For some specialized needs this could as perfect match. Some time ago when I was looking for a device for reading/reviewing materials (text & graphical) on the go - a highest-possible quality screen was all I was looking for. Didn't care about CPU & speed, even battery time was largely irrelevant - as long as it's able to be alive some 1.5-2h - it would do the job for me.
Ended up with Samsung Tab, but given the choice - this idea of "perfect screen and barely adequate the rest" could be a nice fit, given the low price.
Although I understand that it's rather narrow niche use-case.
Just received mine in the mail yesterday - got it for a (in theory) very reasonable price via Gearbest. Build quality and the screen are very nice but there is a big downside:
Even though it was a European model (as per the serial number), it came with a Chinese Android version and no Google apps whatsoever. I guess it had some Chinese market place app but not speaking Chinese, this is just a guess. Browsing the web worked fine for many sites but there were others where the browser said it cannot find them (oddly enough one of them was the Alldocube website).
Fortunately you can download the right Android image from the Alldocube website (European Android with Google play store) which could also be written to the ROM.
But (again) - none of the Google apps worked. Was not possible to log in and it still had the weird "some sites cannot be found" issue, so am trying to get my money back. I really only wanted a reasonably priced tablet that works out of the box :(
This is curious. I crowdfunded this tablet, recieved a european one (U1005E, where the last letter is for the european device), with Google Apps installed, and no chinese app whatsoever. Around 200 euros for a 64GB tablet (you have a slot for additional flash storage). 280 euros if you have to pay customs, as I did.
I bought one of these from the Indiegogo campaign. Keeping in mind I only paid $219 total which ended up including a case and screen protector, I'd still say most people are better off spending more and getting a 128GB iPad on sale (just saw it for $329 at the big W) unless you have some very specific use cases for the device, need multi-user profiles, etc.
One very important thing to note because of that beautiful screen, is that the device doesn't support Widevine L1, which means that basically all the USA based streaming services like NetFlix will only be 480p. As what's pitched as an entertainment device, they really should have taken the time for the certification. They didn't want a delay to force a holiday delivery miss, but as anyone who has ever worked in product can guess, they ran into other problems which pushed the deliveries until after the holidays anyway Android is still garbage on tablets. Even basic core parts of the OS like notifications are not optimized for the form factor. You need to expect essentially the exact same experience as your phone and be happy with that going into the purchase. Yes, a few 1st and 3rd party apps have built a better UX around it (e.g. Gmail, Nine), but for the most part it is laughable.
My biggest disappointment is indeed the battery life. It's horrendous. One of the reasons I bought it, besides my gadget addiction, is that they were working with XDA in some fashion, so hopefully it builds up a decent dev community and they can tackle the poor power management of the stock ROM.
"One very important thing to note because of that beautiful screen, is that the device doesn't support Widevine L1, which means that basically all the USA based streaming services like NetFlix will only be 480p. As what's pitched as an entertainment device, they really should have taken the time for the certification."
This should be in bold in every article written about this device. It's just absurd. The only selling point of the tablet is the screen and you can't watch HD video on it from the most popular streaming services. Do you know if this is something they can fix in software, or is it a hardware problem?
AFAIK this can't be done via an OTA update. The DRM goop can only be added through an "authenticated pc", so likely a machine where they are built that has some kind of dongle for the software to even run.
Some people don't stream HD contents, but sideload it, you know. Maybe more so in the european market, or elsewhere (read : not in the US). It must be mentionned, of course. But it's not an important point to some of us. Yet.
My tablet use is 100% for media consumption so I can't even consider using a tablet these days unless it has front-firing speakers. With the bezels that this tablet and most others come with. . .it shocks me that there are so few options out there with front-facing speakers.
Would love to hear about some suggestions that fit this requirement for me as I know I will be looking to replace mine in the near future.
Miss the general quality feeling of it (after the early software issues were fixed). Well - still have mine and it's actually a pretty good media player. Good for music and with the right media player (forgot the name), it even manages to play back 18 gig full hd video files (the mini HDMI port is a plus).
The downside is that due to its age it is very painful to use for anything else.
Still, those speakers are loud (too loud at the minimal volume setting at night, in my experience). Sound quality from the earphone jack is above average too.
An interesting quick look. Disappointed but not surprised by the low level of performance and optimization.
As the main attraction of this inexpensive but otherwise compromised OLED tablet is likely to be the OLED screen, it might be nice to run it through the standard display accuracy and gamut tests to show how the panel performs.
