Android Tech Review

Introduction:

The Ainol Novo7 Fire (Novo7 Flame in English version) 7" Dual-Core HD-IPS Tablet is one of the most anticipated China Tablet for many of Ainol fans across the world. Due to its popularity and huge community support, it is considered as one of the most exciting Tablet aside on Google Nexus 7. Specification leakage are being discussed all-over the internet two-months prior to its release date. Finally, Pandawill.com now offers the Ainol Novo7 Fire for as low as US$155.99 including FREE shipping to almost all countries world-wide. They offer Buyer Protection for PayPal and some Credit Cards users as-well. Upon purchase confirmation, they test the full functionality of the Tablet before sending the package through international couriers like Fedex for free. Please spend some time and enjoy reading the article. Thanks.

Specifications:

AMLogic-M6 1.5GHz Dual-Core CPU with Mali400 400MHz Dual-Core GPU
7" 1280x800 HD-Resolution IPS with 5-Touch Capacitive Screen
2.0MP Front-Facing and 5.0MP Rear-Facing Camera with LED Flash
Wi-Fi B/G/N, Bluetooth 2.1, Accelerometer, Light Sensor and G-Sensor
1GB DDR3 RAM, 16GB Storage with microSD Slot upto 32GB
5000mAh 3.7V Battery Capacity, Magnesium-Aluminum Alloy Shell
Pre-installed Google PlayStore and other Essential Applications
Android OS 4.0.4 IceCreamSandwich. For more details please click HERE

The product specifications itself are already pretty awesome for $155.99 Tablet. Ainol really did a great job incorporating some of most user preferred specification while still maintaining low cost. I can tell that Ainol Novo7 Fire can compete directly on some known and expensive Tablet brands without losing its edge against other cheap China Tablet brands. Let’s proceed on checking the Ainol Novo7 Fire build quality.

Workmanship:

Honestly, I am amazed by how Ainol improved its build quality. Without any idea, looking on the Tablet itself will makes you think it is built by those big Tablet players like Huawei or Samsung until you notice the small "Ainol" word on the bottom of the screen. You can view the Internal Build Quality of Ainol Novo7 Fire HERE.

Ainol introduced several hardware upgrade and changes for the Novo7 Fire including the 7" 1280x800 HD-IPS Capacitive 5-touch LCD panel. The LCD panel really looks good, no visible backlight or bleeding. It uses Glass screen to protect the LCD and prevent unwanted scratches as well. 2.0MP front-facing camera above the screen is just in the right place to capture self-photos or use as webcam for Skype video-call. Beside the camera is the Light Sensor which is kinda new to Ainol Novo7 Tablets.

The Brushed Magnesium-Aluminum Alloy shell makes the Tablet appearance more elegant and classy to hold. The design of the back shell looks like a smaller version of Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 to me. Just above the metal shell lies the 5.0MP rear-facing camera with auto-focus and LED flash which can capture high-quality photos and records HD videos. On the bottom-corner of the Tablet is the ultra low power Piezoelectric mono-firing loudspeaker which can produce incredibly amazing sound quality.

On the top-right corner of the Tablet are the high-durability Alps buttons for Power, Volume Rockers, and Home key. Ainol made minor improvement here by totally removing loose and rattling keys found on their previous Novo7 Tablets. The button keys are also well placed, they are accessible even when the Tablet is on Landscape or Portrait mode. Ainol Novo7 Fire thickness measured about 10.6mm only while weighing 339grams. That makes this Tablet portable and very comfortable to use. By the way, nice sleek-round edges too.

The left side of the Tablet is dedicated to Tablet Interface. Ainol never failed to add the most user-needed interface for such cheap Tablet. 1x miniHDMI 1.4, 1x microSD slot upto 32GB max, 1x microUSB Host-OTG, 1x 3.5mm Headphones port, 1x 5V-2A Charger port, and the tiny Microphone hole. The ports does not block each others, you can plug the Tablet into a Widescreen TV and use it as media player while using a USB flash drive. It can also charge through USB or on native Charger ports. You can even connect the Tablet to PC to browse its content.

