Proudly Filipino brand Ekotek has been in the market since
2012 offering consumers with mobile phone accessories and other consumer
electronics. These past couple of years, the company has decided to make a leap
to the smartphone and tablet industry by creating their own line of smart
devices.
For their smartphones and tablets, Ekotek has decided to
follow the same principles it has applied on its line of phone accessories – affordability
matched with excellent customer service. In fact, the company prides itself by
being the only local manufacturer to offer a 14-day replacement policy.
One of the company’s newest product in the market which is
supposed to benefit from these extended services is their newest tablet – the Ekotab
Encore 2u. It’s meant to be an upgrade to the original Encore 2 and as such
boasts improved specs and faces tough competition not only from foreign brands
but also from local names like Cherry Mobile, Cloudphone and Starmobile.
Does it have what it takes to set itself apart from the
competition? We took the Encore 2u for a test drive to find out if the tablet
is capable of winning people’s hearts over. Here are the results of our review.
Click to Expand Specifications
| BODY | Dimensions | 188.5*108.3*8.25mm |
| Weight | 268g | |
| DISPLAY/OPTICS | Display Type | P+G Capacitive Touch Screen |
| Display Size | 7 inches | |
| Cameras | 2MP + VGA | |
| PERFORMANCE | Operating System | Android 4.4.2 |
| Chipset | Allwinner A33 | |
| Processor | 1.5GHz quad-core | |
| Graphics | Mali400 MP2 | |
| Internal, RAM | 8GB ROM, 512MB RAM | |
| Card slot | Yes, microSD | |
| CONNECTIVITY | WLAN | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | |
| NFC | No | |
| Infrared port | No | |
| USB | Yes, micro-USB | |
| Battery Rating | 2500mAh, Li-polymer | |
| GPS | Yes | |
| Price | Php2,999 (~$65) |
WHAT'S IN THE BOX
Upon purchasing an Encore 2u, users will get of course the
device plus a few accessories to help the device function. These include a sync
and charge cable, a wall charger, and a USB OTG cable.
The package also comes with the usual mix of paper work
including the warranty card and a quick start guide. Also included in the box
are two Ekotek stickers so you can stick it into your other belongings to show
to other people that you’re a proud Encore 2u owner.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
There’s one word that best describes the design of the
Encore 2u – simple. In fact, some would even say that it’s a little too simple.
The front is occupied by the 7-inch screen, and there’s a
little hole where the front-camera peeps into. The bezels around the display
are a bit thick based on today’s standards and in contrast to other brands, the
tablet doesn’t have a special layer of protection over the screen, so people
planning to get the tablet should also consider getting some sort of screen
protection.
When it comes to the buttons and ports, Ekotek has decided
to put all the Encore 2u’s connectivity and physical buttons to the right side
of the device (that is, if you hold it horizontally with the front camera
located at the top right corner). Starting from the top edge you have the
microphone pinhole, the power/lock button, a 3.5mm headphone jack, the micro-USB
port and the volume rocker that lays proximal to the microSD card slot.
Flipping the device, the 2MP camera that sits on the upper
right corner and protrudes slightly. Opposite to the camera on the lower right
corner is a reset pinhole, while at the upper left corner is where you’ll find
the speaker.
The entire slate is made from plastic. By the looks of it,
Ekotek used a type of polycarbonate plastic that has the same texture as those
used on earlier Nokia Lumia models which feels nice to the touch. The edges of
the device are also curved making it really comfortable to hold; and we also
found the plastic material is able to hold itself firm against fingerprints. During
our two-week test was able to keep itself clean and scratch-free.
Looking at the design and build quality in general, people
who are looking for a utilitarian device and don’t mind much about having a
flashy design will love the Encore 2u. On the other hand, those who want a
device to flaunt to their friends in party will have to look elsewhere.
AUDIO, VISUALS AND OPTICS
As a 7-inch tablet, we reckon that a part of the Encore 2u’s
life will be devoted to playing different types of media. In the audio, visuals
and optics department, the tablet is able to tick some check boxes while leave
the rest blank.
Let’s look at the positives first. The tablet’s audio,
though not perfect, sounds okay. There’s a bit of distortion if you try to
crank up the volume, but in general, the audio from the slate is clear and surprisingly
not tinny considering the price of the device.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the camera and
display departments.
