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The iFive Mini2 Hands-on Review

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​When it comes to android tablets, the 7 inch display size is probably preferred most amongst customers today. Simply because the bigger display unlocks many potential uses for the device while keeping it portable enough so as not to make it cumbersome. While there is a slew of 7 inch tablets present in the market, the choice for customers has really widened.
While the prices of most Chinese branded dual core tablets have already dropped to below $100, the iFive Mini2 hit the market just now with a price of $130, declaring a war against those more celebrated tablets with quad core chipset.
Before I received the mini2, I had no idea what to expect from iFive, though I have been hearing great things about it. Once I laid my eyes on the tablet, it easily became my new favorite!
Highlights:
☆Fashionable design.
☆7 inch IPS display of 1280*720 pixels.
☆8.3mm body depth.
☆5MP AF camera.
☆Gyroscope, Bluetooth, HDMI
☆iFive Skin 2.0
Retail Package​
iFive is pretty generous when it comes to the Mini2's retail package and bundled fittings, a high quality pair of earphones, and an OTG cable have been packed in a very elegant-looking paperback box along with other fittings such as the manual, the quality guarantee card and the data/charging cable.
Design
As the Mini2 is 30 dollars pricier than average 7 inch dual core tablets, everybody would expect better build quality and more fashionable design, and iFive doesn’t disappoint us at all. The narrow bezel, the white plastic chassis, the silver frame and the 8.3mm thick body makes the Mini2 the best-looking 7 inch tablet I have ever seen.
The front of the mini2 really is everything I want a tablet to look like, a 7 inch screen surrounded by very narrow pure white bezels, you can also find a 2MP camera and a light detection sensor which enables the tablet to automatically adjust its display brightness.
The back of the tablet kind of reminds me of the famous galaxy tab2, only it’s even smaller. A very gorgeous LOGO is in the middle of the back cover. Although the material is plastic, yet it doesn’t feel cheap at all, thanks to iFive’s exquisite workmanship.
The few physical buttons and connectors are all conveniently sized and positioned, so they're always easy to find, but never get in the way.
At the top of the unit is a micro USB port for charging the tablet or connecting it to a PC or other USB device. Next to that there’re also a micro HDMI port, a micro SD card slot and a power/standby key.
On the right edge there’re a volume rocker and a menu button.
The four ACC speaker gates and a 3.5mm audio jack are located at the bottom of the device.
The information of the storage and the serial number of the device is delicately plated on the left edge.
It’s even thinner than the 8.6mm slim Galaxy Tab 8.9.
Display​
​The Mini2 has featured the same display used on the famous Nexus 7, so I don’t want to go into details about it, just so you know it has amazing brightness, nice contrast ratios, vibrant colors, and great viewing angles. And the 1280*720 resolution is really great for the eyes.
System & UI
The iFive Mini2 offers no surprise when it comes to the system it carries, Android 4.1.1 is currently on every tablets with RK3066 chipset. But still, the iFive Mini2 refuses to be normal, the iFive skin 2.0 user interface on the Mini2 is by far the best UI I have seen on any Chinese tablets.
The home screen, the app drawer, the music app and the video app and lots of the widgets have been exquisitely customized.
Hardware​
The Mini2 is powered by Rockchip RK3066 chipset, based on Cortex-A9 frame and uses 40nm workmanship, it has also had the impeccable Mali-400MP4 as its GPU and 1GB of RAM. I don’t think I need to again go into details about how powerful this chipset is, but one thing I will say is, after the so-called quad core tablets with the Allwinner A31 and the Actions ATM7029 all failed my expectations, I am glad to go back to a RK3066 tablet. Here are some benchmark scores of the Mini2 comparing to some other quad core devices:
Although it’s just dual core, the Mini2 is no loser to any quad core tablet I have used. It does almost everything better than those A31 and ATM7029 tablets, whether I am browsing image-heavy webpages or streaming super HD videos online.
Entertainment​
The RK3066 Soc. Is no letdown when it comes to gaming and video playback, it does support all formats of videos to at least 1080P through hardware decoding, and the powerful Mali-400MP4 GPU ensures all the games to run smoothly on the Mini2.
By the way, I am not playing a pornography on the Mini2, it’s an Usher Music Video called “Dive”.
Connectivity​
The iFive Mini2 has actually very pleasant Wifi connections, I noticed no fluctuation at all, and the reception is still solid even when the tablet’s 10 meters away from the Wifi Reuter.
Besides Wifi, the Mini2 has also featured built-in Bluetooth, which is very convenient. I even used it to connect to my friend’s smartphone to play a Virtua Tennis combat against him!
Camera
The iFive Mini2 has featured a 2MP front-facing camera and a 5MP rear facing AF camera. But don’t get fooled by the specifications, either of the cameras can shoot satisfactory images. Not only are the pics quite glossy, but the focus also happens very slow and imprecise.
Photos shot by Mini2​
Battery​
Mini2 has featured a 4,200mAh Li-PO battery, which gives the tablet normally five to six hours of on-screen use. During my 720P video playback test (30% brightness, 50% volume), the Mini2 stood for 5 hours and 45 minutes, which is solid, but not impressive.
Verdict​
As I said earlier, the iFive Mini2 became my new favorite. I am always a bigger fan of the 7 inch display, but as the Ainol NOVO7 Venus and some other tablets with A31 chipset all failed me, the iFive Mini2 arrived just right on time!
But it’s not all good things to say about the Mini2, the cameras are a little bit under my expectations, and the battery life should have been better.
Although the RK3066 dual core processor does help the mini2 deliver a decent performance, but I would prefer to see the RK3188 Soc. update for a 7 inch device, we are already in the quad-core era after all!
Plus:
Very fashionable design.
Super clear IPS display with vivid images.
Exquisite user interface.
Built-in Bluetooth.
Gyroscope.
Minus:
Dual core Soc.
Uninspiring camera.
Unsatisfactory battery Life.
Pricier than alternative options.

great review.anybody knows how to root and install cwm on this tablet?tyia

theejhay said:
great review.anybody knows how to root and install cwm on this tablet?tyia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use the app called ZhuoDaShi.
Sent from my XT910 using xda premium

have you tried using that?

Seems nice!

of course, mine is already rooted.
Sent from my XT910 using xda premium

Dexcellium said:
Seems nice!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it is pretty nice.
Sent from my XT910 using xda premium

jupiter2012 said:
of course, mine is already rooted.
Sent from my XT910 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
prove it.can u share the procedure or share some screenshot?

theejhay said:
prove it.can u share the procedure or share some screenshot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am really too occupied to do that.
Sent from my XT910 using xda premium

jupiter2012 said:
i am really too occupied to do that.
Sent from my XT910 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok.i just want an assurance.i'll wait for other members who can truly help me

theejhay said:
ok.i just want an assurance.i'll wait for other members who can truly help me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wish u the best of luck!
Sent from my XT910 using xda premium

Great review!
By the way, I have some few questions about this iFive Mini2.
Does it have PlayStore?
256K colors or 16M colors?
Have you tried connecting it to your TV? Does it works, no issues/problems?

