It took like a bite of bread - Alldocube iPlay 50 Mini tablet test
The tablet manufacturers seem to have forgotten about us, the users, in the great competition and scramble. They bid against each other in everything, especially size, so nowadays the once popular small tablets have almost disappeared. All manufacturers push for those over 10 inches, many have already ventured over 12 inches, which is a completely insane size, we can carry a notebook with us with that much power.
Alldocube is one of my favorite manufacturers these days. He keeps throwing out new machines, and the best part is that these machines are really good! Okay, you don't have to compare it with an iPad that costs hundreds of thousands, because then they bleed, but they don't cost that much either. Not even halfway.
So Alldocube is good, so I wasn't too surprised when they finally came out with a "small" tablet, the iPlay 50 Mini.
It was not by chance that I put the little one in my cat's claw, because the little one lives only in comparison to the machines currently on the market. In the past, there were also tablets with 6-7 inch displays, but these would not make much sense now, because our phones are also the same size. In the past, 8 inches was the huge size.
And now the 10+ col rules, which, let's face it, comes in handy in some cases. However, 10 inches is no longer small for size, but also for weight. For example, it doesn't even fit in many women's bags, but men don't carry briefcases like they used to either, so it can be a problem for them to carry such a large machine in many cases.
The 8 inch, on the other hand, is still friendly. It is larger than the phones so that it makes sense to use it, but it is smaller than the 10-inch one so that it can be comfortably used and viewed even when held in one hand. Smaller size also means smaller weight. Battery technology has already developed so much that a reasonable amount of capacity can be packed into such a large device housing.
However, we have expectations regarding the strength of the hardware, the relatively small device case cannot be an excuse here.
Of course, Alldocube's machines are and are more powerful, but the iPlay 50 series can be considered more powerful. The plain iPlay 50 is equipped with the Tiger 618 chip (there is already an updated version of it that supports Videwine L1), and there is the iPlay 50 Pro, which uses the Helio G99. The latter is already considered a powerhouse among cheaper Chinese tablets.
So the name iPlay 50 is binding, and the manufacturer didn't mince words, since the Mini also has a very powerful central unit, the UNISOC Tiger 606 with an integrated Mali-G57 MP1 graphics accelerator. The processor is of course octa-core, there is navigation that supports several satellite systems inside the case, there is mobile internet support with 4G and of course B20 band. We also get two-channel Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0, so everything is here, just like in the farewell!
What might seem a bit low is the 4 GB of system memory and 64 GB of storage, but they offer some wisdom. The system memory can be expanded with 8 GB of virtual memory. This is more than anything, but if something is really affected by marketing, because you can write on the box that it is 4+8 GB. Since we get this from the backend, its speed is questionable. So let's leave it at that.
The machine has mobile internet, so there is also a SIM tray, in which we can insert either 2 SIMs or one SIM and a memory card. The latter can mean 512 GB of extra storage space, and although it will also be slower than the built-in 64 GB, since it is a backup storage, it doesn't hurt that much. All in all, more than 600 GB of storage space will be enough for almost everything. I think so.
There are two more things to mention about the hardware. One is the display, which can be said to be average with a brightness of 300 nits and a resolution of 1920 x 1200. Most 10-inch machines also know this, but here, due to the smaller image diagonal, the PPI value is higher, i.e. the lines are less jagged, and the image resolution seems higher. We get good colors, the contrast is also good, and the viewing angle is IPS, which means it is close to perfect. I have no problem with that.
The other is the battery. The capacity is only 4000 mAh, which is small compared to the usual 10 mAh for 6000-inch devices. However, let's not forget that the display is also much smaller, and it is this component that eats the most energy. So, 4000 seems to be quite an acceptable value for an 8-inch machine.
During the test, I pressed quite a lot, I also started a movie, in total it took a little less than 9 hours to completely discharge. Obviously, you can save money, lower the brightness, for example, and if you just watch a movie, it also consumes less energy, so according to my estimation, 10 hours can be achieved with the machine, which is not enough for active operating time.
I've run out of words and I haven't even talked about the exterior, even though there's a lot to write about that too!
The Alldocube iPlay 50 Mini is nice. But really! It looks really good, the abundance of aluminum results in a quality grip. The square frame gives the device a bit of an iPad or Xiaomi Tab feeling, which means it would be difficult to connect to it.
