Review iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G: budget tablet version 2014
Back in 2011, by the standards of the mobile industry, I got my first tablet, at first deciding not to spend much money and buy an acceptable second-hand version for $ 150. As far as I remember, at that time it was unreal to get an inexpensive “decent” tablet. For example, the limit of my dreams in the face of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 GT-P1000 cost at the start fabulous about 20,000 rubles (~ $ 571), not the most affordable option for a student. So I had to dig in the firmware, trying to improve performance, look for versions of games for ARMv6 - in one word there was enough romance. These memories came across a tested iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G. The model costs 3,990 rubles (~ $ 114) - a kind of "pill for a hundred." She once again confirms how increased the capabilities of entry-level tablets in a short time.
If only because even if adjusted for the bitrate, but such a state employee will cope with Full HD video, and depending on the settings, it will not be capricious with almost any 3D games. Plus, the trend of the most affordable tablets in 2014 is the indispensable presence of speech dynamics, so that the “tablet” is capable of replacing a smartphone without reservation. You could even say that this is “a look into the future” - more than sure that some LG G7 or Samsung Galaxy S8 will get a diagonal of at least 7 inches.
')
The positioning of iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G is more than prosaic, it is a typical inexpensive tablet with a dual-core processor and support for 3G / GSM. I treat such models with caution - are there any "pitfalls" that will be discovered during operation. Therefore, to some extent, I am glad to have the opportunity to personally test devices of the iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G level - it will be responsibly advised to friends if necessary. Unless, of course, the model will be decent. Let me remind you that last week I already talked about another inexpensive, but remarkable support for GLONASS tablet - iconBIT NetTAB SKY 3G QUAD .
The tablet comes in a fairly high box, the style is more than recognizable, with devices from other brands can not be confused. I even wonder how long colored pencils will last with iconBIT wallpaper, and what will replace them - maybe markers or watercolor? For some reason, they were ashamed to indicate the model of the chipset in the characteristics indicated on the box, but they clarified the GPU.
The box contains the network charging unit, warranty and instructions, as well as microUSB and OTG cables.
The latter, of course, is necessary for connecting all sorts of peripherals and external drives. For decency, I immediately tried my flash drives (alas, only up to 8 GB) and a keyboard with a mouse - “normal flight”, everything was determined and it worked as it should.
The first acquaintance with the "next" budget tablet usually does not cause me any emotions. In this regard, iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G was remembered by its weight - it seems to be a childish 288 grams, but in its hand the case seems quite lightweight. Plus, the model immediately fits well into the palm, which is due to the ergonomic roundness of the case.
The main material of the case is plastic, whose coating most resembles soft touch. Marcos is average, but it is not easy to derive all sorts of traces of use, which is a very characteristic feature of soft-touch plastic. However, given the more or less standard for a 7-inch tablet dimensions, the search for an inexpensive cover to protect against dirt should not cause difficulties.
The front part of the tablet contains only the speaker grille and the camera - this is at first glance. When studying the settings, we see in the "Brightness" section the item "Autotune". Accordingly, somewhere in the upper part of the front side a light sensor was definitely lurking.
The keys at this time chose to spread at different ends. The volume rocker is set to the left, which in my opinion is not a very frequent solution in 7-inch tablets. But left-handers will definitely be happy.
The power button is located on top, so you can’t easily reach it when using iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G in portrait orientation, but in the landscape button it immediately goes under your thumb. So, I didn’t reveal any discomfort or the need for a long habituation to such an alignment. Perhaps it was worth a little more to raise the buttons above the case, even though I never missed or did not look for elements for too long "blindly."
On top there is also a 3.5 mm audio output, a microUSB port and the mentioned power button.
Under the cover are the slots for microSD memory card and SIM-card.
On the back of the tablet draws attention to the "underlined" multimedia speaker. They singled it out for nothing - the sound is loud, at the maximum the speaker does not “choke”, it’s not difficult to hear the film’s voice acting on the street.
