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HP Stream 7 5700ng Tablet Review

Windows midget. The display of the HP Stream 7 might only measures 7 inches, but the tablet still sports full-fledged Windows 8.1 with Bing. How useful is Windows considering the smallish display? We'll try to answer this and many other questions in the following review.
Reviewed: HP Stream 7 5700ng. Courtesy of HP Germnay.

For the original German review, see here.

7-inch tablets with Windows 8.1 are a rare breed indeed and until now, we haven't had the chance to review one. HP's announcement of the Stream 7 - a 7-inch tablet with an Intel Atom SoC and Windows 8.1 with Bing - therefore really piqued our curiosity.

All of HP's devices which carry either "Slate" or "Tablet" in their name ship with an Android OS, while the newer "HP Stream" series caters to those who prefer a tablet with Windows OS. Other manufactures created new names for their Windows offerings as well - case in point is Samsung with their "Ativ" products. So far, the tablets released in the HP Stream series are rather inexpensive, and the HP Stream 7 sells for just 129 Euro (~$ 150).

Direct competitors of the HP Stream 7 are the Dell Venue 8 Pro, Point of View Mobii WinTab 800W, Asus VivoTab Note 8, Acer Iconia W4 or the Lenovo Miix 2 8. All these models have a screen which is larger by one inch, however.

Case

The chassis is a no-frills design which is susceptible to pressure.
The chassis is a no-frills design which is susceptible to pressure.

Of course, it's hard to deny the appeal of a high-end chassis made from metal, which is not only sturdy, but also feels good to the touch. Given the price of only 129 Euro (~$ 150), it is clear that certain concessions had to be made: the review tablet features a rather simple plastic design, with a haptic experience that matches the low price.

The Stream 7 doesn't handle it well when pressure is applied to the front or the back and significant display color changes are the result. The case doesn't protest with creaking sounds when twisted, however and the various sections fit together well, so gaps are a non-issue. The back is slightly rough to the touch, which makes holding the tablet securely much easier.

Although the back of the tablet can be removed, only the micro-SD card slot is accessible. The battery is visible, but can't be swapped out according to the attached label. Overall, the case design is solid, but features - in line with the price point - no noteworthy highlights.

220.9 mm / 8.7 inch 133.8 mm / 5.27 inch 10.95 mm / 0.4311 inch 380 g0.838 lbs219 mm / 8.62 inch 135 mm / 5.31 inch 10.8 mm / 0.4252 inch 417 g0.919 lbs216 mm / 8.5 inch 130 mm / 5.12 inch 9 mm / 0.3543 inch 388 g0.855 lbs216 mm / 8.5 inch 132 mm / 5.2 inch 8 mm / 0.315 inch 340 g0.75 lbs210.3 mm / 8.28 inch 133 mm / 5.24 inch 8.75 mm / 0.3445 inch 320 g0.705 lbs192.7 mm / 7.59 inch 110.7 mm / 4.36 inch 9.9 mm / 0.3898 inch 350 g0.772 lbs210 mm / 8.27 inch 148 mm / 5.83 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 2.9 g0.00639 lbs

Connectivity

Given its price, the HP Stream 7 comes adequately equipped with 1 GB of RAM and 32 GB of flash storage. Comparable devices with more storage are also more expensive. The Intel Atom Z3735G SoC is often the processor of choice in this price bracket - examples are the Dell Venue 8 Pro and the Point of View Mobii WinTab 800W. Other standout features are of the negative variety: the battery offers low capacity because of the smallish case and the camera quality is also rather weak, as we shall see a little later.

Software

Windows 8.1 with Bing is Microsoft's answer to low-priced Android tablets and Chromebooks. The manufacturer doesn't get charged for this particular Windows license, but in turn can't change the default search engine (Bing) in Internet Explorer. We are familiar with this practice, as other manufactures used to have a deal with Google, which was preinstalled as the default search engine. There are no drawbacks for the user, however, since additional browsers can be installed if so desired..

One of the advantages of Windows 8.1 is that the familiar desktop-functionality is extended to the tablet, including desktop and system settings. The tile interface is also an intuitive way to interact with the OS on a touchscreen device. The Desktop on the tablet is of course less user-friendly, since both icons and text are very small on the 7-inch screen, although we still were able to operate the device with reasonable accuracy.

