[red4ever]

I've received my U30GT today. Before I give my first impressions, here are a few caveats.
- This is my first tablet. I have an Android phone but it's pretty old (Galaxy Spica).
- I've not made any tweaks on the device. The current firmware is v1.02. There is a new version v1.04 available on the cube site but I haven't updated it yet.
- This is early days. I'll update this as I get to know more about the device.
- I'm too lazy to put in a video review. So please don't ask. :-)

So here are my initial impressions.
- Packaging: Packaging was good and there was no damage to the box or the tablet in transit. The contents of the box other than the tablet are pretty basic - earbuds, mini USB to USB connector and a charger. The charger actually came in a separate box from the tablet. My supplier (Elijah) included an adapter for using power sockets in India.

- Tablet Display: Display is excellent - i was a bit surprised at how good the colors look and how bright it gets. I like to use displays at low brightness so as to avoid strain and my brightness control is set way down. Haven't tried it in the sun yet. There is, however, one issue in the form of some light leakage along both long edges. With any content other than black on the screen, it's invisible though. My old phone also has some leakage and my IPS LED TV also had it so I suppose it goes with the current display tech. It does annoy me when the device boots though.

- Performance: No lags, missed taps, erratic scrolling so far. UI is perfectly smooth, transitions quick, everything responds the first time you click it. Couldn't really ask for more. I haven't tried any serious HD games on it yet but so far so good. Tabbed navigation in the browser works fine, flash is pre-installed, pinch to zoom is very smooth. No complaints at all on performance yet. Here are a couple of benchmarks:
Quadrant: 4077 (4024, 3992 on two runs on prior firmware).
Antutu: 7724 (CPU: 4023, GPU: 1578, RAM: 1440, I/O: 683), 7629 on prior firmware
GLBenchmark: Egypt standard (59 fps), Egypt high (57 fps), Egypt fixed time step (58 fps), Egypt Offscreen (98 fps), Pro Standard/high/fixed time step (62 fps), Pro offscreen (119 fps)
CFBenchmark: (13727, 3899, 7830)
Vellamo: 1593
Multitouch: 10 point touch

- Sound: This is my second gripe with the tablet. The sound from the speakers is not as loud as I'd want it to be. I don't know whether this is an issue with all tablets but I'm disappointed with the maximum volume.

- Wifi: This is the 3rd area that I'm disappointed. The range is rather limited. Where my laptop gives 3 bars, this gives one. I don't know if it's an issue with my unit (antenna issue?) or with all of these tablets. I'll be opening up the tablet to check one of these days. In the interim, I'll use some workarounds - most likely sharing my phone's Wifi via tethering in areas where the signal is poor. Hopefully the new firmware will help a bit too.

- Battery: Haven't been able to check it yet. Will update in a couple of days. There are no issues with the screen response while charging.

All in all, I like the tablet with the exception of 3 things - a little light leakage at two edges, low maximum volume and low wifi range. I can live with the first two easily but the 3rd needs some workaround.

Update: Updated to firmware v1.04. GLBenchmark, Vellamo scores added, Quadrant, Antutu updated after firmware upgrade. Haven't noticed any changes in Wifi performance. I've managed to find a workaround by using my Windows 7 laptop (placed in the same room) as a router (via Intel My Wifi). Took me a good bit of trying several things to get it to work but now that it is working, the Wifi issue is somewhat mitigated for me.

This post has been edited by red4ever: 28 May 2012 - 04:32 PM

[xstarbuckx]

Thanks for the run down.
Im a little worrid about the WIFI.
I live in a steal framed house and it causes some signal loss on my galaxy s 2 and laptop.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[Elerium]

Gratz Red4ever!
Can u check if the built in ambient light sensor is working? and if it works well?

[Tablet_Collector]

red4ever, on 28 May 2012 - 11:56 AM, said:

I've received my U30GT today. Before I give my first impressions, here are a few caveats.
- This is my first tablet. I have an Android phone but it's pretty old (Galaxy Spica).
- I've not made any tweaks on the device. The current firmware is v1.02. There is a new version v1.04 available on the cube site but I haven't updated it yet.
- This is early days. I'll update this as I get to know more about the device.
- I'm too lazy to put in a video review. So please don't ask. :-)

So here are my initial impressions.
- Packaging: Packaging was good and there was no damage to the box or the tablet in transit. The contents of the box other than the tablet are pretty basic - earbuds, mini USB to USB connector and a charger. The charger actually came in a separate box from the tablet. My supplier (Elijah) included an adapter for using power sockets in India.

- Tablet Display: Display is excellent - i was a bit surprised at how good the colors look and how bright it gets. I like to use displays at low brightness so as to avoid strain and my brightness control is set way down. Haven't tried it in the sun yet. There is, however, one issue in the form of some light leakage along both long edges. With any content other than black on the screen, it's invisible though. My old phone also has some leakage and my IPS LED TV also had it so I suppose it goes with the current display tech. It does annoy me when the device boots though.