In inexpensive tablets, it is not necessary to rely on highly advanced photographic abilities, therefore, in accordance with my expectations, iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G did not disappoint. Typical 0.3 and 2 megapixel modules without autofocus and flash provide photo and video entry-level. The front camera is enough for video chat on Skype, the rear camera is for shooting an ad on a stand or on a pole. I note that the megapixel megapixel is different, in the iconBIT NetTAB SKY 3G QUAD I recently tested, with the same 2 megapixel images, the images were surprisingly clear, even the small print was read. In iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G there were no surprises, but at least they avoided the typical “sores” of very cheap cameras. There is no incomprehensible creepy distortion of the geometry of objects, the exposure, including in the photo with contrasting lighting, does not “dance”.
Taking into account the “ceiling” of the shooting quality, it makes little sense to analyze the camera program in detail. But still, I’ll mark it as a plus, this is a typical MediaTek authorship tool, with a quick access panel and a handy settings menu with three tabs. I still do not lose hope that we will eventually be allowed to customize the order and set of elements on the panel mentioned.
7-inch display has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, the matrix - TFT-TN. The display is covered with glass, the sensitivity is normal, supported up to five simultaneous touches inclusive.
Viewing angles for such a matrix are not the worst. If you look at the tablet in portrait orientation, the angles on the right and left side are maximum, a couple of people can read the text or watch the video without any compromises. Vertically - rigid inversion from above, from below - overexposure. Moreover, in the first case, it becomes impossible to watch the color image normally, but as before, the text on a white background is read without difficulty.
I would like to note the following positive moment. I have repeatedly met 7-inch models, in which with the same resolution and the availability of a software Android-panel with buttons, the picture seemed more grainy. And even worse - it was clearly elongated, depending on the orientation - horizontally or vertically. I do not know what this effect is connected with, it is clearly absent in iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G.
The color rendition is calm, there is no lack of contrast and saturation. The stock of brightness is not the highest, in the sun even at maximum brightness without a shadow it is quite difficult to fully interact with the tablet.
The “heart” of the device is a dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor with a frequency of 1.2 GHz. Of course, I didn’t limit myself to this information and looked at the chipset model, after seeing the completely non-despicable MediaTek MT8312. Moreover, the same AnTuTu claims that the maximum operating frequency of the processor is even higher than the indicated one - 1.3 GHz, so iconBIT was even modest. I did not find the exact date of the release of the chipset, but judging by the news about the release of tablets with its participation, this is a very popular and relevant decision, including among Russian brands. Nearly six dozen tablets with MediaTek MT8312 are represented on Yandex.Market, although it is almost the majority with the mark “Coming soon”. In general, while many are just gathering, iconBIT is already counting revenues - iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G went on sale in the last days of March.
As for the "graphics", not just Mali-400MP, but Mali-400MP2 is installed. But there is little RAM, only 512 MB. Recently, I already reviewed iconBIT NetTAB SKY 3G QUAD with the same amount of RAM and came to the conclusion that this limitation did not greatly affect the overall performance of the tablet. Subjectively, with iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G, things are even better - yet MediaTek can correctly optimize hardware and software. In the "state of rest" free 170-250 MB. Let's say I managed to switch between tasks without any problems. For example, if you play SG: DeadZone, go to the desktop and launch a “long” website like yaplakal.com, the page was scrolled almost without jerks during the upload process, and other pages were also transferred without delay. I noticed a slight decrease in the speed of the tablet, but an inexperienced user probably wouldn't feel the difference. That is, if a person doesn’t say the amount of “RAM”, he is unlikely to guess - 512 MB or 1 GB, and the possible “microlags” will most likely be written off to “only” a dual-core processor.
I will give the results of benchmarks, although in this case it is clear that these are not particularly useful numbers, and the performance of the budget tablet should first of all be evaluated in practical tasks.
Let's start the practice with gaming readiness iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G. Asphalt 8 destroyed my prepared speech that you can play, but it is better not to climb above the average settings. In fact, I had more than a good time in races with a maximum level of graphics. The main slowdowns occur in the first 10-15 seconds of arrival, after which they are not at all systematic. Nevertheless, the decline to "medium" significantly increased the FPS.
