14 DAY TRIAL // Really crave an iPad mini but you just can’t squeeze it in your budget? Don’t worry, we have a pretty decent alternative for you. If you don’t mind turning to Chinese white box vendors, that is.
After only four months since the Apple iPad mini with Retina display has been launched into the wild, here comes the FNF iFive Mini 3 Retina. As the name suggests, this isn't just your average iPad mini look-alike, but a device that comes with specs to match Apple’s offering.
We have seen countless Apple iPad clones come out of Asia, but most of them limited themselves to copying design. This is not the case with the newest iFive member of the family.
A while ago, HP launched the Slate 8 Pro which came with a 1600 x 1200 pixel resolution, but the tablet boasted a pretty big €350 / $483 price tag, which made it almost as expensive as the iPad mini with Retina Display.
So let’s see what the new tablet offers in terms of specifications. The iFive Mini 3 Retina comes boasting a 7.9-inch screen with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels and an aspect ratio of 4:3, which is pretty rare for Android tablets.
Moving on, the iFive Mini 3 Retina draws power from a Rockchip RK3188 quad-core processor clocked at 1.6GHz and combined with 2GB of RAM. The tablet’s performance is pretty smooth, but when running games on it, the processor could be in over its head, a little, as you can see in the video we embedded below. The tablet is fitted with 16GB of internal storage, which can be expanded.
Another drawing point for getting this tablet is the presence of the latest Android version, namely 4.4 KitKat. Even as some brand vendors are rolling out the Android 4.3 update for some of their models, Chinese white box vendors are already offering the latest Android version with their products.
Other specifications include dual cameras (5MP on the back and 2MP in front), Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, we don’t have any GPS or NFC. Sustaining all life on the tablet is the 4100 mAh battery, said to be capable of providing up to 6 hours of juice.
And now for the most important part of the puzzle, the pricing. The FNF iFive Mini 3 Retina sells for a meager $180 / €129 (and is already available at Geekbuying). However, if you’re planning to import, be advised that pricing will go up with a noticeable 30%.