Hi guys any news on how to root and install cwm on our beloved I five mini 2?

personalizing ifive mini 2
Hi,
Is it possible to remove the calendar and weather data displayed on the home screen or are those fixed? Also, do you know where we can get ifive mini 2 user manuals in English?
Thanks in advance.

bricked or bootloop?
Hi ! is there anyone who can help me , i have an ifive mini 2 talbet. my friends are playing it then it suddenly restart . then when im waiting ... its just restart and restart . what should i do ? cant find a thread pertaining to this kind of issue. thanks

hey look at this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4HZJR0QmEI
look at my tab . what should i do with this ?
plz help thanks..

I like all... Thanks giving this review :fingers-crossed::victory::highfive::good:

Strong is beautiful - in Depth Review of the PIPO M9 Quad Core Tablet

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After the Ainol NOVO8 dream turned out to be a horrible nightmare, I am desperately in need of a decent tablet to test, and PIPO M9 arrived just right on time!
Key Features:
◇10.1 inch 16M-color super IPS display at WXGA resolution (1280X800 pixels)
◇Rockchip RK3188 SoC., quad core 1.8Cortex-A9 processor, Mali-400MP4 GPU, 2GB memory
◇Stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (Already upgraded to Android 4.2)
◇16GB of built-in-storage
◇2MP front facing camera; 5.0MP rear-facing AF camera with LED flash
◇Stereo speakers
◇HDMI TV-out
◇USB host
◇MicroSD card slot
◇Standard 3.5mm audio jack
◇1080p video playback
◇7800mAh Li-Po rechargeable battery
Retail Package
PIPO has never been mingy with the bundled fittings, you will find these things in the retail package:
Design​
The front is dominated by the 10-inch touch screen and black glossy bezel, rimmed in gray plastic. You will find a 2MP front-facing camera in the middle above the display (vertical mode). The bezel of the M9 is relatively small compared to other 10.1 inchers such as the Cube U30GT2 and the Ployer MOMO20.
When it comes to ports and slots, PIPO has never been, and doesn’t plan to be the pioneers of minimalism, you will find a micro SD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a 2.5mm charging port, a mini HDMI port, and not one, but two Micro USB ports (one as slave and one as host) along the top edge of the device, which also plays host to a power/standby button as well as a home button. I personally would have preferred to find the physical volume controls instead of the home button, but somehow PIPO has decided we should use the status bar on bottom of the screen to control the volume.
Again, where feel is concerned, The PIPO M9 is just right on the ball. The back sports a brushed aluminum finish, which gives the device a feel of expensiveness. And the two sides are plastic, offering the slate a nice and solid grip. A 5MP AF camera is located in the top middle of the aluminum back, along with an LED flash.
Unlike the M8, The M9’s speakers are on the back of the tablet and are in danger of being covered by our thumbs. I didn’t like this arrangement at first, as I am clearly more of a fan of the front-facing speakers of the M8. But when I found out that the sound the M9 produced was absolutely the best among all Chinese tablets, I finally found peace with it.
The tablet is fairly light and comfortable to hold and while most part of it does feel like plastic, it doesn't feel unpleasantly plasticky or cheap. Its 10mm thickness doesn’t help it win a beauty contest, but actually gives it a feel of sturdiness.
Display
As the primary point for interaction, having a good screen on a tablet is critical. The 10.1-inch IPS+ display on the M9 is plenty bright and offers decent visibility outdoors. The full brightness of can reach 500 nits, which outshines the fourth-generation iPad (400 nits), as well as the tablet category average (287 nits).
Unfortunately, the 1280 x 800-pixel panel on this slate has a lower resolution than similarly priced tablets. The CUBE U30GT2 has a resolution of 1920 x 1200, not to mention the Onda V973’s Retina resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. But I am not that big on pixel density, as none of the Chinese tablets with retina display gives satisfactory performance at the moment, I’d rather wait a little longer. The tablet's viewing angles were fair, but reflections got in the way when viewing the panel off axis.
Color saturation and contrast ratios of the 10.1 inch Hann Star display are decent, but not as eye-watering as the 9.4 inch LG display sported by the PIPO M8.
Audio​
​
I greatly appreciate that the M9's stereo speakers. Although it does not create the effects in which the sound is coming directly at me in watching movies or listening to music (which the M8 is able to do), I still like its excellent volume, which is even higher than the two HP notebook PCs of mine!
OS & Interface
Like most of the RK3188 tablets, The M9 comes loaded with Android 4.1.1 out of the box, but it has already been upgraded to Android 4.2 within the period I was testing it.
Unlike most of the other tablets with stock Android, PIPO has actually managed to leave its own mark. Two sets of exquisite user interfaces are provided for the customers, one is the updated version of the launcher we have already seen on the PIPO M8, and the other is developed recently for the M8 pro, now also adorning the M9.
I really fell in love with this brand new Metro-like launcher which offers five screens. The middle is the Home screen, and the other four are respectively marked as App, Office, Media and Web. You can easily add shortcuts of your favorite apps on these screens.
Unlike the other launcher, this Win8-like interface does have a portrait mode.
Performance​
The 1.6-GHz quad core RK3188 processor and 2GB of RAM in the PIPO M9 put up some impressive numbers on my benchmark tests. On the Quadrant benchmark, the M9 scored 5456, nearly twice the average (3,074) and much higher than the Beneve Miracle One, which uses Sammy's quad-core Exynos 4412 processor.
On the graphics-focused Nenamark2 test, the M9 scored 56.3 FPS, higher than the category average. But the Allwinner A31 powered ICOO ICOU7GT scored a much more impressive 59.1FPS.
The M9’s real-world performance was impressive. With several apps running simultaneously, I was still able to navigate the Note's home screens and apps menus with ease. Graphically intense games like "NFS 17" and “Predators vs Aliens” also ran smoothly.
HD video playback on the PIPO M9 is even more of a breeze, with the tablet easily coping with 1080p footage of all formats.
Cameras​
I don't get too hung-up about cameras on tablets because they're unlikely to be set to any great task. But PIPO has produced a camera that is actually pretty decent, giving us an F/2.8 aperture lens and flash to get you out of trouble when it's dark. Photos contained plenty of detail, good color balance, and I would happily share them with others.
Photos shot by M9
Even details are quite authentic
2MP front-facing cameras can get the video-chatting done perfectly!
Screenshot of the video captured by the M9​
On the video front, the M9 offers 720p capture, but I wasn’t that happy with the quality, even with perfect lighting, the video can turn out grainy and noisy.
Connectivity​
The M9‘s Wi-Fi module is made by MTK, giving the slate wonderful Wi-Fi reception. Even 10 meters away from the Wi-Fi router, I can still use the M9 to stream HD video online. The addition of Bluetooth2.1 also makes the tablet easier to use in daily life.
Battery Life​
The PIPO M9 has featured a 7,800mAh LI-PO battery. The capacity itself isn’t really that impressive, since lots of tablets are already equipped with 8,000mAh + batteries. However, thanks to the 28nm process the RK3188 Chipset uses, the actual battery life of the M9 is AMAZING. It can single-loop a 720P video (Sammy Adams - Only One) for nearly 12 hours and stream an HD Korean TV show online for over 9 hours!
Power loss during standby is also very little, whether the Wi-Fi is on or off!
Verdict​
The PIPO M9 is a machine that looks likely to stand the test of time. Its performance is top-notch, its design is stylish. It's also well-specified and well-equipped with ports and connections, offering greater flexibility than you'll find on some rivals.
The good:
Extremely powerful RK3188 quad core chipset
10.1 inch Super IPS display, nice visibility outdoors
Exquisite Metro-like user interface
5MP rear facing AF camera with LED flash
Outstanding stereo speakers
Great Wi-Fi reception
Excellent battery life
The not so good:
The display is not as wonderful as the one on the PIPO M8
The design is not as edgy as the M8
The resolution of the display stays WXGA standard
Although, as a tester, I should not be biased, yet I still have to say that PIPO is absolutely my favorite Chinese tablet brand at the moment. I strongly believe their differential competitive strategy is going to be beneficiary to both their brand image and market share. Also, PIPO will soon release the all new M7 pro, a tablet with RK3188 SoC. and an 8.9 inch PLS display from Sammy. I am really looking forward to its arrival!

