Category Archives: Kids’ tablet

nabi 2S review

nabi 2S Review

See the nabi 2S and other nabi reviews on Amazon

nabi 2S vs. nabi 2

The nabi 2S is Southern California-based Fuhu’s newer version of the nabi 2. It now has twice as much memory (16 GB instead of 8), a better display (1280 x 800 pixels vs 1024 x 600), upgraded Wi-fi and Bluetooth networking capabilities, a more durable charger, and a longer-lasting battery. It’s a big improvement over an already popular kids’ tablet.

The display on the nabi 2S is much sharper than on the nabi 2. Images look crisp. On the downside, it doesn’t have a mini HDMI port, and the 2 did. However, the 2S works well with Google Chromecast.

Because of its speed, content, and parental controls, the nabi 2S is one of the top tablets for kids in its class. Many nabi reviews have praised this model.

Type of Tablet

Children’s tablet, Android

Age group

pre-K to 8

What’s in the box

nabi 2S tablet
Drop-safe Bumper
Power adapter (100-240V)
proprietary nabi connector to USB Cable
Product info
Quick start guide
nabi cares Card

The bumper on the nabi 2S, like the 2, is made of non-toxic, food-grade silicone. The bumpers are removable and come in many colors, including glow-in-the-dark.

Features

Dual mode: nabi kid-friendly nabi Mode and Parent mode
Screen: 7-inch with Multi-Touch (Capacitive)
Resolution 1280 x 800 pixels
NVIDIA Tegra 3 Mobile Processor with Quad-Core CPU
16GB, expandable via MicroSD (up to 32GB)
1GB RAM
2MP front-facing camera
Takes photos and shoots 720p Video
plastic body
headphone jack
runs on Android KitKat with Blue Morpho, a nabi overlay to the Android OS

Dimensions

Width: 8.69 Inches (220.8 mm)
Height: 6.05 Inches (153.7 mm)
Depth: 1.14 Inches (29.08 mm)
Weight: 1.31 Pounds (596 g)
These sizes and weights include the bumper.

Durability

The bumper protects very well even after many, many drops.

ince it isn’t fused to the nabi (allowing you to take it off and change it to the various colors of bumper that nabi sells) it does not protect the nabi from liquid spills.

https://youtu.be/aHsH8P1HT9I

Dual Mode – Parental Controls

The nabi sports two modes, nabi mode, which is kid-safe, and Parent Mode, which is a standard Android mode. These modes are already set up and ready to go as soon as you turn on the tablet for the first time. Parents can allow or block apps, create customized channels for kids, set automatic time limits for tablet use, create a Chore list and dole out nabi “Coins” for completing them, set rules for individual apps, and create ways for children to earn extra tablet time.

You can make multiple profiles for more than one child.

The kids’ apps include kid-safe sharing and messaging app called nabi Konnect. Skype can be used only in Parent Mode. The nabi Coins are for sale in the nabi store and can be used to buy kid-friendly content from the nabi Treasure Chest.

Content

The proprietary Wings Learning System features reading, writing, social studies, math, and an “iStorytime” app, for pre-K through third grade. It adapts to your child’s levels of proficiency. It’s designed to build skills and confidence, and ties in with Common Core. The Wings N-sight feature delivers reports on how well your child is doing and recommends areas to improve. It’s accessible in the dashboard. There’s also content from educational providers such as MeeGenius.

The apps provide a personalized, adaptive way of learning, meaning the content adjusts to the child’s proficiency level. The system includes videos made by classroom teachers. Wings can supplement school learning. Wings Challenge, a gamified way of delivering educational content, has over 16,000 lessons and 300,000 questions. Fuhu says the system supplements school learning and helps a child’s achievement and confidence.

Kids can play HD games on the nabi and listen to music. The sound is high-quality.

