Mlais M52 Red Note Makes Performance Affordable

Posted on 11/05/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Many Android smartphone manufacturers claim to have created Xiaomi Redmi Note killers, but Mlais’ M52 Red Note really has the specs to prove it.

1. Contents of the Box
2. Accessories
3. Design and Build Quality
4. Technical Specs
5. Connectivity
6. Software
7. Performance Assessment
7.1. Benchmarks
7.2. Image Quality
7.3. Battery Life
8. Price and Availability
9. Conclusions

Contents of the Box

The M52 comes in a very compact turquoise cardboard box that protects the phone and the included accessories from any damage that might occur during transportation. The pastel color of the box makes it difficult for the camera to focus, and this also seems to be the case with some of the back covers.

One can only appreciate the simplicity of this box, with only the name and the logo of the company in the front, and the specs of the smartphone on the back. Take note (this seems to have also become Mlais’ slogan) that in some of the pictures the blur is caused by the depth of field, as they were taken in macro mode.

Click to view slideshow.

Besides the phone itself, there’s not much else in the box. Mlais provides a manual that is entirely in English (sign that the device is meant for the international market, and not just for China), an EU charger rated at 5V and 1000 mA, and a USB to microUSB cable that can be used both for charging the phone and for transferring data from or to a computer.

Accessories

Even though there are four back covers available for the M52 Red Note (black, white, baby blue and peach red), buyers can only choose one when purchasing the device, and the M52 will come equipped with it. The others will be sold separately.

Depicted below is the flip cover case (actually called a Fashion Cover by the manufacturer), which is available separately for $4.42.

This particular flip case has S-Cover functionality, meaning that it can display either a digital or analog clock, depending on what you choose. The setup is found under Settings > Display > S-Cover Settings. In addition, swiping from right to left when the flip is on unveils a simplistic interface for the default media player. If you decide to use another player, such as PowerAmp (my personal favorite) or PlayerPro Music Player, the playback controls will stop the music in the app, and the default player will be launched instead. The entire process is seamless, but I wish it was possible to select the player we wish to control in Window mode, as there may be differences in sound determined by different EQ settings.

Tempered glass screen protectors for Mlais M52 can be purchased for $4.02, while replacement batteries cost $4.42. As if there weren’t plenty of accessories already, PU leather flip cases were also made, in various shapes and colors.

Design and Build Quality

Overall, the M52 Red Note follows the general design of Android smartphones, with the volume rocker to the left of the screen, the power button on the right, a 3.5mm port for headphones at the top and a microphone on the bottom. The only exception from the rule seems to be the microUSB port that’s located at the top, instead of the bottom.

There’s no metal chassis, but the plastic chosen by Mlais for the M52 is of high quality, and the phablet feels very sturdy in hand. Even the shiny back cover looks very durable, and I’m pretty sure that users won’t fear breaking it while taking it off.

Technical Specs

At 78 x 152 x 8.2 mm and 158 grams, Mlais M52 is a sleek phablet. In the front, the smartphone has a 5.5-inch IPS display (that comes with a screen protector film pre-applied) that’s bright and sharp, yet somewhat inferior to IPS panels made by JDI, and to Samsung’s AMOLED screens. The 1280×720 resolution resulting in a 267ppi pixel density doesn’t as huge of an impact on the battery as a higher resolution would have had. Still, it’s nearly impossible to see individual pixels, so there’s no reason for complaints here.

Regarding the bits that make this device tick, the M52 is based on Mediatek’s MT6752 64-bit chipset that includes a Cortex-A53 octa-core CPU running at 1.7Ghz and a Mali T760 GPU. Multitasking capabilities are sustained by 2GB of RAM, while the internal storage is of 16GB. In case that’s not enough (we all know how large music libraries can get these days), you can expand that by using a microSD card of up to 64GB.

Connectivity

Considering the price, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the M52 doesn’t feature NFC (or Mediatek’s similar, but less popular Hot Knot). Other than that, M52 excels in connectivity options that range from 4G LTE (in the 800/1800/2100/2600Mhz bands) and dual-band Wi-Fi ac to Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. It should be noted that when one band is used in 4G, the other one works in 2G. Besides that, the SIMs are not active simultaneously, so you might want to use one exclusively for data and the other one for calls.

Mlais could’ve chosen a better GPS sensor, as this one has a 4 meters accuracy, at best. Other than that, the other connectivity options perform as advertised.

Software

The phone was launched with a vanilla AOSP Android 4.4.4 KitKat, but the manufacturer promised that it would update it to Lollipop on April 10. On the day before the scheduled update, a video was uploaded to Mlais’ YouTube channel, showcasing the M52 running Android 5.0. On April 10, Mlais posted a picture on their Facebook page, saying that the update had been pushed back 5 days in order to perfect it. Some server issues led to further delays, but on April 17 Mlais released the first build based on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Since that first build had many bugs and lacked unified storage, the manufacturer asked users to provide feedback, and soon launched another build, which also had several problems. To prove their professionalism and just how much they strive to satisfy the customers, Mlais took all the bug reports into account and released a third Lollipop build that solved most app crashes and functionality issues. On top of that, the manufacturer enabled users to pick the size of the OS partition (2/4/5GB), depending on their needs.

Check the above images to see the KitKat home screen and the app drawer as they were at the moment of the first boot. For comparison, below are the Lollipop home screen and app drawer.