The data transfer to a Windows PC is a hassle in our opinion. After hooking up an Android tablet to a Windows PC, it's possible to transfer data via Explorer quickly and easily. A Windows tablet on the other hand requires either a connection to a wireless router or a Bluetooth connection to do the same. Both of these ways are more labor-intensive, less stable most of the time and slower as well. The easiest way to transfer data is using some form of the Cloud, although that usually requires uploading the data first before it can be downloaded to the tablet, which effectively doubles the time required.

We like the fact that the Bing integration does not degrade overall usability and that Windows 8.1 runs smoothly despite the rather slow Intel Atom SoC. The Android OS does have its advantages, as we find it to be more comfortable and more intuitive when it comes to touch control. Windows 8.1 on a tablet offers an interface that most users are familiar with already and allows access to the system features just like on a desktop PC. It's up to the user to decide if Windows 8.1 is indeed useful on a device with such a small screen.

Cameras & Multimedia

The spec sheet hints at the fact that the cameras are far from impressive, as the resolution of 2 MP out back and 0.3 MP in the front is simply too low for decent pictures. Maybe HP should have done away with the low-resolution camera altogether and transferred the 2 MP camera to the front: in that case, at least the video conferencing quality would be decent.

Users who just want to take snapshots for various social media accounts and don't expect much in the first place are likely going to be satisfied with the rear-facing camera. Extras like a LED flash or picture stabilization are not on board, however. The colors are decent, although the amount of captured details is lacking: when zooming into a photo, it starts looking like a watercolor painting and dark areas look rather dull. The front-facing camera produces an undefined pixel mishmash and is thus more or less unusable.

Rear-facing camera: 2 Megapixels
Rear-facing camera: 2 Megapixels
Front-facing camera: 0.3 Megapixels
Front-facing camera: 0.3 Megapixels

Input Devices & Operation

The virtual keyboard is arranged neatly and the keys are large enough even when using the tablet in portrait mode. The keyboard can be detached and used in a floating manner, so it can be positioned freely to avoid covering up important elements. In landscape mode, typing with both hands is possible, although the layout is a bit cramped. The keys react promptly to inputs, even when typing at a good clip.

The touchscreen is very precise even in the corners and drag-and-drop is accomplished easily. Multitouch gestures like zooming or scrolling are recognized reliably as well. Additional control elements are the standby button and the volume control rocker on the right side of the tablet, which also react precisely to user inputs. The touch-sensitive Windows button on the bottom of the screen takes the user back to the start menu.

Display

Wie wir testen - Display

Just like the larger 8-inch competition, the display features a comparable resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The brightness is clearly above average: we measured 411.2 cd/m², which means that the HP Stream 7 can be almost twice as bright as other tablets in our comparison. The brightness distribution of 78 % is a little uneven, which can be seen with the naked eye when looking at larger white and black areas.

The panel is also fairly grainy, which results in brighter and darker spots; frontlighting reveals the contact wires integrated into the touchscreen.

430
cd/m²
448
cd/m²
393
cd/m²
406
cd/m²
461
cd/m²
391
cd/m²
404
cd/m²
409
cd/m²
359
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 461 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 411.2 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 78 %
Center on Battery: 461 cd/m²
Contrast: 768:1 (Black: 0.6 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 7.19 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 8.38 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
43% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
46.62% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
67.6% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
45.11% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 3.26
HP Stream 7 5700ng
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Point of View WinTab 800W
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3740, 64 GB eMMC Flash
Lenovo Miix 2 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3740, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA)
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3740, 64 GB eMMC Flash
Screen
21%
2%
10%
13%
16%
Brightness middle
461
382
-17%
220
-52%
417
-10%
401
-13%
235
-49%
Brightness
411
365
-11%
214
-48%
395
-4%
389
-5%
226
-45%
Brightness Distribution
78
87
12%
88
13%
90
15%
88
13%
82
5%
Black Level *
0.6
0.35
42%
0.303
49%
0.46
23%
0.6
-0%
0.18
70%
Contrast
768
1091
42%
726
-5%
907
18%
668
-13%
1306
70%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
7.19
4.97
31%
5.08
29%
6.59
8%
3.5
51%
6.41
11%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
8.38
4.44
47%
5.85
30%
6.96
17%
2.42
71%
7.16
15%
Gamma
3.26 67%
2.37 93%
2.43 91%
2.79 79%
2.56 86%
1.8 122%
CCT
7242 90%
6090 107%
7667 85%
7414 88%
6422 101%
6270 104%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
43
50.6
18%
44
2%
43
0%
65
51%

* ... smaller is better

HP Stream 7 vs. sRGB
HP Stream 7 vs. sRGB
HP Stream 7 vs. AdobeRGB
HP Stream 7 vs. AdobeRGB

Although the display brightness is high, the black value is high as well at 0.6 cd/m², which in turn leads to black being displayed as a dark gray. Combined with the uneven brightness distribution, larger areas don't appear very homogeneous. The resulting contrast ratio is 768:1, which is decent for the class. Colors are not particularly vivid, however. 

