I bought the signature edition of the HP Stream 7 from the Microsoft store after stumbling upon this device on a few tech blogs. At first I was mystified because of the low price! A full WIndows 8.1 tablet and 1-year free of Office 365.... all for $99??? I have other tablets (Nexus 7 2012, Nexus 7 2013, Ipad 3rd Generation, Kindle Fire HDX 7 and a Barnes and Noble Nook HD+). I know it is silly to have so many devices especially when some go unused for months at a time but eventually I pick them all up and use them while others are charging. The only thing missing from my collection at the time was a Windows tablet. I heard horrible things about RT and other full-Windows tablets were a little pricier so I thought maybe this would be the one thing I could not have. I have seen other "budget" Windows tablets recently but the reviews have been horrible. I decided to give this a shot because the early adopters raved about it. I have had this baby since November so I will give my insight on it now.
When the device arrived I was excited and tore into the box as soon as I could. Normally I hate to unwrap my tablets until my case and screen protectors arrive (ALL my tablets are still pristine), but I could not wait on this one. On first observation there was really nothing flashy about the look and feel of the device. It was boxy and somewhat thicker than most newer 7-inch tablets of recent memory. When picking it up you will notice the weight of this thing. It is heavier than all my small tablets for sure but it felt solidly built! There was a little flex when pressing on the back of the device but that I owe to the fact you have to pry the tablet open to access the micro-SD slot to expand the memory (which was an awesome add-on because Windows can take up a decent amount of storage). All in all I was happy that this budget device did not feel cheap (way to go HP).
It came with a good charge on it when I powered it on and it immediately began setting itself up. It transfers all of your settings (including your screensaver) if you have a windows laptop or desktop. I thought this was pretty awesome as it looked like a mini version of my Lenovo laptop after it finished setting up. I was pleasantly surprised with how crisp the screen looked. I guess things look pretty decent on a 7 inch screen but still for a budget tablet the screen quality was nice. Using the device was also a pleasant experience. Many people have complained about a lack of touch screen responsiveness and the text being too small to be productive. Though the latter argument is valid I still do not have much trouble navigating the text at all. The Windows store is still lagging far behind all the other major operating systems out there but all the ones I generally use are there (Netflix, C-Net, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, etc). Movies playback fine without any lag. I have heard reports of weak Wi-Fi but the only time I have seen this is when I try to use my job's Wi-Fi which sucks to begin with. At home this thing is zippy fast. Another negative I have heard is that since this device only has 1GB of RAM then it will be sluggish if you have too many things running. Since it is such a small device I can't imagine doing anything hardcore on it so I haven't had a sluggish moment yet. I have had 3 web pages, Netflix and a social app running with no troubles. So performance wise I have been thrilled with the decent graphics and snappy performance. I do not do any gaming on my tablets so I can't comment on how it handles graphic intensive games.
Now for a few negatives. The first was beyond the device's control and that was initially the lack of decent cases and screen protectors. It tok a month after for actual products to become available on Amazon. I chose a lime green Infiland case with removable bluetooth keyboard that came with a free OTG dongle cable (it plugs into the power port and has a USB plug-in). With the OTG dongle I plugged in a wireless mouse and with the keyboard case the HP Stream 7 becomes literally a mini-laptop. Using a wireless mouse makes it A LOT easier to navigate around the device. A LOT. Using the mouse makes clicking on small font a breeze and zipping towards the corner of the screen to activate many of Windows operating features is a breeze! So the first negative is technically solved. The second negative is the battery life. While using the device it does seem to drain somewhat fast but I expected this due to the cost cutting HP had to do to keep this thing budget. The battery is not the best in the world but it lasts the way I expected. My Lenovo laptop is the same way so I was not turned off by the shorter life. What I was apprehensive about was the way the battery drains when the device is NOT turned on. My other tablets can be turned off for a month and still have a decent charge when I finally do pick them up again. The HP Stream 7 I noticed dies after being turned off for a couple days prompting you to have to recharge it again. If you just hibernate this thing without turning it off then it is curtains EVEN faster than that! I suggest shutting down the device after every use and always carrying the included charger with you at all times in your bag, man-purse, pocketbook etc. just in case. The device charges a little slow but not bad when you use the proprietary charger. i have heard horror stories of people using 3rd party chargers or chargers from other devices that make charging painfully slow. So now I carry my charger around so it is not that big of a deal.
My final negative is one that caused me to almost return this device. As many people have reported when you are using headphones there is a very loud and constant static/buzzing noise. I generally always use headphones because I have never been fond of any tablet's speakers (thought the Kindle HDX 7 is good). When I plugged my headphones in I heard the noise right away. it would come and go depending on what I was doing. When just navigating webpages (and being lazy to take them off) I will hear the static. If I am watching YouTube videos or Netflix and I am watching quiet scenes or low speaking scenes I can really hear the annoying background static. If I am watching things with decent sound, action or just watching anything loud you will not really notice the background static as much. I contacted HP about this and they offered sending me a new device. I waited for the new one to arrive and when it did I set it up and plugged my headphones in and same problem. I am thinking this is an effect of the cost cutting measures to keep this device at a competitive price. I decided to return the second tablet HP sent me and keep the first because the HP device had bloatware on it that my original Signature edition was free of. I am dealing with this unfortunate sound issue but this would be the biggest negative about the device in my opinion.
Overall for the money you pay for the HP Stream 7 you are getting a great device for your buck. It is fully functional, built solidly, offers a great quality screen and graphics, and allows for expandable storage AND ability to use OTG cables to add a wireless mouse or even keyboard. The flaw with the battery and sound is daunting but with the free Office 365 for a year (in which you can also activate on a desktop/laptop as well) makes this a definite must-have for those wanting a Windows tablet or for people looking to gift a loved one with a tablet that allows them to enjoy entertainment and be productive at the same time.
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