Ainol Novo 7 Aurora II - Short Review..!

   The Ainol Novo 7 Aurora II 7-inch tablet runs the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, has a 1.5GHz dual-core AMLogic 8726-M6 (ARM Cortex-A9 based) processor, and has 16GB memory with microSD expansion.

It also includes an HDMI port and a Mini-USB port, as well as built-in 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi. The 7-inch touch screen's resolution is 1,024x600 pixels, and there's a front-facing 2 megapixel camera.

The tablet is currently difficult to find in stores and you may have better luck with the Archos 101 G9 Turbo.

Build Quality and feel: 
Completely plastic but doesn't feel cheap at all. Buttons are fine too. The body is a finger print magnet. The edged and corners are rounded and smooth so its comfortable to hold. I feel its a little heavy.


Hardware:
Screen: What interested me in this tablet was the screen resolution. it was better than other tablets which I was shortlisting. It used a 7" 1024x600 LG IPS screen. 
The text looks crisp and graphics looks quite good. The video quality is also crisp, I was very surprised with the screen and happy too. The viewing angle is excellent, previously when our family used to see some photographs on our laptop we always had to adjust the LCD screen. this is not the case in this tablet. Downside is that I am feeling it has a touch issue not major but it is annoying sometime , I suspect the screen protector which was pre applied, I will get a new screen protector and try.. 

Storage: 
This has 1GB ROM(?) , 1GM RAM, 16GB internal memory (shows 13.2 GB on system) , also there is a slot to insert a MicroSD card up to 32GB. 
Android differentiates these storage memory as Internal SD Card and External SD Card. 

Processor & GFX:
The tablet feels smooth and very responsive(except for some touch issues as mentioned above). apps load fast; no hiccups ,browsers render pages just fine. Games - well I haven't played any large games (shooters etc), but regular low footprint games play fine. 


OS/Software
Out of box the Aurora II comes installed with Android ICS 4.0.3, Flash is present and works on browsers. the first thing you need to do when you buy this tab is to change the firmware.. There are many issues when it comes to Playstore. you wont be able to download much apps. IMDB for example didn't even allow me to download. I found one Firmware thanks to aniket.cain, and it worked perfectly. Play store works and what ever app I tried to install for installed and worked too. some Indian Apps kept crashing which I think is a issue with their own code and not of Aurora's. 

Battery Life
I tested it on day two and it gave me 6 Hrs with WIFI on.. mixed usage.. like Browsing, watching videos, games, etc .. 

Camera: 
No comments.. its there just for the sake of it. 2Mp.. 

Issues Faced
Touch issues: some times touch doesn't register.. im not sure if its a software problem or a hardware problem or the problem of the screen protector. Touch works perfectly fine is some apps , but some apps its just a annoying. 
WIFI: there is known wifi issue where the tablet doesn't pickup the signal at certain distance, there is a Hardware mod/fix for this but I am not gonna do it atleast for some time as two of my WIFI routers cover my house very well.. 
Software: on Stock firmware many apps say its incompatible with the device and wont even get downloaded from Play store. installing a custom ROM will fix these issue.
Heating issue: People have complained about heating issue on the left side of the tablet.. yes it does have heating issue, but its not uncomfortable. A future software update should fix it. 

Specs

Google Android 4.03
Processor: Amlogic 8726-M6, 1.5GHz, Cortex-A9 dual core; GPU: Mali-400
RAM: 1GB DDR3
Internal storage: 16GB
Expansion: MicroSD expansion
7-Inch IPS LCD display (16 million colors)
1024 x 600 screen resolution (16:9 wide screen aspect ratio)
Capacitive multitouch touchpanel
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
1080p HD video playback capable
Mini HDMI out
G-sensor
Built-in microphone
2MP front facing camera
3700mAh battery(average w/ WiFi on is 5hrs)
3.5mm headphone jack

Box content. 

Tablet
Travel Adapter (UK Pin)
Quick Start Guide
Warranty Card
Mini USB Cable (not shown in picture)
Standard Earphones

Special Thanks To RCuber
Taken this review form - http://www.thinkdigit.com/forum/mobiles-tablets/161637-ainol-novo-7-aurora-ii-short-review.html

ANKIT AGRAHARI (EDITOR)