For a more detailed evaluation of the color reproduction we use a spectrophotometer and the software CalMan. A closer look at the graylevels revealed a distinct greenish cast compared to the reference color space sRGB with lighter grays affected the most. Among the colors, blues and light brown are affected the most, although pretty much all colors suffer from a greenish cast. The average deviation of the graylevels and colors compared to reference is higher for the Stream 7 than any other tablet in our comparison.

CalMan ColorChecker
CalMan ColorChecker
CalMan Graylevels
CalMan Graylevels
CalMan Saturation
CalMan Saturation

The touchscreen is extremely sensitive to fingerprints. In combination with the glossy display surface and the visible contact wires, the display content appears drowned out in bright environments. The high screen brightness does help here, but eye strain is still high. Compared to other inexpensive tablets, the HP Stream 7 does fare better outdoors because of its bright display, but useability is not ideal.

As far as the viewing angle stability is concerned, we find no reasons for complaints, as the IPS display remains stable with no color shifts or loss of contrast regardless of the angle.

Outdoor use
Outdoor use
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

The HP Stream 7 comes with an SoC from Intel. The Atom Z3735G is a quad-core processor with a nominal speed of 1.33 GHz. HP is in good company here, as both the Dell Venue 8 Pro and the Point of View Mobii WinTab utilize the same SoC. The other tablets in our comparison come with the Atom Z3740, which offers slightly better Turbo-performance and a memory controller capable of accessing more RAM.

The Intel Atom Z3735G is fast enough to handle most of the daily tasks commonly encountered when working with Windows 8.1, although some lag and delays can be expected. Both the processor as well as the system performance are comparable to the Dell Venue 8 Pro; the tablets wit the Atom Z3740 are faster by about 10 %, although part of this increase in speed can be attributed to the larger amount of RAM. Because of the 32-bit OS on one hand and the low amount of RAM on the other, there are no guarantees that all applications will run smoothly - quite a few of our benchmarks, for example, refused to run at all.

Web surfing is generally possible without problems, although elaborate flash animations or HMTL5 videos can introduce occasional stutters and lag. We observed this behavior with ad banners as well as high-resolution YouTube videos.

Cinebench R10
Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
922 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
950 Points +3%
Point of View WinTab 800W
916 Points -1%
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
963 Points +4%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
971 Points +5%
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA)
947 Points +3%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
2869 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
2907 Points +1%
Point of View WinTab 800W
2891 Points +1%
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
3352 Points +17%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
3384 Points +18%
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA)
3380 Points +18%
Shading 32Bit (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
1637 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
1568 Points -4%
Point of View WinTab 800W
1635 Points 0%
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
1944 Points +19%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
1936 Points +18%
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA)
1872 Points +14%
PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
2216 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
2131 Points -4%
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
2484 Points +12%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
2505 Points +13%
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA)
2458 Points +11%
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
743 ms *
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
471.7 ms * +37%
Point of View WinTab 800W
864 ms * -16%
Point of View WinTab 800W
512 ms * +31%
Point of View WinTab 800W
512 ms * +31%
Point of View WinTab 800W
498 ms * +33%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
394.7 ms * +47%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
13787 ms *
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
8969 ms * +35%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
2178 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
3375 Points +55%
Point of View WinTab 800W
3246 Points +49%

Legend

 
HP Stream 7 5700ng Intel Atom Z3735G, Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845 Intel Atom Z3735G, Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Point of View WinTab 800W Intel Atom Z3735G, Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466 Intel Atom Z3740, Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
Lenovo Miix 2 8 Intel Atom Z3740, Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA) Intel Atom Z3740, Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), 64 GB eMMC Flash

* ... smaller is better

Graphics performance of the HP Stream trails the competing tablets with Atom-Z3740 SoC by roughly 20 %. The performance is not sufficient for the current crop of desktop games - we will take a closer look in the section on "Gaming Performance". The integrated HD Graphics (Bay Trail) is fast enough for normally encountered tasks and for video acceleration.