After Asphalt 8, in Shadowgun: DeadZone, it was decided to immediately start from the maximum and wipe at “ULTRA HIGH”. The game was unstable, it took off under 30 FPS, then dropped to 5-10 frames. But on the "ULTRA" has become much more fun, the lags have disappeared, the frequency did not fall below 20 frames.
Riptide GP2 by default was very skeptical of the capabilities of iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G, so the title had to “manually” persuade to give the tablet a chance to show in all its glory. It turned out more convincingly than with Asphalt 8. The idealists still have to reduce one or two settings, but on the whole it came out very good, the logs were rarely met.
For a change, I launched Frontline Commando v2.0. The guys from GLU are not idle, in this title comrades worked hard on detailed textures, which was supposed to give a decent load on the tablet. This is in theory. But in practice, as in other games, iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G failed the frame rate quite rarely.
With the IXBT video, the tablet coped “slightly below average”, considering the price category of the model - normally. I note that the unplayed files do not start up and on many much more expensive tablets and smartphones - I really don’t know what’s special in them. With a real selection of HD and Full HD clips, everything turned out more interesting. I tried 1080p files with a bitrate of 5.3 Mbps and lower, 720p - up to 3 Mbps. And he could not identify any problems. With all the files the tablet handled in RockPlayer 2 in hardware mode, the sound never disappeared.
In general, the difference between the budget tablet by the standards of 2010-2012 and 2014 was huge. If in the past there was a noticeable difference between the "pills" of the initial and advanced levels, now the chasm is rapidly narrowing. In the sense that even a budget solution such as iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G by and large does not put any hard limits. It used to be clear - you lay out the "weave", be prepared for the fact that a priori even 720p video is unlikely to watch, and with games you will be happy only with the most simple 3D titles like TurboFly 3D. Now the emphasis in the difference affects the least performance (real, not "beautiful" characteristics) and shifted to the screen, the materials of the case, the camera, etc.
The 2,600 mAh battery is a modest choice dictated by the need to provide a low price device. The autonomy is appropriate, I was able to watch the video with the maximum screen brightness and sound volume up to 4 hours, similar to Wi-Fi surfing for a long time, 3G - up to 2 hours. If you plan to actively use iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G during the day or plan to completely replace your smartphone with this model, you cannot do without an external battery. However, in this case, the total spending will be very moderate.
Android 4.2.2 is installed in the tablet. Despite the presence of the MediaTek chipset, the system is far from being supplemented with all the standard “by version” programs of this chip maker. In the presence of a file manager, a Bluetooth connection is highlighted in a separate tool, I already mentioned the camera application. Not enough backup tools. In this case, non-standard wallpaper iconBIT did not “bother”, the set is expanded with only one image, a corporate picture with colored pencils.
The model supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n and 3G / HSPA / HSPA +. The quality of communication and speech dynamics are in tune with iconBIT NetTAB SKY 3G QUAD and are at the level of a cheap phone at the price of approximately $ 60. Thus, if desired, the tablet replaces the smartphone without any special compromises. If you feel free to “tablet ear”, iconBIT NetTAB SKY 3G QUAD you like, especially if you remember its price tag.
A GPS receiver with a “cold” start is looking for satellites for 2-5 minutes, but at least it avoids “dancing with a tambourine”, which is often necessary to do in models with budget MediaTek chipsets.
I note that for WCDMA, the frequencies 900 and 2 100 MHz are supported, whereas in state employees, manufacturers sometimes save and install cheaper, trimmed modules with the latest version alone.
The iconBIT turned out to be a decent entry-level tablet by the standards of 2014. In the asset - normal performance, full-featured phone replacement and support for 3G / GPS. Thus, a good “starter” set is observed for someone who first acquires a tablet or knows his needs and does not want to overpay for extra cores and other points. Of course, the paramount advantage of iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G is the favorable price-performance ratio. For 3,990 rubles (~ $ 114) we get a universal “hard worker” who can handle calls, navigation, games and video. In the minuses - the camera and the screen, but at that price you can’t expect anything else. But the battery capacity could be made more impressive, with active use, the model will discharge in 4-5 hours. On a ten-point scale, I would put the model eight, this is a good representative of modern budget tablets.
