Kata T Mini 3 Unboxing And First Impressions - Also Known As The Drive

Unlike the smartphone scene, the affordable tablet realm isn't as exciting as it was few years back. Fortunately, there's still some few brand such as Kata who's still producing devices of such kind with decent specs and innovations.

Kata T Mini 3 unboxing

Enter Kata T Mini 3 formerly known as the Drive, an entry-level tablet that seems to have good build and interesting features. One of those is it has uses a specialized skin by default that's easy to use apart from the regular Android Kata UI. It has specialized shortcuts and navigation options which can be useful for your drives and travel.

In terms of specs and other features, the Drive seems to be a good one. It comes with large enough 6.95 inch screen with good resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels at 217 ppi with 5 points of touch. Under the hood, there's a 1.3 GHz MT8321 quad core processor for tablets, either 1 / 2 GB RAM, 8 GB / 16 GB expandable storage, and 3,300 mAh of battery.

Then the tablet is equipped with an 8 MP main camera for basic mobile photography, 5 MP selfie camera for video calls / snaps, 3G connectivity, phone function, dual SIM slots, and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop OS.

Given those traits, the device also appears to be a good all-rounder tablet for browsing, multimedia, games, phone use, and etc.

Note: The Kata T Mini 3 we have for review is the 1 GB RAM / 8 GB ROM variant.

Disclaimer: This unit was seeded by Kata Philippines for an honest review

Kata T Mini 3 Specs

Display: 6.95 Inch IPS 1280 x 800 resolution at 217 ppi

CPU: 1.3 GHz MT8321 quad core processor

GPU: Mali 400

RAM: 1 GB / 2 GB

ROM: 8 GB / 16 GB expandable via micro SD card slot

Back Camera: 8 MP

Selfie Camera: 5 MP

Battery: 3,300 mAh

OS: Android 5.1 Lollipop

Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, HSPA+, Bluetooth, FM Radio, GPS, A GPS, dual SIM

Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, light, sound

Others: Colors: gold, grey

Price: 3,999 Pesos (1 GB RAM / 8 GB ROM), 4,699 (2 GB RAM / 16 GB ROM)

Unboxing / Accessories

The box

The Kata T Mini 3 is presented with a thick rectangular box with a beautiful printed preview of the tablet.

The package includes a good 2A USB wall charger / adapter and a thick type of USB to micro USB data / charging cables. However, that's it. There's no other freebies such as an earphones with mic for calls and etc.

The rest of what's inside the boxes

If you are lucky, there are times that Kata bundles the T Mini 3 with flip cover cases, headset, and magnetic car mount.

Build Quality / Design

At the back showing the camera, flash, logo, speakers

The tablet sports a generic tablet design with surprisingly solid build for the price. It's constructed with combined materials that includes a sturdy metallic looking plastic unibody and a glass type of screen.

It's not made out metal, but still feels sturdy enough!

It also boast some good amount of heft that will make you feel like you are holding a partly metal body.  In general, the tablet feels durable enough to withstand normal daily usage with some light abuse such as accidental low drops and bumps. However, the glass screen doesn't have any sort of protection so putting some guard on top of it might be needed to avoid scratches.

There's a headphone jack on top, micro USB port, and microphone on top

Look below

At right, showing the power button and volume rocker

Looking at its design, the Kata T Mini 3 looks like an over-sized phone which we actually like. We enjoyed its generous curves at the back and sides, smooth edges, and its decent slimness. The camera at the back just had a hump and the speaker is placed at the back, but that is forgivable considering that this is just a sub-5K device.

It's a tablet like and oversized phone that feels nice in the hands!

Ergonomically, the tablet can be used with one hand (even for calls), but you'll definitely need to use both hands when typing. It feels good in the hands doesn't feel that slippery due to its chrome painted sides, and has decent ports / button placements.

Camera teaser

Surprisingly nice for a budget tablet

Still showed great detail even in dim lighting condition

As of the moment

We think that the Kata T4 is a good handy tablet on a budget. We also liked that it performance is initially smooth for casual usage, can do calls, and has a refreshing / easy to use UI.

We'll further explore its ability soon, check its performance overtime, and see how it works on the road if its GPS and 3G is steady.

Stay tuned for our full review!