The only downside is that for the time being, the Lollipop update is not offered OTA, and users have to flash the newest build manually, after rooting KitKat. Fortunately, Kingo Root can take care of that problem in a few simple steps.

Mlais posted a video on their YouTube channel detailing the steps required for manually flashing the device.

One of the aspects that sets the M52 apart from some of its competitors is the presence of off-screen gestures. The following screenshots include the settings for such gestures, and it should be noted that they are the same for both Android 4.4 KitKat and 5.0 Lollipop.

There are a few predefined gestures, but users can also establish what actions should occur when a certain letter is drawn onto the display.

Performance Assessment

Over the four weeks I used the M52 as my daily driver, I noticed that it is very responsive in menus, apps and games. In fact, the M52 seemed faster than more expensive devices based on the same chipset. The following benchmarks confirm that the phablet can offer performance without forcing users to spend insane amounts of money.

Benchmarks

First, I ran Antutu Benchmark in KitKat, and the score of 44,610 points was already impressive, in comparison to Xiaomi Mi4, Samsung Galaxy S5, Huawei Mate 7 or HTC ONE X M8.

After updating to Android 5.0, the M52 really showed its muscles, obtaining 47,126 points in Antutu. Some users even reported getting scores as high as 49K, but even with my score, Mlais’ device outranks the OnePlus One.

I ran the other benchmarks under KitKat, but the results in Lollipop should be even better. In GeekBench 3, the chipset proved to have lower performance in single-core tests than its counterparts, whereas in the multi-core tests it ranked higher than all of them.

Image Quality

The cameras seem to be one of the weakest points of the M52, as the phablet features an 8MP Sony IMX219 on the back and a 5MP OmniVision 5648 in the front. The manufacturer claimed that the resolutions are 13 and 8MP, respectively, but these were obtained by using interpolation.

In daylight, M52’s rear camera produces decent photos, even though some details look burnt and over-exposed if shot in strong sunlight. Sharpness could’ve been better, too. On the other hand. in poor light conditions, the amount of noise is very noticeable.

I have no complaints regarding how fast the rear camera focuses, but I truly hope that Mlais will use better sensors in their future devices.

Battery Life

The GeekBench 3 battery test revealed that M52’s battery can provide 5h 57m of screen-on time, indicating that the capacity might actually be smaller than 3200mAh.

The fact that there are many unnecessary processes running in the background also has a major impact on the battery life, but this aspect can be changed by installing Battery Doctor or a similar app.

Price and Availability

The MSRP of the Mlais M52 Red Note is $159.99, but during the pre-sale some resellers offered it for as low as $129 with coupons applied during checkout. Now, most China stores sell it for $149.99, and considering that the price also includes free worldwide shipping in most cases, this is quite a bargain.

Conclusions

Touted as the world’s cheapest Android device running on Mediatek’s 64-bit MT6752 chipset, the M52 Red Note is quite possibly the best smartphone you could get for around $140. The build quality and the performance make this phablet a tough competitor. With some proper software, either in the form of a custom ROM or a very optimized vanilla Android, Mlais M52 could become a force to be reckoned with.

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Kingzone Z1: Flagship Performance and an Exquisite Design

Posted on 03/05/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Kingzone doesn’t exactly have a spotless record in terms of specification accuracy, but the beautifully designed and featured-packed Z1 might represent their chance to redeem themselves.

Contents of the Box

Kingzone Z1 comes in a mainly white square cardboard box hinting that the manufacturer has included much more than just the phone. The front is dominated by the model name and the company’s logo, details that can also be found on the sides.

The back of the box includes the technical specs of the phablet, along with the standards it complies with.

Included in the box are the Z1 itself, a charger rated at 5V/1000mA, the battery, a pair of earphones, and a USB to microUSB cable for charging or data transfers. While the white charger, data cable, earphones and OTG cable look very elegant and are great for the white version of the smartphone, I wish Kingzone would have matched these to the color of the device.

There are more goodies included in the box, as the Z1 also comes with a soft TPU bumper, an OTG cable and a screen protector.

The product warranty cards and the Quick Start Guide are entirely written in English, suggesting that Kingzone intends to sell this phablet internationally, and not just in China.

Accessories

Flip cover cases with S-Cover functionality and cutouts for the camera, fingerprint scanner, flash, and external speaker are available in black and white for $14.90.

Tempered glass screen protectors should also become widely available in the near future. Should the battery’s performance drop below acceptable levels (this is something to be expected with all smartphone batteries out there), users will be able to get a replacement battery for less than $10.

Design and Build Quality

Kingzone didn’t cut any corners when designing the Z1. As I mentioned in the title, the design is nothing short of stunning, even though at first I feared that the golden accents would ruin the aesthetics of the device. There is quite the opposite effect, as the golden lines complement the overall black/deep blue design quite nicely.

The rounded corners and the golden frame are some of the first details to catch the eyes of the beholders. The deep blue front has four components colored in red: the grill of the earpiece and the three capacitative buttons, which also have red backlight.

However, there is one thing pertaining to the design that doesn’t quite match the advertised specs. Kingzone claimed that the Z1 would come with a full metal frame, when in fact only the sides are metallic, the top and bottom golden parts being made of plastic.

A 3.5mm audio jack is placed at the top, along with the microUSB port used for charging and data transfers.

Instead of a volume rocker, the Z1 includes two separate buttons for volume control, on the left side of the device.

