Iconbit nettab thor ver 2 firmware. Review and testing of the iconBIT NetTAB Thor tablet

Dual-core tablet PC, with quad-core graphics processor and widescreen 10.1″ (1280×800, 16:9) high-resolution display and wide viewing angle (IPS, capacitive, multi-touch).

A new dual-core (Cortex-A9 1.6 GHz) processor provides high performance programs and the latest version of the Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) mobile operating system. Stylish, lightweight, fast, equipped with a high-capacity battery (8000 mAh) and ideal for web surfing, HD videos and e-books, and a powerful quad-core graphics processor allows you to run modern 3D games. Bluetooth, G-sensor, USB OTG for connecting external flash / HDD media. 8 GB NAND flash, 1 GB DDR3, up to 64 GB micro-SD. Compatible with external modems and portable 3G / 4G(LTE) routers. Case included.

Dual-core processor up to 1.6 GHz

Rockchip's latest dual-core processor based on TSMC's 40nm technology delivers high performance and low power consumption. Dual-core ARM Cortex™-A9 MPCore™ and ARM Artisan® Physical IP Process Optimization Pack (POP) provide 10%-20% performance improvements. Performance is 3 times faster than existing single-core tablet PCs. Quad-core GPU with OpenGL ES2 support. O and OpenVG 1.1, 3D graphics and HD video playback without lag.

Resolution up to 1280×800

1280x800 is the standard HD resolution for the Android 4.1 platform. The screen with an IPS matrix has a wide viewing angle (178°), fast response, and high color rendering quality. Ideal for viewing photos, movies, web pages, and games in standard and high definition.

Slim and portable

The high-quality and stylish NetTAB THOR case is 20% thinner than similar models with a 10.1″ screen diagonal.

Multi-touch screen.

Capacitive touch screen, excellent light transmission, fast response, precise positioning. Ideal for games and applications.

Excellent gaming performance of the Mali400 quad-core processor in 3D games!

NetTAB THOR has a built-in Mali400 GPU, which is one of the best GPUs available today. Its performance is 30 million polygons per second and up to 1.1 gigapixels per second at 275 MHz. This allows you to play many 3D games on Android.

Share your happiness

NetTAB THOR has HDMI Full HD video output, which allows you to display HD videos and games on your TV or projector and enjoy them with family and friends.

The Bluetooth module supports file and audio transfer. Enjoy high quality sound with a Bluetooth headset.

Reviews and tests

“What is it like, an affordable and high-quality tablet: iconBIT NetTAB THOR test.”
ht.ua(20.03.2013)

"Review and testing of the iconBIT NetTAB THOR tablet."
Easycom.com.ua(02/02/2013)

"Review of the iconBIT NetTAB Thor Android tablet."
gagadget.ru(10.01.2013)

The other day I bought a tablet. NetTAB THOR WHITE by Iconbit. Anyone interested can easily find the tablet’s parameters on the Internet; here we’ll talk about a little something else.

There was no particular reason to swear at the tablet; it works as stated, without any disasters. In principle, it is understandable, hardware is hardware, and the Android system is already quite tested, and now most often the human factor is behind glitches and malfunctions. So my human factor played a role :)).

There was a problem that didn’t occur right away, but it seems that sooner or later it will happen to almost every owner.
Due to my inexperience, I filled the available space with a lot of toys and cartoons (I took a tablet for children). And wow, the tablet stopped loading.
While downloading large amounts of information into it, it began to slow down, and in response to my decision to reboot it by holding down the “power” button, it responded by displaying the iconbit logo for an hour without further loading the system.
In general, my initiative with a forced reboot of the system gave quite expected results.
It was not possible to boot the system, and without a loaded system it was not possible to reset the tablet to factory settings.
Of course, there was an option with the service. For a certain amount of money, specialists could easily fix everything. But there was no service nearby, and there was no point in running somewhere overnight... So the devil pulled me to look on the Internet for a solution to my problem...
How good it is that they invented the Internet. It turns out that it is possible, without loading the system, to reset all settings to minimum with complete memory clearing (which is what I needed, in my opinion).
This thing is called HARD RESET.
Unfortunately, there were no direct references to how to perform a HARD RESET on my tablet model.
Therefore, I had to experiment. It’s good that the tablet only has three buttons, so I didn’t have to go through it for a long time.
In general, in order to enter the recovery menu you need

• Hold down the volume up button and plug the charger into the tablet (there was no other way to turn it on)
• When a picture of a disassembled android appears with an exclamation mark, release the buttons.
• To display the recovery menu items, hold down the tablet's power button and press the volume up button again.

