IdolPad Mini Studio android tablet review
Lost and Tired is proud to work with Idolian, in conjunction with millerrupp.com to not only review this tablet but give some away to my readers as well.
I wanted to make sure I told you to check out Idolian's website because they have tons of great tech for a reasonable price.
Now let's get to the details. The Mini Studio is an 8 inch tablet powered by android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) from Google. This particular model is designed to go head to head with Apple's new iPad Mini.
While I don't own an iPad to do a side by side comparison, I have used them, including the iPad Mini.
The Mini Studio stacks up quite well, in this technology nerd's opinion.
Let's talk price and get that out of the way first. The iPad mini begins at $329 for the 16GB wifi (only) model. The Mini Studio will only set you back $198 for the same 16GB wifi (only) model.
Take a look at the chart below and see for yourself how the specs stack up.
Model Factory
iPad MINI
Studio 8
Price
$329.00
$198.00
LCD
Size
7.9''
8''
Aspect
4:3
4:3
Resolution
IPS 1024x768
IPS 1024x768
Touching panel
Multi touch capacitive
Multi touch capacitive
CPU
Brand
Apple A5
RK
Frequency
1.0GHz
1.6GHZ
Core Model
Apple A5
A9 dual core
Memory
RAM
1GB DDR3
1GB DDR3
iNand Flash
16G
16G
System
OS
iOS 6
Android 4.1OS
Language
Multiple languages
Multiple languages
Web browser
Google standard
Google standard
Flash Player
Flash 11.1
Flash 11.1
Connectivity
Wi-Fi
802.11b/g/n
802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth
support
Support
3G
support 3G Dongle
support 3G Dongle
3G with VOICE
NO
NO
GPS
NO
NO
HD AV Wireless
NO
NO
Dock Station
NO
NO
Camera
Front
1.2M
0.3M
Rear
5.0M
2.0M
Speaker
Mono
NO
NO
Stereo
YES
YES
Mic
YES
YES
Sensor
Accelerometer
Only G-sensor
Ambient Light
Gyro
Elect. Compass
Vibration
NO
NO
HD
player
1080P
1080P
video
VGA
VGA
Connection
USB
-
YES
Lightning
YES
NO
IPAD dock
YES
NO
HDMI
-
YES
SD Card
-
YES
DC Jack
-
YES
Ethernet
-
connected by adapter by USB port
SIM card slot
-
NO
Battery
Type
Li-ion Polymer
Li-ion Polymer
Capacity
4490MAH
4500MAH
Power
AC Adapter
-
5V,2A
-
Accessories
AC Adaptor
YES
YES
Headphones
NO
NO
User Manual
YES
YES
USB Cable
YES
YES
HDMI Cable
NO
NO
Case
NO
NO
Others
NO
NO
Enclosure
Rear Cabinet
Aluminum Alloy
Aluminum Alloy
Certification
FCC
YES
YES
CE
YES
YES
UL
Only Ac-adapter with UL
Only Ac-adapter with UL
RoHS
YES
YES
Others
ErP, LVD, EMC, RTTE
ErP, LVD, EMC, RTTE
USB
NO
NO
HDMI
YES
YES
MPEG
NO
NO
DivX
NO
NO
Others
NO
NO
Weight
308G
420G
Dimension
Product(mm)
200*134.7*7.2
209x163x10,edge 4mm only
I've been putting this Mini Studio through the ringer for the past couple of weeks, prior to posting my review. I have to say that I'm very, very impressed with not only the build quality but also the performance. Having spent far to much time, with far to many tablets in the past, I have quite a bit of experience in this department.
Having said that, I'm still extremely impressed with almost everything about this device.
This tablet has run everything I've thrown at it, from games to live wallpapers, music and movies. It runs like a champ and never seemed to really struggle with anything.<img src="http://lostandtired.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/20130210_111247.-_wm-300x168.jpg" alt="" class="inline-block max-w-full h-auto rounded-xl my-4" loading="lazy" />
The UI is buttery smooth and a pleasure to use. I did however replace the it with Nova Launcher, as I'm partial to that but the ability to do so is just another example of the advantages the Mini Studio has over it's competition, otherwise known as the iPad Mini. The android OS allows for, nay, encourages the user to customize it to their personal liking. Don't like the launcher, download a new one. Don't like the on screen keyboard, download a new one. You can pretty much find a replacement app for anything you could possibly need. They're all located on the Google Play Store and many of which are free.
Over the past couple of weeks, I found this tablet to be very intuitive, responsive and easy to use.
My kids have been playing with it and it's worked out very well for them.
I have even been able to use it for what I need as well and I'm extremely picky.
We have used this device to stream Netflix and watch *ripped DVD's *from our personal collection. The Mini Studio handles these tasks and more with ease and efficiency. The boys have also played their educational games by Intellijoy as well as enjoys games like *Angry Birds, Where's My Water, Where's My Perry and Sprinkle. *
The resolution is 1024x768,and is on par with the iPad Mini and other android tablets of it's size. The text and icons are crisp and very readable on this 8 inch IPS display.
I was really impressed with the external connections this tablet supports as well. As you can see below, you have a dedicated charging port, mini hdmi, microSD, micro USB, headphone jack and a reset button. All ports are clearly labeled and easily accessible.
As I mentioned before, the built quality is very good. The Mini Studio has a brushed aluminium back and smooth rounded edges. The speaker is located on the back and is sufficiently loud enough for most use.
There is also a nice volume rocker on the rear as well, towards the top right corner.
The back also houses the the rear facing, 2MP camera. This is the one area that the Mini Studio takes a back seat to the far superior 5MP of the iPad Mini. This trend continues to the front as well with the Mini Studios .3MP front facing camera also falls short of the iPad Mini's 1.2MP front facing camera.
That's not to say that the cameras on the Mini Studio are terrible because they're not. It just would have been nice to see a bit higher quality in that department.
Having said that, they certainly get the job done and it's really hard to argue that, especially at the sub-$200 price tag.
The overall feel of the device is very solid and I like that. It doesn't feel like it's going to break in your hands. There is also no creaking in the joints as well. I've experienced this creaking on many other devices and it make the device feel cheap and poorly made.
I have to say that I'm extremely impressed overall, with the Mini Studio by Idolian. I really have a hard time finding any faults, especially when you consider what your getting for the money. This is a solid device and while lacking a few things like ambient light sensors, it makes up for it in the performance and affordability departments.
I mentioned that I would be giving some of these away to my readers. Stay tuned for more information and details on the giveaways, coming soon. :-)