3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
183 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
200 Points +9%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
212 Points +16%
1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
169 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
174 Points +3%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
184 Points +9%
1280x720 Performance Physics (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
880 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
1003 Points +14%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
1141 Points +30%
1280x720 Performance Combined (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
117 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
187 Points +60%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
205 Points +75%
3DMark
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
13705 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
13071 Points -5%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
16401 Points +20%
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA)
15628 Points +14%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
14024 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
13243 Points -6%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
16420 Points +17%
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA)
15682 Points +12%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Physics (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
12695 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
12506 Points -1%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
16336 Points +29%
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA)
15445 Points +22%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
1029 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
998 Points -3%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
1236 Points +20%
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA)
1231 Points +20%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
1033 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
998 Points -3%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
1224 Points +18%
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA)
1291 Points +25%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Physics (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
1019 Points
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
1000 Points -2%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
1283 Points +26%
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA)
1279 Points +26%

The 32 GByte eMMC flash module is quite fast and the tool CrystalDiskMark attests the HP Stream 7 better performance in that area than the other tablets in the comparison. Especially the average write speed is superior.

CrystalDiskMark 3.0
Read Seq (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
123 MB/s
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
88.7 MB/s -28%
Point of View WinTab 800W
134.1 MB/s +9%
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
160 MB/s +30%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
86.6 MB/s -30%
Write Seq (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
70 MB/s
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
50.7 MB/s -28%
Point of View WinTab 800W
44.8 MB/s -36%
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
46.92 MB/s -33%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
50.3 MB/s -28%
Read 512 (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
109 MB/s
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
80.6 MB/s -26%
Point of View WinTab 800W
136.3 MB/s +25%
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
143.5 MB/s +32%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
82.2 MB/s -25%
Write 512 (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
59 MB/s
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
43.57 MB/s -26%
Point of View WinTab 800W
12.07 MB/s -80%
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
23.93 MB/s -59%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
39.57 MB/s -33%
Read 4k (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
14 MB/s
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
10.66 MB/s -24%
Point of View WinTab 800W
13.06 MB/s -7%
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
11.66 MB/s -17%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
10.14 MB/s -28%
Write 4k (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
11 MB/s
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
8.261 MB/s -25%
Point of View WinTab 800W
5.92 MB/s -46%
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
5.159 MB/s -53%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
11.19 MB/s +2%
Read 4k QD32 (sort by value)
HP Stream 7 5700ng
40 MB/s
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
25.95 MB/s -35%
Point of View WinTab 800W
23.67 MB/s -41%
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
26.98 MB/s -33%
Lenovo Miix 2 8
29.01 MB/s -27%

Gaming Performance

In addition to games available from the Windows App Store, "normal" Windows games can be installed as well. This only makes sense though if the game in question is practically ancient: we were able to play "World of Warcraft" at the lowest resolution - at least as long not too much was going on. A game like "Anno 2070", which is about three years old now, wasn't playable even at the lowest resolution and the lowest settings. In addition, Anno 2070 isn't much fun without a mouse and a keyboard. The SoC handled games from the Windows Store - for example "Jetpack Joyride" - without any issues, however.

low med. high ultra
World of Warcraft (2005) 35 20
Anno 2070 (2011) 15.3 6.4

Emissions

Temperature

The SoC is passively cooled - the HP Stream 7 has no fan and thus remains completely inaudible during operation. The temperatures are well controlled as well: during idle, we recorded a modest 32 degrees C; under maximum load levels, the temperature increased to a maximum of 42 degrees C on the back. Although this increase is definitely noticeable, the HP Stream 7 remains cooler than the larger competitors - despite the fact that a larger chassis should allow for a better cooling solution. Overall, the observed temperatures are certainly quite low and very good for the class.

