Azpen G1058B low-end Android tablet review

[cpd2009]

There are plenty of cheap, no-name brand Android tablets these days, and many American big box stores sell these things too. Whereas Walmart and Target tend to carry slightly more recognizable names like RCA, smaller chains end up with even more obscure brands and models that have rather unique features when compared to their similar ilk. This brings us to the Azpen G1058B 10.1 Android tablet.



And this is the box it came in...



The most unique feature of the G105B is the included 4G LTE connectivity, something you don't see often in discount tablets sold at major retailers. The MSRP of this tablet was $149, but because the store I bought it from is going out of business, it was marked down 60%, and I got it for only $60.

The G105B comes with a Mediatek MT6735 Quad-core SOC with a Mali T720 GPU, approx 1GB RAM, and 64GB of built in flash storage. There is a microSD card slot that supports up to 64gb cards, as well as two SIM card slots, one already used with a bundled SIM for FreedomPop, which I will get into later. The tablet has Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Performance is rather decent for this tablet. Startup was a bit slow when first powered on out of the box, but subsequent start ups have been much smoother. App performance varies. Small apps like terminal emulators and system information viewers open up rather quick, while complex apps like Google Mail or Play can take a bit to get going sometimes. After loading, they tend to work more or less okay.

Preinstalled software is limited to just the Google apps and a few basic utilities like a file manager and user manual. There is a "My FreedomPop" app for use with the associated pay-as-you-go internet service. There is also an FM radio app as this tablet comes with an FM tuner. I haven't seen any Android tablet sold at a store that comes with an FM tuner until now. I have tested it out, and reception is rather good outdoors as I was able to get many channels I normally can't get indoors. It also has a recording feature too, so you can save FM broadcasts to MP4 audio format, though the extension has to be changed from 3gpp to m4a to get them to work with Winamp.

The camera is alright. There isn't as much detail compared to my LG Rebel 3's camera, and the front facing camera needs a good amount of light to be usable. I tried Skype with family with said tablet, and I had to sit near my apartment window so my face wouldn't become a dark shadow. The indoor lights didn't help brighten my face at all. Later on in the thread, I'll post some photos taken with both the G105B and the LG Rebel 3 and compare them side by side.

I will give a warning about a potential unwanted app that is preinstalled in the tablet. Malwarebytes reports that the infamous Adups is preinstalled as a system application. The Adups variant present on the G1058B is classified as a PUP (potentially unwanted app), and is part of the tablets built in "Wireless Update" utility. Still, it may be advisable to follow the guidelines here to "freeze" this bit of software.
https://forums.malwarebytes.com/topic/21...for-adups/ The variant on the tablet is the first name on the list. The other two Adups variants, which contain an actual backdoor, aren't present on the G1058B AFAIK.

Finally, about FreedomPop. The tablet came with a bundled offer for this pay-as-you-go mobile internet service. The SIM was already installed in the tablet, and you just have to follow the instructions on the included leaflet to activate it. The FreedomPop services offers free 500mb 4G LTE data per month, but there are a few strings attached. Yes, the 500mb a month really is free, but FP really tries to get you to part with your money. When you activate, there is a small $.60 or so fee, but that's just the beginning. Want the free 500mb and only 500mb? Keep your eye out for the "no thanks" links. They tuck them away in the corner in small print, where the big green button tries to gain your attention so they can sign up up for a free one month trial of their Premium 2GB plan. That 2GB plan is presented as a monthly option, but the fine print states that if you forget to cancel the trial before the period is up, your card will be charged around $95 for one year of service. There is also a sketchy feature called Automatic Top-Up, which charges your debit/credit card $15 to add more data to your free service when you get within 100mb of reaching the 500mb free data cap. You can't turn this off either unless you sign up for a $6.99 a month "safety net" feature. 

FreedomPop may have good prices if you manage to score one of their plans that actually bills monthly, but their hard selling of their additional premium features and sketchy practices almost makes them a complete turn off for me. Luckily, you can swap out the FP SIM and install any compatible GSM SIM. The tablet is unlocked.

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Here is the Geekbench Results. Top is the Azpen. Bottom is the LG Rebel 3.

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And finally, the home screen wallpaper of my G1058B.

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Oh yeah, the tablet also came with a free Bluetooth keyboard, featured in the first photo. It attaches to the included patent leather sleeve with hidden magnets, and connection is rather easy. I haven't given the keyboard much of a real test yet since I don't really like compact keyboards like that, but after connection, it does seem to work as you'd expect. Typing a query into Google Play worked as it should.

[huckleberrypie]

Had I gotten my hands on that tablet (or any other device infected with Adups for that matter), I'd most likely write a TWRP port and a script to outright expunge the app rather than soft-uninstall it. Sure, FOTA updates are likely to go nuts but given how these tend to be rarely if ever updated and all...

[cpd2009]

Camera test time. The 16:9 images are from the Azpen while the 4:3 images come from the LG Rebel 3. I forgot to set the Rebel to 16:9. Other than resizing the images for the forum, nothing else was done to the photos. The cameras were at their default settings.




Starting with an indoor shot first at my local McDonald's. I was seated in a booth next to a window. The food pictured is a Grand McExtreme Bacon Burger meal, part of McD's "Worldwide Favorites" promotion, where they showcase menu items popular in overseas markets. This particular burger is from Spain. It's basically a quarter pounder with two slices of gouda cheese, bacon strips, onions, and "McBacon Sauce". It's good, but the gouda is pretty sharp. I digress...




This was taken on my way back. An old building with a tree growing next to it. It showcases how much more saturation there is with the Azpen camera at default settings. There are far more camera settings with the Azpen tablet than there are with the LG Rebel 3. The Rebel only allows you to turn on HDR. The Azpen lets you control things like the hue, saturation, sharpness, ISO, etc.

[huckleberrypie]

The saturation on the latter two pics reminds me of how games for the Sega Model 3 and Dreamcast tend to lean towards the garish side with the palette used. Can that be toned down though?