If only because even if adjusted for the bitrate, but such a state employee will cope with Full HD video, and depending on the settings, it will not be capricious with almost any 3D games. Plus, the trend of the most affordable tablets in 2014 is the indispensable presence of speech dynamics, so that the “tablet” is capable of replacing a smartphone without reservation. You could even say that this is “a look into the future” - more than sure that some LG G7 or Samsung Galaxy S8 will get a diagonal of at least 7 inches.
')
The positioning of iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G is more than prosaic, it is a typical inexpensive tablet with a dual-core processor and support for 3G / GSM. I treat such models with caution - are there any "pitfalls" that will be discovered during operation. Therefore, to some extent, I am glad to have the opportunity to personally test devices of the iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G level - it will be responsibly advised to friends if necessary. Unless, of course, the model will be decent. Let me remind you that last week I already talked about another inexpensive, but remarkable support for GLONASS tablet - iconBIT NetTAB SKY 3G QUAD .
Equipment
The tablet comes in a fairly high box, the style is more than recognizable, with devices from other brands can not be confused. I even wonder how long colored pencils will last with iconBIT wallpaper, and what will replace them - maybe markers or watercolor? For some reason, they were ashamed to indicate the model of the chipset in the characteristics indicated on the box, but they clarified the GPU.
The box contains the network charging unit, warranty and instructions, as well as microUSB and OTG cables.
The latter, of course, is necessary for connecting all sorts of peripherals and external drives. For decency, I immediately tried my flash drives (alas, only up to 8 GB) and a keyboard with a mouse - “normal flight”, everything was determined and it worked as it should.
Design and controls
The first acquaintance with the "next" budget tablet usually does not cause me any emotions. In this regard, iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G was remembered by its weight - it seems to be a childish 288 grams, but in its hand the case seems quite lightweight. Plus, the model immediately fits well into the palm, which is due to the ergonomic roundness of the case.
The main material of the case is plastic, whose coating most resembles soft touch. Marcos is average, but it is not easy to derive all sorts of traces of use, which is a very characteristic feature of soft-touch plastic. However, given the more or less standard for a 7-inch tablet dimensions, the search for an inexpensive cover to protect against dirt should not cause difficulties.
The front part of the tablet contains only the speaker grille and the camera - this is at first glance. When studying the settings, we see in the "Brightness" section the item "Autotune". Accordingly, somewhere in the upper part of the front side a light sensor was definitely lurking.
The keys at this time chose to spread at different ends. The volume rocker is set to the left, which in my opinion is not a very frequent solution in 7-inch tablets. But left-handers will definitely be happy.
The power button is located on top, so you can’t easily reach it when using iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G in portrait orientation, but in the landscape button it immediately goes under your thumb. So, I didn’t reveal any discomfort or the need for a long habituation to such an alignment. Perhaps it was worth a little more to raise the buttons above the case, even though I never missed or did not look for elements for too long "blindly."
On top there is also a 3.5 mm audio output, a microUSB port and the mentioned power button.
Under the cover are the slots for microSD memory card and SIM-card.
On the back of the tablet draws attention to the "underlined" multimedia speaker. They singled it out for nothing - the sound is loud, at the maximum the speaker does not “choke”, it’s not difficult to hear the film’s voice acting on the street.
Camera
In inexpensive tablets, it is not necessary to rely on highly advanced photographic abilities, therefore, in accordance with my expectations, iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G did not disappoint. Typical 0.3 and 2 megapixel modules without autofocus and flash provide photo and video entry-level. The front camera is enough for video chat on Skype, the rear camera is for shooting an ad on a stand or on a pole. I note that the megapixel megapixel is different, in the iconBIT NetTAB SKY 3G QUAD I recently tested, with the same 2 megapixel images, the images were surprisingly clear, even the small print was read. In iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G there were no surprises, but at least they avoided the typical “sores” of very cheap cameras. There is no incomprehensible creepy distortion of the geometry of objects, the exposure, including in the photo with contrasting lighting, does not “dance”.