Besides the preloaded content, and you can also install lots of apps, many free, from the Google Play Store, the Amazon Appstore, and 1Mobile Market. For those unfamiliar with 1Mobile Market, it’s an app store that has editors who sift through the millions of apps Google Play and curate them, sorting them into categories and displaying them in a user-friendly menu, making it easy for you to find quality apps.

Storage

To get the preloaded content, you use Tap to Download (TTD). The preloaded content is not removeable, and takes up about half the available 16 GB of storage if you download all of it–you’re not forced to download every single one, so you can be choosy if you want to save space. But you might want all the nabi apps since they are of high quality and are a lot of what you’re paying for. Any third-party apps you install are removable.

Using a micro SD card isn’t any help with storing apps, because like all Android devices, you cannot store apps on the card, but you can store media and other files on it. The nabi’s micro SD card slot holds up to a 32GB card. The tablet doesn’t come with a card.

Tip: If your child shoots a lot of photos and video, that can fill up the internal storage. This data can be stored on a micro SD card instead of in the tablet.

nabi Grid

The back has the Nabi Grid, which is rows of squares with slots. These protruding squares have multiple uses. One is that the slots hold Nabi “Kinabi” alphabet letterpack bundle so kids can spell their names or messages and stick them on the back.

Another use of the nabi Grid is to fasten optional accessories such as car mounts, stroller mounts, stands, and additional cameras. The 2S itself only comes with a front-facing camera, but you can add a Bluetooth camera or other cameras. The nabi Square HD Camera does a lot and is of high quality. (Update: it’s no longer being made by the company, but is still available.)

Drawing

You can draw on the screen with fingers or use a capacitive stylus. There are plenty of art apps, both free and paid. There is no pressure sensitivity.

Pros

Case is protective from drops and scratches; very durable
Excellent parental controls
Access to all Android markets
good sound quality (though some feel it could be louder–but do you want your kids to have that much volume?)

Cons

No HDMI (though the nabi 2S works well with Chromecast)
Volume could be higher
Cannot run Flash on KitKat–though some people manage to via the Dolphin browser and some additional hacks. Google Chromecast works well on the nabi 2S. But that’s just a fact about Android, it doesn’t affect this nabi 2S review.
Screen not fingerprint-proof
Bumper not fused on, so is detachable but not spill-proof.
Menus can be complicated
Tablet is pretty chunky at over an inch thick (to compare, the new iPads are 1/3″ thick. However, there is some kid appeal to chunkiness).
A bit heavy

User reviews

Most users were very happy with the nabi and so were their kids. Some users who wrote a less than glowing nabi 2S review had issues with charging or glitching, but nabi customer service promptly helped them with replacements or fixes. For freezing/glitching, nabi suggests a hard reset, and provides a video.

Customer service

Excellent; very responsive. They respond publicly to every grumbling nabi 2S review on Amazon, and when we asked them questions they answered quickly and thoroughly. Hopefully you won’t have to return your nabi, but it’s good to know the company is so accessible and helpful. There is also an active group of “nabi moms” on Facebook who provide info and help.

Battery life

about 4-5 hours of steady use. Also takes 4-5 hours of charging to fully charge.

Chargers

The nabi 2 charger will not fit the nabi 2S. The 2S, nabi Jr. nabi Jr.S, DreamTab, and nabi XD all use the same charger. Only the nabi 2 and the nabi BigTab have unique chargers. Still, you can only use nabi chargers, not third-party ones.

Bumpers

The nabi 2 and nabi 2S are the same size, so bumpers for one will fit the other.

The Verdict

The 2S has been highly praised by parents and kids with the biggest complaints being glitching, but nabi customer service quickly comes to the rescue. For the price, the nabi is a tablet that both kids and parents will like. The content is engaging and educational; the tablet is fast. The parental controls are excellent. Even adults enjoy the nabi 2S, and can get some work or play done themselves on the nabi, including email, Facebook, and Netflix.