On the right side, there is only the device button, which you won’t get to use that much if you enable screen gestures.

The bottom is home to yet another deception. Many believed that Kingzone would include stereo external speakers in the Z1, and that these would be the speaker grills. Instead, the external speaker is placed on the back of the device, these grills playing nothing more than an aesthetic role.

Technical Specs

Kingzone opted for Mediatek’s MT6752 SoC (currently the best chipset the Taiwanese semiconductor company has to offer) to power the Z1. Included in this chipset are a 64-bit Cortex A53 (ARMv8-A) octa-core CPU running at 1.7Ghz, along with a Mali T760 GPU. Considering that most users are multi-tasking nowadays, it’s great to see that the Z1 comes with 2GB of RAM. However, most recent Chinese flagships have 3GB of RAM on-board, so we’ll have to wait and see if Kingzone decides to launch an Advanced version of this phablet.

As far as the storage is concerned, Z1 comes with 16GB of internal memory that can be furthermore expanded by using a microSD card of up to 64GB. Performance-wise, the Z1 acts as a flagship, as it proves to be very snappy not only in menus, but also in apps and games.

One of the strong points of the Z1 is definitely the display, a 5.5″ IPS panel made by JDI. To tell you the truth, the above photo doesn’t do it enough justice (not to mention that the backlight of the capacitative buttons turned out orange instead of red). Everything looks crisp, the contrast is great and it’s really hard to distinguish it from a display with a higher resolution. The included display only has a resolution of 1280×720 resulting in a pixel density of 267ppi.

Connectivity

Z1 features all the connectivity options you would expect to find in a flagship smartphone. As seen in the following image, it includes antennas for GPS, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth, and 4G LTE (in the 1800, 2100, 2600, 800 MHz bands). Since it is a dual-SIM device, it can take a standard SIM and a micro one.

The back cover has a NFC antenna attached to it, and this is yet another reason to pay attention when taking it off to replace the SIMs or the microSD card.

Besides these, the flagship also includes OTG connectivity, as implied by the OTG cable found in the box. This means not only that you could attach USB flash drives and even external hard drives (provided that they have a separate power source), but also external IR blasters that turn the phone into an universal remote control.

Software

The Z1 runs a vanilla version of Android 4.4.4. with Kingzone’s own launcher on top. Below are the lock screen and the home screen right after booting up the device for the very first time. There are a lot of current or future Kingzone Z1 users out there who wonder when and if this phablet will get an OTA update to Android 5.0 Lollipop. When asked about this matter, a spokesperson of the manufacturer claimed that such an upgrade is difficult to implement, and the company doesn’t guarantee that this device will get Android L. This is disappointing, as the Z1 would perform even better if it ran the 64-bit capable Android 5.0.

And here are the apps that came pre-installed on the device. It’s great to see that there’s no bloatware that could’ve had a major impact not only on the performance, but also on the overall experience.

The Settings menu includes two features that set Kingzone Z1 apart from many other smartphones. First of all, there are the screen gestures that make using this phablet a lot more convenient. Unlocking the device or launching apps (both predefined and custom ones) is much easier when drawing a symbol on the locked screen, rather than pressing the Power button and going through the menus.

The other feature is represented by biometric authentication in the form of a fingerprint scanner that’s placed on the back. In the Settings, you can save up to 3 different fingerprints, thus making sure that you are not the only one with access to the phone, in case of emergency. Training the fingerprint scanner to recognize your fingerprint requires sliding the finger over the sensor 8 times successfully. I wish Kingzone implemented a press Touch ID fingerprint scanner, but maybe we’ll see one in their future flagships.

I don’t completely agree with integrating fingerprint scanners in smartphones because of two reasons (even though this seems to become a trend). First of all, fingerprint scanning is not a 100% secure form of biometric authentication, as exemplified by the German hackers that broke iPhone 5S’ Touch ID in less than 48 hours after the smartphone’s launch. Secondly, fingerprints can wear out or get damaged, being altered by skin conditions or external factors. Fortunately, users are able to set an alternative password, in case the sensor fails multiple times to recognize their fingerprint.

Performance Assessment

Before getting to the numbers that show how the Z1 stacks against its competitors, I’d like to point out that in everyday activities, this phablet performs great, and could be chosen anytime over lesser devices costing several times more.

Benchmarks

In Antutu Benchmark, Z1 scored 43524 points, being surpassed only by Meizu MX4, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and OnePlus One. Sound of the noteable competitors with scores lower than that are: Xiaomi Mi4, Samsung Galaxy S5 and Huawei Mate 7. I’m sure that Z1′s Antutu score will be even higher when it gets Android 5.0. Click on any of the following images to enlarge them.

The GeekBench 3 benchmark is a mixed bag, as the Z1 scores 818 points for single-core performance, where it’s outranked by most of its competitors, and 4027 in multi-core performance, where it reigns supreme.

Vellamo is proof that every benchmarking software has its own ways of comparing devices. In this test, the Z1 scores 1522 points for multi-core performance (lower than HTC One M8, Samsung Galaxy S5 and OnePlus One, which Z1 outranked in Geekbench 3), 1128 in Metal Benchmark and 2669 in the Browser Benchmark. Keep in mind that the default browser was used, so results may differ if you’re using Chrome, Dolphin or CM Browser.

