Onda v919 – Seller Impressions and Unboxing w/ Device 1st Impressions

[Ritzie]

Hi Chris,

I got my unit today from this seller – http://www.aliexpress.com/store/402951
You can find more of my unboxing pics here –
https://www.facebook.com/ritzie.lamina/media_set?set=a.10206387308468032.1073741883.1427593174

1) Here’s what happened at the start
– I originally opted to buy the Onda v116w but opted to change it upon learning of the overheating issues and subsequent throttling/performance issues
– I’ve already paid for the Onda v116w order but the seller still hasn’t shipped it out yet. Although they haven’t informed me, my online investigation concludes that Onda was aware of the overheating issues and stopped the production of the v116 product causing an insufficient supply in the market. Hence, the reason why the shipment couldn’t be confirmed yet.
– I have contacted the seller to change my order, initially to Teclast X10 HD Dual OS 64GB. But this item is alot more expensive than what I paid for and would require me to provide additional payment.
– I changed my mind again and requested the seller to

2) Here’s my feedback upon receiving and unboxing the item (see facebook album in link above)
– Got excited upon seeing a green/white plastered box on my desk
– It was smaller than what I originally pictured it to be as I originally owned an Asus Padfone which has 10.1 inch screen with a larger box
– Unwrapping the box was quite a challenge as it was wrapped so tightly with lots of packaging tape layers
– After the packaging documents and the layers of packaging tapes were removed, there is a brown packaging box enclosing the actual devices
This is quite a nice feature for them to bind everything together in a nice recyclable box.
– Removing the brown box will reveal a 10400 mAH Xiaomi Power Bank wrapped in 2 layers of foam.
I find this a little bit odd as the PowerBank was placed in the center of the foam and NOT within the layers.
Odd because if anything hits the side of the brown packaging box where the PowerBank is placed, the device can be immediately affected by the
impact
– Removing the PowerBank will reveal the requested Leather Case and a slight oversized screen protector
This was nice of the seller to find these 2 accessories for me as they claim that there are no particular cases and screen protector that was made
for the Onda v919 from the OEM (Onda itself)
The Leather Case fits nicely with the tablet itself with a slight tightness on the width and somewhat spacious on the sides.
The Leather Case is generic but does its job so I am keeping it. What this case won’t do is to protect the device from accidental fall
The Leather case is nice for letting the Tablet stand either in Portrait or Landscape mode
However, It gets a little bit challenging to find a nice “fold” if we’re going to use a Tablet Holder. I don’t intend to remove the device from the
Tablet Case because it will easily destroy the default plastic wrapping (back) and screen protector of the device (Onda v919)
The default plastic wrapping and screen protector of the device serves its purpose
– Removing the Leather Case and Screen Protector will reveal the Onda v919 Box. I find the packaging nice and clean
– Opening the Onda v919 box will reveal the actual ONDA V919 itself wrapped in scratch proof and anti static bag.
– Removing tablet will reveal a 2nd “door” that the will show MicrOSD, USB, power adapter as shown in the Youtube videoo from Chris (TECHTablets.com)
I find the charging cable disappointing as it is VERY, VERY short! (like 2 to 3 inches or so)
Haven’t tested the USB Power Adapter yet and haven’t charged the unit. Will get back on this tonight
– The package came with a 64GB Transcend Micro SD Card (class 10) as requested in my order.
However, I plan to change this to a 128GB Sandisk Extreme MicroSD or Ultra MicroSD card for faster read/write and bigger storage.
This will maximize my use of the Tablet for Work and Play (as well as calls and SMS :D)

