It's been a long time since the release of the iPad 3, and its screen is still considered one of the best among tablets. Of course, Chinese manufacturers and B-brands could not ignore a high resolution Retina display in the iPad 3/4 and began to produce similar solutions, but with a much lower price tag.
Equipment
- Tablet
- Pouch-pocket
- Charger
- USB-OTG cable
- PC cable
- Wired stereo headset
The tablet comes in a simple cardboard box, on which the inscription "Ecopack" flaunts, meaning the packaging is made from recycled materials. By the way, this is not the first tablet from Explay in Ecopack packaging.
The case deserves special mention: the tablet is hidden in it entirely, which prevents its contamination and the possibility of damage.
Appearance, materials, controls, assembly
Externally, Explay sQuad 9.71 is very reminiscent of the iPad 3: aluminum back, rounded edges, even the buttons look similar. The entire front side is occupied by a 9.7 '' screen, above which is the front camera eye. The back of the device is made entirely of aluminum, with the exception of the plastic insert on top.
All the connectors are located on the top end: a slot for microSD cards, connector for your own charger, microUSB, “Reset” hole, 3.5 mm headphone jack, built-in microphone hole and power button.
“On the right is the volume rocker and the power button of the device,” I wanted to write. However, this is not the case, the rocker is the paired "Menu" and "Back" buttons, and the separate button is the "Home". Why it was necessary to use such a strange placement of buttons is not clear. Moreover, the volume control was moved to the on-screen buttons!
A place for the speaker was found at the bottom of the back. It has an average power, there is no volume reserve.
There are no complaints about the assembly of the tablet, it is tightly knocked down, there are no backlashes and squeaks.
Dimensions
Explay dimensions sQuad 9.71 are standard for this kind of devices. See for yourself.
- Apple iPad 4 – 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4 mm, 652 grams
- Ainol Novo 9 Spark– 241 x 185.6 x 10.6 mm, 642 grams
- Samsung Google Nexus 10 – 263.9 x 177.6 x 8.9 mm, 603 grams
- Asus Google Nexus 7– 198.5 x 120 x 10.5 mm, 340 grams
- Explay sQuad 9.71- 241 x 185.4 x 9.7 mm, weight 676 grams
The tablet is comfortable to hold with two hands, but it is uncomfortable to read or watch a video for a long time, holding it on weight.
Screen
The tablet has a 9.7'' display with a resolution of 2048x1536 pixels. Matrix type - TFT-IPS. Supports "multi-touch" up to ten simultaneous touches. Screen covered protective glass without an oleophobic coating, because of this, when using gestures, the finger seems to be stuck, and fingerprints are hard to erase.
The display causes twofold impressions: on the one hand, high definition pleases the eye, especially when reading, and on the other hand, the number of programs optimized for this resolution is incredibly small. But what to say about programs, even if some icons on the desktop do not look clear enough.
There are no complaints about the viewing angles, they are almost maximum.
The brightness of the device is at an average level, for example, when working indoors, it is comfortable to use 90-100% brightness. In public transport, it is already a little lacking. And in the sun the screen is almost completely blind.
Operating system
The tablet is built on Android based 4.1.1 without any add-ons from the company. Detailed overview this version of the OS you can read at the link below.
Of the interesting, it is worth noting the adaptation of the launcher under high resolution- usually the icons look very small, here (apparently) scaling was used.
Also in the status bar appeared on-screen buttons for adjusting the volume and taking a screenshot.
By the way, the tablet has already been rooted, so you can easily restore your backup from a previous device using Titanium Backup.
Performance
The tablet has a quad-core Alwinner A31 processor operating at a frequency of 1.4 GHz (although Antutu for some reason showed an operating frequency of 1 GHz), a video accelerator - PowerVR SGX 544MP, volume random access memory- 2 GB, internal storage capacity - 16 GB (11 GB available to the user), memory cards up to 32 GB are supported.
And it would seem that with such characteristics, all functions in the tablet should work perfectly quickly, but, unfortunately, this is not the case. For example, desktops scroll through with delays, the same applies to the application menu (third-party launchers like Nova Launcher do not solve the problem), sometimes the tablet may just “think” for a couple of seconds.
As for games, the top N.O.V.A 3 and NFS are: Most Wanted go on the tablet with minimal delays that do not interfere with the game process. By the way, the device has a very sensitive accelerometer.
I would rate the work of the browser as a "four". In most cases, there are no complaints about it, but sometimes there are also delays when paging.
I don’t know what this tablet’s work is connected with, either with the lack of optimization for such a resolution, or with something else, but it just so happens that it sometimes “stumbles” even on simple actions like scrolling through desktops.