Games are running smoothly on Kingzone Z1, but if you want a seamless experience, make sure you’re not running any other demanding apps in the background. I noticed that when the GPU is used intensively, the device gets quite hot, reaching even 50 degrees Celsius.

Image Quality

There’s a great deal of factors that can influence the quality of the photos taken with any camera, and the Sony IMX214 sensor the 13MP rear camera is based on makes no exception. While I found close-up photos taken with the Z1 to be particularly impressive, but images taken in poor light conditions tend to be noisy. Also, in daylight, depending on the camera’s position in relation to the sun, photos may lack sharpness or may look overexposed. Click on the collage to enlarge it.

Videos are recorded in 3gp instead of MP4, and I believe that the compression that characterizes this format affects the quality in a bad way.

Battery Life

In GeekBench 3′s battery benchmark, the Z1 scored 3433 points with 6h 17m 20s of screen-on time. To be frank, I would’ve expected more from a 3500mAh battery, and this result makes me wonder if the manufacturer has declared the real capacity of the battery.

In real-life scenarios, you might get a lot less than 6 hours of SoT, as it depends a lot on what you’re using the smartphone for. Playing games, having the data connection on at all times or using the GPS will drastically reduce those numbers. However, I also feel that there are a lot of useless background processes that drain the battery faster than it normally would (shutting down such processes or preventing them to autostart is possible with such apps as Battery Doctor), not to mention that the battery might not even be calibrated properly (it stays at 1% for days on end).

Price and Availability

Around the pre-sale period, many Chinese online stores had the Z1 priced at $210. Now, the price has settled around the $180 mark, and given some of the inaccuracies in specs, I’d say that is price is fairer. Currently, Chinese reseller GearBest has it the cheapest at $181.99, and if it’s raw performance you’re after, then look no further. You can get it even cheaper ($179.98) by using coupon code GBKZ1 at checkout.

Conclusions

Performance-wise, Kingzone Z1 is nearly at the top of the pyramid, at least as far as Chinese flagships go. I would say that if you’re willing to overlook some aspects that looked different in the manufacturer’s statements, the Z1 is worth it. Of course, there is still a lot of room left for improvements, and hopefully Kingzone will acknowledge that, and use the feedback to create even better phablets in the future.

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Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth Speaker Proves that Size Doesn’t Matter

Posted on 26/04/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

One doesn’t have to be large in order to pack a wallop. That’s what Xiaomi has been trying to teach the world with many of its products, the Mi Bluetooth speaker being one of them.

The Mi Bluetooth speaker is at its second iteration now, and Xiaomi is already preparing to launch a new one with a dual-driver design.

Contents of the Box

Xiaomi is shipping most of its products in plain cardboard boxes, and the Mi Bluetooth speaker makes no exception. I assume that the company does this for two reasons. First of all, it’s concerned about the impact a different packaging would have on the environment, and secondly, this is a great way of helping users save money. The box is pretty heavy duty and can withstand physical shocks during transportation without any problems. As seen in the following picture, mine got slightly damaged, but that didn’t affect the speaker itself.

On the back of the box, Xiaomi listed the technical specifications of the Bluetooth speaker, including the model number (NDZ-03-GA), connectivity options (Bluetooth 4.0), frequency range (100Hz-20KHz), power (3W), impedance (3 Ohms), and battery life (up to 12 hours). All of these are listed in Chinese, but it’s easy to intuit which is which.

The speaker fits snuggly into the cardboard stand, so the chances of it moving around while packed are null.

Besides the speaker, the manufacturer also provides a USB to microUSB cable for charging the device, as well as some instruction manuals. All the included documentation is in Chinese, and that’s one of the aspects Xiaomi needs to change, if it wants to expand to other markets. On the other hand, anyone buying such a product should at least have an idea about how to use it.

Design and Build Quality

Except for the plastic base, the cylindrical body of the Mi speaker is made of aluminum. The speaker grill was cut with great precision using a CNC router. While other manufacturers opt for plastic as the main material, Xiaomi wanted to make this product look and feel premium. The two plastic rings add a nice touch to the otherwise completely black body. The silver one on the top only plays an aesthetic role, while the one found on the lower side of the speaker lights up in blue or red, to indicate various statuses.

On the bottom, the speaker has three buttons with two functions each. The On/Off switch also doubles as a Play/Pause button, while the Volume Up and Volume Down ones also include playback functions, enabling users to skip to the next song or start the currently playing one, respectively.

The microUSB port on the base represents the interface for charging the speaker’s battery. A proprietary port would have represented a disaster, but luckily for us, Xiaomi has decided to use a universal one.

Connectivity

Connecting the speaker to your smartphone or tablet is very simple. You only need to turn on Bluetooth on the mobile device and pair the speaker to it. Just make sure that the speaker is turned on and that you are in range. Bluetooth 4.0 has a theoretical range of 10 meters, but line-of-sight is needed for that, as walls can cause the signal to drop significantly. The speaker shows up in the mobile device’s Bluetooth settings as NDZ-03-GA, this being its model number.

The previous generation of Mi speakers also packed NFC besides Bluetooth, but Xiaomi has decided to give up on that.

Sound Quality

On paper, the Mi portable speaker is built around a 3W driver. In real-life scenarios, that driver proves to be quite powerful, with a punchy base and an impressive clarity.

At maximum volume, there are some distortions, but those are only audible when both the mobile device and the speaker are maxed up. Other than that, there are no cracklings, and the overall sound quality is nothing short of excellent, especially considering the size and the price of the device.

