SmartQ S7 review by garysims

[garysims]

I recently got my hands on a SmartQ S7 a few days ago and I have been using it (almost) non stop and I must say it is an excellent device. Considering it only costs $159 and comes with an IPS display and a dual core Cortex-A9 CPU, you can't ask for much more.

First the unboxing video... To see my video review (and to see the device in action) scroll to the end of the post.



Here are a few technical specs in case you aren't familiar with the S7:

• Processor: TI OMAP4430 1.0GHz / GPU: SGX540
• RAM: 1GB DDR2
• Flash Memory: 4GB Flash Memory
• Expansion Memory: Support up to 32GB micro SD memory card
• Operating System: Android 4.0.4
• Screen: 7 inch, 1024 X 600 pixels
• Wireless: WiFi 802.11 b/g/n

The device also comes with a front facing 2MP camera, HDMI output and full Google Play (Android Market) support.

I was very keen to get hold of the S7 for two reasons, first because of its dual-core CPU. I have a 7 inch Android tablet but with a single core 1GHz CPU and I must say that the single core device left me frustrated a few times as I had to wait for the device to catch up. Secondly it has Android 4.0.4. My other device has 4.0.3 and I wanted to see if it improves the overall experience. I am glad to report that the S7 lived up to all my expectations.

The dual-core CPU combined with Android 4.0.4 offers a smooth and frustration free experience. No more messages telling me that an app has become unresponsive and do I want to wait or kill it. Bliss!

Having used the device for a few days I must say I can whole-heartily recommend this device to anyone. About the only negative thing I can mention is that some apps, most notable, Twitter can't be found for this device in Google Play. Most of the other apps seems to be present and install without problem including all of Google's apps, Flash, Evernote and so on. But no Twitter. I did however find the .apk file on another 3rd party site and Twitter installed and works fine.

Video play back is great, the speaker is good enough quality to hear movies and music (but of course using headphones is always better). I manged to run HD videos on the device without any problems. HDMI works great as well.





In terms of battery life, I did some tests and you can watch six hours of video without any problems. This was with Wi-Fi on and the screen at half brightness.

The real problem on my single-core Android 4.0.3 tablet was web browsing. Some pages would take over a minute to appear, it was basically unusable. But I am glad to say that the S7 doesn't have any of these problem, it downloads and renders web pages without any problems.

The device has a 2MP front facing camera which is designed for use as a webcam / for video chat. However I took a couple of photos (without breaking my neck) so you can see the quality.





I also tested the device with Skype for video chat. The camera and audio worked well. I was able to hold a video chat without any problems. In terms of other apps like Kindle, Dropbox, Evernote, Gmail, MX Player, Angry Birds, Adobe Reader and so on everything worked as expected. In fact I installed many of the top 10 apps and they all worked flawlessly.

However, we mustn't forget that this is a budget tablet (albeit one with an exceptional price), but this means that there are some things missing like GPS, a rear facing camera and any kind of 3G support. BUT it only costs $159. If you need GPS or a rear facing camera then look elsewhere, but if you want a solid, reliable, and fast seven inch tablet with an IPS display then this is a winner.

You can pick one up at SmartQ S7

[dfranz]

Curious to see a head to head real life comparison between this TI chipset vs Ainol Aurora 2 with the Amlogic.

[garysims]

Yeah, that would be a great test!

If anyone wants to send me an Aurora 2, I am more than happy to do the review / comparison!!!

Gary

[andropos]

Yeah, that would be a great test!
If anyone wants to send me an Aurora 2, I am more than happy to do the review / comparison!!!
Gary

Or you could just run same benchmark tests as i have posted about so we could compare the score results.
Novo 7 Aurora II Extended Benchmark Tests

I could send over a zipped file with all the needed apps.

[garysims]

I suppose that is an alternatve!!!!

Please send me the files and I will do the benchmarks.

Gary

[bellros1as]

thoz vids bein streemed look fantastic!!!!!! Ty foar tha review!!!!