Offline work
The tablet has a non-removable lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 9000 mAh. These are standard numbers for devices of this class.
In reading mode, the tablet lasted 7 hours (brightness 10%, airplane mode on).
In HD video playback mode, the device lasted for about five hours.
Standby mode with Wi-Fi on drained the tablet in about 20 days.
Camera
The device has two cameras: a 1.9 MP front camera and a 5 MP main camera. You can’t tell much about the main camera, it has autofocus, but the pictures are still very mediocre. The video is written in a maximum resolution of 1280x720 pixels.
Front-camera supports Skype video calls, image quality is on par with other Android tablets.
Interfaces
Wi-Fi (b / g / n) - initially, when connected to the network, the tablet had a very low speed. It turned out that this happens when using certain types of encryption (WPA2, for example). When changing the encryption, the problem disappeared. As for the reception range, it is very small, it happened that the tablet showed three or four divisions out of five, even if it was in the same room as the router.
Conclusion
The cost of the device varies from 8,600 to 10,000 rubles, depending on the store. For this money you get a tablet with good screen(there is only one complaint about the quality of the screen - insufficient maximum brightness), a pleasant aluminum case and a large bundle. Disadvantages: incomprehensible slowdowns in the menu and launcher and possible problems with wifi.
Segment tablet computers is divided not only depending on the operating system used, but also along the diagonal of the display. Previously published tests within the Laboratory site affected mainly compact 7- and 8-inch models. But if in this segment one can argue about the advisability of choosing tablets or phablets (a hybrid of a smartphone and a tablet), then, to everyone’s joy, phones with a diagonal of 9-10 inches are not expected in the lines of leading manufacturers, therefore traditional diagonal ones remain no less relevant. . We are testing a new product from Explay, the Explay sQuad 9.72 3G model.
The modern tablet market is still divided between platforms Apple iOS and Google Android, the latter, by the way, judging by the latest reports of analysts, has taken a leading position. Wherein Windows platform is only going to make attempts to gain a foothold, no matter how much a significant share. The first euphoria from Apple is expected to pass, its negative impact is not only the high cost of these products outside the US and Europe, but also the general sluggish policy.
However, one cannot fail to recognize the success of technologically successful solutions in the Apple iPad, no matter how they treat it, one of the main qualities is the diagonal and the display itself. Not surprisingly, manufacturers are taking this experience into account, bringing Retina displays to the market, but at the same time with a more attractive price tag. Explay sQuad 9.72 3G is no exception, it incorporates all the best, including high performance and, of course, a more flexible Google Android platform. Looking ahead, you can shake hands with engineers, time is not forgotten battery life. But is everything as good as it seems, let's see further.
Explay sQuad 9.72 3G Availability
At the time of testing Explay sQuad 9.72 3G, its average cost, according to Yandex.Market, is 10,990 rubles. The cost is very attractive for such a set of characteristics. For comparison, competitors offer: Point of View Pro Tab 3 XXL 8Gb 3G (9,490 rubles), Oysters T3 3G (11,790 rubles), Prestigio MultiPad PMP7100D3G (10,329 rubles), PiPO M2 3G (8,531 rubles), TeXet TM-9743W (10,450 rubles) and PocketBook A10 3G (10,352 rubles).
Moreover, judging by Yandex.Market data, this is the only model with Retina resolution on a 9.7 diagonal with a 3G module on board. And the battery capacity of 10,000 mAh paired with 3G is found only in the Fujitsu STYLISTIC M702 32G (32,398 rubles).
Equipment Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
Explay sQuad 9.72 3G is supplied in a simple package, "Ecopack". For the first time, we met with such a design during the test of the Explay DVR-015 video recorder.
It comes with a charger, USB-micro USB, USB-OTG cable, headset, warranty book.
The presence of a protective case deserves special attention, it allows you to place the tablet completely, protecting it during transportation and from possible damage.
Appearance Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
The first thing that catches your eye when examining the Explay sQuad 9.72 3G is the quality of the materials used. Despite the budget price tag, the back cover here is aluminum, like representatives of a higher price category.
I cannot fail to note some similarities with the Apple iPad 3, this is reflected in the aluminum cover, smoothed corners, and a dark insert next to the camera.
Almost the entire front part is occupied by a 9.7-inch display with dark edges. Of the elements here, only the eye of the camera for video communication.
All connectors and buttons are displayed on the bottom edge. These are a micro SD card slot, a SIM card slot, micro USB, a standard audio jack and HDMI. I am glad that there is no special connector for charging; traditional micro USB is used for this. Although some users may find a minus in this due to the impossibility of simultaneous charging and connection external devices using an OTG cable.
