iconBIT NetTAB ULTRA NT-0704M: Good configuration for little money in an unusual version

Almost a year ago I bought myself a tablet. Since then, I have repeatedly had the desire to update it. However, the insanely fast technological race strongly hampered the new thing - you could take it right now or wait a month or two and take a higher class device, but at the same price ... I decided to wait, and after a couple of months the story repeated again.

So it could be repeated forever, but the breaking point was the failure of the device. Oddly enough, he could not stand the test "and what will happen if you throw away the tablet from the 7th floor?", Which was conducted by one of my friends because of his indiscretion. As practice shows, the failure of the device often gives rise to a great incentive to update the device.
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Actually I started to pick up a 7 "tablet for myself up to 10K. Due to the presence of the established experience of communicating with the company's products, iconBIT, I did not lose sight of the new products from this company. After a short search, I came across a NetTAB Matrix Ultra NT-0704M model. And I quickly 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 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.

Specs

• Screen : 7 ”capacitive (1024x600 pix), IPS matrix, multi-touch
• Processor : Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A7 1 GHz
• Graphics processor : Eight-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 the 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, friends have 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 NetTAB Matrix. A 10 "tablet is very convenient if you find a free place on the road on the way. But otherwise - holding a large tablet for a long time is a dubious pleasure, especially if you are traveling at rush hour. For this reason I have a 10" tablet at home - with him it is convenient to fall apart on the sofa and read Habr, but on the way I prefer to use NetTAB Matrix Ultra NT-0704M.

Of course there are people who can argue that the tablet for the road must have a 3G module. However, I did not 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, which works great and can be distributed to the tablet via Wi-Fi.

And so, let's go

Appearance or how difficult it is to be original

In the market, everything is very similar to each other. There is a well-known “rounded rectangle” and an almost “oval tablet” . Everything else is somehow like them. There are, of course, exceptions like the Asus Padfone, but if you take the lower price segment - then there is a complete parody of famous brands. Therefore, after seeing 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 is enclosed in a built-in case. Of course, you can argue that such covers have long been on the iPad and there is nothing unique in this. But this is not so - not the case 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 is covered from the outside with an unusual coating, in terms of tactile sensations reminiscent of Soft-touch paint. And from the inside it is covered with suede. On the one hand, this texture helps to clean the screen - while the tablet is in the bag, the case goes a little way there judging by cleaning the screen, but on the other hand, the inside should be protected from dirt.



The cover can be used as a stand due to the built-in magnets and folding design.



You can also note the presence of unusual plugs for HDMI and micro-USB. This is the only moment that I don’t really like in the tablet - it’s not hard to lose the stub and you have to be careful.



Matrix Ultra NT-0704M is an improved version of the dual-core ancestor of the Matrix Ultra - it is clear that the manufacturers have tried their best and improved the design. And one can hope that the manufacturers will further improve the device case and in the new version of the “ultra” they will still apply some protection against the loss of this plug.



You can also pay attention to the back cover - it is made of textured plastic (with small grooves). As practice shows, such plastic is difficult to scratch. For example, one of my friends has a smartphone LG Prada 3.0 - his back cover is made of similar plastic - after almost a year of use, it looks like new.

Screen

Nice bright screen. I would even say a very bright screen. The room is more than half the maximum brightness, but on the street the brightness margin is very helpful.

Touch screen

It is very smooth with good response. It is quite possible to compare the quality of implementation with Nexus 4.

In truth, I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of such a wheelbarrow. Over the past year, I have a stereotype “budget model = mediocre touch”. I thought it was normal - glitches on the touch panel, for example, if you play 10 minutes in some kind of 3D shooter (in which control is implemented using a virtual 360 ° degree joystick, i.e., a finger without moving it around the screen), then condensed liquid droplets can lead to false clicks and the inability to continue the game until the touch panel is wiped. Moreover, to prevent the appearance of such droplets is very difficult - all tablets, without exception, are heated in games, and heating creates a favorable environment for the formation of condensate. But as the experience of companies such as Apple, Samsung, LG shows, one can cope with the problem using special coatings. I don’t know what kind of coverage was used in the Matrix Ultra NT-0704M, but I didn’t notice the typical problems of budget models in this tablet - there were no management problems in games.

OS

On board is Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. A small number of google applications are pre-installed in the system - Google+, Google Books, etc.
A detailed description of the system will be superfluous - already a lot of things have been written about the standard android shell - it is used in this tablet.



Speaking of the 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 a LG Nexus 4 with 4.2 and I managed to change my point of view There are not many devices on 4.2 and the manufacturers have not yet managed to optimize the software - so, to my surprise, the LG Nexus 4 is hampered by the popular Asphalt 7, which normally runs on low-cost dual-core models, and therefore I am quite pleased with the OS version on the Matrix Ultra NT-0704M tablet - Android 4.1 - this is the best option so far.