It might be worthwhile to pick up on sale to watch video content on (while plugged into a charger) if the display performs well -- but if the display doesn't properly handle sRGB or is otherwise poorly calibrated then this tablet really wouldn't be worth getting under any circumstance.
Notebookcheck's review pointed to accurate grayscale but inaccurate colors (particularly red and green), although they also said those inaccuracies did not impact multimedia or gaming very much.
The bigger issue is lack of Widevine L1 as Bob Todd mentioned above. 480P Netflix is not ideal for a tablet mainly intended for multimedia consumption. I do find the tablet looks quite vibrant and pleasing compared to other tablets in my house, but that lower resolution (particularly after closing an HD YouTube video) is a real bummer.
MTK processor means no Linux GPL v2 obligation nor Bootloader unlock. Means zero updates, zero development, zero ownership.
Worthless hardware. Shame, That S5e BS was not having a headphone jack while the S4 doesn't have 6GB RAM, although the S4 enjoys custom kernel and TWRP and better HW, since 835 is a better processor than 845 even and much much better than any SoC imho.
I’d love to have this screen in an affordable portable monitor with HDMI or DisplayPort input. Does anyone know if there are any similar options even remotely close in price?
The new Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e sounds like it's a competitor. Somewhat more expensive but after my not so fun experience with the Alldocube X, getting it locally with regular warranty and properly configured and working should be worth the difference. This is what I will look into once I get my money back for the barely working X
I have to ask, why? I really like Android for phones, but it's pretty terrible on tablets. You can overlook that for < ~$200 devices, especially for certain use cases (e.g. $50 Kindle Fire as a kid's tablet with a microsdxc card for local movies). But even the $400 for the Tab S5e seems absurd given the software situation. Not to mention lack of pen, headphone jack, and other shortcomings at that price point Chrome OS still sucks on tablets too. Maybe Google will finally get it right with Fuchsia, or maybe not. Apple straight up owns the mid-range to high-end tablet space. Amazon owns the low end (maybe the new B&N would be good here too). At $400 and above, iPads and Surfaces make more sense.
I got the 2018 iPad for the same price and it is a far better device with the A10 chip and huge battery. Can someone explain to me why would anyone buy a Android tablet in 2019?
I'm an android guy and even I'm thinking about the 2018 Apple Ipad for the living room. That device is just a bit weird and Apple thoroughly won the Tablet space.
Really horrendous battery life. This tablet will make more sense with a 1080p screen (for media) instead to optimize battery life. That will also drop the cost down significantly and allow for a bigger battery instead.
Seeing as I use my tablet almost exclusively as a media/surfing device on long trips (which I make frequently), I would find the 1.5-2 hour battery life completely inadequate. Six or seven hours of surfing/playback is the minimum I would consider. And a headphone jack.
You will get 5 or 6 hours of video playback from this tablet. It really depends on the use case. The headphone jack sound quality is also quite good (this is from someone using only 'audiophile' smartphones, I mean the ones with 3rd party DAC inside, as the LG V10 to V40 - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/best-smartphone-fo... Speakers are quite powerfull (for a tablet), but I prefer to use headphones or IEMs, anyway.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
33 Comments
Back to Article
dlum - Tuesday, February 19, 2019 - link
For some specialized needs this could as perfect match. Some time ago when I was looking for a device for reading/reviewing materials (text & graphical) on the go - a highest-possible quality screen was all I was looking for.Didn't care about CPU & speed, even battery time was largely irrelevant - as long as it's able to be alive some 1.5-2h - it would do the job for me.
Ended up with Samsung Tab, but given the choice - this idea of "perfect screen and barely adequate the rest" could be a nice fit, given the low price.
Although I understand that it's rather narrow niche use-case.
Irata - Thursday, February 21, 2019 - link
Just received mine in the mail yesterday - got it for a (in theory) very reasonable price via Gearbest.Build quality and the screen are very nice but there is a big downside:
Even though it was a European model (as per the serial number), it came with a Chinese Android version and no Google apps whatsoever. I guess it had some Chinese market place app but not speaking Chinese, this is just a guess. Browsing the web worked fine for many sites but there were others where the browser said it cannot find them (oddly enough one of them was the Alldocube website).
Fortunately you can download the right Android image from the Alldocube website (European Android with Google play store) which could also be written to the ROM.