Next, use the volume buttons to navigate through the menu and confirm the selection with the power button.
I selected the "wipe data/factory reset" option, and then "reboot system now"... and I was happy :)
It looks like you can flash the tablet's firmware from the same menu, but I haven't tried how to do it yet. I think these are quite standard operations...

P.S. Again, I confirm the title of mug... I went to the iconbit forum and everything is written there in black and gray :)
http://forum.iconbit.ru/viewtopic.php?f=91&t=21842

We recently got acquainted with the iconBIT NetTAB Space II tablet - one of the two current flagships of the iconBIT company. Now it's time to study the second model - iconBIT NetTAB Thor. Like Space II, Thor is equipped with an IPS screen and runs on a fairly powerful SoC Rockchip 3066. But, unlike its brother, the Thor screen has a diagonal of 10.1 inches and a 16:10 aspect ratio, optimal for movies and games from the Google Play Store .

Finding a competitor to this model is not easy, since most manufacturers of budget tablets use 9.7-inch screens, and their known models with 10.1-inch screens are mainly equipped with less powerful SoCs. Therefore, let's see how Thor differs from products from more well-known brands: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Acer Iconia Tab A510 and, of course, iPad 2 (although it has a screen not 10.1 inches, but 9.7, but still it’s a choice “iPad or not iPad” is the first question facing buyers today.

* - according to the manufacturer; Our weighing of iconBIT NetTAB Space II on electronic scales with an error of 1 gram showed a mass of 688 grams, and iconBIT Thor - 659 grams.
** - the cost of iPad 2 is indicated for the version without 3G and with 16 GB of flash memory

So, the iconBIT tablet, despite its much lower price than other models in the table, looks quite decent. True, it is inferior to the other three devices in terms of flash memory, but this is partly compensated by the ability to use microSD. In addition, the Thor is inferior to two Android tablets in terms of rear camera resolution, but in a 10-inch tablet this is not so important. The main thing is that the quality of the shooting is acceptable (we will check this).

Well, after a preliminary acquaintance, it’s time to move on to a detailed study of iconBIT NetTAB Thor.

Packaging and equipment

The tablet comes in a large dark box.

Inside, in addition to the tablet, we found a charger, headphones, an adapter from Micro-USB to USB-in (USB Female Type A) for connecting flash drives and peripherals, a Micro-USB-USB cable for connecting the tablet to a computer, a short user manual and the most nice thing - the case. The Thor configuration is completely identical to Space II.

We wrote about the case in the Space II review, so we won’t repeat it.

In general, the Thor package can be assessed as excellent: the presence of a convenient case and an adapter that allows you to connect external USB devices is very pleasing.

Design

The tablet has a strict and reliable design. Its main feature is the metal edging.

The rest of the tablet looks quite traditional. It has a smooth front panel without any buttons and a plastic black back panel. The plastic is smooth, so it collects fingerprints.

On the metal edges (more precisely, on the left side - the rest are empty) there is a familiar, but still pleasing set of connectors and ports: Micro-USB, Mini-HDMI, microSD/SDHC memory card slot, 3.5 mm jack for headsets, microphone hole, speaker holes and a round connector for connecting the charger.

On the same side we see the Power button and the volume rocker.

The overall impression of the design is good. I repeat that I was very pleased with the metal edging. It is both beautiful and practical.

Screen

One of the main features of the tablet is its IPS screen. Its diagonal and resolution correspond to the Android flagships of the first half of this year - 10.1 inches and 1280x800.

A detailed examination of the screen using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his conclusion.

The tablet screen is covered with a glass plate with a mirror-smooth scratch-resistant surface and, judging by the reflection of bright light sources in it, does not have an anti-glare filter. There is no special oleophobic coating on the outer surface of the screen, so fingerprints are relatively difficult to remove. In addition, it is simply unpleasant to move your finger along the “bare” glass - smooth movements are difficult to achieve.