Performance Benchmark:

As expected, Google Nexus 7 armed with a powerful Nvidia Tegra 3 Quad-Core 1.3GHz CPU with GeForce ULP GPU easily outperforms the Ainol Novo7 Fire with less processing cores. In everyday use, this benchmarks are irrelevant as both will perform better in the eyes of the users. We still don't know how Ainol Novo7 Fire will compete against Google Nexus 7 if both has stable Jelly Bean 4.1 OS. But I don't expect there would be a huge changes.

One minor issue on Ainol Novo7 Fire was the minor overheating of the back-side when running at Performance Mode (1.5GHz). Similar Tablet with AMLogic-M6 chipset like ONDA Vi30 DualCore doesn't seems to have this issue, it might be a kernel optimization issue. Ainol's ICS firmware offers three CPU mode; 1.Power Saving - 800MHz, 2.Normal - 1.2GHz, and 3.Perfomance Mode - 1.5GHz. At Normal CPU mode, the tablet is still very responsive although it might suffer a little bit on Heavy 3D Gaming. Nevertheless, we hope that Ainol will fix this on future firmware release.

Additional Improvements:

HD Resolution IPS Screen - as discussed above, its really great and comparable to other expensive brands, text are much clearer, images are very vivid making the Novo7 Fire suitable for reading e-Books or Magazines and watching HD Movies. You can even use the Tablet outdoor, thanks to its IPS Screen technology which other expensive brands also use. However, don't expect too much as it doesn't have Super AMOLED screen that defy the Sunlight. Around 30% view-able @ maximum brightness under the Sun is still good though.
5000mAh Battery Capacity - much larger than any other 7" China brands has to offer. A fully charged battery could last 7hrs of Wi-Fi Browsing, Video Playing, and Gaming under optimum settings.
Bluetooth 2.1 - most Ainol fans has found answers to their request. Now Ainol included a built-in Bluetooth 2.1 to their Novo7 Fire. Users can now use Bluetooth Headset for listening musics, or browse your Mobile Phones and PC to copy its content and vise-versa.
Light Sensor - this feature auto-adjust the Tablet's brightness depending on the environment. Quite a good feature to have.
Improved Wi-Fi Antenna - one major update from the Wi-Fi antenna that were also used on Ainol Novo7 Aurora-2. It now has Aluminum Foil placed on the Wi-Fi metal antenna which was missing on Novo7 Aurora-2, result; poor Wi-Fi range. Novo7 Fire's Wi-Fi should now perform lot better with its improved Wi-Fi antenna.

The Cons:

Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4 - Android OS ICS-4.0.4 isn't bad, but Google Nexus 7 showed us how good Jelly Bean 4.1 experience is and made us to crave for that Android OS be installed on our Android Tablets. Ainol doesn't have such great support when it comes to latest firmware, other China brands especially Tablets with Rockchip RK3066 CPU offers stable Jelly Bean 4.1 as stock firmware.
Minor Overheating - like we mentioned above, this could be fix by an optimized kernel on Ainol's future release firmware. Leaving the tablet at default Normal CPU mode is recommended.
No built-in GPS & 3G - well, this isn't expected on such cheap device like these China Tablets. Including this feature would make the Ainol Novo7 Fire a complete Tablet a normal users could have. It does support External 3G using several list of USB-3G Dongles via OTG-cable.

The Deal Breaker:

No Gorilla Glass Screen - although Ainol's Novo7 Fire uses scratch resist Glass Screen, it doesn't protect the LCD or Touch Digitizer from accidental breakage due to some user negligence. It may seems to be too much to ask for a US$155.99 Tablet but having a Gorilla Glass Screen feature would be great.

If you don't mind dealing with above Cons, Ainol Novo7 Fire is definitely a bang 4 buck Tablet. It offers almost all the needs of most Android Tablets fans without asking too much to their pockets. Just try to put extra precautions not to accidentally sit above the Tablet or have it drop. Its still a Gadget anyway, it is supposed to be use and not abused. Regarding Jelly Bean 4.1 updates, we'll have to wait 1~2 months or worst for Ainol to completely release a stable Jelly Bean 4.1 OS for Novo7 Fire. Android community developers might get it in advance like CM10 custom firmwares which is based on Android OS 4.1 Jelly Bean, but for the meanwhile we have to bear the itch.

