iconBIT NetTAB ULTRA NT-0704M: Good configuration for little money in an unusual design
Almost a year ago, I bought a tablet. From that moment on, more than once I had a desire to update it. However, the insanely fast technological race greatly slowed down the new thing - you could take it right now or wait a month or two and take the device a class higher, but at the same price ... I decided to wait, and a couple of months later the story repeated again.
This could be repeated forever, but the breakdown of the device was a turning point. Oddly enough, he did not pass the test “what will happen if you throw away the tablet from the 7th floor?”, Which was carried out by one of my acquaintances because of his indiscretion. As practice shows, a device breakdown often gives rise to a great incentive to update the device.
Actually, I began to pick up a 7 "tablet up to 10K. Due to the experience of communicating with iconBIT products, I did not lose sight of the latest products from this company either. After a short search, I came across a model NetTAB Matrix Ultra NT-0704M. And pretty quickly I came to the conclusion that there are simply no analogues on the market - I could find tablets at the same price with similar hardware, but nowhere else did I see the built-in screen protection “ala iPad.” This unique feature + personal trust in the company left no doubt that NT-0704M will be my next a tablet.
Specifications
• Screen : 7 ”capacitive (1024x600 pix), IPS matrix, multi-touch
• Processor : Quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 1 GHz
• GPU : Octa-core graphics system SGX544MP2
• OS : Android 4.1
• RAM : 2 GB DDR3
• Memory : Built-in 16 GB, microSD card (up to 32 GB)
• Internet : Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n
• Video output : HDMI 1.4 to 1920x1080p
• Camera : 2.0 MP (front)
• Features : Built-in case
• Power : Charging from a network
• Battery : 3500 mAh Li-polymer
• Dimensions : 193 x 123 x 11 mm
Form factor
I want to say a few words about why I decided to take exactly 7 ". Since the purchase of iconBIT NetTAB Matrix, my friends managed to give me a 10" tablet. At first I skated only with him, but over time I began to conclude that it was more convenient to ride with the NetTAB Matrix. A 10 "tablet is very convenient if it was possible to find an empty seat in the transport on the road. But otherwise, holding a large tablet for a long time is a dubious pleasure, especially if you are traveling at rush hour. Actually for this reason I have a 10" tablet at home - with him it will conveniently fall apart on the couch and read a habr, but on the road I prefer to use the NetTAB Matrix Ultra NT-0704M.
Of course there are people who can object that the tablet for the road should have a 3G module. However, I didn’t want to overpay twice: for the cost of this module in the tablet and for the cost of the unlimited tariff - because I already have internet in my phone that works fine and can be distributed to the tablet via Wi-Fi.
And so, let's go
Appearance or how difficult it is to be original
Everything on the market is very similar to each other. There is a well-known “rounded rectangle” and an almost “oval tablet” . Everything else is somehow similar to them. Of course, there are exceptions such as Asus Padfone, but if you take the lower price segment, then there is all a solid parody of famous brands. Therefore, when I saw the Matrix Ultra NT-0704M, I was very surprised - all the same, there are exceptions in the lower price segment.
As you may have guessed - almost all the dissimilarity lies in the built-in case. Of course, one can argue that the iPad has long had such cases and there is nothing unique about it. But this is not so - not the cover itself is unique, but its permanent state (it is built into the case) - this is rarely seen, especially in the budget segment.
Actually, the cover itself from the outside is covered with an unusual coating, which tactilely resembles Soft-touch paint. And on the inside covered with suede. On the one hand, this texture helps to clean the screen - while the tablet is in the bag, the cover goes a little judging by cleaning the screen, but on the other hand, the inside should be protected from dirt.
The case can be used as a stand due to built-in magnets and a folding design.
You can also note the presence of an unusual stub for HDMI and micro-USB. This is the only moment that I don’t really like on the tablet - the plug is not difficult to lose and you need to be careful.