3) Initial Check and Power up of the device
Removing the antistatic wrap will reveal the Onda v919 which is a replica (if not an exact copy) of the iPAD Air.
It really looks good. I love the feel of metal at the back and how solid it is to hold. I love the solid metal feel.
I haven’t experienced any creaking noises or cover mishaps from the Card slots yet but we’ll see after prolonged use
The device is quite Heavy but lighter than ASUS Padfone (1st Gen). I can make do with the weight and used to carrying something heavier all the time.
However, it’s not for light travelling and travelling to places where crime is of concern (see my FB wall on March 11, 2014).
I turned it on and was quite OK with the boot up time. It was faster than expected (I was actually expecting something like 10 minutes or so)
And the boot up is faster than my first generation i7 laptop. LOLZ!! (Probably because the device is still new?)
The initial battery is at 68% and I tried to use it for 1 hour and it was still at 68%. This is currently at its full brightness.
I was expecting this would lower down to 60% or something. Is this perhaps a sign of battery error?
I have tried switching OS back and forth. The almost 1 minute boot time in between OS is more than bearable… if you’re not in a hurry.
Windows 8 is something new to me and need quite some time to get used to. I’m currently reviewing a tutorial on Windows 8 but initial impression on
performance was great.
Android was faster as expected but this is because I haven’t installed any of the apps I normally use on my Android phones/phablets.
Yeah, the bloatware is quite disappointing and can’t wait to have them removed.
The Android side has a Master App maintenance installed. However, I can’t seem to understand how it works. I might install it in favor of more user
friendly apps such as Titanium but that is AFTER I root it first.
There are icons everywhere and are scattered across all 3 pages of the screen. Yup, it’s still a challenge for me to organize them but the stock
Android does things as expected.
I connected to WiFi Connection. Note that this feature will need to be done on BOTH Android and Windows side. Do not expect that WiFi will be turned
ON on 1 OS if you turned it ON to another.
I turned OFF the tablet and will see how much it would go down after booting it up again later tonight (time as of writing)

4) Further Checking
After booting it up tonight, I’ll be checking on the following:
– Battery performance
– Device charging
– Media playing
– Installation of Accessories, etc
– Connecting to PC to form a LAN

5) Future Plans
Hardware
– The Leather Case doesn’t have any opening for the Back Camera to peer through. That is fine with me as I will NOT use the Back Camera.
Instead, I will be connecting it to a WiFi Action Cam (SJCAM or Xiaomi) for a better experience plus another purpose to have a waterproof cam that
I can take anywhere (just click and shot type of things)
The Action Cam is also connected with an external LED light to check if quality of photos can be improved
– Planning to use a 128GB Ultra or Extreme MicroSD card
– will require a good BT Keyboard and Mouse combo
– This device needs a Fast 5-Port USB Hub to connect external Extreme HDD or External SSD without reading lag, Printers and the normal USB devices
used for work
– Since this device doesn’t have HDMI slot, it will be required to connect the WiDi function of this device (accessed in Intel Control Panel) to a
WiDi TV or HDMI Receiver
– Planning to use a flexible Tablet Holder to check if I can still work/play/relax using this device
– Check LAN connection to Smartphone (Huawei MediaPad x2)

Software
Future plans include:
– Install AntiVirus for both OS first
– Root the Android and remove Chinese Bloatware
– Install my normally used apps and monitor the performance
– Install gaming apps and emulators in both OS and monitor the experience
The experience will be a basis of comparison with this device against normal laptops I use
– Install work related apps (MS Office, etc)
– Will require a BT headset for Calls and wireless music playing
– I’m waiting for my tablet bag and gadget organizer to arrive.
Let’s see how comfortable we can get when we ALWAYS bring this device along and check the experience on both battery and convenience for travel.

[Ritzie]

I forgot but another thing to add on to the Hardware setup is to connect/install an external Graphic Card
Let’s see if it will improve the performance

If overheating occurs, I’ll think of a way to install a cooling fan.

[Chris G]

Thanks for the hands on and first impressions, very detailed. Good move on switching from the Onda v116w, I found mine overheated to 88 degrees and the build quality is not the best I have seen from a Chinese tablet.

The battery meter should have moved from 68%, maybe on report it would have then reported 50ish %? Battery life I could manage around 5 hours in Windows on my Onda v919. What kinda of usage are you seeing?

Chris | Admin
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[Ritzie]

Hi Chris,

Just turned on my Onda v919 again (haven’t fully used it as my setup is not complete 😀 … talk about being OC)
It is now at 64% which is weird because, yes, I am expecting 50ish % of battery life….
I haven’t checked the usage yet.
Let me turn it on again and tell you all about it tonight (tomorrow by the time you read this)

[Chris G]

WHen you switch OS do you find the battery meter drops a large amount? I found this issue with my Onda v919

Chris | Admin
Please support us and help keep TechTablets online. Affiliate revenue is used to pay for the server, studio apartment (Techtablets HQ) and buy new tech to review. Without it, this site would be dead.
Next up for review:
Ordered and waiting for my: BMAX S15 & Teclast F6 Plus
Currently testing: LG G8X & Redmi K30

[Ritzie]

Actually, I was expecting that to be so… but no…
There was no drop in the battery charge

I just turned it on now and it is now at 60%
I’m currently putting it on Standby for further battery tests while shifting between Windows 8 and Android.

