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1. Build Quality is good. I even opened the device up and internals looks VERY well done. I have seen cheap tablet internals and this NOT that. Everything is pretty solid.
2. I don't like the plastic outer ring design that so many of these devices use but it is well built. I just hate the sharp front face edge they always have.
3. Cameras are surprisingly good.
4. Performance is absolutely phenomenal. This is my first RK3066 device though so I don't have another RK3066 for reference. That being said, this chipset is wonderful!
5. WiFi Range/speed is decent and much better than the Quantum Singularity/Elijah U9.... however Elixir 2 states that it is connected at 65 mbps to my Wifi-N network which is rated at 150 Mbps. What does this actually translate into? Well... it means they used a cheaper WiFi chip. As far as actual speed goes... it isn't going to matter much I don't think at 65 Mbps is still plenty fast. It will just mean slower file transfers on the local network which isn't something I do very much with my tablet so I don't really care. Range and signal quality are much more important so that the speed doesn't drastically drop off. I need to do more testing but thus far I am pretty happy with WiFi as download speeds for apps has been very very quick. I also took this device with me to the hospital (recently my daughter was born so I spent a lot of time here with the singularity) and I was always able to get a connection on the Singularity however it would sometimes be slow/weak. I was back at the hospital and the Pipo M1 connected and the speeds for browsing was quite quick so that was a good indicator.
6. Processor speed as reported by Elixir 2 is topped out at 1.6 ghz, however the quickest it ever seems to actually run is 1.4 ghz. I think it can and will run at 1.6 Ghz though if you actually are doing something that needs all that. Most of the time I think it probably runs around 1.0 to 1.2 Ghz tops. I am quite happy though as I wasn't expecting the max to really be 1.6 Ghz. I expected it to be 1.4 Ghz.
7. Build Quality (sorry we are jumping all about)- Rear panel is VERY nice. It is aluminum and the stylized design looks good. Furthermore, the "PIPO" logo is not just a sticker
... It is actually stamped in (well... stamped from the inside out) which means it won't be rubbing off.8. Buttons! - Congrats again go to PIPO. Buttons are excelent, placement is good, no rattle, and they provide the full array... So Power, Menu, Back, AND A VOLUME ROCKER! WOOT! and reset hole
9. CCC Logo is stamped on the back. Important for me becaues that means I can sell in Europe and in the USA without the FCC coming after my business for selling non-compliant devices! No OEM crap here!
10. Cameras are decent. Not a lot of blur. Image quality isn't amazing but they are both very usable. Perhaps the faster processor is why? It can actually keep up with the cameras? Anyhow, they are decent, nothing serious but slightly better than the normal china-tab fare.
11. What else is there to discuss? Oh yes! I was delighted to find out that the Accelerometer is INDEED 3-Axis. Games work beautifully.
12. Speakers - It kind of sucks. The Placement was dumb because your hand goes right over top of it for any game you are playing... The saving grace here is that the Headphone Jack is standard size, not the smaller size as some have reported. I can put any of my headphones directly in.
13. Design - The black/dark look is very nice and distinctly different from an iPad which is a good thing
if you want the coolness factor.14. Thin... this device is very thin, 9.6mm which is quite slim compared to the Aoson M11's 10.5mm of bulk. For reference an iPad 1 is a FAT 14 mm, and iPad 2 is a mind boggling slim 8.8mm. Most china tabs are anywhere from 10 mm to 12mm with most being right around 11 mm. So 9.6mm feels quite good.
15. Battery... I haven't tested endurance however when I opened the device up the battery is printed clearly as 7800 mAh 3.7v. I was actually QUITE HAPPY and here is why. A.) I was afraid I would find either 4000 mAh or 6500 mAh even though it is stated at 8000 mAh. Why? Some sellers have innacurate numbers that say as much. I figured I would be stuck with 6500 mAh. So 7800 mAh is quite nice. Also, I was happy because the pack WAS INDEED printed on and it doesn't look like an uber-cheap battery, so the quality is probably pretty decent.
16. Screen - This is a very MIXED bag... okay... first impression was that the screen is absolutely brilliant. It is VERY BRIGHT and the colors look good. I compared it side by side with the Singularity and the Singularity panel looks dull by comparison. The whites aren't as bright. This is definitely as bright/vivid as the Cube U9GT2 which is still the reigning champ of China Tab screens IMHO. HOWEVER... Screen Bleed is rather bad. I noticed this later on when, for example, a black load screen would come up, and I had the brightness maxed and the room was a bit dark, you can see bleed around the edges. It is noticeable mainly on the side with the ports but it is all around. However.... let this be known.. It is ONLY on dark screens. Not on white... So like, with the Aurora, that was a horrid IPS screen experience. You had bright bright light bleed on dark screens all the way around the panel and some even had "light spots" in the middle of the screen. Furthermore, on the Aurora, on a WHITE screen you would have DARK areas all around the edges. It was aweful.
