In the market of tablet computers, the products of the Chinese company PiPO occupy a special place, as they have excellent characteristics at a relatively low cost. Only a few Chinese brands, such as SmartQ or Onda, are worthy rivals. In this review, we will talk about the PiPO M6 pro tablet, a top model with a great Retina display and powerful hardware. This model is capable of meeting the needs of almost any user.
Packaging and equipment
PiPO M6 pro packaging is made of light cardboard. The top cover shows us a photo of the tablet lying inside. Most of the inscriptions are in Chinese, but the message about the use of the Android 4.2.2 operating system and the model name can be read without knowing the characters.
Many users will recognize most of the icons above the tablet image. They indicate the presence of wireless communication modules in the device and other advantages.
The accessories are in a separate box, devoid of printing ornaments. Inside it was a mains charger, USB and OTG cables, branded PiPO earbuds, instructions in Chinese and a warranty card. The manufacturer also supplies the tablet with an original paper clip that can be used to reboot the tablet.
The headphones turned out to be of relatively good quality, they can be safely used for watching movies and playing games. But, of course, they will not impress serious music lovers.
The charger produces a voltage of 9V, with a maximum current of 2.5A, so you should not count on the possibility of recharging the tablet from a computer or laptop. Most likely, this decision is due to the huge (10000 mAh) battery capacity, for which the electrical parameters of the USB port are too weak.
Note that for Russian-speaking users there is an electronic Russified version of the instruction, which is easy to find on the information network.
Now let's open the box with the tablet. It is neatly packed in a plastic bag with "bubbles" and surrounded by foam rubber on the sides. These measures provide good transport protection.
Appearance
The tablet is well assembled, there are practically no backlashes and creaks. The dimensions of the tablet are 243x190 mm, with a thickness of 10 mm. The weight of the device is quite heavy at 620 grams, but the rounded corners and textured plastic on the side surfaces ensure comfortable handling.
Most of the front panel is occupied by the display, there is also a place for the front camera lens and acoustic holes of the stereo speakers. The screen is equipped with a transport film, under which a second one was found, providing constant protection.
The back of the device has a rear camera, LED flash and a reset button. The name of the tablet is written at the bottom. The back panel is aluminum, under the glossy black paint, the characteristic texture of brushed metal appears. The rest of the body parts are plastic. The back panel is also protected by a transport foil.
All connectors and most of the control buttons are located on the right side. The power button is located on the edge, followed by a slot for a memory card, mini-HDMI and Micro-USB connectors, a round hole for a charger plug and an audio port for headphones. Completing the row is a slot for a telephone SIM card. All these elements are provided with explanatory symbols.
The rocker key responsible for volume control and the Esc button are placed on the upper end of the tablet.
The bottom and left faces are left blank.
Screen
The display is one of the main advantages of the tablet in question. Its diagonal is 9.7 inches, it is based on an IPS-matrix created using Retina technology.These displays are typical for Apple products, they are very high resolution, require a powerful graphics subsystem and software support. The image is crystal clear and easy to read from any angle.
The promised ten-finger multitouch really works, but only when you use more than five fingers, the tablet begins to "fall into thoughtfulness." However, we will talk about performance a little later, but for now, just turn on the device and see what the manufacturer has prepared for us.
Software
After downloading, PiPO M6 pro offered a choice between two launchers - regular and branded, from the Pipo family.
Software production is clearly not a hobbyhorse for Pipo, their launcher has an unusual design, in some places the Chinese language remains. In addition, it slows down, which finally convinced us of the need to get rid of the manufacturer's "gift".
He was followed by commercials, although some of them turned out to be quite funny. We especially liked the Chinese version of Zorro, which easily defeated all opponents. Obviously, this superman personifies the advertised tablet. We will check how fair this concept is with a series of tests. Now let's look at the functional features of the device.
Acoustics
The sound accompaniment of PiPO M6 is provided by two speakers that work in stereo mode. The sound is of good quality, there is a good headroom, so the stereo effect is felt clearly.
A positive role was played by the location of the speakers on the front panel, along the edges of the case. Thanks to this solution, sound vibrations are directed directly at the user, which improves both the sound quality and its volume. By the way, the very first models of the series had slight problems with the volume and sound balance in the speakers, but the manufacturer quickly eliminated all the shortcomings.
Display
The screen deserves a separate section. Such a miracle in a relatively inexpensive tablet is good news. The image is very high quality, clear, with rich colors. Pixels are virtually invisible, as befits a Retina display.
There is information on the Internet about the possibility to change the FullHD resolution (2048x1536) to a lower one (1600x1200), which provides a 10% increase in performance. Unfortunately, in the tested Pipo M6, the required line in the on-screen menu was not found. After making inquiries, we found out that the manufacturer removed this option in the new firmware version. A strange decision, because a lower resolution can increase not only the device's performance, but also the battery life. Note that the declared resolution is 2048x1536 pixels, but in the AnTuTu test it turned out to be 2048x1440.