Performance, benchmarks, games

Mobile technologies are developing very rapidly, the race for cores and PPI is in full swing.



But what is the use of this end user?

For example, the race for resolutions still has a good reason - people are increasingly imbued with clear text and general detailing (Linus with his statements regarding the Chromebook Pixel is a clear confirmation of this)

But the race for the cores in the tablets should soon stop. After all, not every average user picking up two completely identical external 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 cores of the Mali-400 will be noticed by almost any person who is not alien to 3D games on tablets.

All the same, there is no professional software for Android to create content that would require impressive CPU power, but the gaming industry is rapidly developing, which requires good graphics performance, and therefore a powerful GPU.

That's why I like the hardware in Matrix Ultra NT-0704M: a powerful GPU (8 streaming - 2 threads per core), quad-core CPU, 2GB RAM. This configuration allows you to squeeze everything out of the GPU.

And the following test results somehow prove what was said above:




In Antutu, the tablet performed well - and the GPU was significantly superior to the CPU.



At first I wondered why the tablet scored 38.6 fps, and not 60 (with the same GPU), but then I found the answer to that - see below (built-in frame rate limit to 40fps)




In Epic Citadel, the tablet showed itself from the best side - the capabilities of the graphics processor are comparable to the level of Tegra 3

While doing the tests I came to the conclusion that the system has a built-in limitation on the frame rate - it is cut to 40fps. It is easy to notice if you compare the results of the Nenamark 2 and Epic Citadel tests, 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”, then the results practically do not change.

However, tests are tests, but live results are more interesting:




The first screen is Dead Trigger with the graphic value set to “LOW”, on the second screen it is set to HIGH.



Real Racing went great, sometimes the frame rate sags to 23-25fps, but the average value is at an acceptable level - 27fps



Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour with all the effects comes with 18-20 fps - but for a smoother game, you can take a “simpler” cache.



Max Payne goes flawlessly.



Need for Speed ​​Ђ ‹Ђ‹ Ђ ‹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 off the frame rate to 40fps. I hope craftsmen will prompt how to remove this restriction.

But I still have to give it to the iconBIT company - I don’t know how they implemented fps clipping, but they did it in such a way that during the gameplay it isn’t felt much. Besides, I have something to compare with - for example, in Google Nexus 4 on the off-firmware there is also a kind of restriction - when the chipset is heated more than a few degrees - the forced lowering of the processor frequency is turned on. In practice, this gives a lot of freezes and lags ... for example, Asphalt 7 shamelessly lays on the Nexus 4 for this reason.

Multimedia

The capabilities of the built-in hardware decoder are very good. Twists many formats, Full HD reproduces without straining, and even turns 4K.

Here are the test results for codecs and containers:




They are just great - the tablet "twists" everything.

And now about 4K video:

Launched several test files. When trying to play a file:

MPEG-4/High@L5.1/4096x2304/19.5 Mbps / AVC

The tablet did not have enough power to play the video without jerking. For the tablet itself, this is not a plus or a minus - after all, the screen is noticeably smaller than 4K, except for HDMI output - but for now such TVs just go on sale and stand like an airplane.

But I see several perspectives:
1) a small lack of power for 4K playback can be compensated by optimizing the software
2) iconBIT makes an Android console, I myself own one of them - for sure, sooner or later, the company will make an Android console on the Allwinner A31 and thereby open the era of inexpensive hardware supporting 4K video

Autonomous work

I conducted the test like this: I set 480p for video playback, the screen brightness is maximum, the sound is at maximum, the waffle is turned off:



Total 3 hours 32 minutes. The result is not a masterpiece - but it is a price for high performance in a compact package.

The test for autonomous work time in reading mode at medium brightness gave a noticeably better result - 6 hours.

In general, autonomous work suits me - with active use on the road - enough for a day.

At last

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 try on FPS in games - for this I had to get root rights. At first it was rushed to the Internet how to get root on this chipset, and then decided to check its presence on the tablet just in case. As it turned out, he was already:



This confirms the possibility to enable access to the system partition with r / w rights in ES Explorer.



And also 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 “Smart Cover” style - a unique thing for tablets from the lower price category
✓ Bright screen
✓ Great touch
✓ Excellent multimedia capabilities.
✓ Price
✗ You can lose the plug from the connectors
✗ The average battery life (although with all the advantages and low price is not so much a minus, but a feature of the work of the quad-core compact tablet)

Total:

I did not regret buying at all - I got exactly what I wanted: a powerful and compact tablet with a powerful iron and a twist - with a built-in case. I liked the multimedia and gaming capabilities of the tablet. Most of the games tablet at the maximum, but sometimes you need to slip the cache "is easier." Pleased with the presence of root out of the box. The only thing that upset me is that you can 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
Page in Yandex Market

UPD: the average price for April 9, according to the market-Yandex 7409 rubles