With the open standard Android OS solving the problems with regards to their software backbone, Chinese manufacturers have started to really take liberties with regards to tablet hardware design. A very recent addition to the family of Android tablets coming out of China is the N7a Android 2.2 Tablet PC, also more widely known as the Rena 3. It’s one of the first, if not the first, reliable Chinese tablet running a dual core ARM Cortex A9 1GHz Dual Core processor, with individual cores running at 533MHz and 666MHz respectively.

The N7a Tablet PC raises the bar of Android based mobile computing amongst Chinese manufacturers on several fronts. Already mentioned is its use of a dual core processor, which, with 512MB of RAM, allows the new tablet to run more smoothly than most Chinese tablet PCs. We’re now looking at near name brand level reaction speeds of the user interface when using the tablet’s impressive 7-inch TFT multi-touch capacitive touchscreen.

Another feature that the N7a Tablet PC improves on is the Wi-Fi connectivity. Most older models only utilize 802.11g/b, but the N7a ships with a wireless antenna capable of connecting to 802.11n networks, as well as the g and b standards, of course. That means that the tablet can connect to wireless hotspots with data transfer rates of up to 300Mbps!

Heavy tablet users will also be happy to know that the operating battery life of the N7a Tablet PC is also better than a lot of other Chinese tablets out there. With the screen brightness at the native 50%, the N7a will go for about 4 hours and 15 minutes of HD movie playback using the built-in media processor until the battery dies – this is the most taxing test of a tablet’s battery life, and with all respects, the N7a performed very well. It’s also good to note that the speakers sound comparatively well on this tablet.

At 13mm, the N7a Tablet PC is also one of the thinnest of its class. In fact, the N7a sits very well beside the Apple iPad, with just 4mm of difference between them.

However, the N7a Tablet PC is still in its “infancy” so take note that even with the dual core processor, you might find that it is sluggish when playing 1080p videos in WMV format with factory shipped units, however, firmware updates have been released to remedy this and this problem has been successfully addressed. There are also issues with the Bluetooth connectivity that can cause the tablet to freeze that have also been addressed with the recent firmware update. You might also notice a bit of screen flickering that disappears after the firmware update, as well.

There are still other issues that are waiting to be addressed. The tablet currently runs on Android 2.2 Froyo, but the manufacturers have announce a possible future upgrade to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Screen rotation works and is responsive, however, the upside-down landscape orientation doesn’t work, this seems to be a limitation built into the Android 2.2 OS and not a problem with the G-sensor, as the G-sensor will work even upside-down for some applications. The built-in microphone and HDMI ports are also not yet functional even with the latest firmware update, but at the rate that firmware updates are being release, a fix for this problem is expected in the very near future.

All-in-all, the N7a Android 2.2 Tablet PC is a tablet PC with a promising future ahead of it. This early into its life on the Android tablet PC market, it’s already a force to be reckoned with. We’re hoping that with future updates, the kinks will be worked out of the system and the true star in the tablet’s design can really begin to shine.

Many online retail stores are already offering the N7a, but if you really want the best prices for this upcoming favorite right now, it’s best to go with a reputable online Chinese electronics wholesaler such as Bigboxstore.