Wopad I7 Review PART IV
Continuing on with my review... Well, I went ahead and made a product page for this device on my website. I am going to sell them!
. I was able to work out a deal with my supplier and I am selling them for $189 which includes shipping via DHL. I am pretty thrilled but that is all I will say about it.
Screen Quality - 4.5 Stars
Yeah, this screen rocks! Yes.. it is only 800x480 (dock half a star) but viewing angles are SUPERB and Colors are absolutely VIBRANT. Phenomenal screen. I took a picture of this device next to the RENA3. Now, granted, the RENA3 doesn't look this bad in "real life" as I think my camera may have caught it "just so" and it ended up looking a bit blurry. The RENA3 screen is NOT blurry. However, DO NOTICE THE COLORS. The RENA3 looks "washed out" by comparison when you stick it next to the Wopad i7. The screen is an absolute delight to say the least.
Features - 4.0 Stars
The Positives: (more "+" means it is a bigger deal...)
WiFi-N - ++++
Front-Facing Camera that is actually Decent Quality ++
Full-Size Host USB Port ++++
Charging via the Mini-USB port +++++
Screen protector included +
Working HDMI-Out +++
The Negatives: (more "-" means it is a bigger deal)
No Dedicated Physical Home Button - -
No Bluetooth -
No GPS - - -
No Haptic Feedback -
NO DEDICATED PHYSICAL VOLUME CONTROLS - - - - -
Video Playback - 5 Stars
The RK2918 video playback capabilities are pretty much perfect. That is all that really needs to be said but I will go ahead and say more anyway lol... It plays everything from uncompressed 1080p MKV files to measly low quality AVI's and YouTube HD. Anything that doesn't work perfectly with hardware decoding can easily be watched using software decoding with free players like Moboplayer. Perfect Media device.
On-Board Speakers - 3 Stars
I used a volume booster program to get a bit more from them. Once I did this, they were loud enough... otherwise they were a bit quiet for most things. Also, they are rather "tinny." It is somewhat obvious that they are cheap... At least there are two of them and they are positioned well. Overall, average for a China Tab...
Game Play - 5 Stars
I have tried several different games so far including some fairly demanding games like Samurai II: Vengeance. Every game I have played has gone very smoothly and looked great. The Vivante GC800 doesn't seem to even begin to break a sweat on this device's 800x480 screen. I haven't sampled a wide variety of games though so I can't comment very well on its overall compatibility. From what I have seen though, this is a great gaming machine.
CONCLUSION
I LOVE THIS DEVICE! In fact... I think I might even like it more than my RENA3. The case design just feels "good" in your hands and the whole thing is pleasing to the eye. The full-size USB host port is SO MUCH more "usable" due to the fact that you don't need an adapter. Wopad was smart enough to include USB charging as well, which is very handy and does at least a little to offset the shorter battey life (vs. the RENA3). The device is NOT heavy even though it has a nice metal back plate. I have changed my mind about my initial comments on the I/O ports. They really don't look bad at all. The strong graphics processor, excellent video playback, solid wifi performance, decent front camera, and beautiful screen ALL ROCK.
My ongoing concerns...
1. Build Quality - The bottom front face of my device is still "popping up" ever so slightly (like it isn't glued down all the way) and I can push on it. The top of the front-face is solid though so I know this isn't just how it is designed. This is very annoying however I need to emphasize that it is also "very slight" and not something anyone would ever notice when looking at the device.
2. Battery Life - I have to charge this during the day, even if it sleeps most of the day. My RENA3 can go a day and half at least if it is just "sleeping". I still think this device is probably significantly ahead of most of the devices based on the S5PV210 7.4v platform though (the Herotab C9 being an example).
3. Longterm Stability of the Current Firmware - I did manage to "crash" it and I had to do a "factory reset." On this platform, a factory reset (I think) reflashes the firmware files which are stored on the device. Anyhow, it fixed my issue. I screwed it up by letting it completely die on battery and trying to start it up immediately after it died on almost no battery. That is when I started having all kind of odd problems to the point that I had to do the factory reset. This was VERY suprising considering how stable the firmware had been up until this point. Also, I could not wake the device screen from "sleep" this morning and had to use the reset switch, this was a first and only though and it hasn't happened since.
That sums it all up
OVERALL RATING: 4.25 Stars
Yeah... .25... because it is definitely better than a 4 but not quite a 4.5 lol. I love this device and I look forward to selling it and using it for quite a while to come. The value for the price is just excellent. Thanks WoPad for giving me some strong faith in RK2918 platform again and for spending the time to make a nice looking STABLE, fast device.
Cheers all, (feel free to tell me if I missed anything!)
Roman
http://topnotchtablets.com
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