[Ritzie]

How the hell were you able to open the card latch?!!!
It’s too damn hard! So tight!

Not only that… The issue you had in your video with the cover/latch on the left side where it pops up is also evident.
It is currently NOT that prominent in my case as it is new but you would definitely notice that it pops up on the left side because the right side is firmly secured and doesn’t “bounce” when pressed.
In addition, you would notice that the latch is NOT in a straight line because the left side is popped out (very slightly in my case but it might be prominent from prolonged usage).

[Chris G]

Yes it’s one of the things I don’t like about the V919, that flat is a poor design choice if you remove sd cards often it going to be an issue in the future.

Chris | Admin
Please support us and help keep TechTablets online. Affiliate revenue is used to pay for the server, studio apartment (Techtablets HQ) and buy new tech to review. Without it, this site would be dead.
Next up for review:
Ordered and waiting for my: BMAX S15 & Teclast F6 Plus
Currently testing: LG G8X & Redmi K30

[Ritzie]

I’m now feeling the battery burn… LOLZ!
From 60% usage, it went down straight to 48% in just an hour of use…. So I’m estimating that this unit will only last between 4 to 5 hours of regular use based on my mobile lifestyle and 24hr 3G connection.
Good thing I ordered the PowerBank but let’s see how convenient it is when travelling.

[Chris G]

Yes around 5 hours at best. Unlike the Teclast X98 Air 3G which is around 7 hours.

Chris | Admin
Please support us and help keep TechTablets online. Affiliate revenue is used to pay for the server, studio apartment (Techtablets HQ) and buy new tech to review. Without it, this site would be dead.
Next up for review:
Ordered and waiting for my: BMAX S15 & Teclast F6 Plus
Currently testing: LG G8X & Redmi K30

[Ritzie]

I’m thinking that I’ll only have 3 hours of gaming time and 4 hours of videos and streaming via WiFi
3G surfing and streaming would half it down… quite the annoyance… LOLZ!
Work stuff is not an issue as I need a desk and access to power and WiFi when working.

Again, let’s see how convenient it is when PowerBanks are with you.

[Chris G]

Gaming on most of these tablets is 3 hours, I can almost get maybe 3:45 on my X98 Air 3G.

Chris | Admin
Please support us and help keep TechTablets online. Affiliate revenue is used to pay for the server, studio apartment (Techtablets HQ) and buy new tech to review. Without it, this site would be dead.
Next up for review:
Ordered and waiting for my: BMAX S15 & Teclast F6 Plus
Currently testing: LG G8X & Redmi K30

[Vasishtha]

@Ritzie
I don’t think an external graphics card will be of any use…the USB 2.0 will bottleneck the s**t out of it. The costs alone for a VGA dock is above 80 dollars I believe (‘village’ brand I think).
I do believe an antivirus is a must (for windows), I’ll look up lightweight antiviruses that won’t drain the battery to much.
I’ll post my findings later on 🙂

[Ritzie]

@Ritzie
I don’t think an external graphics card will be of any use…the USB 2.0 will bottleneck the s**t out of it. The costs alone for a VGA dock is above 80 dollars I believe (‘village’ brand I think).

Eh??!! Too bad… it was a nice thought though…
I was planning to use USB3.0 Hub with 5 ports but I see your point there…
Assuming I have other devices connected to the hub, it will affect the External Graphics card performance.
So, nah… I’ll experiment on this when I have enough money… Im lowering the priority of this for now…

@Ritzie
I do believe an antivirus is a must (for windows), I’ll look up lightweight antiviruses that won’t drain the battery to much.
I’ll post my findings later on 🙂

Please do post your findings on a separate thread so we can discuss it freely 😀
I am interested on lightweight but very reliable antiviruses… so far AVG does its work for me

[Author]

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