- Performance: No lags, missed taps, erratic scrolling so far. UI is perfectly smooth, transitions quick, everything responds the first time you click it. Couldn't really ask for more. I haven't tried any serious HD games on it yet but so far so good. Tabbed navigation in the browser works fine, flash is pre-installed, pinch to zoom is very smooth. No complaints at all on performance yet. Here are a couple of benchmarks:
Quadrant: 4024, 3992 on two runs.
Antutu: 7629 (CPU: 4110, GPU: 1523,RAM: 1299, I/O: 697)
GLBenchmark: To be updated
CFBenchmark: 13727, 3899, 7830)
Vellamo: To be updated
Sunspider: To be updated
Multitouch: 10 point touch

- Sound: This is my second gripe with the tablet. The sound from the speakers is not as loud as I'd want it to be. I don't know whether this is an issue with all tablets but I'm disappointed with the maximum volume.

- Wifi: This is the 3rd area that I'm disappointed. The range is rather limited. Where my laptop gives 3 bars, this gives one. I don't know if it's an issue with my unit (antenna issue?) or with all of these tablets. I'll be opening up the tablet to check one of these days. In the interim, I'll use some workarounds - most likely sharing my phone's Wifi via tethering in areas where the signal is poor. Hopefully the new firmware will help a bit too.

- Battery: Haven't been able to check it yet. Will update in a couple of days. There are no issues with the screen response while charging.

All in all, I like the tablet with the exception of 3 things - a little light leakage at two edges, low maximum volume and low wifi range. I can live with the first two easily but the 3rd needs some workaround.

Thanks for the first impressions. Sounds ok apart from the wifi. Strange as Ivan from cube said they had sorted out any wifi issues.

I would put firmware 1.04 on and see if there is any improvement. Sorry haven't had time to come up with upgrade instructions but if you look elsewhere you will find them
Pm me if you can't find them.

Mine was shipped today!

Jez

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

This post has been edited by Jezzer: 28 May 2012 - 01:39 PM

[xstarbuckx]

Thats a good idea about updating to see as my s2 had better WiFi on GB than ics, worth a shot

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[zkyevolved]

I can't wait to get the email about having mine shipping. Come on Elijah store! Hehe.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

[Tablet_Collector]

Actually, there's an even newer firmware out (v1.05 dated 26 May 2012).

See the link on these forums here or direct from Cube here.

Changes:

1. the optimization of a large number of underlying code, the more smooth and stable system;
2. correction OTG problems; , optimize online video, up to Dragon audio and video, such as mobile TV client APK no longer appear jagged.

Jez

[krikkit]

@red4ever: when did you order your tablet? ...cause i also ordered at Elijah and no shipment yet...

[red4ever]

krikkit, on 28 May 2012 - 02:21 PM, said:

@red4ever: when did you order your tablet? ...cause i also ordered at Elijah and no shipment yet...

krikkit, i ordered mine on 22 May late evening India time. It got shipped on 24 May.

[red4ever]

Jezzer, on 28 May 2012 - 02:20 PM, said:

Actually, there's an even newer firmware out (v1.05 dated 26 May 2012).

See the link on these forums here or direct from Cube here.

Changes:

1. the optimization of a large number of underlying code, the more smooth and stable system;
2. correction OTG problems; , optimize online video, up to Dragon audio and video, such as mobile TV client APK no longer appear jagged.

Jez

Many thanks, Jez. Will try this. Have updated to v1.04 though.

[red4ever]

Jezzer, on 28 May 2012 - 01:39 PM, said:

Thanks for the first impressions. Sounds ok apart from the wifi. Strange as Ivan from cube said they had sorted out any wifi issues.

I would put firmware 1.04 on and see if there is any improvement. Sorry haven't had time to come up with upgrade instructions but if you look elsewhere you will find them
Pm me if you can't find them.

Mine was shipped today!

Jez

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

Great to hear that urs was shipped as well. Hope you get it asap. :-)

[red4ever]

Elerium, on 28 May 2012 - 01:37 PM, said:

Gratz Red4ever!
Can u check if the built in ambient light sensor is working? and if it works well?

Elerium, when i switch from normal to Auto (ambient light sensor), it does change the brightness. I can't figure out where the sensor is on the device. If you are aware of where it is, i could play around by obstructing it and checking what impact it has on the display. I did try moving to a darker corner of the room but didn't see any noticeable change in the brightness.

[Elerium]

red4ever, on 28 May 2012 - 04:08 PM, said:

Elerium, when i switch from normal to Auto (ambient light sensor), it does change the brightness. I can't figure out where the sensor is on the device. If you are aware of where it is, i could play around by obstructing it and checking what impact it has on the display. I did try moving to a darker corner of the room but didn't see any noticeable change in the brightness.

mm...check in the camera lens zone, or the frontal camera lens. u must obstruct the sensor for at least 5 seconds i think.