I was looking at this tablet as an alternative to buying nexus 7 or spending too much for other 10" tablets. I was wandering if I buy it from Amazon would everything be in English and does it have all the Google Apps?

i want buy some cheap tablet for gaming , browsing n for ebook whether these tablets perfect for me ??? but most importantly to play games
sorry bad englis

cute bee said:
i want buy some cheap tablet for gaming , browsing n for ebook whether these tablets perfect for me ??? but most importantly to play games
sorry bad englis
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This could have been a really nice choice indeed.
Sent from my XT910 using xda premium

Great Review.
Stellar review. Very comprehensive and informative. Thanks.
Can you point me to a similarly comprehensive review of a Pipo 4.1+ tablet with GPS? Pipo M7 Pro.

Great review.
I have an M9 for a couple of months and I'm extremely happy. My money couldn't have been better spent.
I agree on everything you said but I must also mention:
- The camera isn't good at all with low light conditions.
- connection to pc via usb and transferring files it's extremely extremely extremely slow. Backing up the nand can be a pain.
- A screen this size screens for better resolution, more dpi's or something.

Good review!
Looking at buying an Android 4.2 tablet and came across one of these. After this good review, I think I have seen more positives than the few negatives so I will purchase it. Hope its OK. Hate buying things from distance selling. :fingers-crossed:
Only tablets in the local shops are Samsungs, Asus and Apple iPads.

Great review. I think wxga resolution is just right for 3188 because of kinda old Mali gpu. Though powerful enough to handle gaming, I find it can't provide smooth interface animations on retina-like display.

Got one of these myself ( aka Sumvision Cyclone Voyager 2 ) and I'm really happy with it. I was a bit miffed that it didn't support exfat ( unlike my year old cheap Chinese tablet ) but it does support NTFS, so now I can put large files, like HD films, on my 32gb memory card without having the maximum file size warning

On memory card perhaps, I haven't tried, but into the internal memory (nand flash) you can't.

Yep, sorry, I meant just the memory card.

But good to know that at least works on external sd:thumbup:

Question?
padlad said:
Got one of these myself ( aka Sumvision Cyclone Voyager 2 ) and I'm really happy with it. I was a bit miffed that it didn't support exfat ( unlike my year old cheap Chinese tablet ) but it does support NTFS, so now I can put large files, like HD films, on my 32gb memory card without having the maximum file size warning
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@padlad Are the Sumvision Cyclone Voyagers simply Pipo tablet with a different badge? Looking for a replacement touchscreen for Cyclone Voyager 1 but no luck so far. Thanks

kyaq said:
@padlad Are the Sumvision Cyclone Voyagers simply Pipo tablet with a different badge? Looking for a replacement touchscreen for Cyclone Voyager 1 but no luck so far. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea mate, sorry.

Yeah exact same models
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4

madweegie said:
Yeah exact same models
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers... Do you know if the screen is different for the Bluetooth version?

madweegie said:
Yeah exact same models
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@madweegie which Pipo tablet is equivalent to the Cyclone Voyager 1?

Pipo s1 I believe
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4

Hey,
I came across this thread in a google search. Thank you for such an in-depth review. I am about to buy a tablet for my father for his birthday. I have narrowed down the list to 2 candidates and I would really appreciate your opinions!
It is either Pipo M9 PRO or the Ployer Momo12 10.1 Inch
Which is the best, in your decision, and why? I have read amazing things about the two of these.
Any info would be great! Here is a link to the review for the Ployer that I came across:
http://vondroid.com/threads/ployer-momo-12-the-best-10-1-200-review-roundup.4823/
Thanks!

Didn't know that there is such a good tablet for this price.

