The Verizon Ellipsis 8 HD is a ‘budget’ tablet that refuses to behave like one. It packs features and capabilities aplenty to give it’s more pricey rivals the shakes and wins our employee of the month award.
Remember the tablet? That boxy, squarish or rectangular contraption that looks about as big as a TV screen that was just perfect for smashing over the stubborn heads of irritating people and tapping on till your fingers were off to nubs? It combines more notable features of a laptop as well as those of a smartphone into what can be a pricey or cheap package that comes occasionally loaded with eye-popping tech or features-bare like a Salvation Army liquor shelf.
It’s like the relative no one has heard of or want to be in the same area with for variedly mysterious reasons. I myself have had to hide mine under my shirt when the incredulous and mocking stares of people strolling past as I was making calls with it simply became too much for yours truly to handle without starting a riot. And let me tell you, that wasn’t an experience I care to repeat anytime soon.
Probably the first person ever to use tablets was old Moses up on the mountain, and he apparently like them so well that it -and its peremptory contents- are still widely in use in Christendom today. Tablets can be loads of fun, or lead you down the straight road to hell and perdition as anyone can easily find out with barely any effort. Well, Verizon just decided to extend and modernize the tradition by launching the Ellipsis 8 HD tablet, which you guessed it a major refresh of its earlier Ellipsis 8, with some new underwear and fresh makeup applied.
Verizon Ellipsis 8 HD Design and Performance
Design-wise like its predecessor, there is nothing to stand it out on the exterior. Its look is understated, yet modern and stylish, rather like a photo frame with the thick bezels looking really old-schoolish. We welcome the LCD though as it has been overhauled and upgraded from the usual 780p to 1080p. The camera now comprises an 8MP shooter at the back and a 5MP selfie-popper for when you get bitten by the nasty selfie bug. The OS is additionally more current, with Android 6.0 Marshmallow making sure things go as planned if not better. Under the hood, you get a really capable octa-core 1.5GHZ Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor ably paired with 3GB of RAM. Internal storage is 16GB, expandable via SD card to 128GB, with LTE connectivity enabled.
When put through its paces, the Verizon Ellipsis 8 HD ably performed with no lag or stutter, while the gorgeous screen was a sincere delight to watch. The sound is loud enough to wake the dead and overall functionality and usability simply fab. I played Modern Combat 5 on the tablet with multi apps open in the background and got the performance you would expect from the pricier rivals. Whatever I or my colleagues at the office threw at it, it was able to handle like a pro. Which is not really surprising considering the new processor and the beefier ram, but what IS surprising is how beautifully it all meshes together.
Price is $250 upfront with no ties whatsoever. Or you can cough up $10.41 monthly with a chain around your neck, courtesy of a 2-year contract. The Verizon Ellipsis 8 HD is a worthwhile purchase if you are looking for a budget tablet with a midrange or better performance.