For people who have never heard of this Chinese brand, it’s very easy to mistake it for the more celebrated French tablet maker: Archos. However, AOCOS is not just another copycat, it is actually owned by We Kuand Tech, a technology oriented company founded in 2004, way before the advent of Android tablets.
Ever since the marketing success of its superstar product – the AOCOS PX92 Hummingbird, which is known as the first Chinese tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard, AOCOS has been unstoppable. And now it is absolutely a major player in the Chinese tablet industry.
The advertising campaign of this AOCOS PX72 Peacock Mini 3G Tablet actually started by the end of last year. The narrow bezel design and the idea of RK3066 being paired with 3G mobile communication drew lots of attentions then. However, the slate hasn’t arrived until April, 2013, a time when tablets with MT6589 quad core chipset starting to take over the market and most of the curiosity and expectations for the PX72 have already worn off.
Yet, the mini7 Peacock is still quite a decent tablet, and I have lots of good things to say after using it for almost a month.
Key Features
◇198 x 113 x 9.6mm dimension size
◇7 inch 16M-color super IPS display at WXGA resolution (1280*800 pixels), 216PPI
◇Rockchip RK3066 SoC., dual core 1.6GHZ Cortex-A9 processor, Mali-400MP4 GPU, 1GB DDR3 RAM
◇Stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
◇16GB of built-in-storage
◇VGA front facing camera, 2.0MP rear-facing AF camera
◇Stereo speakers
◇Built-in 3G Module, Bluetooth V2.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct
◇HDMI TV-out
◇USB host
◇MicroSD card slot
◇1080p video playback
◇4200mAh Li-Po rechargeable battery
Design and Retail Package
I will start with the packaging. The AOCOS PX72 mini7 Peacock comes in minimalistic white box, on the front I see just the word “mini”, which comes in different colors, and on the back I see the white AOCOS logo with sky blue background color.
The real special beauty lays inside the box. The tablet itself, an OTG cable, an USB cable, are all carefully packaged in independent smaller boxes. I guess it’s fair to say that this is the most gorgeous packaging I have ever seen for an electronic device.
Let’s then talk about its design, what is striking is that AOCOS has pushed the screen bezel (left and right, portrait mode) of the PX72 to an all-time narrowest – just 5.8mm on each side of the display. Even compared to other tablets with small screen frames, the mini7 Peacock still easily stands out!
Above the display you will find the stereo speaker, which certainly looks very much like a telephone receiver, but it’s not. Next to the front-facing speaker is the VGA front-facing camera, which can be used for video phone calls and online chatting.
The backside of the device is made of aluminum alloy, which has a strong frosted feeling. The color is indigo blue for my unit, but there are other colors available. On the back you will find a 2.0MP rear side camera, an LED flash and the AOCOS LOGO.
When it comes to hardware controls, the AOCOS PX72 has taken the minimalist approach, opting for just a power/standby and a volume rocker. I personally love the simplistic design, but I have a tough time with the positioning. Both buttons are hosted on the lower part of the left edge, while I am using the tablet in vertical mode, the buttons are facing down, making it awkward for me to control them. On the middle of the left edge you will also find an SIM card slot, where you can use cellphone card of both GSM&WCDMA network.
The bottom edge of the slate plays host to most of the ports and slots. You will find a 3.5mm headphone jack, a 2.5mm DC charging port, a Mini HDMI port, a TF card slot and a Micro USB data port.
The tablet is 9.6mm thick. Although it is not the thinnest, it gives your hands a solid hold.
Display
Budget tablets typically make the biggest sacrifices on the display front. Not so with the AOCOS PX72, which is fronted by a very nice 1,280 x 800 IPS panel rated at 400 nits of brightness. While more pixels is always better -- the GOOGLE NEXUS 10 has already pushed the pixels on tablet display to the monstrous 2560*1600 -- WXGA feels perfectly adequate here. Text is rendered very well and 720p videos look great.
Other less quantifiable aspects of the display are also very nice. Viewing angles are top-notch, with contrast staying strong regardless of which side you're coming from. And, it's plenty bright, too, with decent outdoor visibility. In general, the display is just a lot nicer than you'd expect given the cost.
Sound
The audio of the PX72, however, isn't exactly fighting above its price. The speaker integrated in the front of the mini7 Peacock delivers an amount of sound that isn't very pleasant to listen to. Although it does pass the "loud enough to fill a living room" test, the quality leaves me reaching for my earphones.
System & UI
Like most Chinese tablets with RK3066, the PX72 ships with stock Android 4.1.1. And the modifications AOCOS has made to the stock user interface are next to none. Some apps do come pre-installed, but none of them AOCOS-exclusive.
Performance
The performance I encountered were more than enough. It is noteworthy that, compared with those so-called quad-core tablets with the actions ATM7029 chipset, the performance of this RK3066-powered tablet was clearly better. I have used it for almost a month and experienced no lockups, while running a dozen of applications. Although I did have noticed that the dual-core processor fairly quickly got in trouble with multitasking. With some big applications at work and with multiple browser tabs opened it felt a little bit slower. This problem is not insurmountable but a striking detail that should be listed and if you have many widgets on your home screen and using live wallpapers at the same time, the switching got significantly slower.
Cameras
Neither the front-facing nor the rear-facing camera produces satisfactory images. After taking a few testing pics I decided I would never use the rear-facing camera ever again. I really don’t understand why AOCOS would give a 5MP camera to a 10.1 inch tablet rather than a more portable 7 incher with 3G module and phone functions.
Connectivity
The PX72 has built in 3G module (GSM/WCDMA) , Wi-Fi and Bluetooth V2.1. It is also able to make and receive phone calls. The 3G network and Wi-Fi reception of the slate is decent, though not as wonderful as the Samsung Galaxy Tab I have been using, it certainly bests most of the 7 inch tablets I have tested.
Battery Life
Of course a tablet is only good for as long as you can use the thing. RK3066 is notorious for its high power consumption, and I have to admit I was worried about its battery life before receiving the slate. But after using it for several weeks, I was actually quite pleased with the longevity here. I came within spitting distance of 6 hours on a charge using out standard rundown test, which has the tablet connected on Wi-Fi and looping an online TV show endlessly. That's very, very good for a budget 7-incher and bests many other similar sized tablets.
Verdict
When it comes to “cheap tablets” you normally get what you pay for. They are dreadful – cheap is not a quality you will want to be exploring whilst sitting on the plane or sipping on a cappuchino in your favorite cafe.
But the AOCOS PX72 is not a “cheap” tablet. It is a high quality tablet at a low price. If you are looking for a budget 7-inch tablet PC with 3G and phone features for under 200 dollars. This 7-inch slate is probably the best option!
The good:
1. Great Build quality.
2. Decent overall performance.
3. Excellent display.
4. Built-in 3G module, built-in Bluetooth.
5. Phone Functions.
The bad:
1. No real receiver for phone calls.
2. Crappy cameras.
3. The sound of the speakers is of poor quality.
