Just ordered a new non-SO tablet :)

[Piers]

Although the Extreme is an OK bit of kit, I thought I would try another tablet.

Specs:



CPU: A9 Dual Core 1.5Ghz
GPU: MALI-400 Quad Core 300Mhz
Chipset: RK3066
Ram: 1GB
Flash: 32GB
Screen: 10-point 1280x800 10.1"
Camera: Shitty
Battery: 7200mAh (around 8-9 hours)

Price: £154 inc 3'ish day delivery from China.
Will keep the post updated once I get the tablet

[Trashcooky]

All cameras on tablets are and will remain crap anyway, and I don't expect even the Nexus 7 camera will be any different.
Tablets and phones can't ever support a decent lense, so their pictures will always be crap.

I understand that the android tablet specs quoted on some sites which originate from Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, are not always what the customer receives when he checks his tablet. I saw one recently advertising with the quaint description of having a many-core CPU

I have also heard some stories of folk ordering directly from China at one price and then being charged whopping shipping tax charges when it arrives. Apparently if you order the item as a gift, you avoid these charges provided the exporter ticks the right boxes on his export audit.

Be interested in seeing your write-up Piers when you get your device from China.

[Piers]

Just thought I would add this. The Nexus 7 uses the Tegra 3. Roman from TNT has been kind enough to compare the two (RK3066 and Tegra 3) on Quadrant. This is the result from the RK3066 and the Transformer Prime, which actually uses a more powerful version of the Tegra 3 chip compared to the one included with the Nexus.

RK3066: Dual Core CPU up to 1.6Ghz / Quad Core Mali-400 at 333Mhz?
Tegra III: Quad Core CPU up to 1.4Ghz / 12-Core ULP GeForce at ???Mhz

Overall Score
RK3066 = 4288
Tegra III = 4085


CPU (T3 has 2 extra cores to work with mind you and isn't even near double)
RK3066 = 7825
Tegra III = 11192


3D
RK3066 = 2306
Tegra III = 2458


2D
RK3066 = 327
Tegra III = 320


I/O
RK3066 = 6570
Tegra III = 3588


Mem
RK3066 = 4413
Tegra III = 2860

[Johnny]

I have used a similar RK3066 chipset tablet and although its faster than the Extreme, its nowhere near as smooth as the Nexus 7. Could be Jellybean thats making all the difference though, or just better optimised drivers etc maybe.

[MrLazy]

I did the same. I looked at as many reviews I could find this time. I went for the YuanDao N90 Dual Core because reviews said it was fast and well built. Ebuyer have the Yarvik version for pre order for a tenner more. I wouldn't get one from China, what if it goes wrong, also I bought a tube amp just over a year ago and got hit with import fees and VAT afterwards. I wouldn't do it again.

I know build quality is a risk with all these tablets. My Extreme had bad fitting sockets and so many reports of crap build inside made me think any minute it might fail. Add to that mine being so juddery I was glad to get rid of it.

I intend to stay on here to see what Storage Options come up with and their reliability.

[Piers]

It arrived by UPS. Already opened it up - wow, make the Extreme look like a shed! Very nicely built.

So far I have tried most games including Mass Effect, Dead Space etc - no lag and lovely smooth graphics. The import duty was £12. Came with case and accessories and the best part is that it's got 32GB of memory built in as well as the 32GB SD card I am using.

[MrLazy]

Bloody hell Piers that's a great price. Was the £12 all you had to pay? Has there been any Royal Mail fee for customs?

Just noticed mines not being sent till Aug 6th.

[Piers]

That was the total cost, they put the value down as $100 and said it was a gift. Not bad. Delivery was quick - ordered on Sunday night and arrived 1 week later on the Monday. That was with UPS.

[MrLazy]

After contacting the company the date is an estimate so I cancelled. Will reorder one when I see one at a good price or may even wait for the 32Gb versions to be widely available. Still not sure if I want to risk a Chinese import direct. Maybe I shouldn't have sold mine so quick.