Not at last, the speaker does not only handle music and audio from movies and games, but also calls. The incorporated microphone and the speaker itself make phone calls very clear, and there shouldn’t be any fear of the person on the other end not being able to hear you.

Battery Life

The 2,000mAh battery is non-removable, and that’s yet another difference from the previous generation. Xiaomi rated the battery for 12 hours, but if you listen to music at full volume, you should expect less than 10 hours. That’s quite good, considering that Bluetooth speakers much larger than this one have a poorer battery life.

Price and Availability

Xiaomi has made it clear that it intends to open Mi stores in Europe and the US. However, only their accessories will be available in these stores, while their phones will be available exclusively in Asia.

If you live on any other continent, or prefer not to wait until Mi stores become a reality, you should focus your attention on the Chinese resellers. GearBest currently sells the Mi Bluetooth speaker for $21.99, and chances are you won’t be able to find it cheaper anywhere else. This store is also offering a coupon code – XMBS – that lowers the price even more. By applying it at checkout, buyers can get the Mi Bluetooth speaker for $19.89.

Conclusion

For the quality it offers and at the price it comes, I doubt that the Mi Bluetooth speaker has any real competitors. The build quality, the design, and most importantly, the sound quality are all excellent, and prove once again, if needed, that Xiaomi can create impressive devices that don’t break the bank.

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Inateck Bluetooth Speaker Turns It Up to Eleven

Posted on 21/04/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

There’s a long way from boomboxes to Bluetooth speakers, but hey, humankind made sure that no matter what happens, it can always take some music on the go.

Inateck, the German company that tries to cover as many options as possible in terms of accessories for computers (both in the desktop and notebook varieties) and mobile devices, currently has seven Bluetooth speakers in its portfolio. This number is bound to grow in the future, as the manufacturer is continuously looking to improve the quality of the materials, the functionality, and the design of its products. BP2001, the subject of this review, is a Bluetooth speaker that’s meant to be used in tandem with smartphones, tablets, and even older MP3 players.

Contents of the Box

The black cardboard box pictured below didn’t have much inside. The speaker comes in a plastic shell that protects it during transportation. Other than that, there’s an audio cable with 3.5mm jacks on both ends, an Instruction Manual in English (that you can download from here, in case you misplace it), and a USB to microUSB cable for charging the speaker.

Design and Build Quality

Most of the speaker’s body is made of plastic, but because Inateck has used some very high quality plastic, and great materials in general, the product doesn’t feel cheap at all. The sides, bottom and back side of the speaker are glossy and very elegant, but there’s also a downside to that. Glossy plastic is a fingerprint and dust magnet, but as long as you have a microfiber cloth around, you’ll be just fine. The only thing you should worry about is how easy it is to scratch the plastic. The rubber feet on the bottom will prevent the speaker from moving around.

The speaker has a horizontal orientation, and can only sit in one position. Its upper side acts as a stand for mobile phones, tablets or mp3 players, provided that they are thin enough to fit there. In that aspect, the Inateck BP2001 really comes up with something that distinguishes it from the competition.

The stand is able to hold a 5.5″ phablet without any problems, even when the smartphone is positioned vertically. However, a tablet is a wholly different matter, as it is much larger, but also heavier than a smartphone. Because of that, some sort of leg needs to be deployed from the back of the speaker.

Also on the back of the speaker there are a 3.5mm port for auxiliary input, an On/Off switch and a microUSB port for charging the speaker using the included cable (or any other USB to microUSB cable, for that matter). In the above picture you can also see how the leg is hidden into place when not needed for additional support.

The front is dominated by a silver round button that’s surrounded by a black circle. On the button there is the Inateck logo along with symbols that suggest what the buttons if for. In a few words: ending calls and controlling playback. Unfortunately, the only options available are Play and Pause. I would have loved to see some Volume Up/Down buttons, or even some for skipping tracks. Maybe the company will implement that in future models. The black circle surrounding the silver button includes three backlit symbols: AUX, a battery indicator and a Bluetooth connectivity indicator.

Sound Quality

Since this is a 10 Watt Bluetooth speaker, it can get pretty loud. It wouldn’t be impossible to throw a small party using one of these, especially if we’re talking about a picnic or something of the sort. The 5W speakers are positioned to each side of the central button, and provided that the mobile device is in range (it is a Bluetooth v2.1 device, after all), they should blast the sound right into the ears of the listeners.

The smartphone/tablet/mp3 player can be positioned either in portrait or landscape mode. As far as the type of audio being played back, Inateck’s Bluetooth speaker makes no discrimination. You can listen to music, watch movies or even play games, and any corresponding audio will be driven through the two speakers.

While the sound is not as crisp as when using a fully-fledged speaker, and lacks a punchy bass, it is still great for occasional listening. After all, Bluetooth speakers are built with portability in mind, and should be regarded as portable devices. A sort of hiss is audible at low volumes, when standing close to the speaker, but that seems to be the case with many other Bluetooth speakers, and its definitely not noticeable at a higher volume. Sound doesn’t get distorted at maximum volume, but its overall quality will depend on the music you’re listening to and the equalizer settings. In a few words, the sound quality is impressive for a device at this price point.

Don’t own a smartphone or a tablet? This speaker will work just fine with older MP3/MP4/MP5 players, and even with portable CD players. All that you need to do is connect the source to the speaker using the AUX port and the included audio cable.