 32 °C
90 F
27 °C
81 F
26.5 °C
80 F
 
 30.6 °C
87 F
29.6 °C
85 F
29.1 °C
84 F
 
 30.7 °C
87 F
31.3 °C
88 F
30.7 °C
87 F
 
Maximum: 32 °C = 90 F
Average: 29.7 °C = 85 F
28.5 °C
83 F
28.8 °C
84 F
29.1 °C
84 F
29.8 °C
86 F
30.7 °C
87 F
29.7 °C
85 F
29.8 °C
86 F
32 °C
90 F
31.5 °C
89 F
Maximum: 32 °C = 90 F
Average: 30 °C = 86 F
Power Supply (max.)  26.8 °C = 80 F | Room Temperature 21.4 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.7 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 30 °C / 86 F for the devices in the class Tablet.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 39.7 °C / 103 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F, ranging from 20.7 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 42.3 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 33.3 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.7 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.

Speakers

The single speaker is located on the lower edge of the chassis. For a tablet this size the speaker quality is adequate and the maximum volume is sufficient. Mids and highs are a bit too forward, although we could still hear a decent amount of details. Of course, the dynamic range can't compare to a higher-end speaker system. Maybe HP could've included audio-software to enhance the sound quality further.

The single speaker works well enough to listen to a song once in a while or for YouTube videos. To truly enjoy music or for watching movies we would recommend external speakers or headphones, which can be connected to the 3.5 mm audio jack.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Does the smaller display really influence the power consumption that much? As far as the power requirements are concerned, the HP Stream 7 does exceedingly well when compared to the competition: we measured a maximum of 1.4 watts during idle - the Dell Vernue 8 Pro needs more than four times that. All other competing tablets required at least 2.3 watts.

We measured a maximum power draw of 6.4 watts, which is once again way lower than the competition. One shortcoming: while other tablets don't draw any power when turned off, the HP Stream 7 still requires 0.1 watts. This means that the tablet will eventually run out of battery even when its turned off.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.1 / 0.05 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.8 / 1.2 / 1.4 Watt
Load midlight 4.2 / 6.4 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Life

We have to congratulate HP on a job well done as far as power management is concerned - and the run times on battery confirm it. We were able to browse the Internet for over 10 hours and could watch HD videos for about 9 hours. The other competitors don't even come close. The fact that the HP Stream 7 doesn't offer the longest battery life under full load doesn't really matter, since that scenario is not relevant on a daily basis.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
15h 26min
WiFi Surfing
10h 03min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
8h 56min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 54min
HP Stream 7 5700ng
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3845
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Point of View WinTab 800W
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Acer Iconia W4-820-2466
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3740, 64 GB eMMC Flash
Lenovo Miix 2 8
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3740, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Asus VivoTab Note 8 (M80TA)
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3740, 64 GB eMMC Flash
Battery Runtime
-19%
-59%
15%
4%
4%
Reader / Idle
926
711
-23%
321
-65%
942
2%
891
-4%
930
0%
H.264
536
367
-32%
200
-63%
469
-12%
525
-2%
WiFi
603
402
-33%
300
-50%
484
-20%
454
-25%
480
-20%
Load
114
130
14%
187
64%
179
57%
158
39%

Verdict

In review: HP Stream 7 5700ng, courtesy of HP Germany.
In review: HP Stream 7 5700ng, courtesy of HP Germany.

Users in the market for a Windows tablet with outstanding battery life but with a modest budget should take a look at the HP Stream 7. If other qualities matter as well, the decision might be more difficult: the camera modules, for example, are mediocre at best and although the display is bright, the color accuracy leaves to be desired. The grainy panel is prone to finger prints as well and simply doesn't look very upscale.

While the HP Stream 7 is about as fast as the competition, we did encounter occasional stutters and lag. We appreciate the low power consumption and the well-controlled temperatures. Thanks to a textured back, the tablet is easy to hold as well. Speaking of the back: although the panel is removable, the battery is glued into place and can't be swapped out.

When looking at inexpensive tablets, it's important to decide which features are important and which aren't. There is no question that compromises are necessary in this class to keep the price low. The HP Stream 7 appeals with a great form factor and very affordable price; users who don't need the utmost in performance or are maybe looking at a secondary device, should be quite happy with it.

Ultimately, the question remains if Windows 8.1 really makes sense on a tablet this small. The answer is entirely up to the user: those who are familiar with a Windows PC and would like a tablet that offers a plethora of adjustment options and settings, might primarily consider a Windows tablet. Users who are not familiar with Windows 8.1 yet but would like a tablet that's easy to operate, might be better served with an Android-based system, iOS, or a device based on a free operating system.

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In Review: HP Stream 7 5700ng. Test model courtesy of HP Germany.
In Review: HP Stream 7 5700ng. Test model courtesy of HP Germany.

