I can’t believe the capabilities of a tablet this size. I’ve been using various Android/Apple tablets for some time, but they’ve always been a bit of a compromise for me. Although they have plenty of good apps, they’ve always been an additional device and never my main device because all of the software I use is Windows-based, and very little of my hardware can be used on non-Windows devices (just trying to print is a nightmare that it shouldn’t be). More often than not, I’ll resort to my slightly cumbersome laptop – leaving my tablets barely touched, except for games and music/videos (neither of which I do a lot of).

I invested in a Windows 8.1 tablet a couple of months ago (the 8″ Acer Iconia W4) which is an excellent device that’s perhaps a touch too heavy/chunky but has excellent battery life. I didn’t need another Windows tablet so soon, and I certainly don’t need a second Windows tablet at all, but the trade-in price of the Linx 7 was just too much of a temptation. Less than £50 (after trade-in) for a full Windows device that comes complete with a year of Office 365 (worth £59.99, or £71.88 if paid monthly), is just a no-brainer.

Other reviews have already said how great these devices are. They do have limited free disk space (I’m glad the Linx 7 comes with 32GB at present, and not 16GB), and the battery life is shorter than I would have liked (I estimate about half the life of my Iconia W4), but when you consider what the device is, these are compromises well worth accepting.

The Linx 7 is smaller and feels lighter than my 6″ Kindle Keyboard, yet it’s a whole Windows computer. It’s quite a bit smaller, and seems much thinner, than my 8″ Iconia W4. It even fits in my back pocket (not that I’d want to risk that). I can install all my software on it, and all of my hardware. The 1GB RAM doesn’t make the Linx 7 feel any different to the 2GB RAM on the Iconia W4 but it might do when using the device in earnest. A 32GB microSD card handing selective Dropbox folders, and access to 1TB One Drive, helps mitigate the relatively tiny storage.

When doing a lot of typing, I use the TeckNet Ultrathin Bluetooth Keyboard which has integrated tablet stand that works much better with the thinner Linx 7 than it does with the thicker Iconia W4. The HDMI-out works fine to my full-HD 24″ touchscreen monitor.

The primary issue with these smaller tablets is the manufacturers’ ludicrous notion of have just one micro-USB port that is also required for charging. Initially it’s not a huge issue, but with a 3-4 hour battery life, the time will come when the tablet will need to be plugged in most of the time – thus preventing you from connecting any USB devices. There either needs to be two micro-USB ports (so one can be used with USB devices while the other is used for charging), or a separate charging socket. Until this happens, these tablets will need to be replaced once the battery dies. At under £50 for the tablet, this probably isn’t a big issue, but for the more expensive ones it will be.

All of that aside, this is an amazing tablet for a crazy price. I’m almost tempted to buy a second one (the only reason I don’t is because I don’t want to be surrounded by tablets!).