The buttons are in the usual place, they click pleasantly, they don't wobble, this also strengthens the feeling of quality. As I mentioned several times, there is a SIM tray, and to my great delight, we also get a jack connector, although it is placed in a rather strange place, on the corner of the coffee machine. I don't like it that much, but at least it's there.
We also get cameras, the back panel protrudes a little from the aluminum cover, which is why it is a little wobbly without a case if we want to use it lying on a table. As for the camera, I haven't mentioned the resolution yet, we get 5 megapixels both front and back.
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I haven't written about the software yet, but there really isn't much. What is clearly a huge advantage is that the machine already comes with the latest Android 13. Another lovely feature is that it is not packed with junk software, we only get the basic system. That's enough!
What is even more important is that there is Videwine L1 support, which is still rare these days, like the white raven in cheaper Chinese tablets. And if there is L1, then we will be able to watch the programs of the streaming providers in normal resolution, and in my opinion, this deserves a big red dot!
The question, of course, as with all gadgets, is how good it is to use the machine!
Well, there are bad things too, but only two. That is, three. Or rather three and a half. One of them is the already mentioned jack on the corner, which I think is quite a dangerous place, the plug gets caught in everything.
The other is that the navigation in the case of Tiger tiles is not very muscular, that is, if you were to use it for orientation in a car, then be prepared for the fact that it will take a little time to find the satellites. Accuracy is not one of his virtues either.
The third is that the sound of the single speaker is far from booming, quite anemic, which takes a little away from the experience when watching movies.
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The fourth is the quality of the cameras, but this is more like a half-bad point, because I don't think there is anyone who wants to take pictures with a tablet. I would like to note that it is mostly the handling of too much or, conversely, too little light that is problematic, and of course, when there is both on the same subject. Anyway, if you manage to find a good subject, where the lights don't interfere, you can shoot really good photos.
The good things:
Well, of course, the size comes first! Let's say I bought the camera for something special, it will be the monitor next to the camera in my new studio. Here, the 8-inch came in really handy for me, the 10-inch is unnecessary, but my phone is a bit small.
Of course, the 8 inch, as I wrote at the beginning of the article, is good for many reasons, to say the least, it also fits into smaller bags. In addition, its weight is also friendly, only 292 grams, i.e. a featherweight contender among tablets.
The image quality is good, and the pixel density on this image diagonal is outstanding. The brightness of 300 nits is not much, but it is absolutely good indoors. You don't want to use it during the day! The contrast ratio is also completely good, the colors are vivid, and the viewing angle is also perfect, so I can safely say that the display is more than adequate.
The machine is also in very good condition externally, the design is absolutely fresh, and the larger, more famous manufacturers are also following this style recently.
The Tiger606 processor is not a powerhouse, but most games run fine on it. The storage and memory are surprisingly fast, and this is good for slightly larger programs. The Mali controller is not the best, but I dare to say that the iPlay 50 Mini can be used as an entry-level gaming machine, even if it is slightly squinted.
The Videwine L1 certificate has such a red dot that it wouldn't even fit here on this page. So think of a really big red dot here. Or five.
Finally, one more important thing, although this doesn't affect me, it will affect many, I'm sure!
The machine can be purchased by itself or in different packages. In the packages, you can find several things in addition to the machine, for example, the most expensive package includes a Type-C cable, OTG adapter, earphones, case, keyboard and active pen.
Let's summarize briefly!
In my opinion, the Alldocube iPlay 50 Mini is the best thing that has happened in the market of cheap Chinese machines in the last 1-2 years. Finally something new, finally some fresh "innovation". Of course, this is not a big innovation, they just reinvented the 8-inch tablets, but even then it was about time. It's been a long time!
The Mini looks good, it's powerful enough, it knows enough to be used as a full-fledged machine, but it knows all this in a much friendlier, easier to carry size than its 10-inch counterparts. For my part, I'm glad I bought it, and if you need a machine of this size, you'll be glad too!
Prices and coupons can be found at the end of the article!
If you only want to get the machine, then a BGXIFD1204 with a coupon code, it can be yours from a Czech warehouse for HUF 35. If you want a package with a case and a drawstring, the BGb056ed you must use a coupon code, this can be used for all packages. Of course, the packages also contain the tablet, but these packages can only be ordered from Chinese warehouses. Links below:
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