RedFox WizPad 5 10.1″ Windows 8.1 Tablet Review

When people say tablet, they immediately think of two things: Android or iPad. Yup! The market is basically summed up by what Samsung/Google and Apple makes it out to be but in terms of usability, tablets have yet to become more than a presentation device showing information. True, some have shown productivity to some extent but this is more owed to the capacity of the user than the device itself. If you need true productivity, nothing beats a desktop or laptop experience. This is where Windows comes in. For over a decade, Windows has been the de facto OS for productivity and Windows has tried hard to really push the Windows tablet experience more and more. That didn’t go so well for many users especially desktop but today we’ll check out what it does for the tablet.

Today we have a Windows 8.1 powered tablet from Redfox, the RedFox Wizpad 5. A 10.1″ tablet powered by Intel’s Atom processor which are slowly finding their way into more mobile platforms as Intel pushes the mobile market more and more. RedFox is a known brand of affordable PC components and computing systems for a good part of the last decade but have since consolidated their solutions to a more streamline portfolio of computing systems and consumer devices.

Specification

Official produce page

Closer Look

The RedFox Wizpad 5 is a 10.1″ form factor tablet. It features a landscape orientation with the primary Windows button on the bottom. From this angle you’ll also notice that the Wizpad 5 has relatively thick bezel and you’re not getting some prime real estate for your viewing pleasure.

One of the most unique aspects of the Redfox Wizpad 5 is its I/O ports. Being just barely 10mm thick, the Wizpad 5 still manages to pop-in familiar PC I/O like a single USB2.0 port and a USB3.0 port. A microUSB port is present beside a mini-HDMI port and a microSD card slot is also present. That little hole on the far left is a status light indicator and the hole on the far right is the 3.5mm audio port.

The back of the Redfox Wizpad 5 is a sand-blasted, aluminium slab which for some reason gives me a mixed feeling of a premium, sturdy tablet and a grainy, metallic Chinese toy. To put it more clearly, the choice of metal is fine but the texture feels really cheap and would’ve worked better with a semi-dull finish.

The main screen is glossy and is quite bright. In bright conditions, the screen may be a bit inadequate but the brightness of the screen can still allow you to read what’s on screen although vaguely. Color reproduction is good but skintones may be a bit washed-out or too light for some.

The package includes a Bluetooth keyboard. It has a raised stand on one side for docking purposes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t serve us a cover.

With 2GB of memory and a quad-core Atom processor in the engine, the RedFox Wizpad 5 is quite snappy and very responsive. The touch interface is very good and captures all commands accurately although there are times even in low load scenarios that the touch does drop a few times even with a clean screen. This could just be the system dropping from active to low power state or another issue altogether but its no dealbreaker as it only happens rarely.

Powering the device are two 4000mAh (8000mAh total) battery which gave us a good 3-4 hours of movie viewing, 6 hours of browsing time and an overall 12 normal daily usage.

Overall, the RedFox Wizpad 5 is a good, mobile substitute for an office desk should you need something that absolutely fits the description of needing a workstation that has to be within a 10″ limit and must run Windows. If you’re just looking for a tablet to browse around and play games, this isn’t for you. I repeat: if you’re just looking for a browsing and games tablet, this isn’t for you. While the browsing experience is a bit smoother in this and you have the option of a desktop mode, there is simply no point in getting something like this for that usage scenario only. Also, given that the Redfox Wizpad 5 packs Windows 8.1, you’re limited to a few games unless you want to run legacy Windows games that have low system requirements. We gladly installed DOTA2 for science and giggles, and the experience was actually playable on low but come clash scenarios, you’re dead with lag.

Windows 8.1 lends itself nicely to a tablet experience despite all the hate it got as a desktop OS. In this case though, we get the best of both world as the RedFox Wizpad 5 offers a hybrid experience for the mobile professional. If you have a Bluetooth or wireless mouse, you can easily improve the situation instead of using the touch interface to really max out the deal.

Priced at Php19,500, its a hell of a premium versus other Android offerings and is right around the price of a decent iPad or Galaxy Tab 10 (somewhat older models though or lower capacities). Overall though, its a good tablet for a specific purpose but if the thought of a Windows appeals to you and the price doesn’t bother you much then by all means.

You can buy this tablet from Lazada Philippines: RedFox Wizpad 5 10.1″ Tablet

Redfox backs the Wizpad 5 10.1″ Windows 8.1 Tablet with a 1-year warranty.

Buy from Lazada