1.8GHZ Quad Core + FHD display - in depth Review the CUBE U30GT2

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The CUBE U30GT2 has actually been on sale for quite a while now. The ten inch tablet runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), with 1.8GHz quad-core processor, the display’s resolution is WUXGA (1920 x 1200). It has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It is 9.6 mm thick, comes in black & white.
For:
1. The High-resolution screen rivals the iPad4's display in sharpness and clarity.
2. Extremely powerful, Apps launch quickly, 3D games run smoothly.
3. Excellent battery life, probably the best among all Chinese slates with FHD or Retina displays.
Against:
1. A littile bit heavy and porky.
2. Outdoor visibility is still unsatisfactory.
3. The rear-facing camera is really not much more than just decoration.
Key Features
◇10.1 inch 16M-color super IPS display at WUXGA resolution (1920X1200 pixels), 224PPI
◇Rockchip RK3188 SoC., 28nm quad core 1.8GHZ Cortex-A9 processor, Mali-400MP4 GPU, 2GB DDR3 RAM
◇Stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
◇32GB of built-in-storage
◇2MP front facing camera, 5.0MP rear-facing AF camera
◇Stereo speakers
◇HDMI TV-out
◇Bluetooth 2.1
◇Anti-rolling frame
◇USB host
◇MicroSD card slot
◇1080p video playback
◇7200mAh Li-Po rechargeable battery
First Impressions​
The CUBE U30GT2 feels like a solid tablet. I really fancy its white plastic chassis, which makes me forget how much a fan I am of the feel of black technology.
Contrary to my worries before receiving this slate, the RK3188 SoC. seems to support the FHD display very well, tasks from scrolling image-heavy webpages to running graphic-intense games were all handled with ease. And the tablet remains incredibly responsive while running several big applications at the same time!
Design and Build​
The CUBE U30GT2 uses the kind of design which most large-screen tablets look like. It’s thinner than its predecessor, the dual core U30GT, at just 9.6 mm. It is also a little bit lighter at just 659 g, but still way too heavy for single-handed use. There’s sufficient amount of bezel on either side of the screen, so you can use it in any orientation comfortably.
A 2MP front-facing camera sits comfortably in the middle of the bezel above the display, which can be used for online video chatting. The intelligent light sensor, which helps the tablet to automatically adjust the display brightness, is located on the upper left corner of this flagship slate, covered by the sticker.
All the keys and connectors are hosted on the left edge. You will find a power button, a volume rocker, a mini HDMI port, a MicroSD card slot, a 3.5mm audio jack and a 2.5mm DC port there. The metal frame around the edges looks very cool.
The stereo speakers are hosted on the middle of the right edge, which is not reasonable at all, as they are easily covered by our palm while we are holding the tablet with both hands.
The back of the U30GT2 is ABS plastic, which is not only good-looking, but also very durable. The UV coating process also helps with avoiding the feel of plasticky or cheap. The 5MP AF rear side camera and a LED flash sits on the top-left corner, but don’t get excited too soon, the quality of the shots is nowhere near images coming from a 5.0MP cell phone camera.
Display and Sound
The LCD-backlit IPS display on the U30GT2 is a lot better as compared to the MVA screen on the U30GT. The full HD resolution (1920 x 1200) at that size offers a decent pixel count of 224 PPI. This is not too far off from Apple’s 264 PPI on the iPad4, which means you won’t notice a huge difference between them in everyday use. The display is bright and text is sharp and crisp; perfect for web browsing or catching up on your TV shows. The viewing angles are wide -- so wide, in fact, that you can easily watch a movie with the tablet placed face-up on a table in front of you (not that you'd need to do this ever). The display also has a screen guard protecting it, just like the other CUBE tablets, but I left it alone this time.
The brightness of the display is decent, but not amazing as the one on PIPO M9, which can boast 600nit brightness. While I am using the U30GT2 outdoors, the screen glare sometimes overpowers whatever's on screen.
Like many other CUBE tablets, the U30GT2 comes endowed with ACC speakers, which make for some loud, though not exceptionally rich sound. Just keep in mind that the speaker is located on the right edge, which means if you are holding the tablet with both hands, any songs and movie dialogue will sound muffled.
Performance
The CUBE U30GT2 packs an 1.8GHz quad-core Rockchip chip (RK3188), which is built on Cortex-A9 frame and 28nm process, paired up with 533MHZ quad core Mali-400MP GPU and 2GB of DDR3 RAM. Although this is not the first tablet I've tested this setup, it is truly the first one with FHD display, and it didn't disappoint—the U30GT2 scorched the benchmarks, recording some of the highest scores I've seen across the board. The 16,413 overall Antutu benchmark score handily beat the 10,401 notched by the Onda V973 and approached the 18,000-20,000 marked by the Sony Xperia Tablet Z and Asus Padfone Infinity, both of which use Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 APQ8064 quad core chipset.
High CF-Bench and Vellamo HTML5 scores confirmed anecdotally speedy Web browsing performance during day-to-day use, while Nenamark2 frame rates were among the best I’ve seen. From rapidly switching between multiple running apps to playing graphically intensive games like NFS17, the U30GT2 handled everything I threw at it easily. Sliding between widget-loaded home screens and scrolling down media-heavy websites was smooth, with very rare choppiness.
The U30GT2’s benchmark score compared with other tablets with quad core processor.
The tablet has 32GB of internal memory with the option of adding up to a 32GB microSD card, which will suffice the need of majority of users. If that’s not enough, you can always connect an USB disk or mobile hard drive to the slate via OTG.
Software
The U30GT2 isn’t skinned with CUBE’s much loved yet also much hated Win8-like interface, instead it uses the original launcher of the stock Android 4.1.1. There are indeed some very cool and useful preinstalled applications, but none of them actually developed by CUBE, and you can find them in Google play or any third-party app market.
Multi-media
Media playback is solid with the U30GT2 and it breezed through anything I threw at it, including MPEG-4, RMVB, and MKV files at resolutions up to 1080p. The sound the speakers produce is of relatively high volume and nice quality.
Also, the U30GT2 has HDMI support, you can output the display to much bigger monitor and TV screens in Full HD resolution via an HDMI cable, enjoying movies and funny videos with friends and family.
Communication
New tablets should have an easy time in the connectivity test. However, many voices spoke out about the poor WLAN performance of many of CUBE’s slates. This was not really the case for the U30GT2, as I am pleasantly surprised with its Wi-Fi reception.
The U30GT2 uses 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth 2.1. A version with a 3G module has not yet been announced by CUBE. In my standard Wi-Fi reception test, the U30GT2 beats most Chinese tablets in test results:
Cameras
There are two cameras on board here, a 5-megapixel F2.8 rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The rear camera disappointed in my tests, with noticeably grainy images in both indoor and outdoor settings. Images are moderately sharp, but the U30GT2 struggles with dynamic range, blowing out highlighted areas and losing detail in shadows. You can record video at 480p resolution, but I'd use it as a last resort—video is shaky and riddled with image noise. The front-facing camera is serviceable for Skype calls, but not much more. This, however, is pretty typical of most tablet cameras.
Battery
The U30GT2 packs a 7200mAh battery. In my battery rundown test, which loops a video with screen brightness set to 30% and Wi-Fi turned off, the U30GT2 lasted 10 hours, 38 minutes. That's pretty impressive compared to the Onda V973's 8 hours, 5 minutes and the Nexus10's 8 hours, 47 minutes on the same test.
During testing, I also noticed the U30GT2 seemed to charge faster than competing models, a full charge only took about 4 hours with its bundled 12V-2A charger. But, contrary to most other Chinese tablet products with RK3188 chipset, the U30GT2 cannot be charged under a shutdown state. And I believe this is gonna annoy quite a number of people.
The competition
With a 1920 x 1200 screen and a $204 starting price to match, there's little question that the CUBE U30GT2 was intended as a cost-efficient device. By now, most Chinese tablet makers have lowered the price of their goods, leaving the U30GT2 with only a handful of competitors in the 2-hundred-dollar range. Starting with the obvious, there's the ifive X2, which sports an 8.9-inch, 1920*1200 PLS screen, along with a RK3188 processor and 2GB of RAM. All told, these are similar specs, except ifive's model costs $40 less and runs a slightly more skinned version of Android. As it happens, I am in the process of testing one now, but not quite ready to post my impressions and benchmarks results. In the meantime, then, it's at least safe to say that the X2 sits in the same class as the Infinity U30GT2 and is definitely worth your consideration, although it is beaten by the U30GT2 in internal storage (16GB: 32GB).
Within the same price range there’re also the Yuandao N90HD, the Aoson M33 and the PIPO M9 Pro, all of which pack a Retina display and the same RK3188 set-up, posting serious threat to the U30GT2’s market share.
It's also worth noting that the U30GT2 could face competition from within the CUBE line: the U30GT1 has already been on sale for a couple of weeks, at only $169 it is very likely to draw lots of users’ attentions away from the U30GT2.
Conclusion
The U30GT2 is a truly impressive tablet. It's exquisitely designed, exceedingly fast, and has a sharp full-HD display. Throw in extras like anti-rolling frame, built-in Bluetooth, expandable memory, and dual cameras and you have a seriously loaded Android tablet.
If you want arguably the fastest Android tablet with a full HD display for under $250, the U30GT2 is the way to go, since it is much more pleasant to use than those Allwinner A31 powered tablets with Retina displays. But my suggestion remains with the PIPO M9, as a standard resolution still has much better compatibility with most applications.