The viewing angles are excellent, the stated 178 degrees are true. The brightness is sufficient for both indoor and outdoor use. For comfortable work with the tablet, a brightness level of about 70% is sufficient. Colors and contrast do not change when the device is turned, everything is clearly visible in any position.
the Internet
The tablet keeps Wi-fi signals stable, although the transmitter has a relatively weak power. If you are separated from the signal source by one or two walls, then expect a significant reduction in reception quality.
The 3g module works well, you can only complain about occasional loss of connection after turning off the device, in this case a reboot saves.
"Hot" SIM card insertion (when the tablet is on) is not supported. The device needs to be rebooted, after which the search for mobile networks begins. For some reason, it was not the names of mobile operators that were displayed, but obscure codes. Nevertheless, after setting the mark “connect automatically” in the settings, the network icon appeared on the screen and the Internet started working.
Despite the presence of the 3g module, it cannot be used for calls. The tablet does not support telephone functions; alas, this is not a "Phablet".
But the name contains the prefix "Pro", which implies extended functionality. Especially depressing is the fact that all the set of modules necessary for the telephone mode is present in the tablet, it was simply left inactive. The reasons for this decision can only be guessed at. Perhaps the phone features were left for future models.
In principle, they call from the tablet only in extreme cases, it is inconvenient, and it looks comical.
PC connection
There are no problems with connecting the Pipo M6 to a computer, the device is connected simply and clearly via a USB port. In addition to transferring files, this connection allows you to flash your tablet. We consider it necessary to warn that inept actions during this operation can have dire consequences, up to and including getting a "brick".
Camera capabilities
Cameras in Chinese tablets are almost always a weak point. The hero of the review in this respect is no different from his compatriots. The rear camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels, and the front one, designed to work with Skype and other undemanding tasks, is 2 megapixels. The rear camera is used as the main one. There is an LED flash next to it, although its power leaves much to be desired.
The quality of the pictures can be compared with the level of smartphones, in good lighting the pictures are quite suitable for publishing on social networks, but the Pipo M6 cannot replace the camera.
Memory
The tablet has sixteen gigabytes of memory. If this is not enough, the capacity can be increased with an additional memory card. Cards up to 32 GB are supported. RAM is two gigabytes, which is enough for both games and work.
Connecting to an external display device
The tablet was connected to an LCD TV using an HDMI cable. After that, no manipulations were required, the picture immediately appeared on the screen. The image is good, but there is a slight lag that makes it difficult to play fast-paced games like Turbofly. Where reaction speed does not play a significant role, you can play on TV. There were no other negative points.
GPS module
After installing the Navitel 8 program, GPS quickly enough found a dozen satellites, although in the room it connected only to three. In open areas, where GPS navigation is mainly used, the situation is better. In short, in a company with the Pipo M6 you will not get lost even in an unfamiliar city.
OTG function
The OTG function turned out to be very useful, with its help we successfully connected a USB flash drive, a wireless mouse and a gamepad to the tablet. All of these devices were connected via a USB hub at the same time. A gamepad in many games provides more comfortable control than an accelerometer, of course, if the games themselves support this device. Connecting a mouse is accompanied by the appearance of a standard cursor, familiar to every user of a personal computer.
Testing
Now let's run some tests. Let's start with the battery, which is quite capacious in this model.
Carefully disassembling the tablet, we found that two paired batteries, each with a capacity of 5000 mAh, are engaged in power supply. They allow the device with enabled wireless modules (Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi), the maximum possible screen brightness and load from heavy games to work for almost four hours.
You can watch movies at normal 70% brightness for more than seven hours. We are talking about playing files from storage media with turned off wireless modules. If you view them over the Internet, then the battery life will be reduced.
Of course, the running time is highly dependent on the nature of the tasks being performed. But in any case, if you take the Pipo M6 Pro with you on the road, then you will not be bored on the train.
In Antutu and 3Dmark tests, the device under review showed very good results.
In the Antutu benchmark, the tablet scores 14,159 points, and if you lower the resolution, the result rises to 18,000.This is the level of serious devices like the Samsung Galaxy S3 or Google Nexus 10.
In 3D Mark Pipo M6 Pro scored 3188 points, which can also be considered a decent result.
This conclusion is clearly confirmed by game tests. Even in games like GTA 3, Iron Man or Robocop, we didn't notice any brakes or freezes.
Outcomes
On the positives of the PiPO M6 pro tablet, there is a gorgeous Retina screen, a high-capacity battery, a powerful 1.6GHz quad-core processor and a Mali 400 Quad-core graphics engine. In tandem with two gigabytes of RAM, this hardware allows you to play any modern games.
There are disadvantages, but they pale against the background of advantages. These are weak cameras and inability to make calls. However, the manufacturer did not promise this. In general, the tablet turned out to be very interesting and worthy of attention from buyers. It competes well with expensive models like the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, Samsung P601 Galaxy or Asus MeMO Pad FHD 10.