On the same face there are two buttons - power and home, as well as a speaker grille. These items come with a chrome finish.
It is worth mentioning that there are no volume rockers here. You can control the volume with touch buttons on the work screen. Seems like a perfectly rational approach to me. touch control takes up little space, and when working it is more convenient to press the screen, rather than looking for keys on the case.
There are no complaints about the assembly of the tablet, everything is done soundly, there is no feeling of budget. Explay sQuad 9.72 3G measures 242x187x10mm and weighs 635g.
Display Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
The matrix used is one of the highlights of this model, a high-quality display with a diagonal of 9.7 inches is used. The resolution here is Retina, 2048 x 1536 pixels.
It uses TFT-IPS with support for up to 10 simultaneous clicks. The screen is protected by glass, but there is no protection against grease, fingerprints will be visible on the screen. I recommend sticking an additional film, it will be easier to erase fingerprints.
The only point is that such a high resolution is not yet so common on Google Android, and software developers are in no hurry to update their programs, taking into account optimization for Retina. But you can enjoy media content in full.
Naturally, the use of IPS solves the problem with viewing angles, here they are excellent, it is difficult to find fault with something with all the desire. There are no problems with color reproduction, there are no obvious distortions or problems with colors. It feels like it would be possible to add brightness at maximum settings, in the sun there are problems with parsing the picture, this disease is not individual, but widespread.
Inside Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
The Allwinner BoxChip A31 processor is used, with four cores and an operating frequency of 1.4 GHz. It is complemented by a PowerVR SGX 544MP graphics accelerator, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage.
The memory can be expanded using micro SD cards up to 32 GB, only 11 GB of internal memory is available to the user, the rest is used for the needs of the system.
Iron is adequately selected, this is reflected in the overall performance, which we will evaluate in more detail later.
Communication Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
The Explay sQuad 9.72 3G tablet supports traditional Wi-Fi 802.11n. There are no problems with finding a signal or losing connection. Naturally, there is also Bluetooth.A plus is the built-in 3G module, access to the Network can be obtained without depending on access points. There were no failures in the operation of this module, however, it will not work to use the tablet as a smartphone, there is no module for SMS messages and calls, it works only for Internet access.
Camera Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
Explay sQuad 9.72 3G did not bypass salient feature tablets, including models with a price tag of 50,000 rubles - this is the quality of photo and video shooting. The user has two cameras 5 MP and 1.9 MP. This is enough for video communication, but taking a gorgeous picture on a business trip or vacation will work only with a good combination of circumstances and good lighting.
Pictures are average in quality, video is recorded in HD resolution.
I wonder if manufacturers will pay attention to this in the future, logically, installing an adequate matrix and optics in a tablet is easier than in a smartphone. They don’t want to do this, but personally, people who take photos, and even more so video shooting at presentations and exhibitions, always make me smile.
Operating system Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
Operated device operating Google system Android 4.1.1. I am pleased with the minimally installed software and the absence of branded shells. Everything you need, you can install yourself, without cluttering up the memory. Apparently, the adaptation affected only the display of icons, here they are not small, as in the previously seen retina.
Pleasantly surprised by the presence full access, Root rights, but I can't say that this is a feature of my version, or such a joy is available to all customers of Explay sQuad 9.72 3G. This greatly expands the functionality of settings and software, makes it possible, if necessary, to touch more hidden sections and settings, such as, for example, Backup data.
Battery Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
With all the attention to the quality of the case and the screen, the manufacturer did not forget to pay attention to one more issue, which is often forgotten. This is confirmed by a limited number of models with a battery capacity of 10,000 mAh and above. All these chips and functionality, of course, are good and interesting, but the tablet is not a computer, it is supposed offline use, which often results in a constant search for an outlet.
In Antutu Tester, the Explay sQuad 9.72 3G tablet scores 750 points. This charge is enough for about 10.5 hours of reading, watching 3 movies (6 hours). In other modes and in comparison with competitors:
Antutu Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
Traditionally, we start evaluating performance with synthetic benchmarks. In Antutu Benchmark, the tablet scores 10,564 points.
An excellent result for a budget solution, it occupies an average position in the overall table of the Laboratory. High resolution makes its load and print, eating away the power of the processor and graphics.
Vellamo Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
Good results were also obtained when evaluating the performance of iron and HTML 5 processing. There are also no problems with rendering content.