Price Incorrect - Or Changed?
Hi.
Nice review. I like that I can compare it to your Pipo review.
Question: you state that the cube can be found for around $200.00 or so. Where was that? I realizes prices can change, but your review is just a few weeks ago, and the typical price is around $250.00. The U30GT (version 1) goes for around $200.
Thanks!
-Pie

Hardware is good, but the rom is poor. it is always the problem of china tablet.

EatingPie said:
Hi.
Nice review. I like that I can compare it to your Pipo review.
Question: you state that the cube can be found for around $200.00 or so. Where was that? I realizes prices can change, but your review is just a few weeks ago, and the typical price is around $250.00. The U30GT (version 1) goes for around $200.
Thanks!
-Pie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The price that I presented here is turned from the retial price in China (RMB) to USD according to the exchange rate, the actual price in your country or some online stores might differ.

jupiter2012 said:
The price that I presented here is turned from the retial price in China (RMB) to USD according to the exchange rate, the actual price in your country or some online stores might differ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, so they cost less when in China. Makes sense. But a road trip across the Pacific to save $50.00 is probably out of the question for me at this point.
BTW, can U30GT2 do chroot and run Linux distros like Ubuntu under Android? I use LinuxonAndroid and it made the process really easy on my Nook HD+... and it left me wanting for speed, which is why I'm interested in the UG30GT2.
Thanks.
-Pie

The best review i've ever read. Thank you mate!!

antooonn said:
The best review i've ever read. Thank you mate!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank u for your support!
Sent from my XT910 using xda premium

Screen on/off power button no workee
I just got the Cube U30GT2 in the mail earlier this week. You're right, it's got a bit more heft to it, but not so bad, just a tad heavier than my Galaxy tab 10.1. However, unlike that tablet, the U30GT has lots of options for connecting things, micro USB, micro SDHC, micro HDMI. My tab 10.1 couldn't do any of those.
On the bummer side, the momentary power button, screen on/off doesn't seem to be working. The tablet is new with all the wrappings on, but that button is slightly busted. It will reboot the tablet, but won't turn the screen on or off. I worked around it for now with a screen always on app, and screen off app. I also discovered plugging or unplugging the power cord from the tablet also turns the screen back on. But aggravating. I have yet to succeed at getting the attention of the seller (androidtablet.com).
The price was middle of the road: $250 or so. But that's terrific compared to a Galaxy Tab or other recent tablet.
---------- Post added at 08:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:34 PM ----------
I forgot to mention, I read lots of reviews online for the Cube U30GT2 before popping for it. Most rated it as one of the currently best Chinese tablets, and not withstanding the power button issue, I tend to agree. However, all of the Chinese Android tablets seem to suffer from weak wi-fi signals, and in my table at least, this is true.
I tested my Galaxy tab laying right next to the Cube tablet. The Galaxy was able to knock out 10mbs on my wi-fi router from my family which is 15 feet or so away. The cube tablet only hit 2 to 5 mbs. Mind you, I couldn't tell much of a difference when hitting youtube, but it is a distinct disadvantage. I'm going overseas next month and the weaker reception could mean I won't get reliable wi-fi reception in the hotel.

Looks good.
I have the previous one and it's great .
Recommended.

Looks OK. Just wished they opted to put a slightly better GPU in it. The Mali 400 is good for phones but for a tablet that had a 1080p + display needs a bit more power. However, this is a good bargain considering it's original nexus 7 price tag.
Sent from my YP-G1 using xda app-developers app

Thanks for the nice review.
I think according to the price its a good tablet. But I agree to obscuresword, that the GPU it too weak for the Resolution. My Galaxy S3 has the same GPU and many benchmarks show, that its not as good as many people think.
The HP Touchpad tought as, never trust the hardware, if the software isnt good. Because of that, i never bought a Tablet from China. Android is not efficient enough, to ignore new Android versions...

artoni said:
Thanks for the nice review.
I think according to the price its a good tablet. But I agree to obscuresword, that the GPU it too weak for the Resolution. My Galaxy S3 has the same GPU and many benchmarks show, that its not as good as many people think.
The HP Touchpad tought as, never trust the hardware, if the software isnt good. Because of that, i never bought a Tablet from China. Android is not efficient enough, to ignore new Android versions...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How come I don't understand your last sentence....
Android has its advantages and disadvantages, that all comes down to personal preference. As for myself, I could never get used to the iOS system. I used to own an ipad2, but got too sick of the system after using it for just 2 months and gave it away.

Very comprehensive review! Thanks a bunch!
The deal-breaker for me is the placement of the "stereo" speakers on the righthand side. You'd think they would have separated the two speakers, one on the left side of the tab and one on the right side, but they didn't.

1.8?
I just wanted to point out that the clock is running at 1.6Ghz and not 1.8Ghz as advised. It is still a good choice for the price thought.

vondroid CFW
http://vondroid.com/resources/cfw-vondroid-cube-u30gt2-1-x.374/
4GB Internal Storage
CWM Recovery (ClockWorkMod)
Rooted
Debloated Chinese Software
Add apps (Youtube, ES File Explorer)
Apps updated
Ads block
Partial Build.prop optimise
Solved Settings crash issue
Fully Build.prop optimise
Fully market support
Init.d support
Init.d tweaks
Update apps (GoogleSearch)
General system optimise (Launcher.apk, Framework-res.apk)
Vondroid Boot animation
Support extra .ko files (Tun.ko, cifs.ko, nls,...)

antooonn said:
The best review i've ever read. Thank you mate!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yaah men i agree

WHich one
I have been looking at the cube u30gt2 and still undecided which one to get.
i have looked at.
1. Cube u30gt2
2. Pipo Max m9 pro
3. Ramos W30HD
4. Ramos I9
each seem to have similar pros and cons,
I am just nervous I buy the wrong one and nervous I am buying from china?
Please help me decide

Quite a good review. Ordered mine from China together with the Onda. Yet to receive them. Will post impressions after I drive the two.