Battery Life

Charging the internal, non-removable 800mAh battery takes two hours and a half using a 1A charger, suggesting that the input current is much lower than 1 Amp. I managed to get about 6 hours of continuous playback out of it, so I’m satisfied, from that point of view. If you have a power bank with you while you’re on the road, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Price and Availability

As with all its other products, Inateck has chosen Amazon as its distribution channel for the BP2001 Bluetooth speaker. Consequently, it can be found on Amazon US ($29.99), UK (£28.99), Germany(EUR 29,99), France (EUR 34,99), Italy (EUR 37,99), Spain (EUR 36,99), Japan, and Canada (CDN$ 35.99).

Conclusion

There are several aspects that could use some improvements, including the battery life and playback control. Sound quality could also be tweaked a little bit, but other than that, the BP2001 from Inateck is a great option for anyone looking for an affordable Bluetooth speaker.

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Inateck’s USB 3.0 Hub w/ Gigabit Ethernet Adds Ports to Ultrabooks

Posted on 19/03/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Inateck HBU3VL3-4 USB 3.0 Hub with Gigabit Ethernet Network Adapter 06

USB Type-C may be the latest rave, but until that port becomes mainstream, most ultrabooks still rely on USB 3.0 for transferring data. Inateck’s 3-port USB 3.0 hub adds a bit of flexibility, not to mention that it also comes with a Gigabit Ethernet port.

To earn the ultrabook status, a notebook needs to ditch some of the things that would otherwise make it bulky. Ethernet and VGA ports are the usual suspects here, so anyone requiring these would have to buy adapters. In addition to that, ultrabooks never seem to have enough USB 3.0 ports, and with the number of devices using these rising quickly, buying a hub makes perfect sense. Inateck’s 3-port USB 3.0 hub with Gigabit Ethernet seems to be an affordable solution to all of these problems.

Contents of the Box

Inateck is fully aware that users are more interested about functionality rather than fancy packaging, and designs its product boxes accordingly, while also helping people to save some money in the process.

As seen on the box, the hub is compliant with FCC and CE standards, and can be recycled if it is no longer useful or functional.

The contents of the plain cardboard box pictured above are everything a user needs to add more ports to his or her ultrabook: the hub itself, a CD with drivers and instructions, as well as a paper version of the user manual.

CD Contents

Even though the CD contains the drivers for the Ethernet port, I would recommend downloading the latest version from the manufacturer’s website.

However, if no Internet connection is available, the included CD can come in handy, as it includes drivers for multiple operating systems, a User’s Manual in English, and the option to view the MAC address of the network interface card.

Bear in mind that the USB ports don’t require drivers and are, in fact, plug-and-play, the Gigabit Ethernet port being the only component that needs drivers to function properly.

Compatibility and Technical Specs

The hub should perform as advertised as long as your computer is running Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1 (both 32 and 64-bit versions) and MacOS.

When it comes to portability, Inateck’s 3-port USB 3.0 hub will barely be noticeable, as it only measures 110 x 32 x 20mm / 4.33 x 1.26 x 0.79in and tops the scale at 59 grams or 2.09 ounces.

Performance

USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet ports provide theoretical speeds of up to 5Gbps and 1Gbps, respectively, but the results will depend a lot on the flash drives and network equipment that you’re using.

The test bench used for assessing the performance of the hub was the same as here, and the overall results were comparable.

Price & Availability

As all the other Inateck products, the 3-port USB 3.0 hub with Gigabit Ethernet is available on Amazon and can be currently purchased in the following countries: United States ($22.99), UK (£19.99), Germany (€24.99), France (€30.99), Italy (€29.99), Spain (€27.99), Japan (?3,854), and Canada (CDN$ 30.99).

Conclusions

The 3-port USB 3.0 hub made by Inateck adds functionality to ultrabooks at a convenient cost. The build quality is high, but that is something I’ve come to expect from this company, as this is not the first Inateck product I’m testing. I could’ve said that Inateck does not emphasize enough the OTG options of this hub, but come to think of it, the company already has an USB 3.0 hub with normal and OTG USB cable, so that is covered by another product, in case your tablet does not feature a regular USB port.

I would like to thank Inateck for sending me a product sample and for making this hands-on review possible.

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Super Charge Your Gadgets with Inateck’s USB Wall Charger

Posted on 11/03/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Inateck UC4001 4-Port USB Travel Wall Charger 06

The number of devices that charge via USB has increased dramatically over the past few years, so it’s no wonder that chargers with multiple ports, such as Inateck’s 4-port USB wall charger, have become so useful.

When you own a tablet, several smartphones, eBook readers, wearables and a power bank, charging all of these devices using the desktop PC or notebook’s USB ports is out of the question. Computer USB ports have a small amperage that barely makes them suitable for powering external hard drives. If you want to charge multiple devices in as little time as possible, you have to rely either on the original chargers of the devices, or on a wall charger with multiple ports and an amperage suitable for both smartphones and tablets. Inateck’s 4-port travel USB wall charger, codenamed UC4001, seems to be the perfect solution while on the road, especially since the alternative is to take multiple chargers with you.

Contents of the Box

The Inateck 4-Port 30W USB wall charger comes in a plain cardboard box with a sleeve over it detailing the specs of the product.

On the back of the sleeve there are some technical details, the product’s main features and the certifications and standards it respects.