Taking into account the “ceiling” of the shooting quality, it makes little sense to analyze the camera program in detail. But still, I’ll mark it as a plus, this is a typical MediaTek authorship tool, with a quick access panel and a handy settings menu with three tabs. I still do not lose hope that we will eventually be allowed to customize the order and set of elements on the panel mentioned.
Screen
7-inch display has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, the matrix - TFT-TN. The display is covered with glass, the sensitivity is normal, supported up to five simultaneous touches inclusive.
Viewing angles for such a matrix are not the worst. If you look at the tablet in portrait orientation, the angles on the right and left side are maximum, a couple of people can read the text or watch the video without any compromises. Vertically - rigid inversion from above, from below - overexposure. Moreover, in the first case, it becomes impossible to watch the color image normally, but as before, the text on a white background is read without difficulty.
I would like to note the following positive moment. I have repeatedly met 7-inch models, in which with the same resolution and the availability of a software Android-panel with buttons, the picture seemed more grainy. And even worse - it was clearly elongated, depending on the orientation - horizontally or vertically. I do not know what this effect is connected with, it is clearly absent in iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G.
The color rendition is calm, there is no lack of contrast and saturation. The stock of brightness is not the highest, in the sun even at maximum brightness without a shadow it is quite difficult to fully interact with the tablet.
Performance
The “heart” of the device is a dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor with a frequency of 1.2 GHz. Of course, I didn’t limit myself to this information and looked at the chipset model, after seeing the completely non-despicable MediaTek MT8312. Moreover, the same AnTuTu claims that the maximum operating frequency of the processor is even higher than the indicated one - 1.3 GHz, so iconBIT was even modest. I did not find the exact date of the release of the chipset, but judging by the news about the release of tablets with its participation, this is a very popular and relevant decision, including among Russian brands. Nearly six dozen tablets with MediaTek MT8312 are represented on Yandex.Market, although it is almost the majority with the mark “Coming soon”. In general, while many are just gathering, iconBIT is already counting revenues - iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G went on sale in the last days of March.
As for the "graphics", not just Mali-400MP, but Mali-400MP2 is installed. But there is little RAM, only 512 MB. Recently, I already reviewed iconBIT NetTAB SKY 3G QUAD with the same amount of RAM and came to the conclusion that this limitation did not greatly affect the overall performance of the tablet. Subjectively, with iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G, things are even better - yet MediaTek can correctly optimize hardware and software. In the "state of rest" free 170-250 MB. Let's say I managed to switch between tasks without any problems. For example, if you play SG: DeadZone, go to the desktop and launch a “long” website like yaplakal.com, the page was scrolled almost without jerks during the upload process, and other pages were also transferred without delay. I noticed a slight decrease in the speed of the tablet, but an inexperienced user probably wouldn't feel the difference. That is, if a person doesn’t say the amount of “RAM”, he is unlikely to guess - 512 MB or 1 GB, and the possible “microlags” will most likely be written off to “only” a dual-core processor.
I will give the results of benchmarks, although in this case it is clear that these are not particularly useful numbers, and the performance of the budget tablet should first of all be evaluated in practical tasks.
Let's start the practice with gaming readiness iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G. Asphalt 8 destroyed my prepared speech that you can play, but it is better not to climb above the average settings. In fact, I had more than a good time in races with a maximum level of graphics. The main slowdowns occur in the first 10-15 seconds of arrival, after which they are not at all systematic. Nevertheless, the decline to "medium" significantly increased the FPS.
After Asphalt 8, in Shadowgun: DeadZone, it was decided to immediately start from the maximum and wipe at “ULTRA HIGH”. The game was unstable, it took off under 30 FPS, then dropped to 5-10 frames. But on the "ULTRA" has become much more fun, the lags have disappeared, the frequency did not fall below 20 frames.