Root
I can´t find a rooting tutorial for this tablet. Can some one give a clue about that?
Thks
Pirex

jy_P said:
I just wanted to point out that the clock is running at 1.6Ghz and not 1.8Ghz as advised. It is still a good choice for the price thought.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got one, and mine is runnig at 1.8Ghz
Cheers

Cubot X6, Cheapest 8-Core Smartphone: Less Vibrant, but Agiler

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The good: Cubot X6 well interprets why MTK6592 is better than previous generations of MTK chipsets, with decent backing to smooth operation and fast gaming. Pure Android 4.2.2 and Google Play Store are pre-installed.
The bad: The camera has low resolution and low contrast. No LTE.
Bottom line: Cubot X6 is what a mobile phone with MTK6592 should be, faster, and no more.
I didn’t expect Octa-core Chinese phones would be marked down so sharp so soon. At first Zopo ZP998 and THL T100s came out as USD300 stuff; then some USD350 and USD 250 ones with MTK6592 sprung up in the meantime; and now Cubot X6 hit the bottom with a price of USD190.
The X6 has a lower display resolution of 1280x720 pixels compared with Zopo and THL 8-core products, both of which are equipped with a 1080P full HD screen. Besides, Cubot X6’s 13MP camera takes worse-than-mediocre photos. The two degradations contribute to a price gap of more than USD110.
But with the same chipset, the X6 doesn’t have to deal with 2 million pixel points (1920x1080) in every switch of image. Instead, it only fills in 900 thousand pixels (1280x720) each time, so it’s reasonable that the Cubot handset is faster.
Anyway, less than USD200 is a price people can accept for a lesser known brand.
1.Design:
Cubot X6’s look reminds me of the elapsed SonyEricsson design by first sight. Its front side is generally a retangle with top and bottom edges slightly curved outside, sighter than SonyEricsson; Its protective glass curves into the bottom lip; and its back cover also curves into the left and right edges like the Xperia Arc S does.
The X6’s rear side adopts an HTC One-style matte finish, which delivers a premium feel. By the way, Cubot’s last knockout Cubot One was almost a counterfeit of HTC One.
The new Cubot handset does have something different, such as its aluminum-rounded swelling back camera and gilded earpiece mouth. These features, though not ridiculous, are not very inspiring, either.
The real clever part of Cubot X6 is that the two lips and the back cover are joined to replace the top and bottom edges. This design, plus the “arc s”, make the phone look quite thin. Besides, the X6 has no redundant physical buttons except the volume rocker and power key.
Between the edges and protective glass, the seams are a little bit wide for dust, an evidence of mediocre-end craftsmanship.
2. Display:
A 5-inch IPS display of 1280 by 70 pixels shouldn’t be bad. The X6’s pixel density, namely 294 PPI, is not as high as 401 of Zopo ZP998 or THL T100s, so its color is not that astonishing as a consequence. However, you never see granules or mosaic from the operational interface or HD images with the Cubot handset’s display. Only if the screen was edge-to-edge, the whole phone would be more compact and neat.
I don’t have any complaint about the X6’s 720P display, which, in addition, comforts my eyes with mild contrast.
3. Performance:
I’m not going to talk about the 8-core MTK6592 CPU or Mali-450 GPU, as you may all know that they are the strongest powerhouse available on cheap Chinese phones presently. If a manufacturer just wants to forge a “faster” phone out of the chipset, it’s easy.
Not as greedy as THL or Zopo, Cubot made it.
Switch between home screens, app trays, widget layouts, and photos are very smooth; open and close of apps are twice as faster as on Zopo ZP998; and hiccups or after-image is seldom seen.
As usual, I tried Temple Run Oz and NFS: Most Wanted to test the phone’s processing ability, as the two HD games never worked perfect on second-tier Chinese phones, including the Octa-core Zopo ZP998 and THL T100s.
The Cubot new monster surprised me in the pleasant way, finally. Skip of frames almost disappeared in both games, and most importantly, I felt my heartbeat at the speed of the runner and cars as I had felt on some brand name handsets. You can go to the video to see if I was right.
.
The X6 even outperformed Samsung Galaxy S4 by the astonishing score of 27706. I don’t know why Chinese-brand phones always notched high scores on Antutu, given that Xiaomi MI3 and TCL Idol X+ are among the best of best, too. Maybe Antutu should open a special section for Chinese phones. But Anyway, Cubot X6 also outscored Zopo ZP998 by 1,000 points (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=50195346#post50195346).
4. Camera:
Camera is the least part I want to mention, because the alleged 13MP back camera hardly record details and the color is pretty lifeless.
5. Battery life:
I’ve lived with the phone for about 4 days. Though once-a-day charge is still needed, this phone gives me more confidence that I don’t need to charge it twice a day.
If you don’t expect using the X6 to play NFS all day, the 2200mAh battery is enough for you.
6. Others:
Cubot X6 is not equipped with gesture sensor or NFC module, which, I think, are useless. MTK6592 itself is not compatible with the LTE network, so it’s natural that the X6 cannot be used for 4G. According to latest news, MediaTek has released an LTE-compatible 8-core chipset named MTK6595.
7.Conclusion:
Cubot X6 is cheaper than any other MTK6592-powered smartphone available on the market, at the expense of stunning visual effects, fashionable functions, and even passable imaging system. The producer didn’t expect too much from the chipset, so it shows us what a 8-core CPU should be like through the phone. And now there is is something 40 US dollars cheaper, but not worse in quality，have a look at my review on Mijue M10:　http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2647933&page=7

Antutu scores are misleading since it scales across multicores and you have eight of them, but in reality its the performance per core which matters most and these are simply A7 cores no match to the krait cores
But we need GFX benchmark please

hamdir said:
Antutu scores are misleading since it scales across multicores and you have eight of them, but in reality its the performance per core which matters most and these are simply A7 cores no match to the krait cores
But we need GFX benchmark please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, I'll download a GFX and upload the screenshots later, because the phone is now out of power.

mohammad ahamad said:
OK, I'll download a GFX and upload the screenshots later, because the phone is now out of power.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the GPU is really interesting
Mali 450 MP, which means its multicore since it has "MP" in the title but how many sadly they don't tell, still i think its a good match for 720p
but we can only tell for sure is from GFX and then compare it to Adreno 320 and 330
(the games you tested are non demanding)

hamdir said:
the games you tested are non demanding)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not for real flagship phones. But NFS Most Wanted is really hard for most lesser known Chinese phones.
MediaTek itself claimed MTK6592 has 70% the capability of Snapdragon 800, and many people says it works abreast with 600.

mohammad ahamad said:
Not for real flagship phones. But NFS Most Wanted is really hard for most lesser known Chinese phones.
MediaTek itself claimed MTK6592 has 70% the capability of Snapdragon 800, and many people says it works abreast with 600.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CPU is one thing, GPU is another matter completely
Adreno 320 on s600 has no problem running most games in 1080p smoothly
so MTK is making a wild claim there

hamdir said:
Antutu scores are misleading since it scales across multicores and you have eight of them, but in reality its the performance per core which matters most and these are simply A7 cores no match to the krait cores
But we need GFX benchmark please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I screenshot all the applicable scores. Have a look. I never used GFX so not very clear what all these mean, but i feel it is far more reliable than Antutu. As for the numer of GPU cores, it's 4 .

