touch’s new E97 model released in 2016 packs a lot of features into very attractive price point.

1. Dragon Touch E97 Quad Core
Android 4.4 Tablet Review

2. • Looking for a powerful yet inexpensive
tablet? Dragon Touch’s new E97 model
released in 2016 packs a lot of features
into very attractive price point. You may be
looking at the technical specifications and
wondering how this compares to a more
well-known tablet like the iPad Air 2. Let’s
go through the different features.

3. • Quad Core Processor: To me, a responsive user interface is one of
the most important features of any computing device. Who likes to
tap something only to have the unit respond 5 seconds later? The
quad core processor in this unit means that this tablet will keep up
well with you and your favorite apps. Screen swipes and app
launching were fast for me. My unprofessional test in the video
involved launching CSR Racing on both tablets at the same time
and while load times were definitely longer on the Dragon Touch,
the game itself looked really good and played fine. The framerate
was lower than the iPad Air 2.
• 1GB of RAM: RAM helps keep the tablet moving along at a
snappy pace. The 1 GB of RAM means that this tablet can handle
running multiple apps at once. For example, this makes things
quicker when you switch between the Gmail app and the Google
Chrome web browser app. Or if you’re playing music on Pandora
while flipping through an eBook. More RAM means that the tablet
can “remember” multiple apps at the same time without needing to
close out apps in the background. 1GB is a good amount for a
tablet, but the iPad Air 2 has 2GB of RAM which helps it perform
better.

4. • Screen: The Dragon Touch has a vivid display with IPS (which
means you can view it from an angle without the screen washing
out). I doesn’t have a Retina resolution as found on the iPad Air 2,
but it’s still very good. Colors are bright and photos look great.
• Unlocked 3G SIM card slot: Normally, you would need a WiFi
signal to access the internet on this tablet while you’re out and
about. However, if you need to have internet wherever you go, you
can purchase a data plan from a GSM carrier and then use their
SIM card in this slot (the slot is located underneath the long white
flap on the back). In the US, the most popular GSM carriers are
AT&T and T-Mobile. This would not work with Verizon or Sprint
plans. Just remember that mobile broadband is a little pricey, so
you’ll want to watch your data usage while using a SIM card without
WiFI (mainly, avoid Netflix and YouTube). In comparison, the iPad
Air 2 has SIM-capable models available, but those models cost
$100 extra over a regular iPad Air 2.

5. • 16GB of storage: This refers to how many apps, photos, videos, and
music files you can store directly on the tablet. It doesn’t really affect
performance. For reference, the lowest end iPad Air 2 also has
16GB of storage. However, the Dragon Touch’s storage can be
expanded with inexpensive Micro SD cards, like the ones you would
use in your phone and some digital cameras. The slot is located
underneath the long white flap on the back. The iPad Air 2’s storage
cannot be expanded.
• Built-in FM radio: I thought this feature is pretty cool, as I haven’t
seen it in other tablet models. This can pull in local FM radio stations
without needing an internet connection. The iPad Air 2 does not
have an FM tuner.
• Built-in GPS radio: The Dragon Touch has a “real” GPS chip
inside, so if you download an offline map app, you can use this
tablet to find your way without needing a data connection. The
regular iPad Air 2 does not have a GPS chip and instead relies on
WiFi triangulation to estimate your location.

6. • Bluetooth: This tablet also has Bluetooth so you can use
it with Bluetooth keyboards and Bluetooth speakers. This
is fairly standard on all tablets, including the iPad Air 2.
• Two cameras: I don’t use the camera on a tablet very
often, but the Dragon Touch has a 2.0 megapixel front-
facing camera and a 5.0 megapixel rear-facing camera.
The rear camera is slightly better on the iPad Air 2, as it
has a 8.0 megapixel camera in the rear (and a slightly
worse 1.2 megapixel camera in the front). Low light
performance is definitely better on the iPad Air 2.
• Build: The Dragon Touch is a little thicker and a little
heavier than the iPad Air 2. However it is still a very
compact unit and travels well.

7. • Overall, I’m impressed by the performance
of this unit given its low price tag. While
it’s not as powerful as the iPad Air 2, it is
still a very capable tablet that has great
performance and a nice display. I hope
that my unbiased testing and review of this
sample unit I received assists you in
making an informed purchasing decision.
• Buy Dragon Touch E97 at
tabletexpress.com just $98.79