We are studying the fake tablet that marketplaces are full of.
In short, the manufacturer and the seller deceived with every characteristic, starting from the main chip, RAM volumes, storage, and ending with cameras, battery and screen. Complete fake in beautiful packaging.
Details under the cut.
What is happening on marketplaces, and what model will we study?
On Ozon and Wildberries, the price segment up to 10 thousand rubles is complete nonsense. Options with real characteristics can be counted on the fingers of one hand (mostly these are domestic brands), everything else is ancient ultra-budget platforms from 2016, which were “invented” with a choice of 4/6/8/12/16 GB of RAM and 128/256/ 512/1024 GB storage. Also credited with the latest versions of Android, cool cameras, capacious batteries and 8-core processors.
To show what these tablets actually are, I took the rather popular Lingbo A2 model from Ozon. The price for it constantly jumps like a ball – from 7.5 to 10.5 thousand.
The manufacturer promises an 8-core processor and generally good performance.
The option with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage is not the coolest. For the same money they offer tablets with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. And if many buyers may suspect them of deception, then they will completely believe in more modest characteristics. So I took it more modestly.
In addition to 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, the manufacturer and seller state:
– 8-core processor (the product card shows a 4-core processor with a frequency of 1.3 GHz)
– 10-inch screen with a resolution of 3000×1440 (in the product card 1920×1080)
– 13 MP and 8 MP cameras (13 MP and 5 MP in the product card)
– battery 8000 mAh
-Android 12
and the box contains the tablet itself, a Bluetooth keyboard, a wired mouse with a USB-A – Type-C adapter, a stylus, a miniature Bluetooth speaker, a stylish case, a stand, a key for removing the card tray, a charging cable and brief instructions in Russian language. In general, everything to instill the feeling that the buyer has hit the jackpot. But I would add an envelope with money.
What’s also important: the ordered product has as many as 7510 reviews with an average rating of 4.8! Moreover, ten days before there were only 539 of them. Where such rapid growth came from is a separate question.
The goods also have a customs declaration and fresh certificates of conformity for the “System of Occupational Safety Standards” and “Electromagnetic Compatibility”.
Formally, no one is interested in them, but the buyer sees the “Product verified” block, and this can also influence the purchase decision.
In fact, all the stated characteristics, except for the screen diagonal, are a hoax, and it’s time to dive into the details.
SoC and RAM
The system settings do not indicate anywhere which SoC is installed in the tablet. There is only information about the amount of RAM.
As a hint, the system writes that on average it uses 2 GB of memory, and this value never changes. And it would be strange if it changed – after all, in fact there are only 2 GB. At the same time, the popular AIDA64 and CPU-Z do not see the catch.
But with the SoC there are inconsistencies. Both applications write that a certain MTK6799 is installed on the system. There is no such chip in nature, but there is MT6799better known as MediaTek Helio X30, originally from 2017. It has 10 cores: two ARM Cortex-A73 2.6 GHz, four Cortex-A53 2.2 GHz and four Cortex-A35 1.9 GHz.
In general, applying their Chinese magic, the Chinese screwed up both the name of the chip and the number of its cores, because AIDA64 and CPU-Z report only eight cores – all Cortex A53. And if you look at the lines monitoring the state of individual cores, your ears are already starting to stick out – since instead of ten or eight there are only four of them on the list, and with a frequency of up to ~1.25 GHz.
Further searching through applications that showed system information led to CPU-X and DevCheck, which showed the true chip model. The latter, in addition, correctly determined the amount of RAM.
In fact, we have the basic version MT6737 from back in 2016 with four Cortex A53 cores with a frequency of 1.25 GHz and 2 GB of RAM.
Storage
It's more interesting here. All of the above diagnostic applications were unable to show the actual storage capacitywhich is very sad. But another thing is more upsetting – the Chinese have somehow disabled the display of the type of errors associated with the drive. As a result, the Android system and all applications simply interrupt operations when the drive is full. At such moments, an error in the style of “could not complete the action” may appear, but sometimes nothing at all – and you wonder whether the copy/install/save operation completed successfully, or was interrupted.
Windows 10 simply beeps and cancels the operation of copying data to the tablet without displaying any messages. At the same time, it is displayed everywhere that ~480 GB are still free.
I found out experimentally that the tablet cannot store more than ~26 GB of user data. Taking into account the system partitions, we get a storage capacity of 32 GB instead of the promised 512 GB.
However, manually filling a drive with data in order to find out its volume is a tedious undertaking. As a result, I went through a dozen more applications and finally found one – DiskInfo – the only one that showed the real storage capacity.
