Thursday, August 23, 2012

PiPO U1 DualCore 7" HD-IPS Tablet

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


PiPO U1 DualCore 7" HD-IPS Tablet Full User Review




9 comments:

Anonymous said... at August 28, 2012 at 1:16 PM

test...

ivanz said... at September 19, 2012 at 3:58 PM

How to Root PiPO U1 and activate FullMarket?

Please follow steps carefully.


1. Iinstall Zhuodashi_2.2.9 program to PC: http://www.mediafire.com/?hsnt440r1rn2dsj

2. Just follow the "Highlighted Buttons" to install.
3. Turn-ON your PiPO U1 and enable "USB Debugging" (goto Settings>Developer Options)
4. Connect PiPO U1 to PC and launch Zhuodashi_2.2.9 program.
5. If your PiPO U1 isn't detected yet, turn it OFF and disconnect it to PC.
6. Hold-press the "+ Volume Button" and connect it to PC. A new USB Device must be detected.
7. It will install required USB Drivers except for one (1) important driver.

8. Goto "Device Manager" and right click the device with an [!] exclamation point on it.
9. Click "Update Driver" and choose the Driver folder included on this PiPO Root Folder.
10. If ask to "Continue Anyway" just select Of-course YES!

11. Once drivers are all installed. Turn-ON PiPO U1 again and connect it to PC.
12. Launch Zhuodashi_2.2.9 and wait until the Zhuodashi app is installed on your PiPO U1.
13. Click the "Wrench Icon or Tool Icon" and click the [X Root].
14. Wait until you see a Blue Button on the bottom. Click it.
15. Go back to "Tool Icon" and click the [Check Root].
16. Wait until you see a Blue Button again or just try again if it fails.
17. Once all done, disconnect PiPO U1 to PC and update the "SuperSU" app.

18. If you want to unlock more apps on the market or change build.prop to GT-I9100
19. Copy&Paste the 4 .xml files to "/system/etc/permissions". Copy&Paste the build.prop to "/system" using ES FileExplorer with RootExplorer & MountSystem enabled on ES settings.


Thanks... ivanz...

Unknown said... at October 23, 2012 at 12:31 AM

Does the PIPO U1 have SDXC capability?

Anonymous said... at October 24, 2012 at 5:31 PM

Des it has, 64gb works eine (sandisk)

ivanz said... at October 25, 2012 at 11:56 AM

hello, only 32GB is tested. however, some folks at slatedroid.com was able to use 64GB of microsdcard on these cheap tablets. unfortunately, i do not have 64GB microsdcard yet to test.

Anonymous said... at October 31, 2012 at 2:13 PM

Good day, can you comment on the battery life of this tablet? Ive read that tablet would only last 3 hours

ivanz said... at November 1, 2012 at 10:08 AM

Hello,

I am a user of PiPO U1 Tablet and I can honestly tell that the device can last 5~6hrs on watching movies (30% brightness with WiFi OFF) and while Browsing the Internet (30% brightness). But when playing Heavy 3D Games (for ex: N.O.V.A.3) it barely last 4hrs.

Anonymous said... at January 20, 2013 at 1:54 AM

Good for the money you pay, I have the PiPO U1Pro, it has extra:
(mini)HDMI Output and
Rear Camera 2M pixel camera (no good inside, to much noise with low light)
The front camera is 0,3M (instead of 2M)
The screen is very bright (for me), I set the brightness at the lowest value.
Normal use over 5hrs.

Anonymous said... at May 8, 2013 at 7:42 PM

Thanks. The root worked for me.

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