How to get an ultra cheap tablet

Garikai Dzoma Avatar

tablets-everbuyingWhile most people would want to own a tablet the costs of buying one here in Zimbabwe remain prohibitive. A 3G tablet will cost you more than $350 dollars easy and most of the “deals” offered by network operators are nothing short of ridiculous in addition to be convoluted and difficult to understand. Most people do not qualify anyway because of the stringent “Terms and Conditions.”

We have looked at how you can buy a tablet for under $150 before. Today we will look at how you can land a tablet for under $110* (you can even get a WiFi device for around $60.) The catch is that you will have to be patient for it to arrive-it will take anything between 4-8 weeks.

  • Visit the Chinese online wholesaler Everbuying.com and select your desired tablet. I would recommend the one shown here. It has built in 3G (WCDMA), GPS, a decent 5.0 MP camera( 2.0 MP front camera), 512 MB RAM, 4G ROM and WiFi. It is a dual SIM device that can take both your Telecel and Econet lines in case there is another fallout. A WiFi only device can also be bought for as little as $46 dollars and you can also use the search box. Please note there is a difference between external and internal 3G. You most likely want internal 3G as the former will require you to purchase an additional modem in order to make calls.

  • You can also buy accessories for your tablet such as memory cards, leather cases, stylus, stand and keyboard but there is very difference in price between buying on the site and buying these here in Zimbabwe. Cheap memory cards at comparable prices can be bought at an IT shop on corner Leopold Takawira street and Nelson Mandela.

  • You might want to purchase a powerbank in case of power cuts or for when you are on the road. These Chinese tablets are not exactly known for their battery life. I would recommend this one – it can charge your device up to three times which could add about 4 days of battery life.

  • During the checkout process select the flat rate shipping which is free. This will take anywhere between 2-8 weeks so be patient. Just think of it as applying for a Passport.The Parcel is sent via SingPost which will issue a tracking number which you can use to track the progress of the parcel. I must warn you however that the tracking is not as detailed as say FeDex or DHL’s. You will only get a package is in transit message.

  • When the Parcel has arrived you will get a card from the Post Office in your mail( your letter box) with payment details for ZIMRA. This will include a nominal handling fee for the Post Office usually about $10. The ZIMRA tab for the chosen tablet would be $ 19. Please see an early article on how to do the calculations if you have chosen a different tablet.

NB. This is not an iPad so don’t try to make comparisons between the specs. This is a Tablet that you can use to go on WhatsApp, play games, check on your servers, use Google Maps etc. It is a tablet for the Junk market but it will take pictures that will not embarrass you on Instagram and Facebook.

Picture from Everybuying.com

Thanks to K Thaker for the tip about Free Shipping.

 

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16 comments

  1. Wedlock Pristine Maduku

    What is the zip/postal code for Harare. Then on States column what do you type. I visited Everbuying.com and i would want to buy a smartphone

    1. Garikai Dzoma

      I have used 00263 successfully for years now. The question has been extensively explored here http://answers.techzim.co.zw/7734/whats-our-zip-code?show=7734#q7734 where various people have used various other numbers. As pointed out Zimbabwe does not use the Zip code system.

      1. fiend

        00263 means nothing.u r confusing international dialing code with postal code. any 5 digit number that’s not assigned to a place works

        1. Garikai Dzoma

          I know its no better than the others but thanx for the tip. I just picked it because it seemed kinda of poetic plus its not assigned to anyone else nor is 00000. I just did not want to confuse @wedlockpristinemaduku:disqus with a lengthy lecture of the Postal system.

          1. fiend

            Cool Gari!

        2. Muzivi

          You are right I have always used 00000 without any problems I guess that’s why.

    2. tinm@n

      We(in Zimbabwe) dont use a postal code sorting or addressing. systems. Five zeros will suffice (00000)

      +1 Garikai for a very helpful article! Whatever improves accessibility can only be commended.

    3. Muzivi

      You can enter Harare or just leave it blank. Doesnt matter.

    4. Muzivi

      You can leave the state field blank

  2. Confused

    Hey people what’s the difference between WCDMA and CDMA?

    1. Mupari

      CDMA is a 2G technology. Europe and subsequently africa mostly adopted GSM standards for second generation mobile telephony, whilst other markets (mainly state side) employed CDMA. (Remember the time when phones purchased from the US wouldn’t work here). WCDMA is a 3G technology that mainly evolved from Europe with standards that sought to bring about universality of the handset. It could be said in the loosest sense to have evolved from 2G/ GSM. The CDMA equivalent of WCDMA would thus be EV-DO….

      1. Elder

        thanx Mupari

  3. Muti

    This is the reason i come on this site. Thanks man

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