But (again) - none of the Google apps worked. Was not possible to log in and it still had the weird "some sites cannot be found" issue, so am trying to get my money back. I really only wanted a reasonably priced tablet that works out of the box :(
Irata - Thursday, February 21, 2019 - link
Correction it was from Banggod not Gearbest.Bob Todd - Thursday, February 21, 2019 - link
The reviews of Banggod as a retailer are horrendous. Questionable Chinese tablet from an even more questionable site is way too optimistic.oliwek - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link
This is curious. I crowdfunded this tablet, recieved a european one (U1005E, where the last letter is for the european device), with Google Apps installed, and no chinese app whatsoever. Around 200 euros for a 64GB tablet (you have a slot for additional flash storage). 280 euros if you have to pay customs, as I did.BedfordTim - Friday, February 22, 2019 - link
Use FDroid to load the Yalp store. That will get you the rest of the Googlyness.Bob Todd - Tuesday, February 19, 2019 - link
I bought one of these from the Indiegogo campaign. Keeping in mind I only paid $219 total which ended up including a case and screen protector, I'd still say most people are better off spending more and getting a 128GB iPad on sale (just saw it for $329 at the big W) unless you have some very specific use cases for the device, need multi-user profiles, etc.One very important thing to note because of that beautiful screen, is that the device doesn't support Widevine L1, which means that basically all the USA based streaming services like NetFlix will only be 480p. As what's pitched as an entertainment device, they really should have taken the time for the certification. They didn't want a delay to force a holiday delivery miss, but as anyone who has ever worked in product can guess, they ran into other problems which pushed the deliveries until after the holidays anyway Android is still garbage on tablets. Even basic core parts of the OS like notifications are not optimized for the form factor. You need to expect essentially the exact same experience as your phone and be happy with that going into the purchase. Yes, a few 1st and 3rd party apps have built a better UX around it (e.g. Gmail, Nine), but for the most part it is laughable.
My biggest disappointment is indeed the battery life. It's horrendous. One of the reasons I bought it, besides my gadget addiction, is that they were working with XDA in some fashion, so hopefully it builds up a decent dev community and they can tackle the poor power management of the stock ROM.
cfenton - Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - link
"One very important thing to note because of that beautiful screen, is that the device doesn't support Widevine L1, which means that basically all the USA based streaming services like NetFlix will only be 480p. As what's pitched as an entertainment device, they really should have taken the time for the certification."This should be in bold in every article written about this device. It's just absurd. The only selling point of the tablet is the screen and you can't watch HD video on it from the most popular streaming services. Do you know if this is something they can fix in software, or is it a hardware problem?
Bob Todd - Thursday, February 21, 2019 - link
AFAIK this can't be done via an OTA update. The DRM goop can only be added through an "authenticated pc", so likely a machine where they are built that has some kind of dongle for the software to even run.Bob Todd - Thursday, February 21, 2019 - link
Forgot to add, this is why getting Widevine L1 on the OnePlus 5T required returning the device to OnePlus.oliwek - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link
Some people don't stream HD contents, but sideload it, you know. Maybe more so in the european market, or elsewhere (read : not in the US). It must be mentionned, of course. But it's not an important point to some of us. Yet.Endda - Tuesday, February 19, 2019 - link
My tablet use is 100% for media consumption so I can't even consider using a tablet these days unless it has front-firing speakers. With the bezels that this tablet and most others come with. . .it shocks me that there are so few options out there with front-facing speakers.Would love to hear about some suggestions that fit this requirement for me as I know I will be looking to replace mine in the near future.
jabber - Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - link
Ahhh My Blackberry Playbook...that tablet could really rock!Irata - Thursday, February 21, 2019 - link
Miss the general quality feeling of it (after the early software issues were fixed). Well - still have mine and it's actually a pretty good media player. Good for music and with the right media player (forgot the name), it even manages to play back 18 gig full hd video files (the mini HDMI port is a plus).The downside is that due to its age it is very painful to use for anything else.
oliwek - Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - link
Still, those speakers are loud (too loud at the minimal volume setting at night, in my experience). Sound quality from the earphone jack is above average too.MrCommunistGen - Tuesday, February 19, 2019 - link
An interesting quick look. Disappointed but not surprised by the low level of performance and optimization.As the main attraction of this inexpensive but otherwise compromised OLED tablet is likely to be the OLED screen, it might be nice to run it through the standard display accuracy and gamut tests to show how the panel performs.