Games and entertainment with Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
The tablet has an interesting feature - all functions work perfectly, but sometimes a number of simple actions can go with a temporary wait (1-3 seconds). I assume that this is due to the Google Android shell itself, in the future these lags, I want to believe, will be fixed. They don't actually meet that often.
At the same time, the launch of voracious games runs smoothly, there are no problems with NFS: Most Wanted, Real Racing and GTA 3. Everything is smooth and without freezes, while even Retina does not put this tablet on the shoulder blades. It's worth getting used to the accelerometer, which is here with a higher level of sensitivity compared to previously tested devices.
When viewing documents and web pages, there are no delays. Listing and scrolling is smooth with no lags.
Video review of Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
Results for Explay sQuad 9.72 3G
Explay sQuad 9.72 3G clearly succeeded and became a successful representative of the company's line. During testing and use of problems and failures were noted. The tablet has its pros and cons: Pros - design, aluminum cover, equipment, OTG connector, HDMI, 3G, capacious battery, pure android, Retina, IPS-matrix, excellent viewing angles and color reproduction.
Cons - a weak camera, lack of GPS, occasional slowdowns when working with the menu.
The result is a well-deserved reward "Gold..
What did not like
The firmware crashes twice.
What did not like
SCREEN, SPEED, BUILD QUALITY
What did you like
What did not like
Frankly weak processor for such an insane resolution on a 10" screen
games are terribly slow.
What did you like
More or less build quality
What did not like
This tablet is all one huge drawback. Starting with the brakes in the menu, in the browser. Many write that there are single copies that work perfectly - do not believe this is nonsense! Perhaps one in ten thousand and comes across normal - but I'm more inclined to believe that this is a tablet created by Chinese marketers, and successfully sold by our sales representatives in the Russian Federation - under the explay brand. When typing the address of the text in the browser - crazy freezes ... In a word powerful stuffing, but the feeling that 1 core and 512MB of RAM is working. Crazy brakes in games ... Actually, summing up, I can say the following - most likely the whole thing is in the solid state drive, since the percentage is powerful, the operative memory is already 2 gigabytes, but the read / write speed is very low - hence the brakes, lags, freezes! The main and only advantage I repeat is the screen.
What did you like
The only advantage is the screen, and then there is not enough brightness. Understated by the manufacturer to save energy.
What did not like
What did you like
high resolution, bright screen, 2 real GB of RAM, case included, otg cable, 2.5 amp charger, the camera is actually 5 megapixel, many different ports
What did not like
slows down and lags with such a filling very much. How so? The answer is China. Sometimes you wait so long for responses to any actions that you can smoke until it is born. After a day of use, when loading, it began to give an error message in the application Google Play. Accordingly, nothing can be downloaded from there. Defective speaker and sound, insufficient display brightness. It discharges quickly (4 hours WiFi on the Market), takes a long time to charge (more than 5.5 hours).
What did you like
Super powerful filling. Root out of the box. Minimum unnecessary garbage preset. In winter, it will be good to warm your hands.
What did not like
sometimes slow WI-FI, but it is treated!!!
What did you like
screen, 4-core processor, 16 GB of memory, 2 GB of DDR3 RAM, metal case - thin, light!!! Almost any accessories will fit (a case, a film is easy to buy).
What did not like
Of course, the battery is larger, the charging connector
What did you like
screen, resolution, 4th poison. processor, OP 2 GB
What did not like
Heavy, the box says weight 676 grams (although the site here is 610 g)
Weak speaker, and one.
There is no bluetooth, when examining the tablet, I did not pay attention to it, a trifle of course, but they could insert a bluetooth.
The camera is 2 mp in total, bad - where to go, even instagram does not support - could not be downloaded from the marketplay
What did you like
Excellent screen, I took this tablet for the sake of the screen - so everything is fine with this. The case is aluminum, pleasant - in general, it looks terribly like an iPad.
What did not like
All the rest
What did you like
What did not like
lack of Bluetooth and GPS modules
What did you like
Performance (higher than SGS2), screen (beautiful)
What did not like
Slows down, you can't see anything in the sun
We have noted more than once that after the release of the iPad mini, the tablet camp on operating system from Google began to replenish gadgets with 7.85-inch screens. Moreover, these are not isolated cases, but downright a craze for manufacturers: not so long ago we studied new tablets from iconBIT and > Acer with the same displays. The latter, however, unlike our guest today, outwardly does not look much like a gadget from Apple.
Explay sQuad 7.82 3G - front panel
As already mentioned, the appearance of Explay sQuad 7.82 3G evokes warm memories of the "apple" tablet, and so strong that the majority of users will probably confuse a domestic device with an overseas one. However, advanced enthusiasts will surely pay attention to a slightly wider frame around the display and speaker at the top of the front panel, which does not have iPad mini.