Matrix Ultra NT-0704M is an improved version of the dual-core ancestor Matrix Ultra - it can be seen that manufacturers have worked hard and improved the design. And we can hope that manufacturers will continue to improve the device’s case and in the new version of the “ultra” they will still somehow use protection against the loss of this stub.
You can also pay attention to the back cover - it is made of textured plastic (with small grooves). As practice shows, such a plastic is difficult to scratch. For example, one of my friends has a smartphone LG Prada 3.0 - it has a back cover made of similar plastic - after almost a year of use it looks like brand new.
Screen
Nice bright screen. I would even say a very bright screen. Half the maximum brightness is more than enough in a room, but on the street, the brightness margin is very useful.
Touch screen
It is very smooth with a good response. It can be compared in quality of implementation with the Nexus 4.
In truth, I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of such a wheelbarrow. Over the past year, I have developed the stereotype of "budget model = mediocre touch." I considered it normal — glitches of the touch panel, for example, if you play some 3D shooter for about 10 minutes (in which the control is implemented using a virtual 360 ° -agent joystick, that is, your finger sweeps across the screen without a break), then condensed liquid droplets can lead to false clicks and inability to continue the game until the touch panel is wiped. Moreover, it is very difficult to prevent the appearance of such droplets - tablets, without exception, are heated in games, and heating creates a favorable environment for the formation of condensate. But as experience of such companies as Apple, Samsung, LG shows, the problem can be dealt with using special coatings.
OS
On board is Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The system is preloaded with a small number of google applications - Google+, Google Books, etc.
A detailed description of the system will be unnecessary - a lot has already been written about the standard android shell - it is used in this tablet.
Speaking of OS version. Earlier, when I used a 10 "tablet with 4.1 on board (which is now at home), I often thought that 4.1 was no longer a cake, I wanted 4.2 ... now I have LG Nexus 4 with 4.2 and I managed to change my point of view There are not many devices on 4.2, and manufacturers have not yet had time to optimize the software - so, to my surprise, the popular Asphalt 7, which normally runs on budget dual-core models, slows down on the LG Nexus 4, which is why I’m quite happy with the OS version on the Matrix Ultra NT-0704M tablet - Android 4.1 is by far the most optimal option.
Performance, benchmarks, games
Mobile technology is developing very rapidly, the race for the cores and PPI is in full swing.
But what is the use of this to the end user?
For example, the race for permissions so far has quite a reason - people are more and more imbued with clear text and general detailing (Linus with his statements regarding the Chromebook Pixel is a vivid confirmation of this)
But the race for cores in tablets should soon stop. Indeed, not every average user picking up two completely identical externally tablets (but one will be dual-core and the other quad-core) will find a fundamental difference between them. But the difference between two and four Mali-400 cores will be noticed by almost anyone who is not alien to 3D games on tablets.
All the same, there is still no professional software for Android for creating content that would require impressive CPU power, but the game industry is developing very rapidly, which requires good graphics performance, and therefore a powerful GPU.
That is why I like what kind of hardware is in the Matrix Ultra NT-0704M: a powerful GPU (8 stream - 2 threads per core), quad-core CPU, 2GB RAM. This configuration allows you to squeeze everything out of the GPU.
And the test results presented below somehow prove the above:
In Antutu, the tablet performed well - and the GPU is significantly superior to the CPU.
At first I wondered why the tablet scored 38.6 fps, and not 60 (with such a GPU), but then I found an answer to that - about it below (built-in frame rate limit to 40fps)
In Epic Citadel, the tablet showed its best side - the graphics capabilities CPUs are comparable to the level of Tegra 3
While I was doing tests, I came to the conclusion that the system has a built-in limit on the frame rate - it is cut to 40fps. This is easy to notice if you compare the test results of Nenamark 2 and Epic Citadel, which are very different in texture complexity, but the tablet test on these benchmarks gave the same result. Also, if I switched to Epic Citadel from “High Performance” to “High Quality”, the results practically do not change.
