What Are the Differences Between the LeapFrog Epic Academy Edition and the LeapFrog Epic?

The LeapFrog Epic Academy Edition is a an educational tablet designed for children from LeapFrog. The Academy Edition is a more recent version of the original LeapFrog Epic, so what are the differences between the two tablets?

At first glance, the two tablets do look to be very similar. The screen resolution of each is the same, at 1024×600 pixels, and both come with a protective bumper intended to reduce the chance of damage if the tablet is dropped.

The internal memory is also the same, at 16 gigabytes (GB) and both also have a memory card slot that will take memory cards up to 32 GB in size. Both tablets are Android tablets, but they run on a variant of 4.4 KitKat rather than being pure Android tablets. Each tablet has a quad core processor at the same speed and both have two front and rear facing 2.0 megapixel cameras. Each comes with WiFi, Bluetooth and a micro USB port, and both come with LeapFrog’s extensive parental controls.

So, technically the tablets are very similar, so what are the differences between them?

The primary difference is LeapFrog Academy. The Academy Edition comes with the LeapFrog Academy app, a subscription based service. The tablet comes with three months free included in the price, after which it needs paying for. Currently, LeapFrog Academy costs $7.99 per month ($5.99 for purchasers of the Academy Edition) at the time of writing, less if the six- or twelve-moth packages are purchased. The standard Epic is not listed as having access to this, but this probably means that it isn’t pre-installed. LeapFrog Academy is listed as being suitable for children aged 3-9 years old.

The Academy Edition’s screen is described as shatter-resistant, which is not the case for the standard Epic. The Academy Edition also has an estimated battery life of 7+ hours compared to 6+ for the regular Epic. Battery lives are only estimates and do depend on the use that the tablet is put to, but this does indicate that the Academy Edition’s battery will last longer.

The Academy Edition also comes with $175 of pre-installed games, apps and videos, but the Epic is not listed as doing so.

All told, the Academy Edition is really very similar to the original Epic, and parents who already have an Epic and are happy with it have no real need to buy the Academy Edition. However, parents looking into buying an Epic for the first time would be better off looking at the LeapFrog Epic Academy Edition, rather than the LeapFrog Epic, and taking advantage of the included content.