Gold thank you my friend @mohammad ahamad
your device is almost as good as the HTC One in gaming since the onscreen 720p score matches the 1080p score of the Adreno 320
keep in mind Adreno 320 is capable of ES3.0 unlike the Mali450GPU but its still its an awesome affordable beast, like i said it looks very good at 720p
it will be slaughtered at 1080p though

hamdir said:
Gold thank you my friend @mohammad ahamad
your device is almost as good as the HTC One in gaming since the onscreen 720p score matches the 1080p score of the Adreno 320
keep in mind Adreno 320 is capable of ES3.0 unlike the Mali450GPU but its still its an awesome affordable beast, like i said it looks very good at 720p
it will be slaughtered at 1080p though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome. I'm glad both of us agree that this hardware is good for 720p but not 1080p. A moderator from Gizchina also think this phone is nice.:laugh: Mod Edit: Commercial links removed

System
OS Android 4.2.2
CPU MTK6592, Cortex A7 octa core, 1.7GHz; GPU: Mali-450 MP4
ROM 16GB
RAM 1GB
　
Screen
Display Size 5.0 Inch
Type IPS, OGS screen, full lamination
Resolution 1280 x 720 pixels
yes it is a nice phoen with such a low price

battery
Im only concerned with the battery life, could you please posto more indo on the usage of the phone and battery drain? Posto some screen shots with your normal day to day usage please.
Aldo could you reporta the WiFi coverage ?
Im asking this because i havê an China phone na HDC legenda and those 2 are my primary concernes , and i maybe Changing phone due to those problems im facing with my phone ... And also some call noise ...
Thanks

brady56 said:
if you need powerfull battery i think the lenovo S860 is your best choice ,it has 4000Mah battery and can support 1 day talking.i see this from etkchina.com website
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the indo, i will check it.

lvieira76 said:
Im only concerned with the battery life, could you please posto more indo on the usage of the phone and battery drain? Posto some screen shots with your normal day to day usage please.
Aldo could you reporta the WiFi coverage ?
Im asking this because i havê an China phone na HDC legenda and those 2 are my primary concernes , and i maybe Changing phone due to those problems im facing with my phone ... And also some call noise ...
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, the phone is not on my hand any more. I'm an fan of Chinese phones and tablets and have friends selling such gadgets. I play and test them but don't buy them. To be frank, battery life is the most hard-to-test part, because there are too many factors affecting it.
I just feel Cubot X6's battery is not annoying, but if you keep the display on all day long, i don't think it can last more than 5 hours, not to say if you play some heavy games. I myself use iPhone 5 and i bring a mobile power bank when i'm going to use it regularly.

Very nice phone! Im going to get this beast for the price
Sent from my HUAWEI Y300-0100 using Tapatalk

naabje said:
Very nice phone! Im going to get this beast for the price
Sent from my HUAWEI Y300-0100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And it has marked down 10 dollars since i post the review.

mohammad ahamad said:
And it has marked down 10 dollars since i post the review.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh really? Haha.. actually it was 137 euro before.. and now i see it will go on sale on March 15 for 147 euro
Sent from my HUAWEI Y300-0100 using Tapatalk

naabje said:
Oh really? Haha.. actually it was 137 euro before.. and now i see it will go on sale on March 15 for 147 euro
Sent from my HUAWEI Y300-0100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, it was a mistake of me. But there is still somewhere it is pre-sold for USD 189.99 (about Euro 138). I can't tell you exactly where. No commercials here

Yeah i know where they are 189.99. Im a experienced shopper i know a lot of chinese webshops hehe.
I will buy the phone for 50% discount because i have connections with a company wich let me write reviews on other forums hehe.
Sent from my HUAWEI Y300-0100 using Tapatalk

naabje said:
Yeah i know where they are 189.99. Im a experienced shopper i know a lot of chinese webshops hehe.
I will buy the phone for 50% discount because i have connections with a company wich let me write reviews on other forums hehe.
Sent from my HUAWEI Y300-0100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
congratulations.

Don't use my review to advertise your shop. You not only spam here, and i saw you open a new spam thread. And i've reported both.

Review: iFive Mini 3, An iPad Mini Clone with Retina Display and Android 4.4.2

The good: Matte-finish back cover and gilded trim deliver a premium feel. 2048-by-1536 Retina screen shows crispy details. Pure android 4.4 OS with emoji, capacitive buttons of screenshot and full screen. Neat design with no physical button except the power starter.
The bad: Switch between home screens and photos are not very smooth. Camera has very low real resolution and contrast.
Bottom line: A plain tablet in performance, but with features to catch eyes.
A good stuff may be good in many ways, only a few of which are learnt by hearts though. When the second generation of iPad Mini is mentioned, what’s the first thing coming to your mind? A7-plus-M7 CPU collocation? Double antenna? HD facetime camera? Double microphone? Perhaps we were fond of talking about each of these shortly after the 7.9-inch tablet was released. But two or three months later, for most people, all they remember is an iPad mini with Retina display, just as its official name suggests.
So iFive, the Chinese tablet PC manufacturer, was smart to also imitate the 2,048-by-1,536 screen resolution when it imitated iPad mini 2. An iPad mini clone with Retina display sounds closer to the original product and with some sense of high tech.
But I’m a sober man who, thus, is not to expect some excellent stuff out of 198 US dollars. A cheap 4-core CPU plus equally cheap 4-core GPU process 3.14 million pixels during every switch of picture at a speed beyond the distinguishing of your eyes? Bite me!
All I hope to see is only something normal instead of a crap. So I’m starting my check step by step.
1.Design:
I love the look of iPad Mini 2, so I’m not going to complain on that of its clone. By comparison with the iPad, iFive mini 3 has the same shape, same space grey rear side with matte finish, same shining silver-coated trim, same position of front and back cameras, and same proportion of display to bezel.
Some minor differences are of course needed to escape legal accusations. iFive’s speaker mouth was a far smaller one located near the bottom; the power button, TF slot, USB port, 3.5mm headphone Jack and microphone are in a queue on the top edge; and you don’t find any other physical button throughout the tablet. Reasonably, the iFive is a little bit thicker than iPad mini to contain a 5,200mAh Battery.
I don’t find any flaw in craftsmanship from the one iFive mini 3 I held in hand. In fact, this is the best crafted among all the Chinese phones or tablets I tested these days. After all, appearance is the prior selling point of the iFive tablet.
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2. Display:
iFive itself boasted of the Mini 3 as the world’s second 7.9-inch Retina tablet. According to the GFX benchmark, the display does have a resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels and the 324PPI density indeed has reached the standard of Retina.
Retina means you don’t distinguish pixel from pixels even though you strain your eyes. This definition is exactly how I feel about the display of iFive mini 3. As a matter of fact, this screen shows perfectly crisp details and vibrant colors.
Here I took a photo with iFive mini 3 and iPad mini 2 compared via the same picture of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels. You can see iFive is worthy opponent.
3. Performance:
This was the first time I used a benchmark app to get a score before I play games for real experience，because i was so curious how much the mini 3 would notch by such a top-heavy hardware configuration.
As anticipated, GFX Bench 3.0 gives horrible low scores for the tablet’s graphics processing ability. It says the mini 3 is able to deal with only a few frames in one second at its native resolution. Fortunately, we do not often play 2,048-by-1,536 videos or games, so the device has not been slaughtered.
By real experience, i frequently encountered after images in the switch of home screens, though it is not that intolerable. And when i opened a picture in Gallery, i can saw the progress from blurry to clear in a bout 1/2 second.
However, the device has no problem playing 1080p videos. I tried the live ballet Swan Lake Part I by the Royal Opera House in 2012 in MKV format with a code rate of 14,367Kbps and frame rate of 25fps (34 minutes, 4.3GB). You can see from the video review that there was no delay or hiccup.
I could say this tablet is not for demanding games even if it was not with the burdening quad HD display, since Rockchip has not produced a CPU targeted at high-end gamers. So i should not say it is the iFive’s drawback incapable of supporting thrilling speed in NFS, Most Wanted.
4. Operating System
iFive mini 3 runs on the pure Android 4.2.2 system with Google Play Store enabling you to download any apps you want. What’s new to the capacitive buttons array include the full screen icon for you to hidden these buttons when playing games or make them appear when you need them. That’s why the Mini is able to keep only one physical button.
Another virtual button added is for shortcut screenshot, which liberate us from the burden of installing such apps. And the most user-friendly add-on may have been the Emoji icons in the input keyboardd. Finally, we can freely express our emotions during messaging or emailing as we do with IM apps.
5. Camera
Sometimes high face-value resolution leads to high-definition photos, sometimes not. Unluckily, iFive mini 3 belongs to the latter condition for its blurry pictures and dull colors.
6. Battery Life
I believe the battery life is very close to the officially assumed 5200mAh, because without long-time gaming, it decently last me for a day. You may feel weird that in my reviews i always say something can last a day. But have you ever used an android stuff which can insist 2 days?
7. Conclusion:
It’s natural that a cheap product has some drawbacks, but it’ll be sad if it has nothing special to boast about. iFive is clearly aimed at some people, who, i think, don’t want to spend too much on mobile devices, pursue visual delight, but don’t care too much about operational smoothness.