It might be worthwhile to pick up on sale to watch video content on (while plugged into a charger) if the display performs well -- but if the display doesn't properly handle sRGB or is otherwise poorly calibrated then this tablet really wouldn't be worth getting under any circumstance.
Smudgeous - Tuesday, February 19, 2019 - link
Notebookcheck's review pointed to accurate grayscale but inaccurate colors (particularly red and green), although they also said those inaccuracies did not impact multimedia or gaming very much.The bigger issue is lack of Widevine L1 as Bob Todd mentioned above. 480P Netflix is not ideal for a tablet mainly intended for multimedia consumption. I do find the tablet looks quite vibrant and pleasing compared to other tablets in my house, but that lower resolution (particularly after closing an HD YouTube video) is a real bummer.
Quantumz0d - Tuesday, February 19, 2019 - link
MTK processor means no Linux GPL v2 obligation nor Bootloader unlock. Means zero updates, zero development, zero ownership.Worthless hardware. Shame, That S5e BS was not having a headphone jack while the S4 doesn't have 6GB RAM, although the S4 enjoys custom kernel and TWRP and better HW, since 835 is a better processor than 845 even and much much better than any SoC imho.
bubblyboo - Tuesday, February 19, 2019 - link
I have it with unlocked bootloader, TWRP installed, and Magisk + Xposed too. My main issue with the tablet is that it doesn't have a haptic motor.https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/device-re...
AdditionalPylons - Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - link
I’d love to have this screen in an affordable portable monitor with HDMI or DisplayPort input. Does anyone know if there are any similar options even remotely close in price?Irata - Thursday, February 21, 2019 - link
The new Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e sounds like it's a competitor. Somewhat more expensive but after my not so fun experience with the Alldocube X, getting it locally with regular warranty and properly configured and working should be worth the difference. This is what I will look into once I get my money back for the barely working XBob Todd - Thursday, February 21, 2019 - link
I have to ask, why? I really like Android for phones, but it's pretty terrible on tablets. You can overlook that for < ~$200 devices, especially for certain use cases (e.g. $50 Kindle Fire as a kid's tablet with a microsdxc card for local movies). But even the $400 for the Tab S5e seems absurd given the software situation. Not to mention lack of pen, headphone jack, and other shortcomings at that price point Chrome OS still sucks on tablets too. Maybe Google will finally get it right with Fuchsia, or maybe not. Apple straight up owns the mid-range to high-end tablet space. Amazon owns the low end (maybe the new B&N would be good here too). At $400 and above, iPads and Surfaces make more sense.isthisavailable - Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - link
I got the 2018 iPad for the same price and it is a far better device with the A10 chip and huge battery. Can someone explain to me why would anyone buy a Android tablet in 2019?cfenton - Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - link
Not this one, but if you really, really wanted an OLED screen one of the Samsung tablets might make sense.Death666Angel - Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - link
I'm an android guy and even I'm thinking about the 2018 Apple Ipad for the living room. That device is just a bit weird and Apple thoroughly won the Tablet space.BedfordTim - Thursday, February 21, 2019 - link
Price is the obvious answer.A ~$120 Kindle Fire 10 does all most people want for small fraction of the price of an iPad.
Bob Todd - Thursday, February 21, 2019 - link
Or the new B&N 10.1 tablet. Play Store out of the box with no monkeying around, and looks like it is Treble enabled.jabber - Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - link
I don't play games and Android tablets are usually terrible but this would do the job for me.IMDB/email/Amazon/You Tube stuff like that. Job done!
Koenig168 - Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - link
Really horrendous battery life. This tablet will make more sense with a 1080p screen (for media) instead to optimize battery life. That will also drop the cost down significantly and allow for a bigger battery instead.Haawser - Thursday, February 21, 2019 - link
Seeing as I use my tablet almost exclusively as a media/surfing device on long trips (which I make frequently), I would find the 1.5-2 hour battery life completely inadequate. Six or seven hours of surfing/playback is the minimum I would consider. And a headphone jack.Irata - Thursday, February 21, 2019 - link
It does have a headphone jack.oliwek - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link
You will get 5 or 6 hours of video playback from this tablet. It really depends on the use case. The headphone jack sound quality is also quite good (this is from someone using only 'audiophile' smartphones, I mean the ones with 3rd party DAC inside, as the LG V10 to V40 - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/best-smartphone-fo... Speakers are quite powerfull (for a tablet), but I prefer to use headphones or IEMs, anyway.shriram - Saturday, March 9, 2019 - link
thank you for articelthanks
http://www.techsdot.com/