Explay sQuad 7.82 3G full face
There are no buttons on the front panel of the tablet. The power and volume keys are located on the right side panel. For some reason, a hardware home button is placed next to them, which, as it should be for the fourth Android, is duplicated on the screen.
Explay sQuad 7.82 3G - rear panel and sides
Nearby fit slots for SIM- and MicroSD-cards. Unlike how it is done in many inexpensive tablets, here they are removed under a common plastic plug, which gives the case a strict look. Interface micro-USB 2.0 and 3.5 mm audio jack are located on the top of the device.
Explay sQuad 7.82 3G - rear panel
The body of the tablet is made of metal. Theoretically, this should contribute to a more persistent transfer of heavy blows of fate. However, when squeezing the sides of the tablet or when pressing the display lightly, colored streaks form on the screen, and the front panel bends a little - obviously, the design lacks stiffening ribs, so you should handle the device carefully.
Explay sQuad 7.82 3G - package bundle
The standard delivery set of the gadget is very rich - by the standards of this price category, of course. In the box, along with the device itself, we found the following accessories:
- Soft case;
- USB cable ↔ microUSB;
- 2 A charger with USB connector;
- In-ear headphones with call answer button;
- Quick start guide and warranty card.
Such an extensive package allows you to get the device out of the box and immediately use it to the fullest. Novice users do not have to buy anything separately - a definite plus.
Explay sQuad 7.82 3G AnTuTu MultiTouch Test results
The main "chip" of the tablet, of course, is a 7.85-inch display with a resolution of 1024x768 pixels. The pixel density of 163dpi is enough to display fonts smoothly at arm's length, but if you bring the device up to your eyes, the dotted grain will be clearly visible. The information on the screen is not distorted, regardless of the angle at which you look at it - the merit of a good IPS-matrix. The touch layer supports up to five simultaneous touches and almost always detects exactly where the user clicked. However, if you try to use sQuad 7.82 3G with a connected charger, the tablet will spontaneously press virtual keys and completely wrong to recognize touches and gestures. An unfortunate feature.
Explay sQuad 7.82 3G - tablet screen color gamut (black triangle) compared to sRGB color space (white triangle)
The display has a very decent margin of brightness - the maximum luminosity of the white field reaches 375 cd/m 2 . Thanks to this, users have a chance to see what is happening on the screen even under the scorching sun, despite the absence of an anti-glare layer. The luminosity of the black field is not too high (in this case, less is better) - about 0.5 cd / m 2. The resulting contrast ratio is about 750:1 - pretty decent. The color gamut of the screen is noticeably narrower than the sRGB space, but we did not see any critical deviations when watching movies and photos. In general, this is the same display as in the iPad mini - that is, very good.
Explay sQuad 7.82 3G - external speaker
The external speaker of the tablet is placed on the rear panel. During operation, it does not overlap by hand, which is good. However, even if you put the tablet on the table, the volume of the speaker is enough to be heard. The external loudspeaker produces more or less detailed sounds, does not “beep” at high frequencies and does not wheeze at low ones. More is not required of him.
| Explay sQuad 7.82 3G | |
|---|---|
| Display | 7.85 inches, 1024x768 (163 ppi), IPS |
| Touch screen | Capacitive, up to five points, without the possibility of working with gloves |
| Air gap | There is |
| Oleophobic coating | Missing |
| Polarizing filter | Missing |
| CPU | MediaTek MT8389: Four ARM Cortex-A7 (ARMv7) compute cores, 1.2 GHz. Process technology 28 nm |
| Graphics controller | PowerVR SGX544, 300 MHz |
| RAM | 1024 MB |
| Flash memory | 16 GB + MicroSD |
| Ports | 1 x Micro USB 2.0 1 x Micro SD 1 x SIM 1 x 3.5mm audio jack |
| cellular | 2G, EDGE, 3G HSPA+, Full size SIM card |
| IR port | Missing |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 |
| WiFi | 802.11b/g/n |
| GPS | There is |
| NFC | Missing |
| Sensors | Accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass) |
| Main camera | 2 MP (1600x1200), no autofocus, no flash |
| Front-camera | 0.3 MP (640x480), no autofocus |
| Food | Non-removable battery, capacity 14.8 Wh (4000 mAh, 3.7 V) |
| The size | 195x133x8mm |
| Weight | 335 g |
| Operating system | Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean Standard shell with minimal changes |
| Manufacturer's official warranty | 12 months |
| Official retail price | 7 990 rubles |