Review: EE Robin kids tablet for a unique gadget gift for Christmas 2015

When a friend and I discussed techie Christmas gift ideas for kids the other day, I had to mention the new EE Robin kids tablet. We went to celebrate the launch of EE’s Robin tablet in London Zoo the other week, and Big Girl was quick to start using the sample she received to review.

EE Robin is a small 4G-enabled tablet specifically designed for kids, and it comes with parental controls, more than 40 pre-loaded kids apps, games and e-books. It also comes with a rubber sleeve, making it easy to hold for little hands and protecting it from bumps, and the size is good for little ones to handle, reminding me of an iPad Mini.

It stands out because it has the functionalities of other tablets, so it can be used for emails, browsing the web or downloading content from the Android store, but it comes with outstanding parental controls, fun pre-loaded content and 4G as standard, meaning three-year-old Big Girl can use it freely in the car when we’re in areas with good EE coverage.

The tablet lets parents create up to 7 kids profiles, and when we set Big Girl’s birthday it automatically enables her access to age-appropriate apps and content. For under 7s the web-browsing functionalities are disabled, but parents can choose to add specific websites they want their little ones to gain access to.

With us being used to iPads, we feel it will take us a bit longer to get really comfortable with the EE Robin, but it has a touch-screen and Big Girl is able to use it on her own. She’s found an Hello Kitty app she likes, and she’s been excited to find favourite characters like Ben and Holly on Hopster, a built-in kids app with TV episodes and educational games.

I was expecting to have to buy another iPad soon to cater for two kids, but I think the EE Robin meets our current needs for an additional family tablet. I think it is a good value tablet at £129.99 upfront, which is why I’ve mentioned it as an alternative option to friends who also need several tablets for different family members to survive on long car journeys or flights.

A good option for an affordable gadget gift for kids this Christmas!

Tags: Apps, Christmas gift ideas, EE, Robin, Tablet