Our Review of the Contixo Kids Q102

The Contixo Kids Q102 is another Android tablet designed for children from Contixo. The Q102 is one of the larger tablets around, as it is a 10.1″ tablet – the majority tend to be 7″ tablets. It comes with a protective case with strengthened corners that is intended to reduce the chance of the tablet being damaged if it is dropped. The tablet case comes in a wide range of colours, seven in total, black, dark blue, green, orange, pink, purple and red. There is a very similar model, the Contixo Kids Q105; the only difference between the two would appear to be that the Q105 lacks the mini HDMI port of the Q102. The tablet runs Android 4.4 KitKat, and is in most respects a full Android tablet, although one that comes with a protective case and a mode intended for children’s use.

The tablet comes with 16 gigabytes (GB) of internal memory, and 1GB of RAM. The available memory can be increased by using the micro SD card slot, which will take memory cards up to 32Gb in size, so the potential memory is 48GB in total, assuming that the largest SD card is used. The screen is a 10.1″ touch screen display, with a resolution of 1024×600 pixels. The Q102 has two cameras, a 2.0 megapixel (MP) rear facing camera and a 0.3 MP front facing camera. The tablet has stereo speakers for sound, and a 3.5mm headphone jack for when a bit more peace is required, as well as a built-in microphone.

The Q102 has WiFi, for connecting to the internet, and also comes with Bluetooth, allowing it to connect to other Bluetooth-enabled devices that are within range. There are two micro-USB ports, for connecting to such as laptop and desktop computers, which can also be used to charge the tablet, although does come with a 9 volt DC power jack, as well as a micro-HDMI port which can be used to connect it to suitable televisions. It also has a quad core processor.

The tablet comes with a number of pre-installed Android apps, one of which is Google Play. This gives it access to the wide range of content, much of it free, available from that store. Having WiFi will give the internet access to download apps, as well as watching streaming television and video, and allow video messaging. The Bluetooth gives it an extra bit of local connectivity, allowing the Q102 to pair with other devices. The resolution of the tablet is at best slightly above average, despite the fact that the screen is larger; however, it is unlikely that most users will be easily able to notice differences in screen resolutions. The camera resolutions are fairly standard; few tablets have rear camera resolutions much greater than 2.0MP, although 0.3MP for the front camera is at the bottom, albeit common, end. They will still fulfil most of the photographic and video needs of most children; the front camera is mostly suited for video chatting.

Adding a memory card will greatly increase the amount of storage available, and the internal storage is already at the high end of the market. The 10.1″ screen will make it easier to watch television programmes and videos on the device, and the unusual addition of a micro-HDMI port will also allow these, as well as any other media, to be viewed on a suitable television. Having two micro-USB ports is unusual, and not something that will be seen in the majority of tablets.

Does the Contixo Kids Q102 have any Parental Controls?

Being able to control just what content their child has access to on the internet is very important to parents, so parental controls are important for most users. The Q102’s parental controls are provided via the Zoodles app. This gives the tablet two modes; a parent’s dashboard and a child-friendly Kid’s Mode. Zoodles allows parents to customise its settings according to their needs – what a parent wishes their child to be able to access tends to vary depending on the child’s age. Content is rated by the app, and only content that is judged to be age appropriate, according to the parent’s settings, can be accessed.

When it isn’t used in Kid’s Mode, the tablet will function like a regular Android tablet, giving it greater flexibility. In Kid’s Mode, as well as determining what content can be accessed, a parent can also adjust a number of other settings. These include setting educational goals and limiting how much time can be spent on the tablet. Parents can also check what content and sites their child is accessing, and manually add approved sites, if desired.

Does the Tablet have any Educational Uses?

One of the reasons why parents buy their children their own tablet is to help educate them. Although the Q102 isn’t a purpose-built educational tablet, it does have some education uses. There are some educational games available in Zoodles Kid Mode and, as well, the tablet can access the Google Play store. There are many different apps, both free and paid, that have educational uses, or are outright educational apps.

Can Streaming Video and Television be Watched on the Tablet?

The Zoodles app has both fun and educational videos available to watch, but there is more available. With the Q102 being an Android tablet it can also be used with such as YouTube and Netflix, allowing access to a much greater range of content. However, parents will probably need to ensure that only suitable content can be watched using those apps.

Can a Child Play Games on the Q102?

There are many different games, both educational and simply fun, that can be downloaded to the tablet from Google Play and other suitable Android app stores. There are also games available within the Zoodles app itself.

Does the Tablet have many Apps?

The Q102 is an Android tablet and, as such, has access to the many different apps, of which there are literally hundreds of thousands. It comes with Google Play pre-installed, and for more apps the Amazon Appstore can be installed too. These include apps, and content, of all types, although not all of these are suitable for children, of course. Apps should be vetted by parents before they are used by children, so that they can ensure that their child is only using appropriate apps.

What is the Worry-free Guarantee that is Available?

A “worry-free” guarantee can also be purchased with the tablet. This is a one year guarantee, provided by Contixo, which provides additional protection, of the insurance kind, for the tablet. Should the tablet be broken, it can be returned to Contixo who will either fix or replace it.

Summing Up the Contixo Kids Q102

The Q102 is a full Android tablet when it isn’t being used in Kid mode, and therefore has access to a wide range of Android content, much of which is either cheap or free. Compared to other children’s tablets, it runs one of the more advanced versions of Android around. The parental controls still allow it to access the internet and approved sites.

The rear camera of the tablet is pretty standard in its resolution; those tablets that do have better cameras tend to be only slightly better, such as 2.1MP, and there are some which are worse. Although the front facing camera is definitely at the bottom end in resolution, front facing cameras are rarely as good and 0.3MP is generally all that is needed for video chatting and similar. Some tablets lack two cameras all together, which doesn’t count the handful that have adjustable cameras.

Whilst there are many cheaper tablets around, this tablet still tends to be relatively inexpensive, and it comes with a quad core processor which is at the upper end of processing power. The 16GB of internal memory is also at the upper end, and it can be expanded too. The screen’s resolution is okay; some have worse, some have better, this is in about the medium range, but it should still be adequate for a child’s use. At 10.1″ this is definitely on the larger side for a child’s tablet.

The communication options are above average. WiFi is both standard and necessary in a tablet, but Bluetooth is rather more uncommon. Having two micro-USB ports is unusual, and so is the addition of a micro-HDMI port. In terms of power, this is at the upper end of the children’s tablets that are currently available. It may be a bit more expensive than the lower end tablets, but it is also, in general, better technically.

Find out more about the Contixo Q102 Kids.