Verizon launches Ellipsis 8 LTE Android tablet
It's taken a while, but Verizon is finally offering a companion to its Ellipsis 7 tablet. It has just released the Ellipsis 8, a slightly larger slate with similarly middling specs and fairly aggressive pricing for an LTE-enabled tablet.
Mobility
Like its predecessor, the Ellipsis 8 is an Android-based device, but, as its name suggests, it provides an 8-inch display instead of a 7-inch screen. The screen resolution of both models is 1,280x800 — the "full HD" Verizon is touting is of the 720p variety, not the 1080p kind normally associated with the term.
Verizon is also a little vague concerning specs for the Ellipsis 8. We know it comes with 16GB of built-storage — double that of the Ellipsis 7 — and a 1.5GHz quad-core processor. Unfortunately, Verizon has revealed no additional information regarding the processor, or which version of Android the new tablet is running. (The Ellipsis 7 comes pre-installed with the older Android Jelly Bean, so presumably the Ellipsis 8 will run the current KitKat flavor.) It does come with a larger battery than its predecessor (5,000mAh vs 4,000mAh), with Verizon promising more than 14 hours of battery life per charge.
Also in its favor, the Ellipsis 8 has a slightly sleeker design than the Ellipsis 7, thanks to a thinner bezel, and can handle Verizon's XLTE network. That may be its key selling point, in fact, because you can save $100 off the price of the Ellipsis 8 if you purchase it with a new two-year activation. It otherwise costs $249.99, or $10.41 per month if you make use of Verizon's Edge device plan. In comparison, the Ellipsis 7 sets you back $49.99 with a two-year agreement, but is inexplicably still being sold for $249.99 without an agreement.
Obviously, Verizon is offering its Ellipsis tablets with the hope you purchase them with a new plan, but the value proposition isn't always a slam dunk. You can get the LG G Pad 8.3 LTE from Verizon for $99.99 with a new two-year plan, or you can purchase an Insignia 8-inch LTE-enabled tablet from Best Buy for just $1 with a plan (though it only includes 8GB of built-in storage).
Does Verizon's Ellipsis 8 seem like a good deal to you? Let us know in the Talkback section below.