The nabi 2S is fast, educational, and versatile. With its combination of learning and fun, it’s like having your cake and eating your vegetables too. See more reviews on Amazon.

end of nabi 2S review

ArmorShield nabi screen protector with lifetime replacements

nabi Square Camera

More nabis…. Really want both front and rear facing cameras? AND a pressure-sensitive, Wacom pen?

nabi DreamTab HD8 Tablet has a slightly bigger screen than the 2S and has a both front and rear-facing camera. It’s called DreamTab because it has preinstalled content from Dreamworks.

The DreamTab also has a pressure-sensitive, Wacom pen for your budding artist. Further, your child can create and edit animation and movies. The price point and weight are both quite a bit higher, though. Review to come.

Want a rully BIG nabi? Check out the nabi BigTab.

end of nabi 2S review

Also see our post about cheap tablets for kids.

Cheap tablets for kids: yes, there are good children’s tablets under $100

1 Reply

Last updated Thursday, February 11, 2016

The best cheap tablets for kids: yes, there are quality children’s tablets under $100

(Also see: Best tablets for kids: 2015 roundup)

Cheap in price doesn’t have to mean low in quality. With the economy the way it is, there’s no reason to break the bank when it comes to getting a fun, educational device for your child. A children’s tablet doesn’t need to be as powerful as an iPad. There are plenty of quality children’s tablets for under $100. We’ve gone through customer reviews, company Web sites and reviews and discussions on other sites to zoom in on tablets your child will love. To find current prices, please see the product pages.

What to look for in affordable tablets for kids

The most important qualities in a cheap tablet for kids are the same as in any children’s tablet: hardware, quality of content, durability, ease of use, and parental controls, as well as battery life, as well as customer service.

Hardware: what operating system does it use? Is the processor fast enough to watch video? What about HD video? Is the screen resolution high enough? Is the screen large enough?

Content: It’s important that the tablet has enough variety of content so that your child can grow with it. The cost of adding apps and other material should be considered too. What’s preloaded onto the tablet? How much does it cost to add content? Is there free quality content available? Is the content personalized to your child, can you track it? Some tablets have only proprietary content that must be purchased or downloaded from the manufacturer’s Web site. Other cheap tablets for kids are just regular Android tablets where you can get any Android apps from the Google Play store.

Durability: Is the tablet rugged, will it survive drops, spills, and rough handling? Does it come with a protective casing, or do you need to buy one?

Ease of use: This is about design of both hardware and software. Is it simple to use? Are the parts easy for little hands to manipulate? Are there complicated series of operations to get to the content? Is it lightweight enough for young children to hold and carry it easily?

Parental controls: Some cheap tablets for kids have robust parental control, and others are simply lower-end adult tablets with no parental controls. Is there enough memory to accommodate different media, including video?

Battery life and power: What about the battery life and charging options?

Customer Service: It’s good to know that if you have a problem, you will be listened too, since inexpensive electronics are somewhat more likely to break or malfunction because of lower-quality parts.

Here are our top picks for cheap tablets for kids.

Amazon Fire

The price is super low and the functionality competes with considerably more expensive devices. With the option to buy a sixpack of Fire tablets at a discount, the Amazon Fire (see it on Amazon) is a great choice for kids.

Features

Runs Fire OS 5 “Bellini”
7″ IPS display
Plastic build
Weight: 11 oz.
8 GB storage (OS takes up about 2.5 GB)
1.3 GH processor
screen resolution 1024 x 600, 171 ppi (low resolution, but higher than the original iPad and iPad2, which were 132ppi))
Parental controls
Battery life up to 7 hours
Micro SD slot takes up to 128GB SD card
preinstalled Amazon apps include Instant Video, games, Kindle
Child subscription to paid content for $2.99 a month (as of this writing, Nov. 2015)
Ad-free option for additional cost
front and rear cameras
over 250,000 apps, lots of free content
“sixpack” of Fires currently available (check site for coupon code)

The Amazon Fire is a low-cost tablet that’s perfect for kids and budget-minded adults alike. The tablet, while not the fastest, works smoothly for apps, including videos and gaming, at a very low price. Parental controls allow you to create profiles for children. The Amazon store has a great deal of kid-friendly content (you won’t be able to get apps from the Google Play store, only Amazon). And kids (and you) can draw using art apps. If you have a Prime membership, that considerably increases the content. You can sign up for a free month trial of Prime here.