Video Review: courtesy of Pandawill.com

Introduction:

The PiPO U1 7" DualCore HD-IPS Tablet is one of few 7" Tablets with Rockchip RK3066 chipset that offers full Android Jelly Bean 4.1 experience. If you want to experience Jelly Bean 4.1 OS now, this item is definitely for you. It is now available at Pandawill.com for as low as US$146.99 including FREE shipping to almost all countries world-wide. They offer Buyer Protection for PayPal and some Credit Cards users as-well. Upon purchase confirmation, they test the full functionality of the Tablet before sending the package through international couriers like Fedex for free. It took 7-days (excluding weekends) for the package to arrive here in Philippines. The item inside the sealed box is well secured, it was carried by FedEx courier right into my door-step. Kindly spend some time to read the rest of the article and watch the Video Review at the bottom. Thanks.

Specification:

RK3066 1.6GHz Dual-Core CPU with Mali400 250MHz Quad-Core GPU
7" 1280x800 HD-Resolution IPS with 5-Touch Capacitive Screen
2.0MP Front-Facing Camera, Accelerometer, and Gravity Sensor
802.11 B/G/N Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.0
1GB DDR3 RAM, 16GB Storage with microSD Slot upto 32GB
3250mAh 3.7V Battery Capacity, Full Aluminum Back Shell
Pre-installed Google PlayStore, and other Essential Applications
Android OS 4.1 Jelly Bean. For more details please click HERE

The specifications looks good but not as great compared to Ainol's Novo7 Fire. However the RK3066 CPU with Mali400 MP4 is supposed to perform much better than Novo7 Fire's AMLogic-M6 paired with Mali400 MP2. And RK3066 also operates at full 1.6GHz frequency without any heat issue. The only disadvantage of the PiPO UP-U1 over Novo7 Fire is the lack of rear-facing Camera and smaller Battery capacity. We'll see how will this affect the overall Tablet experience right after we discuss the build quality below.

Workmanship:

The PiPO U1 Tablet is built with simplicity and a very neat quality. Sleek-edge design and thickness of 11.5mm while weighing only 320grams, making the PiPO U1 Tablet very comfortable and easy to hold or carry. You can also view the Actual Photos of my PiPO U1 Tablet HERE.

The screen uses a scratch-resist Glass Screen technology which helps prevent undwanted or accidental scratches on the surface of the Tablet during everyday use. It has a 1280x800 HD-IPS Resolution which makes the Tablet very suitable for readers or movie lovers. No backlight or color bleeding seen on HD Screen. On the middle-top of the screen you'll find the 2.0MP front-facing camera which can be use as webcam on Skype Video Call or capturing self-photos. The mono-firing loudspeaker is placed very neat in the front of the Tablet giving a good sound blasted towards the ears of the users. Though not as good as Ainol Novo7 Fire sound quality.

The ports interface are located on bottom-left corner of the Tablet. 1x micro-USB with OTG support, 1x native Charger port, 1x microSD slot with 32GB max supported, 1x 3.5mm Audio Port and ofcourse, the tiny microphone hole. There seems to be missing on the interface? YES, there is no miniHDMI port. This is pretty unusual for China Tablets as most of offered nowadays are built with a miniHDMI port with Full-HD output. Well, I believe PiPO made this Tablet very particular as an e-book reading device and or portable movie player and not as a media center.

The PiPO U1's physical Power, Volume Rockers, and Esc. button keys are located on Top-Right side corner of the Tablet. They function very well and has no loose or rattling buttons. However, they kinda annoying especially when user is holding the Tablet in Portrait mode (ex. while reading e-books or magazines). It becomes awkward for the physical button keys to use as they will be at the bottom, leaving the user having to rely on Jelly Bean's status bar soft-touch volume buttons and back button

Another thing that makes this Tablet awesome is the Matte finished full aluminum-alloy shell which gives the PiPO U1 Tablet a total Classy and Professional look. Aside on giving the Tablet a Classy look, the full aluminum-alloy shell of PiPO U1 also serves as the main protection of the Tablet from everyday harsh environment. This thing is Rock-Solid, you can even knock hard at the back and hear a solid sound like knocking on a hard wood door. Its design is so simple and doesn't have anything on the back except on some hard printed ports markings and Product Model markings.

