The LeapFrog Epic and VTech’s InnoTab MAX are both 7″ educational tablets designed for children. Both tablets have a touchscreen with a resolution 1024×600 pixels. The case of the MAX has been specifically designed to be used by children, with a removable cover that can be used as a stand. The Epic is a more standard variant with a protective bumper and a shatter safe screen.
Both tablets are Android tablets, with the Epic running a variant of Android 4.4 KitKat and the MAX runs on 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Neither tablet has access to Google Play, and each has access to a curated app store. The MAX can download Android apps from the InnoTab Learning Lodge and the Epic can download apps from LeapFrog’s App Centre. The Amazon Appstore can, however, be installed on the Epic, allowing the tablet access to a much larger range of Android apps, including free ones. It is not compatible with LeapFrog cartridges, as it lacks a cartridge slot, but the MAX has one which will take suitable InnoTab cartridges.
The Epic comes with 16 gigabytes of internal memory, double the 8GB of the InnoTab tablet. Both tablets also have a memory card slot which will allow the memory to be expanded by taking microSD cards up to 32GB in size. Each tablet comes with WiFi, but the Epic also has Bluetooth, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microphone, a single speaker and a micro USB port for connecting to other devices and charging. The InnoTab has only one, swivel mounted 2.0 megapixel (MP) camera, whilst the Epic comes with two cameras, front and rear mounted, both also 2.0MP.
Each tablet comes with very strong parental controls. Out of the box, the Epic can only view web content from LeapFrog’s list of approved sites and content, and can only download content from LeapFrog. The controls on the Epic are more flexible than seen in previous LeapFrog tablets however. Parents can add web sites and content to the tablet’s approved list, allow the browser to be used like a normal web browser and download a wide range of third party content from the Amazon Appstore, which they will need to install from the parental dashboard. The web controls on the MAX are similar; there is an approved list of content from VTech and parents can add or remove sites as desired. It can only download apps from the Learning Lodge. Both tablets allow a parent to control the amount of time a child spends on it. Educational use is the primary design for most tablets, and both excel in this area, with the Epic possibly being slightly ahead.
Both tablets are primarily educational tablets, but both are also more flexible. Of the two, the Epic has the most flexibility, as it can be used like a standard tablet and is more suitable for general entertainment purposes as well. The design of the MAX is probably slightly stronger than that of the Epic, but the Epic has double the internal memory. The InnoTab MAX is an educational tablet with some other use whilst the LeapFrog Epic is both an educational tablet and one that is also more suited to general use than previous LeapFrog products.