Riptide GP2 by default was very skeptical of the capabilities of iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G, so the title had to “manually” persuade to give the tablet a chance to show in all its glory. It turned out more convincingly than with Asphalt 8. The idealists still have to reduce one or two settings, but on the whole it came out very good, the logs were rarely met.
For a change, I launched Frontline Commando v2.0. The guys from GLU are not idle, in this title comrades worked hard on detailed textures, which was supposed to give a decent load on the tablet. This is in theory. But in practice, as in other games, iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G failed the frame rate quite rarely.
With the IXBT video, the tablet coped “slightly below average”, considering the price category of the model - normally. I note that the unplayed files do not start up and on many much more expensive tablets and smartphones - I really don’t know what’s special in them. With a real selection of HD and Full HD clips, everything turned out more interesting. I tried 1080p files with a bitrate of 5.3 Mbps and lower, 720p - up to 3 Mbps. And he could not identify any problems. With all the files the tablet handled in RockPlayer 2 in hardware mode, the sound never disappeared.
In general, the difference between the budget tablet by the standards of 2010-2012 and 2014 was huge. If in the past there was a noticeable difference between the "pills" of the initial and advanced levels, now the chasm is rapidly narrowing. In the sense that even a budget solution such as iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G by and large does not put any hard limits. It used to be clear - you lay out the "weave", be prepared for the fact that a priori even 720p video is unlikely to watch, and with games you will be happy only with the most simple 3D titles like TurboFly 3D. Now the emphasis in the difference affects the least performance (real, not "beautiful" characteristics) and shifted to the screen, the materials of the case, the camera, etc.
The 2,600 mAh battery is a modest choice dictated by the need to provide a low price device. The autonomy is appropriate, I was able to watch the video with the maximum screen brightness and sound volume up to 4 hours, similar to Wi-Fi surfing for a long time, 3G - up to 2 hours. If you plan to actively use iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G during the day or plan to completely replace your smartphone with this model, you cannot do without an external battery. However, in this case, the total spending will be very moderate.
System and Wireless
Android 4.2.2 is installed in the tablet. Despite the presence of the MediaTek chipset, the system is far from being supplemented with all the standard “by version” programs of this chip maker. In the presence of a file manager, a Bluetooth connection is highlighted in a separate tool, I already mentioned the camera application. Not enough backup tools. In this case, non-standard wallpaper iconBIT did not “bother”, the set is expanded with only one image, a corporate picture with colored pencils.
The model supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n and 3G / HSPA / HSPA +. The quality of communication and speech dynamics are in tune with iconBIT NetTAB SKY 3G QUAD and are at the level of a cheap phone at the price of approximately $ 60. Thus, if desired, the tablet replaces the smartphone without any special compromises. If you feel free to “tablet ear”, iconBIT NetTAB SKY 3G QUAD you like, especially if you remember its price tag.
A GPS receiver with a “cold” start is looking for satellites for 2-5 minutes, but at least it avoids “dancing with a tambourine”, which is often necessary to do in models with budget MediaTek chipsets.
I note that for WCDMA, the frequencies 900 and 2 100 MHz are supported, whereas in state employees, manufacturers sometimes save and install cheaper, trimmed modules with the latest version alone.
Conclusion
The iconBIT turned out to be a decent entry-level tablet by the standards of 2014. In the asset - normal performance, full-featured phone replacement and support for 3G / GPS. Thus, a good “starter” set is observed for someone who first acquires a tablet or knows his needs and does not want to overpay for extra cores and other points. Of course, the paramount advantage of iconBIT NetTAB SKY HD 3G is the favorable price-performance ratio. For 3,990 rubles (~ $ 114) we get a universal “hard worker” who can handle calls, navigation, games and video. In the minuses - the camera and the screen, but at that price you can’t expect anything else. But the battery capacity could be made more impressive, with active use, the model will discharge in 4-5 hours. On a ten-point scale, I would put the model eight, this is a good representative of modern budget tablets.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/226933/
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