TweetAh, let’s jump the usual lengthy genteel intro about how dual core tablets are fetching a dime a dozen and extract the real flesh off the bone. The new Onda VI40 is an AmLogic-powered tablet with a 9.7 inch IPS capacitive 5 points multitouch screen. Yes, this slate seems to push us towards the display most, and we’re talking 1024 *768px pixels on a 9.7-inch panel. And until the Australian 9.7 inch Bauhn tablet hits online retail stores after a sensational launch at Aldi’s North Sydney store in New South Wales, Onda VI40 is the only ICS Android tab, powered by the same chip and the same resolution you can have at this point in time.

And at the peril of ruining our entire review, high resolution and clear-cut colors make navigating Onda’s spread of Ice Cream Sandwich a treat, and its dual-core AML8726-MX 1.5GHz internals affords the slate to brag more than just a cute face. But the ARM Mali 400 Graphics Onda VI40, retailing for $239.99, isn’t the only admirable ICS alternative around – and arguably not the most reasonably priced, either. Let’s dig in more internally to see if its substantial pros make it worth filching that plastic.

Onda’s design wizards didn’t toss any curveballs this time: in fact, the slate’s design isn’t any different from the earlier Onda Vi40 Elite, with pointed corners and a smooth, silver back. At 1.32 pounds and 0.38 inches thick, it’s certainly not the lightest or the slimmest alternative around, even though Onda has previously churned out some ultra-slim slabs. (The Onda Vi30W 8, Onda VX610W, and Onda Vi40 Elite serves as proof).

Still, the VI40 feels comfortable in our hands even under that thinness; the device has a firm, reassuring grip. Considering its girth, though, you’d expected to see less number of ports on board, but those design wizards figured out to include micro-HDMI out, USB 2.0/OTG port, HDMI out, and with a microSD card slot to bump up around 32GB of multimedia juice. We guess we’ve even further been spoiled by the likes of Toshiba’s Excite 10, which at 0.35 inches thin still sports a full-size SD card reader.

Obviously, the focal attraction is the 1024 *768px, 9.7 inch IPS display with a pixel density of 132 ppi, VI40 level of detail is excellent – with default background shows grass and trees in a brilliant shade of green. Besides that high-res screen, Onda includes built in sound speaker to boost the entertainment experience. Be it instrumentals in songs or dialogue in videos streamed from Netflix, audio is clear and undistorted. Crank the VI40′s at max volume and its sound is strident enough to stuff a small office.  Although you’ll notice a slight tininess without earphones, but with earphones, sound is rich and crisp.

We’ve revised Ice Cream Sandwich over and over again that it feels unnecessary to fritter more than a few lines outlining this slate’s Android 4.0.3 OS. Yet, with Google I/O still around, the likelihood of Jelly Bean looms. Actually, it’s worth citing that fresh devices like the Onda VI40 will most likely get an update in the future. Performance wise, we’re getting quite accustomed to seeing dual core slates that hand out ICS with smooth, swift performance, and the VI40 belongs to this class; credit goes to that AML CPU clocked at 1.5GHz and 1GB of RAM.

In the end, the VI40 carries on the Onda’s tablet legacy, with a feathery (and pleasantly) skinned version of Google’s latest OS, a thinner design and averaging battery life – whereas such qualities are top priorities for most tableters, we don’t see why you shouldn’t go that route, either.

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