Specifications

HP Stream 7 5700ng (Stream Series)
Processor
Intel Atom Z3735G 4 x 1.3 - 1.8 GHz, Bay Trail-T
Graphics adapter
Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Core: 620 MHz, Memory: 667 MHz
Memory
1024 MB 
, DDR3L SDRAM
Display
7.00 inch 16:10, 1280 x 800 pixel, Capacitive touchscreen, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB 
, 23.1 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm audio-combo jack, Card Reader: microSD card reader, Sensors: Accelerometer
Networking
Realtek RTL8723BS (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 9.9 x 192.7 x 110.7 ( = 0.39 x 7.59 x 4.36 in)
Battery
11 Wh Lithium-Ion, 1-cell
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8.1 with Bing
Camera
Webcam: Back: 2 megapixels, front: 0,3 megapixels
Additional features
Speakers: Integrated mono speaker, Keyboard: Virtual keyboard, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
350 g ( = 12.35 oz / 0.77 pounds), Power Supply: 62 g ( = 2.19 oz / 0.14 pounds)
Price
129 Euro

 

The HP Stream 7 is an affordable tablet with Windows 8.1.
The HP Stream 7 is an affordable tablet with Windows 8.1.
Windows 8.1 with Bing has no restrictions...
Windows 8.1 with Bing has no restrictions...
...although the OS doesn't appear to be that well-suited for tablets.
...although the OS doesn't appear to be that well-suited for tablets.
An example: data transfer via USB isn't possible.
An example: data transfer via USB isn't possible.
The cameras appear to be an afterthought and are not truly useful.
The cameras appear to be an afterthought and are not truly useful.
The rear-facing camera is OK for occasional snapshots - as long as the expectations are kept in check.
The rear-facing camera is OK for occasional snapshots - as long as the expectations are kept in check.
The back cover is removable, but the battery can't be swapped out.
The back cover is removable, but the battery can't be swapped out.
Only the micro-SD card slot is accessible.
Only the micro-SD card slot is accessible.
The SoC is from Intel and sees duty in other Windows tablets as well.
The SoC is from Intel and sees duty in other Windows tablets as well.
The Stream 7 makes sense as a secondary device, for users with low demands, for those who need long battery life and Windows-fans in general.
The Stream 7 makes sense as a secondary device, for users with low demands, for those who need long battery life and Windows-fans in general.

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Devices with the same GPU

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One Xcellent 10 v2 Tablet Review
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HP Pro Tablet 408 G1 Tablet Review
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Acer Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30 Tablet Review
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Dell Venue 11 Pro 5130-9356 Tablet Review
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Atom Z3795, 10.80", 0.77 kg

Links

  • Manufacturer's Information

Price Comparison

Pros

+Low power consumption
+Long battery life
+Appealing form factor
+Decent built quality
+Bright display
+Good viewing angles
+Full version of Windows
+Only gets moderately warm
 

Cons

-Low amount of RAM...
-...so some programs won't run
-Grainy display
-Case not very resilient to pressure
-Windows 8.1 needs more and more space because of updates
-Performance is not always stutter-free
-Display attracts finger prints
-Touchscreen can "stick" at times

Shortcut

What we like

The idea of porting Windows 8.1 to smaller devices does have some appeal.

What we'd like to see

In practice, there are some limitations: it's difficult to move the data from the PC to the tablet and some programs won't run at all because of insufficient RAM.

What surprises us

How much HP was able to decrease the power requirements with the same SoC and a display that's only slightly smaller.

The competition

Dell Venue 8 Pro, Point of View Mobii WinTab 800W, Asus VivoTab Note 8, Acer Iconia W4, Lenovo Miix 2 8

Rating

HP Stream 7 5700ng - 01/04/2015 v4(old)
Florian Wimmer

Chassis
60%
Keyboard
67 / 80 → 84%
Pointing Device
83%
Connectivity
35 / 65 → 54%
Weight
86 / 40-88 → 96%
Battery
89%
Display
81%
Games Performance
28 / 68 → 41%
Application Performance
39 / 76 → 51%
Temperature
87%
Noise
100%
Audio
48 / 91 → 53%
Camera
51 / 85 → 60%
Average
66%
78%
Tablet - Weighted Average
Florian Wimmer, 2015-01-15 (Update: 2018-05-15)