FIRST IMPRESSIONS -
I was recently asked to review the Pipo X9. It was provided to me by Gearbest.com for this purpose. Here are my thoughts on this device. Bear in mind that I am new to this category of devices. To me this device is a TV Dongle / box that tries to be a tablet. Either that or its a tablet with Identity crisis. This is marketed as a Tablet or MiniPC. This I suppose it can do with caveats. As a TV Box, its got advantages compared to other devices in that category and some downsides as well.As a tablet, it does not do well compared to the other devices in that category. But I am getting ahead of myself.
SPECIFICATIONS -
Display - 1920*1200 full HD
CPU - Intel Atom Z3736F up to 2.16Ghz
RAM - 2GB DDR3L
Storage - 32GB or 64GB (Mine is 32 GB)
OS - Windows 10 Home and Android 4.4 dual boot
I/O ports - 1X Micro SD slot,
4X USB Type A
AV out
Audio out
RS232 optional (DB-9)
HDMI output
Network - Wifi 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
Power - 12V 2.4A
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS -
Being powered by Intel, usually means good things. Especially with the whole Win-tel combination dominating PC world for years. However in recent years, Intel's foray into the world of tablets has had mixed response. Those devices are great as a portable computer or Net Enabled device. However, when you consider Non-Windows tablets, the place is dominated by other SoC Manufacturers. Particularly in case of Android, there has been very little support from developer community to Intel based devices. So you are likely to see smaller collection of apps in Google Play for Intel based devices. Now, if we were to look at TV Sticks/ Mini PCs, the things go further downhill. For one, Intel has decided to exit this market. So, no wonder the response to Nexus Player based on Intel has been tapering.
Given that kind of background, we take a look at the Pipo X9. To be honest, I do feel that this device is attempting to perform different roles for different people and ends up being jack of all trades. For one, the lack of a battery pretty much kills any aspirations it has of becoming a tablet. Being permanently tied to the wall is not anyone's idea of a portability. That being said, the wedge shape also precludes being portable.
As far as ports and interfaces are concerned, we do have decent coverage. Along the right side, we have a pair of USB ports along with a Earphone jack and the speaker. That side also happens to have the power button and volume control. Along the back side, we have another pair of USB ports accompanied by the expected HDMI port and RJ-45 lan port. There's also a slot for a micro-sd card. But I won't be using that at least. That side also sports a big Wireless Antenna making for a pretty stable wireless connection. The X9, when booted, offers a choice of booting in either windows or Android with a default to whatever OS you were in last time.
WINDOWS EXPERIENCE -
Honestly, I am not a big fan of Windows touch. As a desktop OS, it has its place and uses. However, I found that accuracy of recognizing touches as being low. Being able to get to what I want efficiently is not straightforward. But let's not delve into merits of Windows.
The X9 when booted into windows 10 home, brings you to an unsecure user login. I found the navigation was similar to my other laptop with Windows 10. The fact that this is more portable than the laptop does make it easy. So if it comes to hooking up your laptop to a TV vs the X9, the X9 wins hands down. I do think it actually puts windows touch to a good use that it was meant to do, when connecting to a TV. With VLC picked up from App store, I soon had a nice movie going from network location. Sound reproduction was pretty good but albeit on the low side. However, Gearbest.com had also sent me Bluedio H+ turbine with the X9. So the sound problem was temporarily sidelined.
ANDROID EXPERIENCE -
Android side when treated as a TV Stick and not as a tablet, then you are working with right expectations. You have Android Kitkat out of box with possibility of update down the road. I won't hold my breath though. Essentially, its 8 & 1/2 inch form factor is slightly larger than that of your average TV mini-pc. You have pretty much 8 GB allocated to Android if you have 32 GB version. There's not much bloat out of box. The apps are pretty much standard plain vanilla Android. I was wondering about the Root. However, when I installed SuperSU, it informed me that its already rooted and just needs newer binaries. That updated, Root Checker confirmed that I have root. That's one less to worry about.
However, the Intel Graphic Chip offers additional up-conversion of the HDMI signal offering better hardware decoding. This shows up when you play movies at 1080p. The HDMI out does its job. Unfortunately, the device is not recognized as a CEC Device (Consumer Electronic Control). Oh well, think I am being picky.
CONCLUSION -
The Pipo X9 is a decent TV Stick with a Dual Boot of Windows 10 or Android Kitkat. The Intel Z3736F's Quad Cores offer decent performance without any lag or delay for normal web browsing or playing off of Youtube. As a TV mini-pc, the X9 offers greater flexibility of a touchscreen without having to use a remote. Its built-in speakers are good enough for the job but may appear as limited due to the form factor. Performance over Bluetooth is nice over a distance of 10 meters. HDMI performance is on par with other TV Sticks based on AMLOGIC Chipsets.
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