The screen is low-res, but it’s fine for casually viewing Netflix and other streaming, and for reading the gazillion books available via Amazon’s Kindle store. The camera is not the best, and the sound isn’t exactly hi-fi, and the large-bezeled design is strictly utilitarian, but the many ways it gives you of enjoying content makes it a great value.

LeapFrog LeapPad2 Power Learning Tablet

Ages 3 to 9

Features

The LeapPad2 features cameras both in front and back, a video camera, and an MP3 player. Games are enhanced by its motion sensor. It features personalized learning, and comes in at a low low price. There is no wifi.

Screen size: 5 inches

Screen resolution: 480 x 272

Processor: 550 MHZ

Comes with an attached stylus.

Content

Apps including Art Studio and Pet Pad. Other apps must be purchased either as apps or cartridges. Some kids may not want a whole lot of games and apps, but if they do, these cartridges and apps cost from a few bucks on up, with cartridges being more expensive.

Personalized learning that parents can keep track of and that grows with the child. The LeapFrog library has over 800 games, ebooks, and videos.

Durability

Hard plastic, but the screen can crack if dropped.

The battery lasts a generous 9 hours. It’s a good idea to buy the rechargeable battery set.

Some parents not happy with customer service. Complaints about the expense of the content and that it does not come with much content. There are no free apps in the store. App cards often go on sale though. All the same, LeapFrog content is high quality and you don’t need to worry about kids getting online.

Our rating: 4.5/5

Please see our longer review of this tablet here.

VTech InnoTab 3 The Learning App Tablet

Age group:

2 to 9 (Amazon says 3-9, but content from Vtech for this tablet starts at age 2)

Screen size: 4.3 inches. Memory: 2GB storage, can be expanded to 4.

The Innotab comes in pink and blue. It’s popular among customers. VTech has been around since 1976 and creates innovative educational products. The Innotab is multilingual; you can set it to English or Spanish during setup. There are two styluses included; the stylus attaches to the tablet.

Children can’t use their fingers on the screen, only the stylus.

A rechargeable battery is available separately, and strongly recommended.

Content

Content in the areas of reading, language, handwriting, geography, problem solving, science, social studies, and math is available for 4 age groups: 2-5, 3-6. 4-7, and 6-9. The tablet comes with apps and an ebook. More can be purchased on the Vtech site. It has a cool rotating camera and kids can add 55 special effects to their photos. It has a directional pad and tilt sensor to make games exciting, and interactivity includes being able to shake the tablet to cause things to happen. Kids can also make videos and import and play MP3s. We think this tablet is a great buy. This tablet does not have wifi.

Each cartridge has a game, app, and story mode, so your money will go farther with the cartridges. The tablet comespreloaded with 16 apps, including Art Studio and the Magic Bean Game.

It comes with 4 AA batteries, but we suggest buying the rechargeable battery pack. It can be charged via the included USB to a wall charger, or you can buy a separate AC adapter.

Amazon Prime is available with this purchase.

In the box: InnoTab 3 Learning Tablet, two styluses, “Read, Play and Create” cartridge, 4 AA batteries, USB Cable, and a Learning Lodge installation CD.

Our rating:4/5 stars.

VTech AC Adaptor

VTech Rechargeable Power Pack

NOTE: There has been a hack with this company in 11/15 (after this review was posted) that has been in the news and apparently privacy has been compromised. Hopefully the company will learn from this and improve its system, but be warned.

Our rating: 4/5