The cardboard box includes Inateck’s logo, fact that makes it easily distinguishable, in case you’re deciding to pack it away, and have several similarly-shaped boxes with you while traveling.

Inside the box you will find the USB charger itself, a piece of cardboard that prevents it from moving around while being transported, and an instruction manual.

Specifications

Inateck offers the UC4001 charger in two versions, depending on the continent you live in, and consequently, on the type of power plug that’s used. Hence, there’s a version for North America, and one for Europe (as well as parts of Asia and Africa). The one in question comes with the EU plug, and knowing how bulky the UK and Australia power plugs are, I’m not surprised that Inateck has decided to make it this way.

The charger itself is very compact and feels really solid, which indicates that it was built using high-quality components. The two ports that are the farthest from the power LED are Super Charger/S ports using a current of 5V/2.4A. On the other hand, the Universal/U ports charge devices using 5V/1A. However, the total output is of 6,000mA instead of 6,800mA, which means that the overall amperage drops slightly when all the four ports are in use.

The manufacturer points out that Apple and Samsung chargers cannot be used interchangeably, but that won’t be a problem with the UC4001 USB wall charger, as its Super Charger ports have a smart USB charging port controller that detects the attached devices and adjusts the right current accordingly. In addition to that, the Inateck charger includes a surge protector that delivers reliable power to all of the connected devices, and prevents them from getting damaged due to over-current.

Performance

Over the past seven weeks, I’ve tested the charger with a first-gen Nexus 7 tablet, two Samsung smartphones and a new 16,000mAh Xiaomi Mi Power Bank, both at home and while traveling. Knowing that the batteries of the mobile devices weren’t exactly new, and thus, not at peak performance, I decided that the power bank would be the most adequate for assessing the efficiency of the charger.

I used both the Super Charger and the Universal ports to test how fast the power bank charges, and taking into account that the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank accepts a current of up to 2.0A while charging, I obtained the following results: the batteries took a bit over 8 hours to get to 100% when using the 2.4A ports, and double that using the 1A ports. That’s a major improvement over the computer’s USB 2.0 ports, which deliver a current of 500mA (or 900mA for USB 3.0, unless your motherboard has Super Charge ports, too).

Price and Availability

Inateck sells its products on Amazon to several markets across the globe. At the time of the writing, the UC4001 4-port USB wall charger was available on Amazon US ($13.99), Germany(€13.99), France (€16.99), Italy (€13.99), Spain (€17.99), and Canada(CND$ 18.99).

Conclusions

Having tested other Inateck products in the past, I got used to the high quality this German company delivers. The UC4001 4-port travel USB wall charger does not fail to impress either, and considering its usefulness and its compact design, I’m sure that it will a home in the backpacks of many geeks out there.

One thing I could complain about is the blue LED that indicates that the charger is plugged into a power outlet. The LED is quite powerful and the light it’s emitting can become distracting at night, so it would be nice if it lit up only when the charger is in use. Considering that it features multiple ports, turning off the LED when finishing charging each device is not really an option.

I would like to thank Inateck for sending me a product sample, and for making this hands-on review possible.

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Boost Transfer Speeds with an Inateck USB 3.0 PCI-e Card

Posted on 16/12/2014 by Alexandru Chiuariu

The USB 3.0 standard has been around since November 2008, but low-end motherboards motherboards didn’t feature it until recently. If you own an older system or simply need more USB 3.0 ports, Inateck’s USB 3.0 PCI-e cards may be one of your best options.

Inateck is a German company that manufactures USB 3.0 hubs, chargers and PCI-e cards, along with many accessories for iPads, Macbooks and Kindle e-readers. There are several USB 3.0 PCI-e cards in the company’s product portfolio, and consumers are encouraged to pick the one that’s most suitable for them, depending on the number of ports they need. The card in question is a dual port USB 3.0 PCI Express card with internal USB 3.0 20-pin connector, codenamed KT4007.

Presentation

The card comes in a compact cardboard box that’s large enough to store its components. Besides the card itself, which is placed in an antistatic bag, there is a low-profile bracket, two screws, a CD with the drivers and a PDF manual, as well as an User’s Guide (with instructions on how to install and uninstall the drivers) in physical format.

I found the label on the box a bit misleading, as the box of the KT4005 has the same thing written on it, and that card provides you with 4 USB 3.0 ports at the back of your case. The label is not entirely wrong, as besides the two external ports, the KT4007 also features an internal USB 3.0 20-pin connector that enables you to connect front panel or bay USB 3.0 ports to the computer, in case your motherboard doesn’t have support for this.

CD Contents

The window pictured above appears right after inserting the driver CD in the optical drive. The interface provides quick access to the drivers and the manual, but also to the online shop, should you be interested in buying other Inateck gadgets.

As you can see, you are given the option to visit the manufacturer’s website to get the latest drivers (this is also what I would recommend you to do), but in case there’s no Internet connection available, you can install the drivers provided on the disc, depending on the color of the PCB. Inateck took the right decision to color-code the cards depending on the USB 3.0 that is used. The only other mention that the KT4007 comes with a NEC chip was on the barcode on the product’s foil.

Installation

Inateck KT4007 is wired for PCIe 1x slots, but it works equally fine in PCIe 4x, 8x or even 16x slots. Just push it in one of those ports and install the driver provided on the CD.

