AT&T’s Trek HD Tablet an Affordable Alternative to Pricier Models

by Don Reisinger

The Trek HD’s design will in no way impress customers who are familiar with models such as the iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini 3. The device has a basic black design with rounded corners and is just 0.35 inches thick. AT&T’s tablet is designed to be affordable and reliable. So it’s no surprise that AT&T didn’t spend money on an advanced design.

Customers looking to buy a tablet from a company like Samsung or HTC will quickly find that while their slates run on Android, they also run with a special user interface that’s often incompatible with many applications on the market. In AT&T’s case, the company has decided to stick with the standard Android 5.0 build.

Since Trek HD is running on Android 5.0, all of Google’s standard services have been built into the tablet. So, users will find everything from Chrome to Gmail in the slate. In addition, Trek HD supports Google Apps—which means, for example, that users can open Office files and edit them from Google’s own applications.

The “HD” in the Trek HD branding comes from the device’s display. The screen measures 8 inches in size and has a resolution of 1,280 by 800. That’s slightly better than a standard 720p display but not in line with competing devices that start at a 1080p resolution. Many other products have 2K and even 4K displays.

Since AT&T is selling the Trek HD, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the tablet has full support for both AT&T LTE and WiFi hotspots. Customers who buy the device will be able to connect to AT&T’s LTE network with ease, and the same goes for WiFi-only hotspots.

One of the nice things about Android 5.0 is that it fully supports multiple users. And since AT&T has made it a key initiative in its wireless strategy to make its service more family-friendly by allowing users to share data, the company made a fuss about that in its information on Trek HD. Any user in the home can create a profile and use the Trek HD without interrupting another person’s account.

Since the Trek HD is basically an entry-level tablet, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the slate has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing lens. That puts it toward the bottom of the heap in the tablet space and means that customers are more likely to find solid cameras elsewhere. Still, fewer people use tablets to snap photos than smartphones, so it may not be a deal-breaker for many.

Much of the hype in the mobile community as of late has centered on the idea of “all-day battery life.” Essentially, companies tout how their products can last all day on a single charge, making it more appealing to corporate customers who don’t have easy access to a wall outlet. However, the Trek HD lacks all-day battery life, offering just 5.5 hours of juice before it needs to be recharged.

AT&T has tossed in some basic extras to try and appeal to customers. When customers buy the Trek HD, they’ll get access to several preloaded apps from AT&T, including AT&T Family Map for tracking the location of family members and their mobile devices, AT&T Games and YPmobile to find phone numbers. The Trek HD includes Ready2Go, an app that provides online set-up and personalization support.

It’s nearly impossible for any other tablet to beat the price on Trek HD. The tablet has an installment plan option for $10 per month for 20 months. A two-year contract payment option will require users to pay just $50 at the time of purchase and then pay for a contract service price. Those who want no commitment can buy the Trek HD outright for $200.