Alldocube Knote 5 Review

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Alldocube’s Knote 5 is the first Gemini Lake tablet, it has 4GB of DDR4 RAM, a 1920 x 1080 11.6-inch IPS screen and 128GB SATA3 SSD.  The tablet has a good build quality, plastic frame but a quality well-finished plastic and metal rear. The screen is okay but lacks in maximum brightness output reaching only 220lux. It’s also a non-laminated display with a small gap of around 1mm.

The Knote 5 supports an optional type-cover style keyboard that also acts as a stand for the tablet, so it’s highly recommended you get this if buying the tablet. The quality is very high on the keyboard, well spaced out keys good to type on and the touchpad while it’s not a Windows 10 precision touchpad it’s not too bad.

Alldocube Knote 5 review timecodes:

00:40 – Unboxing
02:14 – Size & weight
02:45 – Design & build
05:48 – First boot
06:01 – Info & benchmarks
09:47 – keyboard and touchpad
10:33 – Screen
11:37 – 4k streaming & sound
12:35 – First & last impressions
13:23 – Pros & Cons

The Gemini Lake Celeron N4100 is paired up with 4GB DDR4 2133Mhz RAM which is 2GB less RAM than the older Apollo Lake Celeron N3450 models, in short bursts the N4100 is around 20% faster than the Apollo Lake Celeron N3450. In multi-core scores, this N4100’s performance is only around 5% faster due to a stock 6W TDP set that limits performance somewhat but keeps thermals in check not going over 82 degrees in my testing. Which is fine for a fanless tablet. It can play 4k natively up to 10bit HEVC 140mbps with some stutters at the beginning, but lower bit rates of VP9 & HEVC 4k encoded videos run fine. 4k streaming with Netflix Youtube is good with the Wireless AC 3165 chipset capable of handling up to 340Mbps transfer rates. Wireless range and BT range are fine with no issues to report.

The OS is Windows 10 Home and later after I finished filming the review, the licence was reported as invalid! So this could be an issue on some units. I had to buy a CD key for it in the end. Another drawback of the tablet is it has only a 3.5mm port, D/C in for charging and USB 3.1 type-c that supports data, charging and HDMI out (4k 30hz max). So no full-sized USB ports.

The battery is 30Wh and good for 4-5 hours max under mixed use. Playing only 1080p video and in flight mode, you might be able to squeeze out 6 hours.

Due to the lack of Windows 10 licence, small 30Wh battery, rather dull screen and weak speakers the Knote 5 isn’t likely to be the best Gemini Lake offering from the Chinese tablet manufactures, but it is the first. I would hold off and wait for 6GB models with large batteries, USB ports, stylus support and brighter screens that will be worth your time and money.

Good

  • Good build quality
  • Nice type-cover keyboard
  • Faster than Apollo Lake tablets
  • 128GB SSD & not eMMC
  • Good wireless range

Bad

  • Windows 10 license isn't valid (my unit)
  • Weak speakers, they need to be louder
  • No fully sized USB port or stylus support
  • Battery life isn't great
  • Screen is only 220 lux max bright
7

Good

Performance - 7
Build & Design - 8
Screen - 6.5
Sound - 6
Battery Life - 7
Value For Money - 7.5

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