Should I buy the Kurio Tab Connect?

The Kurio Tab Connect is one of the best tablets for kids right now. Kurio specialises in this sort of thing and it shows, with a range of parental control features and apps for kids, the only question to ask yourself is if this is the right tablet for your kids.

This is a popular tablet for parents and kids alike, coming with tons of pre-loaded content as well as the ability to download real-world apps. With parental permission of course. It’s similar to the likes of the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition, with perhaps the benefit of not being locked into Amazon’s ecosystem.

You can see how we think they stack up against each other in our Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition vs Kurio Tab Connect comparison feature.

What are the specs of the Kurio Tab Connect?

For a kids tablet, the raw specs for the Kurio Tab Connect are on a par. You’ve got a 1.3GHz AMD quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. That matches up with the likes of Amazon’s 7-inch offering, the Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition.

That 16GB on-board storage can also be expanded to 32GB using a Micro SD slot, so if you like to have lots of content downloaded and stored in preparation for a trip or stay away – or just if you have spotty Wi-Fi, you have got options.

Camera-wise, there’s a 2MP rear camera here, though Kurio doesn’t list the stats for the front-facing snapper. Nor indeed the resolution at which it can record video. That shouldn’t concern you too much. At this level, none of these cameras are going to be taking pictures worthy of Instagram. They’re more here for kids to be able to take fun snaps with colourful frames.

The 7-inch display on the tab connect is fine, but it’s not HD. At 1024 x 600 you’ll notice a certain lack of clarity compared to your grown-up tech, but it’s not grown-up tech and this is where you save money. The battery life here is up to 7 hours, if your kid is streaming video constantly, that’ll likely drop significantly.

Lastly, it comes with a big, rubberised case to protect from drops and falls, while also providing a certain amount of hand space for tiny, sticky hands to carry it around with.

What are the best features of the Kurio Tab Connect?

The Kurio Tab Connect comes preloaded with over 30 apps to get you started right out of the box. These apps include games, video-on-demand services eBooks and educational content.

To augment that, Kurio’s own KIDOZ app store that lets you pick from a Kurio-curated library of apps that they deem to be child friendly. The Tab Connect also gives you access to Google’s Play Store where there are millions more. You’ll want to be strict about your parental controls here though, as the open-source nature of the store might have your kid stumbling on something they shouldn’t.

On those parental controls, Kurio is pretty good here. Parents can block or allow pretty much anything. This good, because you don’t have the limitations of certain kid-only tablets, although might mean you need to take a keener eye.

You can connect to the tablet through your phone and manage the device's settings from there without having to disturb your child. Or, you can disturb them in a fun way, as it’ll let you send messages and play games with them from your smartphone.

Web browsing on the Kurio Tab Connect is filtered through Kurio’s own ‘Genius’ internet filtering system. This claims to filter, categorize and 32+ billion webpages daily. You can manage it yourself, and Kurio Genius comes with several pre-set filters as well as letting you set your own and block any specific websites it might miss.

What else do I need to know about the Kurio Tab Connect?

It’s probably worth saying that the Kurio Tab Connect is splash proof, but not waterproof. So a small spill will be fine but we wouldn’t let your kids take it into the bathroom. It does come with a 1-year manufacturers guarantee.

Perhaps the oddest thing about the Kurio Tab Connect is that while the website states that it comes with Android’s 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition) operating system, listings for the device say that it’s set up with Android 6, which is fairly old now. It’s entirely possible that the Kurio Tab Connect can be updated, but the differing information isn’t clear about that.

The Tab Connect can also grow with your child. Suitable for ages 3 and up, you have a tremendous amount of control over how all its filters and restrictions work, so you can manage the restrictions as your child ages so it never becomes too 'kiddie' for them.

What are the alternatives to the Kurio Tab Connect?

Kurio themselves offer several other child-focused tablets, including one that works as a laptop as well. If you’re after something a bit more curated and education-focused then you may want to look at something like the LeapPad Ultimate, though LeapFrog’s OS is quite restrictive.

The most direct competitor will be Amazon’s range of Fire Kids Edition tablets. There probably isn’t much to split the identically priced Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition and the Kurio Tab Connect, but if you’re willing to pay a bit more then the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition or the more expensive Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition are probably a better option.

If only because they give you access to Amazon’s huge library of content.

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