Novo 7 Aurora II First impressions

[andropos]

I would say that Aurora 1 (Allwinner A10) was a big success for Ainol, apart from the units on second or third batch that had lost of issues with the screen (lost of dead pixels), which put many people off from buying. Ainol later replaced to a higher class LG screen but the hype was already over.

The Aurora 1 had it all, slick and slim design, smaller frame around the screen, at that time the popular A10 CPU which offered good performance and battery life, frequent firmware updates and nice price tag.

But things moves fast in the tablet world and its time for dual-core. Only few months after the first Aurora, Aurora II is now available. Powered by Amlogic 8726-M6 (Dual-core) 1.2GHz it offers more CPU power but also better battery life for the same price.

It uses the same nice shell, the packing box is smaller and stronger (see unboxing post) and the screen is from the higher class without any stuck or dead pixels.




Let me know if you have any questions about the device and its features.




Related posts:

http://tabletrepublic.com/forum/andr...a-ii-2188.html

Novo 7 Aurora II First impressions



Aurora II / Aurora 2 Specs

• Display: 7-inch IPS screen, 1024×600
• CPU: Amlogic 8726-M6 (Dual-core) 1.5GHz
• GPU: Mali400 Dual Core
• Flash: 16GB
• RAM: 1GB
• Android 4.0.4
• Support for 3G dongle

Retail price in China is 799RMB (~125USD).

Aurora II Screenshots


























The good

+ Ethernet support
+ 3G dongle support
+ CPU More Setting option
+ exFAT support
+ can also be charged via USB port

The bad
- Few languages
- 4.0.3
- Too much bloatware

[iTwins]

Thanks, Andropos, very tempting. I just came back from the computer centers and there're an abundance of this everywhere and the cheapest I see is around HK$1,200 or about US$154. Fair price. But will have to see how this Google Nexus 7 Tablet turns out. I waited this long, might as well wait for anither week or two as well.

[andropos]

Thanks, Andropos, very tempting. I just came back from the computer centers and there're an abundance of this everywhere and the cheapest I see is around HK$1,200 or about US$154. Fair price. But will have to see how this Google Nexus 7 Tablet turns out. I waited this long, might as well wait for anither week or two as well.

I agree Google Nexus 7 may be worth waiting for but the question is when you will be able to get one and how much you will have to pay for it.

From my experience in Hong Kong the hot an limited devices will not be available through the main retail chains stores at early stage but you will have to wait 2-4 weeks extra to get it at the official retail price or pay 30%-50% overprice to get it from unofficial sources.

So you may end up paying 300USD or more for it next month or wait 4-8 weeks to get the 199USD unit, at that time Aurora II will cost 99USD or less, or Aurora III will be released with quad-core CPU without the limitations that Google Nexus 7 Tablet may have.

For sure there will be some exiting things coming very soon, but its all about timing.

[dfranz]

I didn't even know a quad core Aurora 3 was in the works!

[minstral]

Thanks for the sneak peak andropos!

I've got one on order and want to get a suitable microsd, but I've seen conflicting info. Can you confirm it works with a 32Gb card with no issue? Have seen elsewhere total storage can only be extended to 32Gb with a 16Gb card.

Assume there's only the one option but I've ordered the 16Gb model.

Thanks heaps!

[andropos]

Thanks for the sneak peak andropos!

I've got one on order and want to get a suitable microsd, but I've seen conflicting info. Can you confirm it works with a 32Gb card with no issue? Have seen elsewhere total storage can only be extended to 32Gb with a 16Gb card.

Assume there's only the one option but I've ordered the 16Gb model.

Thanks heaps!

I cant test this for you as i dont own a 32GB card, but Ainol's own official specs say that the device does support up to 32GB memory extension.

Novo 7 Aurora II Officialy Launched

Btw, where did you find that "conflicting info"?

[minstral]

Btw, where did you find that "conflicting info"?

Thanks for the link. I can't remember exactly which sites I saw the info but it was pre release time. Perhaps now that it's become available in the last 2 weeks the specs have been confirmed.

Right, off to get a 32gb card!

Thanks andropos

[andropos]

Thanks for the link. I can't remember exactly which sites I saw the info but it was pre release time. Perhaps now that it's become available in the last 2 weeks the specs have been confirmed.

Right, off to get a 32gb card!

Thanks andropos

Bring your device to check if it will support 32GB before you buy, and let us know when you can confirm.

[Austin]

Thanks for the information.

Andro, have you experienced the infamous phantom touches?

[andropos]

Thanks for the information.
Andro, have you experienced the infamous phantom touches?

I have used the Aurora 2 for several days and i have not experienced any phantom touches at all, i think that is more common on capacitive screens.

However, after extended usage i had experienced some lag in touch response from the screen, but i think its software related as it will be normal after reboot.