Small tablets with 7" screens have taken off in a big way in the last few years, inspiring even conservative manufacturers to join the bandwagon. Initially a low-end offering, these devices have confidently progressed to become miniaturized versions of their top-end cousins. The Prestigio MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0 offers high performance and compact dimensions in a stylish package that evokes the aesthetics of English aristocracy.

Packaging and box contents

Prestigio products have always had gorgeous, practical packaging and the Prestigio MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0 is no exception. The black-and-red durable cardboard box with embossed lettering provides a visually worthy introduction to your new electronic companion.

Upon opening the box, we found the Prestigio MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0 tablet (PMP5670C_DUO), along with a USB–microUSB cable for PC synchronization and charging, a 220V charger with USB port, short user guide, warranty form, and leather case. As befits an English gentleman, the PMP5670C_DUO is protected from life's mishaps by a black leather case marked with the Prestigio logo. The case fits the tablet snugly and securely, preventing the tablet from accidentally falling out. The soft interior lining of the case protects the screen from damage.

The practically-minded charger has a standard USB port, which allows charging the MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0 as well as any other USB-compliant devices you might have lying around.

Thanks to the inclusion of a case from the manufacturer, we were pleased with the included accessories – we found everything needed for everyday use.

Appearance

The tablet body is made of black aluminum: the metal case increases the device's longevity and looks snazzy to boot.

The design of the device does not depart much from what we have grown accustomed to seeing in tablets: smooth lines, a large display that occupies almost the entire front side, and a minimum of hardware buttons. Looking serious and respectable, it will be at home at the side of any businessperson.

For a 7" tablet, the dimensions are rather small: only 191 x 119 x 9.7 mm, with a total weight of only 360 grams. With a tablet so light and compact, it's easy imagine carrying the Prestigio device anywhere.

Moreover, the device is light and comfortable to hold with a single hand for long periods.

As mentioned above, most of the front of the MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0 is filled by a 7" IPS display with resolution of 1200 x 800 pixels. The picture is sharp and bright, even at extreme angles. No color distortion was noted. Until recently, displays of this caliber were found only in 10" tablets but now the MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0 too can wow with its ultrasharp screen.

Resilient glass protects the screen from scratches – it's hard to imagine even metal objects such as keys or staples being able to scratch it.

The front of the device also boasts a 0.3 megapixel webcam, which is more than sufficient for video chat. There are no LED indicators on the front of the MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0, but the blinking indicators don't prevent using the device in the dark.

The upper edge of the PMP5670C_DUO has a 3.5 mm headphone jack. We were pleasantly surprised by the sound quality when we tested out our Koss Korta Pro headphones: the sound was better than on some MP3 players!

On the right edge of the device, you'll find a two-button volume control and on/off button. The hardware buttons clicked pleasantly with just the right amount of feedback.

There are no functional elements on the left edge, while on the bottom edge of the tablet, you'll find a MicroSD memory card slot (with SDHC support) and microUSB port, which is used for charging your tablet, synchronizing with PCs, and even connecting USB peripherals. A barely noticeable indentation indicates the location of the built-in microphone.

I tested the PMP5670C_DUO with a 32 GB memory card; the device handled the connected storage amount without a hiccup.

By buying an OTG converter cable at any mobile accessories store, you can connect USB flash drives and keyboards to the MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0. If you urgently need to edit important documents that are stored on a USB drive, you will be sure to appreciate this flexibility.

The rear panel of the tablet features a 2MP webcam, speaker, and Prestigio logo. This webcam – the tablet's primary camera – allows spontaneously capturing moments and performs well for its resolution class.

There is just one speaker, but it's a loud one: the MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0 can make a great alarm clock and, judging by personal experience, the risk of sleeping through the alarm is non-existent.

The lithium-ion polymer battery on the PMP5670C_DUO is built-in, with a capacity of 4000 mAh. When watching a movie in the built-in player at medium brightness, the tablet lasted 3 hours 20 minutes. In book reading mode while using the Prestigio eReader app at low brightness, life increased to 5.5 hours. For a small and light device of its class, these results are quite impressive.

Hardware specs

A gentleman should be endowed with wit and a fine memory. The MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0 certainly has brains, in the form of a dual-core 1.5 GHz Cortex A9 AML8726-MXS processor and 1 GB RAM. Storage is provided by 8 GB of on-board memory, of which 4.5 GB is available to the user. Look below for test results.

Tablet performance is snappy when using all of the bundled apps and operating system, without any glitches during playback of Full HD video. The built-in Mali 400MP graphics accelerator can power through mobile games: this model of graphics accelerator is popular and all of the 3D games I know already support it well.

For connecting to home and office Wi-Fi, the MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0 includes a module with IEEE 802.11b/g/n. My experience with several days of active web surfing via Wi-Fi showed good stability and signal pick-up, as well as good compatibility with various 802.11n devices. A pleasant find is Wi-Fi Direct support, which allows printing directly to Wi-Fi enabled printers and connecting to the latest smart TVs without needing any cables.

In case you need to get online on the go, you can simply connect the tablet to a USB 3G modem via an OTG converter cable (not included).

The corresponding access point options are available in the Safe Networks section of the system options.

Like any modern Android tablet, the MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0 has a built-in G-sensor for motion.

When connecting to a PC via USB, you can pull up your device in mass storage made, which is driver-free in all operating systems, or in ADB mode, which is a boon for developers and power users.

OS and apps

Android 4.1.1 is the operating system included with the MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0.

After turning on the tablet and viewing a colorful startup screen, you see a standard Android 4 desktop. A third-party launcher can be configured to your tastes, if you like.

Like other Prestigio tablets, the MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0 has two sets of bundled apps: those included in the firmware itself and a set of .apk files stored in the on-board memory, which are installed through the special Prestigio Installer.

The firmware contains all the accoutrements a gentleman could need: FileBrowser (a file browser, not surprisingly), the special Prestigio eReader for reading books, with access to a store and library, Movie Player, and the OfficeSuite Pro 7.2.1 productivity package.

The Prestigio Installer allows installing a number of apps: 250+ Solitaire, Chess Free, Adobe Flash Player, navigation software, a currency converter, SugarSync cloud storage (free 5 GB of virtual cloud storage), and Stock Alert. Users in countries in the former Soviet Union can also try the set of apps from Yandex and the RIA Novosti news aggregator.

Overall impressions of the device are very positive. Software worked reliably without lagging or pauses.

Conclusion

After reading all that, you are probably wondering: just how much does the MultiPad 2 Pro Duo 7.0 cost? Another pleasant surprise is in store here: the recommended retail price is only U.S. $130. It's practically impossible to imagine finding a better tablet for the price! Sturdy yet light, with an excellent display and good performance, this seven-incher punches well above its weight class.