Performance Benchmark:

Rockchip RK3066 1.6GHz DualCore suprisingly performs less than its rival AMLogic-M6 1.5GHz DualCore. But we can see huge difference on RK3066's QuadCore Mali-400 with 250MHz compared to AMLogic-M6's DualCore Mali-400 with 400MHz, the QuadCore Mali-400 almost reach Tegra-3 GeForce ULP gpu performance. This only means better Gaming Experience if (IF) it was built with better Battery Capacity like Ainol Novo7 Fire has (5000mAh).

Anyways, like what I've said on my previous article, these are mere numbers and wont beat each users first hand experience. Each of us may have different preferences plus we still don't have any idea how would the Novo7 Fire will perform under JellyBean 4.1 OS. But overall, these Tablet are far more better than what we expect in return to our money.

Every Games I've thrown played very smoothly, absolutely no LAGS at all even on the heaviest 3D Games like N.O.V.A. 3 and Dead Trigger. This is how a QuadCore Mali400 GPU performs at its finest.

One more thing, PiPO U1 at 1.6GHz full frequency speed doesn't seems to have any overheating issue. The device loves to stay at 300~800MHz on mild use like Internet browsing, Movie Playback which is pretty good because it really save lots of Battery juice. I can even browse the web for more than 5-hours (well not continuously but its still more than my Aurora-2 experience).

What's Good:

Jelly Bean 4.1 Experience - this feature made this Tablet very interesting and exciting. Cheap China Tablets with pre-installed stable Jelly Bean 4.1 Android OS are still very rare. But PiPO made huge leap by being one of them. Its really great OS, definitely much better than IceCreamSandwich 4.0 experience.
HD Resolution IPS Screen - as discussed above, its really great and comparable to other expensive brands, text are much clearer, images are very vivid making the PiPO U1 suitable for reading e-Books or Magazines and watching HD Movies. You can even use the Tablet outdoor, thanks to its IPS Screen technology which other expensive brands also use. However, don't expect too much as it doesn't have Super AMOLED screen that defy the Sunlight. Around 30% view-able @ maximum brightness under the Sun is still good though.
Bluetooth 2.0 - luckily, PiPO did include a built-in Bluetooth function on their PiPO U1 Tablet. Users can now use Bluetooth Headset for listening musics, or browse your Mobile Phones and PC to copy its content and vise-versa.
Wi-Fi Connectivity - despite of full aluminum-alloy shell, the PiPO U1's Wi-Fi connectivity performance seems to be un-affected. The Tablet can pickup and connect to strongest access-point without any problems. Although I haven't tested tether and hotspot function which the Tablet might support as-well.

The Cons:

Button Keys Placement - the physical button keys are placed really bad on the Tablet. Yes they are accessible when user is holding the Tablet on Landscape mode, but they simply becomes useless when it is on Portrait mode reading e-books or magazines.
No HDMI-Out - some users will find this a huge loss on their side, especially those who loves to watch their movies or play their favorite Android games on much larger screen.
No Rear Camera - only few China brands offers a useful rear-facing camera like Ainol on their Novo7 Fire. Its a great addition to make the Tablet more attractive. Unfortunately, PiPO U1 offers 2.0MP front-facing camera only.
No built-in GPS & 3G - well, this isn't expected on such cheap device like these China Tablets. But it does support External 3G using several list of USB-3G Dongles via OTG-cable.

The Deal Breaker:

3250mAh Battery - quite small Battery Capacity chosen by PiPO here. One full charge could only offer 3-hours of Heavy 3D Gaming, 4~5-hours of continues movie playback, and 5-hours of web browsing under optimum settings. Its good for casual Tablets users who often to use the Tablet for browsing, reading e-books or magazines. For serious 3D Gaming, this isn't the best choice.
No Gorilla Glass Screen - although PiPO U1 uses scratch resist Glass Screen, it doesn't protect the LCD or Touch Digitizer from accidental breakage due to some user negligence. Please take necessary precaution not to accidentally sit above of the tablet or have it drop.

The PiPO U1 7" DualCore HD-IPS Tablet is definitely a cheap alternative and recommended Tablet for e-books, magazines, comic readers, and social media fans out there. It may not look awesome for some Tablet Gaming fans due to short battery life, but it doesn't mean it is not worth buying. This Tablet offers good specifications for your money, plus the pleasure of having an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS experience that few Tablets aren't capable of offering yet.

Video Review: Courtesy of Mrwhosetheboss of Youtube.com

PiPO U1 DualCore 7" HD-IPS Tablet Unboxing Review