With manual brightness control, its maximum value was 292 cd/m², the minimum was 69.8 cd/m². As a result, at maximum brightness in bright daylight it will be possible to see something on the screen, but it’s better to watch a movie at least in the shade. The minimum brightness will allow you to comfortably use the tablet even in complete darkness. Automatic brightness adjustment works based on the light sensor (it is located in the upper left corner); when auto mode is turned on, the brightness is set in accordance with the level of external illumination, and increases quite quickly with an increase in external illumination, but when the intensity of external light decreases, the brightness of the screen remains at a high level. However, if you turn off and on automatic brightness control, the brightness will be set in accordance with the level of external illumination. In complete darkness, the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to at least 115 cd/m² (a little brighter than we would like), in an artificially lit office, the brightness is set to the same 115 cd/m² (comfortable level), in a very bright environment - to 258 cd /m² (which is less than with manual brightness control). Brightness adjustment is carried out using pulse-width modulation (rectangular pulses with 100% amplitude), but with a high frequency of 1000 Hz, so flickering of the backlight at reduced brightness is not visible.

This tablet uses an IPS type matrix, as a result the screen has very good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large deviations of the view from perpendicular to the screen. True, as is typical for any IPS matrix, the black field when deviated diagonally brightens significantly (although not very much), but remains close to a neutral gray tint. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good. The contrast is high - 1200:1. Black-white-black response time is 25.9 ms (17.2 ms on + 8.7 ms off). The transition between halftones of 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) takes a total of 54.5 ms. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, while the real gamma curve does not deviate much from the power-law dependence. The index of the approximating power function turned out to be 2.23, which is almost equal to the standard value of 2.2.

The color gamut is noticeably narrower than sRGB:

The spectra confirm this:

Apparently, the matrix filters slightly mix the components with each other. This technique allows you to increase the brightness of the screen with the same energy consumption for backlighting. The balance in color temperature is far from ideal - 8000K white turns to almost 13000K as we move towards darker shades. However, the ΔE indicator is below 10 units, which is acceptable for a consumer device:

In total, we have a screen with an IPS matrix, quite bright and contrasty and with a relatively stable black relative to the viewing angle, virtually flicker-free and with a gamma curve close to the standard one. These are advantages. Disadvantages: narrow color gamut (colors are less saturated than they should be), large deviation in color temperature (shades of gray are cooler than they should be and differ noticeably in tone), no oleophobic coating.

The tablet supports multiple touches (multitouch). 10 touches are recognized simultaneously.

We also note a small drawback: when you click on the upper left corner, the image begins to float.

Platform

NetTAB Thor runs on the new Rockchip RK3066 chip system, which features a high frequency dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU (up to 1.6 GHz per core) and a quad-core Mali-400 MP4 GPU, whereas the previous generation of Rockchip chip systems (RK29xx ) was equipped with a dual-core GPU.

We are familiar with this SoC from the iconBIT NetTAB Space II test. Therefore, we will not dwell on this in detail and will only present the results.

The new version of AnTuTu Benchmark, available on the Google Play Store, for some unknown reason did not work on the tablet. Therefore, we present here the result shown by the Space II tablet (running on the same SoC) in the previous version of this benchmark.

The results in the Nenamark 2 GPU benchmark are slightly different (to a lesser extent) from Space II, but the explanation for this is simple: Thor has a slightly higher screen resolution. Therefore, the result in Nenamark 2 should be considered excellent.

GLBenchmark 2.5.1 worked on Thor (as well as on Space II), alas, incorrectly.

In general, as we have already said, the performance of the Rockchip RK3066 did not come as a surprise to us, and the conclusions we made earlier were completely confirmed: this is the level of NVIDIA Tegra 3, although not so well supported by applications (the same AntTuTu Benchmark is evidence of this).

Outputting video to an external display

We have repeatedly written that tablets equipped with an HDMI output can be used as a media player. Indeed, from the point of view of convenience and mobility, this is one of the best solutions. But the main nuance here is the resolution of the image displayed on the external screen. We decided to check on iconBIT NetTAB Thor whether the tablet can display Full HD images or not.

The device was connected with a Mini-HDMI cable (from the kit of one of the iconBIT media players) to a Full HD monitor. In the HDMI settings (this menu item was added to the “Settings” section by the tablet manufacturer), 1080p 60 Hz was selected.

A test video with a static image was displayed on the tablet (using the tablet's main video player, which supports hardware acceleration). This is what it looked like on the monitor screen (we provide a fragment, the full frame is available at the link).

We then connected the same monitor to a Panasonic Blu-ray player and played a test disc with the same video. And here is a photo of the monitor screen.