Test bench

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA785G-UD3H
CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 245 2.9Ghz (overclocked at 3.625Ghz)
RAM: 4GB Kingmax KLDE88F-B8KU5 Dual-Channel DDR2 800Mhz (overclocked at 833Mhz)
SSD: Samsung 840 Evo 120GB
USB Flash Drive: Corsair Flash Voyager GT v2 32GB
OS: Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit

Software:

CrystalDiskMark 3.0.3 x64
ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.47

The computer used for testing the Inateck KT4007 USB 3.0 PCI-e card matches the manufacturer’s system requirements (Windows XP/Vista/7/8 and one available PCI Express slot), and is an old enough of a platform to emphasize the benefits of adding USB 3.0.

Benchmarks

Using the two aforementioned pieces of software I performed a comparison between the motherboard’s USB 2.0 ports and the USB 3.0 ports on the KT4007 card. In theory, USB 2.0 has a transfer speed of 480 Mbps, while the 3.0 standard comes with 5 Gbps. In practice it’s pretty difficult to achieve such results, but that doesn’t mean there’s no actual difference between the two.

The results obtained using ATTO Disk Benchmark are even more conclusive and somewhat closer to the rated speeds.

According to Corsair, the 32GB Flash Voyager GT 3.0 should reach read speeds of 240 MBps and write speeds of 100 MBps. Of course, you can opt for faster USB flash drives or even SSDs that connect via USB 3.0, if you need to boost transfer speeds even more.

Conclusions

Making the jump from USB 2.0 to 3.0 is the proper thing to do in this day and age, if you can’t afford a new motherboard that comes with 3.0 ports, getting yourself a PCIe card such as Inateck’s KT4007 is far more affordable.

The speeds achieved with this card are nothing short of impressive, but using different drives could lead to different results. There are a few things I would like Inateck to add in their future products, even though such changes could make prices go a bit higher. First of all, seeing how many motherboards and computer cases are black nowadays, offering USB 3.0 cards with black PCBs would reduce the discrepancies in color. Secondly, I would love to see an USB 3.0 expansion card that also comes with SATA III (6Gbps) ports. Most hard drives and SSD nowadays are manufactured using this standard, and an expansion card with both USB 3.0 and SATA III would mean an even better upgrade.

Inateck sells the KT4007 expansion card via Amazon US for $15.99. In Europe, you can find it on Amazon UK / Germany / France / Italy and Spain. Not at last, the card is also available on Amazon Japan.

I would like to thank Inateck for sending me a product sample for this hands-on review, and I’m looking forward to testing more of their products.

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Give Your eBooks a Cozy Home with Inateck’s Kindle Paperwhite Felt Case

Posted on 03/12/2014 by Alexandru Chiuariu

As great as Kindle’s eBook readers may be, they are very fragile, and even the slightest drop could deem them unusable. Inateck’s Kindle Paperwhite felt case provides them their much needed protection so that you can carry on with reading without having to worry.

Leipzig, Germany-based Inateck is a company that specializes in computer peripherals and accessories for Apple products, Android devices and Kindle e-readers. There’s a entire line of Kindle cases that includes book-like covers in various colors and the KPB-GR felt sleeve. Each of these has some advantages over the other, so it’s nice to see that Inateck has considered covering all the bases.

Measuring 20x14cm, this felt sleeve is marketed towards Kindle Paperwhite 1 & 2 owners, but it will fit the basic Kindle without any problems, as the size differences between these models are really negligible. The design is simple, yet attractive, with just white seaming and a narrow leather strap adding a touch of color to the otherwise gray mass. Another aspect that’s worth mentioning is the discreet Inateck logo that’s embossed on both sides of a piece of rubber attached to the sleeve’s bottom right side. I’m glad the manufacturer intends to attract attention with the product itself, and not with a logo that covers an entire side, as is the case with other companies.

So how does Inateck’s Kindle Paperwhite felt sleeve work in a real-life scenario? The case is snug, which means that the eBook reader won’t be able to slide out not even when you’re holding the sleeve upside down and the leather strap is not attached with the Velcro. To get the eBook reader out of the case you don’t need to insert your hand inside it. Just pull the leather strap gently (the company advises against pulling it too hard, as it might detach) and grab the reader by the bezel.

Inateck takes pride in having created a sustainable and renewable product from a plastic-free, metal-free, and thus environmentally friendly material. Personally, I think that the company has done a great job at creating a fashionable cover for the Kindle Paperwhite. That is not to say that the KPB-GR felt case doesn’t have its drawbacks, though.

The sleeve may offer better protection than its book cover counterparts, but it doesn’t provide quick access to the eBook reader the same way those do. Besides that, the book cover Kindle cases can turn the screen on or off, so you don’t have to press the power button each time you’re in the mood for reading. These problems are addressed in the other Inateck Kindle cases, so you cannot blame the company for not thinking about them. It’s just that different readers have different needs, and while some may find the KPB-GR sleeve more attractive, others will go for the book cover cases.

The Inateck KPB-GR Kindle Paperwhite felt case is available on Amazon US for $12.99, as well as on Amazon UK / Germany / France / Italy / Spain / Japan and Canada. Kindle Voyage has been out for a couple of months now, but the basic version and the Paperwhite won’t be discontinued any time soon, especially since Amazon upgrades them each year, so if you’re considering buying an eBook reader, you should also think of ways to protect it.

Not at last, I would like to thank Inateck for sending me a product sample for this hands-on review. Stay tuned, as more will follow!

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