Evo Litepad 8 Unboxed!
A few days ago we wrote a short feature about the Evo LitePad 8. Today we’re going to share with you guys our unboxing and initial review! The local distributor was kind enough to send a review unit so we’re definitely going to put this through the paces to find out if it’s really a good buy for Php5,999.
Before we get to the unboxing, let’s review the specifications again.
Evo LitePad 8 Spec Sheet
- 1.2GHz Quad-core Processor A31s (Allwinner)
- PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU
- 1GB DDR3 RAM
- 16GB Internal Storage, expandable via microSD Card up to 32GB
- 7.85? IPS Display, 1024 x 768 resolution
- 2.0-megapixels primary camera
- VGA secondary camera
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, 3 Axis Gyro, Accelerometer
- Mini HDMI 1.4 to HDMI Output
- 4k Video Playback
- Aluminum Shell
- USB OTG Capable
- Android Jelly Bean 4.2
- 4,000mAh Battery
- SRP: Php5,999
As you can see from the specs, it’s a pretty respectable tablet. The only point for concern here is really the 1.2GHz quad-core processor. AllWinner, while famous in China, isn’t a familiar brand yet here in the Philippines. We’ll zero in on this for the full review but for now let’s just get the tablet out of the box!
Packaging and Unboxing
Despite being a newcomer in the local market, Evo managed to ship the LitePad 8 with a relatively good box! Unlike most Android tablets which come in pull down carton boxes the Evo Litepad 8 has a magnetic closure which you pop open by pulling. It reminded us of those PC game boxes which loved using this kind of design with their boxes.
At the front we have the usual product shot and branding elements. At the back we found the complete technical specifications in a clean table. They also included the list of peripherals included in the box.
Unboxing was very straightforward. We popped open the lid and we were immediately greeted by the Evo LitePad 8 wrapped in plastic. We tore the plastic and peeled off the screen protector. Definitely an impressive piece of hardware! Can’t believe that they managed to do an aluminum shell and competitive internals despite the low price point.
We set aside the tablet first and dug inside the box. For the accessories we found the micro USB to USB cable for data transfer, a wall charger with a DC cable for charging, and a USB OTG cable (yay for free stuff). Unfortunately there weren’t any earphones. They should really start including earphones for free even with tablets that don’t have 3G connectivity because people can still make calls via the internet. And most people use their tablets for watching movies (most external speakers of tablets suck).
It’s a Looker
If there’s one thing going for the Evo Litepad 8, it’s definitely how it looks and feels. Despite the Php5,999 price tag, the device actually comes in a very thin aluminum shell. Yes folks, this is all metal and glass! A far cry from the usual boring and generic glossy plastic that we’ve seen in the last few years. This is the kind of material that you just love touching when you wake up after it manages to store some cold from the aircon, hehe!
As you can see in the photo above the I/O is spread at the top of the device. We have the following ports: HDMI, standard headphone, micro USB and a slot for a microSD card. The power lock button is also situated here while the volume rocker and a “home” button can be found along the sides.
So far we’ve only had an hour or two with the tablet before we started writing this piece. We were expecting a major lag fest since almost all the tablets we’ve tried in this price range were big letdowns. We were pleasantly surprised to find the user experience snappy. That’s one word you don’t really use to describe budget-friendly tablets, lol. Don’t get me wrong though — we still had lag spots. But it was considerably less and much more acceptable and manageable compared to our previous Android tablets in this category.
The display was also nice thanks to the IPS technology for better viewing angles. Resolution really isn’t the best but you can’t complain seeing as this just sells for Php5,999!
Kinda… Empty
By the way, the local distributor should probably pre-install more apps in the Evo Litepad 8. There were barely any apps in it when we fired it up. They should have at least included the usual suspects like Facebook and Twitter in it.
Full Review Coming Soon!
For the purpose of this review we’re currently using the Evo Litepad 8 as our main daily driver tablet. There are definitely a lot of things we want to test like the battery life, processor and graphics capabilities for gaming, and more. Our full review should be dropping sometime later this week so please do keep checking this space for more updates!