This post has been edited by Elerium: 28 May 2012 - 06:21 PM

[MaHk]

Elerium, on 28 May 2012 - 05:24 PM, said:

mm...check in the camera lens zone, or the frontal camera lens. u must obstruct the sensor for at least 5 seconds i think.

If it does have a light sensor, I hope it's not on the rear, because that doesn't make much sense, what if it's rested on your lap (or any surface for that matter).
Light sensors should always be on the front.
Maybe it doesn't have one.

[Elerium]

MaHk, on 28 May 2012 - 06:47 PM, said:

If it does have a light sensor, I hope it's not on the rear, because that doesn't make much sense, what if it's rested on your lap (or any surface for that matter).
Light sensors should always be on the front.
Maybe it doesn't have one.

yes, cant be in the back.... but we never know... lol

[Nickos-V]

Your scores are really great like they should be. I saw a review that said 10 point is not as accurate as 5 point touch but still fairly good.

Sound. Only uses 1 speaker from what I saw. They should use 2 or 3 speakers to get very good sound but they do not. Transformer Prime uses 2 stereo speakers but they are side-by-side. TF Prime would probably give louder sound since two speakers and probably wired to different points on the board.
TF Prime Speakers

My Wopad i7 has 2 speakers. Also, 10.1" gives enough room to put in 2 speakers but what can you say? Headphones are likely best option to use with tablets.

Low WiFi range could be because you ended up with ceramic antennae instead of metal one? Something you will have to check by "carefully" opening up the tablet. Also, they use a small metal antennae that probably is only 2 or 3 dbi. Which is going to be on the weaker side too. They really should squeeze in a 5 (7 or 9) dbi antennae to get very good signal. Will have to wait for others to confirm WiFi strength to know if that is still an issue.

red4ever, on 28 May 2012 - 11:56 AM, said:

- Sound: This is my second gripe with the tablet. The sound from the speakers is not as loud as I'd want it to be. I don't know whether this is an issue with all tablets but I'm disappointed with the maximum volume.

- Wifi: This is the 3rd area that I'm disappointed. The range is rather limited. Where my laptop gives 3 bars, this gives one. I don't know if it's an issue with my unit (antenna issue?) or with all of these tablets. I'll be opening up the tablet to check one of these days. In the interim, I'll use some workarounds - most likely sharing my phone's Wifi via tethering in areas where the signal is poor. Hopefully the new firmware will help a bit too.

[red4ever]

Nickos-V, on 28 May 2012 - 11:29 PM, said:

Your scores are really great like they should be. I saw a review that said 10 point is not as accurate as 5 point touch but still fairly good.

Sound. Only uses 1 speaker from what I saw. They should use 2 or 3 speakers to get very good sound but they do not. Transformer Prime uses 2 stereo speakers but they are side-by-side. TF Prime would probably give louder sound since two speakers and probably wired to different points on the board.
TF Prime Speakers

My Wopad i7 has 2 speakers. Also, 10.1" gives enough room to put in 2 speakers but what can you say? Headphones are likely best option to use with tablets.

Low WiFi range could be because you ended up with ceramic antennae instead of metal one? Something you will have to check by "carefully" opening up the tablet. Also, they use a small metal antennae that probably is only 2 or 3 dbi. Which is going to be on the weaker side too. They really should squeeze in a 5 (7 or 9) dbi antennae to get very good signal. Will have to wait for others to confirm WiFi strength to know if that is still an issue.

I haven't used the 10 point touch aside of the test. It's quite possible that the last 1 or two digits are not recorded consistency in a real world scenario. Having said that, I'm not aware of any situation wherein one would need to use all 10 digits on the screen.

As you said, once the other scores are in, we'll know whether the Wifi issue is widespread.

Would you know of any good source where I can learn how to improve the wifi signal (changing the antenna if that's the issue or putting in some copper tape as some people have used for the Transformer Prime)?

[zkyevolved]

Hello, what is the build quality like? Is it a solidly built tablet? Or is it creaky?

[krikkit]

red4ever, on 28 May 2012 - 04:00 PM, said:

krikkit, i ordered mine on 22 May late evening India time. It got shipped on 24 May.

...so now i am really pissed... i ordered on 21 may in the evening and they did not ship! i already extended their deadline for 3 days ...but now they even want me to extend for another 10!! days... i really start to hate all this chinese retailers...

[red4ever]

zkyevolved, on 29 May 2012 - 02:18 AM, said:

Hello, what is the build quality like? Is it a solidly built tablet? Or is it creaky?

It's difficult for me to comment on this given it's my first tablet. There's a slight amount of play around the edges if you press hard. It doesn't worry me much.

I must say that it's no zoom though. When I played around a little bit with the zoom last yr at one of the shops, it felt like a single solid piece of metal. This doesn't feel as solid, for sure.