Please note the slight geometric distortion (the image from the tablet is slightly compressed vertically). In addition, in the bottom photo you can see that the square at the top right consists of alternating black and white stripes. This means that the video is output at a resolution of 1920x1080. In the top photo, the square appears completely black. This means that the image resolution is less than Full HD. In this case, most likely, it is 1280x800, like the screen of the tablet itself.

In addition to 1080p 60 Hz, we tried other settings, but none of them helped to display a “real” Full HD picture. What is the problem? Perhaps the fact is that the tablet simultaneously displays the image on its screen. Therefore, if Full HD was displayed on an external screen, and 1280x800 on your own screen, you would have to simultaneously decode two video streams. But then the question arises as to why the tablet doesn’t turn off its own screen when selecting the HDMI 1080p setting - this would be a logical solution.

Further tests showed that the result described above is valid when using hardware acceleration. And if you play the file in MX Player, decoding it with the system’s ARM cores, a 1080p image will be displayed on the external screen (although slight geometry distortions will remain). The only problem is that the tablet’s CPU power will not be enough to decode Full HD video with a normal bitrate. This means that although iconBIT NetTAB Thor is formally capable of outputting Full HD video, in fact it can only be used as a media player with video resolutions of 720p and lower. The same conclusions are true for NetTAB Space II. But this only applies to videos; there should be no such problems with games.

In the future, we will try to investigate this issue in more detail (outputting images from mobile devices to an external screen via HDMI or USB using MHL technology).

Games

iconBIT NetTAB Thor is positioned as a gaming tablet. And there is more reason for this than in the case of iconBIT NetTAB Space II, since a 1280x800 screen is much better suited for Android games than a 4:3 screen (1024x768). Plus, the Rockchip 3066's performance is enough for all modern 3D games.

As we remember, on Space II the image in this game was displayed with some distortion (the round controls were stretched vertically). Everything is fine here.

However, a number of games failed to install or run on Thor. Among them are such hits as Modern Combat 3 and Dark Meadow. Thus, despite the optimal screen aspect ratio and excellent performance, Thor can be recommended to users as a gaming tablet only if they play simpler games or are willing to install projects of interest from alternative sources. However, a considerable number of hits are installed and launched on Thor without problems. The manufacturer provides the following list:

• Asphalt 7: Heat
• GTA III
• Most Wanted
• Max Payne Mobile
• The Dark Knight
• The new Spiderman
• Shadowgun
• Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
• Mass Effect
• Bards Tale
• Recless Racing
• Real Racing
• Etarnity Warriors 2
• Dead Trigger
• Dungeon Hunter 3
• Blood & Glory: Legend

Operating system and applications

iconBIT NetTAB Thor, which came to our editorial office, ran on Android 4.1 OS. It is with this operating system (the latest, if you don’t count Google Nexus 10, running on Android 4.2) that the tablet is sold in stores.

iconBIT does not install any shells, but the OS has still undergone one modification: root has been made (superuser rights have been obtained).

This is, of course, a big plus, and the manufacturer should be thanked for this. As well as for the fact that there are no Google services that are completely unnecessary for some users, such as the Google+ social network client or useless in this case (the tablet does not have GPS, like the Space II) Google navigation.

Of course, any of the missing Google apps can be installed yourself and for free from the Google Play store. As for the set of applications that is pre-installed on the tablet, it is worth noting Adobe Flash Player, Superuser (for managing superuser capabilities), Apk Installer (for installing applications not from the Play Store), Video video player that supports hardware acceleration, as well as file managers ES File Explorer (and ES Task Manager) and Explorer. Please also note that starting from Android 4.1, the Google Chrome browser is included in the package of pre-installed programs. However, the manufacturer also left the usual Browser, so the user has the opportunity to choose (whereas, say, on the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10, Google only installed Chrome).

Autonomous operation and ergonomics

The tablet demonstrated good, but not outstanding, battery life. So, in a benchmark simulating a 3D game (we used GLBenchmark Battery Test, Egypt scene, 30 fps, screen brightness 100%), iconBIT NetTAB Thor lasted about three and a half hours. In this case, the Wi-Fi module was turned off, but the screen brightness was at maximum. Perhaps if you lower the brightness, the tablet will last a little longer. But this is still less than the iPad or Android gaming tablets. We also note that this is not the most complex scene, and the number of frames per second was set to low, that is, a moderate graphic load (usually we use the much more complex Egypt HD scene, but it did not work correctly on this tablet). Accordingly, if you run some very serious game, it’s not a fact that the tablet will last even three hours.