The Encore 2u’s 7-inch display has a resolution of 1024 x
600 pixels at a 16:9 aspect ratio. Even though we were already expecting Ekotek
to cut some corners to keep the tablet’s price down, we really wished that it
wouldn’t be the display. Just like in eating, people consume content with their
eyes, and a sub par display has an adverse effect in user experience.
Even when we push the display’s brightness to its maximum level,
images viewed on the screen still looks a bit dim and dull; and viewing angles
aren’t good either.
Looking at the images taken with the rear camera, you’ll
realize that the device is meant to be used as a replacement for a real camera
or maybe not even a camera phone. Photos taken by the 2MP has washed out colors
and suffer from blooming.
Moreover, the camera doesn’t have autofocus or touch focus so you can’t really take those creative shots and there’s a huge probability that majority of your photos (especially those with moving people) will have blurry parts. Video calls might also be a no-no because the tablet only has a VGA camera (0.3MP).
SOFTWARE AND UI
The Encore 2u runs on Android 4.4.2 and is vanilla UI
through and through. Right out of the box, you’ll notice that the device is
unadulterated as it gets with almost no bloatware – which we really like. In
fact, you can say that it’s like a Nexus or Android One device in terms of user
interface; and even the wallpapers are those default on Android.
The downside with the UI is that it’s also constrained by
the limitations of the OS, a problem solved by custom software installed by
other manufacturers. This means there’s no gesture controls, no software-based
photo improving features and the likes. Fortunately, most of these features can
be had through apps on Google Play, so at the very least there’s a work around
if you want a specific feature that’s not default on the operating system.
As with most Android tablets, navigation is done through
on-screen buttons. But unlike slates from other brands, the Encore 2u adds a
few more buttons including one to make a screenshot and two virtual volume
buttons.
PERFORMANCE
The Ecotab Encore 2u boasts an Allwinner A33 1.5GHz quad-core
processor which is complemented by a Mali400 MP2 GPU and half a gig of RAM. During
our test, we didn’t really had crash and lag issues with the device.
Because Ekotek didn’t use much of the on-board storage for
its Android customizations, Encore 2u users will enjoy more space for their
apps and media compared to other models from other manufacturers. Out of the
8GB advertised memory, users will be able to enjoy around 5.5GB out of the box.
We also tried playing a 3D game on the device and so far it
was able to handle games that don’t require much GPU and CPU prowess. Casual
gamers and maybe even intermediate gamers will be happy or at least content
with using the tablet.
In terms of synthetic benchmark scores, the Encore 2u was
able to get 303 (single-core) and 866 (multi-core) on Geekbench and around
16,600 on Antutu. They’re not that high, especially because the device just has
512MB of RAM but if you’re not planning on pushing the device to its limit and
you’re just using it for normal tasks like web browsing, then you’ll be fine.
As for the battery, don’t expect the tablet to last more
than a day. The 2500mAh Li-Polymer unit on the device last less than 5 hours on
normal to heavy use but can last close to 20 hours if you’re using it
conservatively.
FINAL WORDS
After spending two weeks with the Ekotek Encore 2u, we
realized that this device isn’t meant for everyone. The tablet has some good
points to brag about but there’s room for growth if it wants to compete with
other brands to get the attention of a much broader audience.
On paper, the Ekotab Encore 2u doesn’t look like something worth considering. However, when you factor in the price (Php 2,999 or approximately $65), everything seems to make sense.
It received plus points for its speakers that produce
acceptable sound quality, its clean and almost bloatware-free user interface,
and Ekotek’s nice choice of construction materials. Nonetheless, there’s still
room for improvement when it comes to its display and camera as well as the
look and design of its hardware.
On paper, the Ekotab Encore 2u doesn’t look like something
worth considering. However, when you factor in the price (Php 2,999 or
approximately $65), everything seems to make sense. For us, it looks like the
tablet isn’t really meant for young professionals who want power and
performance but is meant to be a starter device for those who’s just crossing the
digital divide.
It might not be the best gadget for power users, but it’s a
solid choice as a gift (especially this coming holidays) maybe to your kid or
to your parents/grandparents as a way to introduce them to smart devices
without burning a hole in your wallet.