Great summary! And I can just confirm your statements. I do run Kitkat from Kasty on my mini3 retina and the 1,8GHz OC kernel from fdzonerom. This combination really flies!
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I can't find this tablet at the price you said it was (189) where did you buy it? I saw the same model described as quad core MTK or dual core depends can you confirm it is quad core and what model of MTK chipset? Great review btw
Thanks!
merces mihi ex Nexus 5 cum app XDA

Hi,
Can you comment on how swift is the internet browsing experience? Any problems with content heavy pages?
How is the screen visibility in sun/daylight? Any experience with PDF documents?
thank you

virogor said:
Hi,
Can you comment on how swift is the internet browsing experience? Any problems with content heavy pages?
How is the screen visibility in sun/daylight? Any experience with PDF documents?
thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there is no problem, but i will still test the aspects when i can get it again. This week, i think.

Ltdrev said:
I can't find this tablet at the price you said it was (189) where did you buy it? I saw the same model described as quad core MTK or dual core depends can you confirm it is quad core and what model of MTK chipset? Great review btw
Thanks!
merces mihi ex Nexus 5 cum app XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No commercial links here, so i can't tell you. Now it marks down to ifive mini3 185.99. You can search "Ifive mini3 185.99" on google.
And here is the preferences:
CPU: Rockchip RK3188 ARM Cortex-A9 Quad-core Processor
CPU Frequency: 1.6GHz
GPU: Mali-400 MP4
RAM: 2GB
ROM: 16GB

I bought this tablet and I arrived yesterday evening.
For the little use that I did not need to create that change the rom installed.
I can just do it and give you my opinion.

Interesting. I wonder if there is a noticeable slow down due to the larger resolution.
Posted using Tapatalk

stefano2566 said:
I bought this tablet and I arrived yesterday evening.
For the little use that I did not need to create that change the rom installed.
I can just do it and give you my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you write a few lines about web browsing? Any lags? Maybe you can check this site: www(.)salon(.)com - on my iPad (I) it hardly works ... very slow and crashes a lot.
It would be very helpful.

great!
great really.

Hi.
I have made some video:
Game Test:
Pdf Test:
Normal pdf test
If you want to read another review:
http://www.retroandroid.com/review-ifive-mini3-retina/

you'd better make a conclusion by words,

Thanks for the great review!
Seriously considering this tablet if only for the 4:3 display.
Hoping you could answer done questions for me mate.
Size wise it's Donmar to a nexus 7 2013, just a little wider?
The usb charge port is just a standard type. I once had a super long version for one of my Chinese phones.
Normal games like Tetris or Bad Piggies will run fine?
Can the OS be rooted?
Thanks again!

Ltdrev said:
I can't find this tablet at the price you said it was (189) where did you buy it? I saw the same model described as quad core MTK or dual core depends can you confirm it is quad core and what model of MTK chipset? Great review btw
Thanks!
merces mihi ex Nexus 5 cum app XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can buy it for 170$ with coupon- search SKU122952 ifive and use coupon code 3d1a7c.
OP- thank you for well written in depth review, I was really waiting for iPad mini retina alternatives, hope to see new SOC versions of this tablet soon(Octa?).

Xperia-Ray said:
you can buy it for 170$ with coupon- search SKU122952 ifive and use coupon code 3d1a7c.
OP- thank you for well written in depth review, I was really waiting for iPad mini retina alternatives, hope to see new SOC versions of this tablet soon(Octa?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think your right. Its might be worth holding off untill the Rockchip 3288 versions come out
Have a looky at this link to compare the 3188 in the mini 3 against the 3288.
http://www.cnx-software.com/2014/01/10/rockchip-rk3288-vs-rk3188-performance-comparison/

Very good post good job

Just an update for the OC kernel users:I've switched now to the 1,7GHz kernel due to a much lower power consumption of that kernel. In order to avoid crashes after deep sleep, I'd recommend a min frequency of 504MHz
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Im really considering this, any1 else bought it?

virogor said:
Can you write a few lines about web browsing? Any lags? Maybe you can check this site: www(.)salon(.)com - on my iPad (I) it hardly works ... very slow and crashes a lot.
It would be very helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the site salon ... works like the others.

After a month with the tablet I can say that is a very very good bought.
If somebody would make a cyanogen rom port, definitely would be perfect.
I had installed a custom rom and worked perfect but yesterday I installed an overclok kernel and now is better!!
The site salon works very well, with opera and with chrome.
I have made two videos with two of the most powerful games graphically.