When playing, the tablet got warm, but not so much that it caused any inconvenience or discomfort.

The tablet can play YouTube videos at medium screen brightness for just under seven hours (about 6 hours 45 minutes). That's not bad, even better than the iPad 4. True, there we used a browser, but here we use the official YouTube application. And, of course, the screen resolution of these models is not comparable.

We also checked how long the tablet will work in mode with Wi-Fi turned off, at average screen brightness, without load on the CPU and GPU - we can call this reading mode indoors. In such conditions, the tablet lasted about eight hours. In fact, this is the most economical mode possible during the day - if you lower the brightness even lower, then it will be comfortable to work with the tablet only in a dark room. In principle, this may also be relevant - for those who like to read at night before bed, by the light of a night lamp. But here it is already problematic to calculate the total battery life, since you are unlikely to read in poor lighting for more than an hour (this is simply harmful to the eyes) - therefore, most of the time the tablet will lie idle, and during this time it will also gradually lose charge (with this, Android tablets generally have a worse situation than Apple devices, which practically do not discharge in sleep mode).

It is worth noting one significant feature that is also inherent in iconBIT NetTAB Space II: if you believe the information about the percentage of battery charge that the OS shows, the battery is discharged very unevenly. It takes a very long time to discharge from 100% to 50%, after which the charge burns out from 50 percent to zero in literally two hours. The same is true for the reverse process: the battery charges quite quickly to 50%, after which it takes a very long time (several hours) to charge from 50% to 100%. So, from 99% to 100% the battery can be charged in almost fifteen minutes. In principle, this cannot be called a critical drawback; you just need to keep in mind that you should not rely on the displayed charge percentage. If, say, after two days of use you've drained the battery to 50%, don't expect to be able to use the device for at least another day. It's better to charge it fully, and do it in advance, and not half an hour before leaving.

For clarity, we have summarized the results of iconBIT NetTAB Thor battery life tests into one table.

Cameras

As we remember, Space II had a low-quality rear camera that produced a defective image (too dark). Therefore, we were very interested in whether this deficiency remained in the Thor model. Fortunately, it turned out that everything was relatively fine with the camera here. Of course, the image is still too far from what was desired, but still this camera is quite suitable for taking some kind of photography when there is no other photographic device at hand.

We tried to shoot the view from the window twice. Once - on a sunny day, another - in the late afternoon, when it was already starting to get dark. Here is a fragment of a daytime photo.

It is clear that there are a lot of artifacts, and the cars are too hidden in the shadow of the building. But in general, the result is acceptable for a budget 2-megapixel camera.

The evening shot turned out worse (see frame below): there is no clarity here, and there are too many artifacts.

Below is our traditional photograph of a sheet of paper lying on a windowsill illuminated by daylight. As you can see, the text is with great difficulty, but is distinguishable (although it is on the verge of readability). But the numbers in the table are no longer there.

We also note that of the takes we took (we shoot each type several times), there was a large percentage of unsuccessful ones (for example, too much darkening or too blurry frame). This also does not speak well for the camera.

The quality of the video shot with the rear camera can be described as “no fish, no fish.” If you need to film something very urgently, you can use this camera. But if there is an alternative, then it is better to prefer it. The video with a resolution of 640x480 and a capacity of 2.73 MB can be downloaded.

The front camera is even worse in quality than the rear one (although it has the same resolution), but it is quite suitable for video communication.

conclusions

Like Space II, the iconBIT NetTAB Thor seems to us one of the best among budget tablets in terms of price and quality. An IPS screen with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16:10 (optimal for Android), a very decent SoC Rockchip 3066 in terms of performance and a good design (body with metal edging) make this model a very attractive solution. An additional plus is the HDMI output. However, through it, the tablet cannot output 1080p video to an external screen using hardware acceleration.

And this is not the only drawback. If we list other nuances, then first of all it is worth saying that the SoC does not support all Google Play Store games (more precisely, game developers for some reason do not support Rockchip). Secondly, the quality of the tablet's rear camera is quite poor (although better than that of the Space II). Thirdly, there is no GPS.

And yet, based on the totality of characteristics and features, we can safely recommend this model to anyone who has decided to purchase a budget 10-inch tablet today and is ready to put up with the lack of navigation functions.