However, tests are tests, but live results are more interesting:
The first screen is Dead Trigger with the graphics set to “LOW”, the second screen - with “HIGH” values,
Real Racing went fine, sometimes the frame rate drops to 23-25fps, but the average value is at an acceptable level - 27fps
Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour in the presence of all effects comes from 18-20 fps - but for a smoother game you can take the cache "easier".
Max Payne is going flawlessly.
Need for Speed ™ Most Wanted is also excellent at maximum settings.
GTA VC also showed a good side on this tablet.
The results of live tests confirm my assumption about cutting the frame rate to 40fps. I hope craftsmen will tell you how to remove this restriction.
But I still have to give the given iconBIT to the company - I don’t know how they implemented fps trimming, but they did it in such a way that during the game process this is not very felt. In addition, I have something to compare with - for example, in Google Nexus 4 there is also a peculiar limitation on off-firmware - when the chipset is heated higher than by a few degrees - the forced lowering of the processor frequency is enabled. In practice, this gives a lot of friezes and lags ... for example, Asphalt 7 godlessly lays on Nexus 4 for this reason.
Multimedia
The capabilities of the built-in hardware decoder are very good. It spins many formats, Full HD reproduces without straining, and even rotates 4K.
Here are the results of the test for codecs and containers:
They are just excellent - the tablet “twists” everything in a row
And now about 4K video: I
ran several test files. When trying to play a file:
MPEG-4/High@L5.1/4096x2304/19.5 Mbps / AVC The
tablet lacked a bit of power to play video without jerking. For the tablet itself, this is neither a plus nor a minus - because its screen is noticeably smaller than 4K, except for HDMI output - but so far such TVs only go on sale and cost as much as an airplane.
But I see several perspectives:
1) a small lack of power for reproducing 4K can be compensated for by optimizing the software
2) iconBIT makes Android consoles, I myself am the owner of one of them - sooner or later the company will make an Android set-top box on Allwinner A31 and thus open the era of inexpensive equipment supporting 4K video
Offline work
I ran the test like this: set the video to play 480p, the screen brightness is maximum, the sound is at maximum, the waffle is off:
Total 3 hours 32 minutes. The result is not a masterpiece - but it is a payment for high performance in a compact package.
The test for battery life in read mode at medium brightness gave a significantly better result - 6 hours.
In general, battery life suits me - with active use on the road - enough for a day.
In the end
During the operation of the device, I was very surprised when I discovered the presence of root rights “out of the box”.
I wanted to measure FPS in games - for this it was necessary to get root rights. First, it rushed to the Internet how to get root on this chipset, and then decided to check, just in case, its presence on the tablet. As it turned out, he already was:
this confirms the ability to enable access to the system partition with r / w rights in ES Explorer.
As well as the results of such a program.
And it turned out that the tablet can be charged via USB, although there was no such information in the official specs.
Advantages and disadvantages
✓ Quad-core processor
✓ Powerful GPU
✓ 2GB RAM
✓ Built-in folding cover in the style of “Smart Cover” - a unique thing for tablets from the lower price category
✓ Bright screen
✓ Excellent touch
✓ Excellent multimedia features
✓ Price
✗ You can lose the plug from the connectors
✗ Average battery life work (although with all the advantages and low price - this is not so much a minus, but a feature of the quad-core compact tablet)
Total:
I did not regret the purchase at all - I got exactly what I wanted: a powerful and compact tablet with powerful iron and a twist - with an integrated case. I liked the multimedia and gaming capabilities of the tablet. Most games draw on the tablet at maximum, but sometimes you need to slip the cache “in a simpler way”. Pleased with the presence of root out of the box. The only thing that upset me was that you could lose the plug for the connectors, but with a lot of advantages and a very nice price, you can close your eyes to this.
Related links:
Official product
page Market-Yandex page
UPD: average price for April 9th according to the market Yandex 7409 rub