The screen on the M1 looks perfect when there is any color or even straight white. The bleed is only visible when you have a black/dark background/image. So, for example, when watching Netflix you can see a bit of bleed on the top or sides depending on how what you are watching is cropped/letterboxed. The bleed is primarily only noticeable when you are in a darkish room with the back-light maxed. It is noticeable though more so than what I would like.
I was a bit concerned at first about the screen, to the point that I wasn't going to sell this model, however after using it a bit more and realizing it only shows up on black backgrounds in dark rooms with the brightness really turned up and ALSO realizing that items like the Cube U30GT suffer the same issues (perhaps worse?) and I am probably not going to find a perfect panel... this is actually quite good. Because 95% of the time I don't notice bleed as it is a "light bleed on dark image" only and not a "dark bleed on light image" which is much worse as evidenced by the Aurora which has both issues.
Shew... The screen takes some explaining...
17. TOUCH... TOUCH is very good! 10-points!
18. Bluetooth - It is there, it turns on (and off) and seems to work? I haven't tested any devices with it yet though as I don't have very many bluetooth devices to test with... Actually, I just tested with my Dell Bluetooth mouse! It paired and worked perfectly!! Too Cool! I have never gotten that mouse to work with my Rena3 which also had bluetooth. That's that then... I am getting myself a nice bluetooth keyboard case to go with this as well and I will have a full laptop on hand!
19. Packaging - Awesome! - They ship in a super thin box for the Tablet Itself and a separate very nice looking box for the charger/accessories. The packaging certainly makes you feel like you are getting a real "product" and not some Chinese Knock-off. I know a lot of people feel that is irrelevant, but it does tend to indicate the quality of other things... So more to that point...
20. Pipo... Pipo really cares about their product, that much is obvious based on several factors not commonly found in China Tab.... A. CCC Marking/Certification (if it is really certified) B.) Good Quality Internal/Design and Halfway decent looking battery pack C. Stamped Logo... not just laser printed or (worst of all) stickered on... D. Device has a S/N... also another good sign... E. Slightly stylized back panel
21. Accessories... A point for each as they each deserve one...
22. Data cable is good quality... it has the little rounded thing on part of the cable (a fuse perhaps?) which I have noticed tends to show up on things like Garmin cables and other devices you expect to be good quality.
23. Headphones - The best free headphones I have ever gotten with a China Tab... which I know doesn't say hardly anything... Lets put it this way... I won't be throwing them away and will probably be using them. Highs are a bit muted but bass is suprisingly good and they don't distort at all even at max volume. Oh yea.... they are in-ear (like the rubberized tip that goes in your ear and seals.) I think paired with an Equalizer to boost the highs a bit and this would be a fine set of ear buds. I was totally shocked by this minor thing. I just don't expect earphones that are even remotely usable to come with a china tab. EDIT: Google Play Music HAS AN EQUALIZIER NOW!! WOOT
It is quite good. I boosted up the Highs and these are quite good headphones now!24. Charger - HELL YEAH! A. I got a USA Charger. B. It is 5v C. It has a bit of heft! It actually feels like more than plastic and solder, I think it is actually a GOOD QUALITY CHARGER!? Miracles do happen lol
. I guess I should touch back on this in a few months but initial impressions are that this is one of the better chargers I have gotten with a China tab... D.) It ALSO has the CCC marking on it! Good indicator! Okay so the screen bleed is annoying but not noticeable most of the time (I am anal retentive about this stuff, so realize that too) and the 65 mbps WiFi-N is a bit meh but real-world use seems good. I think it is obvious Pipo actually has put some time into creating a real differentiated PRODUCT (like Onda) and NOT just another clone/knock-off/OEM build. I think they actually do CARE surprisingly enough, about their product based on the fact that all of the accessories are actually good quality and the packaging is good quality and the internals are well built and the battery pack appears decent, and the rear stylized panel looks good and the logo is stamped...
I think much of the above could also be said of the Aoson M11. I was pleasantly surprised it could be said of the Pipo M1 though.
I will spend a few more days with it and write up a better review but thus far initial impressions from the past two days have been positive.
Cheers,
Roman
TO MY FIRMWARE DEVELOPMENT FUND
. I will probably start a presell on these in a few weeks and will offer both a import/modify option as well as a dropship option. I quality inspect anything imported/modified before shipping and also provide support. The question right now I am asking is if this unit is good enough to rebrand/co-brand as the Quantum Meson. Currently I am leaning that direction but I want to spend a few more days with it first.
, anyhow will be waiting for your decision about the device, and of course the battery life test results.