Cameras
Of course, they had to deceive here too. I didn’t set myself the goal of fully assessing the quality of the cameras – and it’s clear that they’re junk. But since the characteristics of 13 MP and 5 MP are indicated for them, you can try to check exactly this.
In the absence of high-quality ones, I decided to go by comparing the images of the Lingbo A20 with other cameras of known resolution. I photographed a microscope ruler placed at a certain angle. Then I looked at what resolution cameras allowed me to see 0.1 mm divisions and didn’t blur them into mush.
The result is in front of you. It is noteworthy that when the Lingbo main camera was set to 13 megapixels in the settings, the frames were 3264 x 2448 in size, which corresponds to only 8 megapixels. The pictures themselves do not even reach the level of detail of the 5 megapixel camera of the ancient Galaxy Nexus. It seems as if a ~5 megapixel sensor is installed, the image from which is stretched to 8 megapixels, after which it is slightly blurred to hide the artifacts that appear.
The front camera with maximum settings takes frames of 1600×1200, which corresponds to 2 megapixels. There is little point in discussing the quality of her photographs.
Video is recorded by the main camera in a resolution of 1280×720 with a frequency of 14 fps. In the settings you can set a lower resolution, but you cannot set a higher one.
The icing on the cake is a crookedly glued decorative sticker around the lenses, one of which has a decorative function. Inside it is a plastic ball simulating a microlens on a non-existent matrix.
In general, fake is driven by fake.
Battery and charging
Everything is great here. Let's start with the capacity of the built-in battery. We are promised 8,000 mAh, which should correspond to 28.8 – 29.6 Wh depending on the specific characteristics of the battery. However, being discharged to zero and placed in the off state for charging, the tablet took only 23 Wh from the power supply. Taking into account the efficiency of the internal power circuits and the charging process itself, we get a battery capacity of exactly 5,000 mAh.
But the included power supply (charging) is complete trash. Formally, it produces the stated 2 A (10 W), but with ripples, absolute hell is going on – at maximum load they reach 0.8 V, while the ATX standard is 0.05-0.1 V.
This disgrace will not harm the battery, but electronics with such “quirks” will not last long.
The charging itself lasts 3.5 hours – just like in the good old days. Moreover, the process proceeds in strange jerks – for eight seconds it takes a steady current of about 1.5 A, then drops to zero for a second. And so on in an endless cycle.
Screen
Again, it’s sad that most diagnostic applications stubbornly show the screen resolution as 3000×1440. It's even cooler than Retina on the iPad Pro (2420×1668).
Of all the utilities, only CPU-X and the GFXBench test showed the truth. It is noteworthy that GFXBench correctly displayed the SoC and the amount of RAM.
In fact, a matrix with a resolution of 1280×800 is installed here. Screenshots are the same size. But if you have any doubts about the correctness of his readings, here are photographs of the matrices of two tablets under a microscope, taken with the same magnification.
On the right, for comparison, is the matrix of the 10-inch Lenovo Tab M10 (3rd Gen) tablet with a resolution of 1920×1200. Based on the number of pixels falling into one length (15 and 22, respectively), we get the same ~1280×800 pixels from Lingbo.
But there is one caveat – the specifications of the MT6737 chips indicate the maximum supported resolution as 1280×720. How the SoC works with a 1280×800 matrix is an interesting question.
Well, to put an end to it, I’ll tell you about my impressions. Looking at the screen you can immediately see that this is a cheap craft – the image, fonts and icons are always washed out. The resolution is clearly not enough for a 10-inch screen. At the same time, the viewing angles are not bad – the matrix itself is clearly IPS. They probably just don’t make others anymore.
OS and stuff
They promise Android 12. It is also displayed in the tablet settings, and it is also shown by AIDA64 and CPU-Z.
But CPU-X, DevCheck and GFXBench claim that they are dealing with Android 8.1 (Oreo).
Due to the old OS, it is impossible to install various test applications – the same GeekBench. Of course, there will be other applications that will not want to work with this ancient “cookie”.
Other shortcomings include the unpleasant rattling sound of the speaker, the incredibly dim flash LED (flashlight) and the slippery plastic of the case.
Some tests
Alas, GeekBench 6 refused to install on this ancient platform. But its database contains tests of similar tablets with MT6737 chips. The maximum results are as follows: 125 / 320 “parrots” for single-threaded and multi-threaded modes.
For comparison, I will give the test results of a tablet for 8.5 thousand rubles. one domestic brand with a Unisoc Tiger T310 chip (1 Cortex-A75 2.0 GHz core, 3 Cortex-A55 1.8 GHz cores), 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage – 440/820. It is THREE times faster. For the same money.
Well, for reference, here are a few screenshots of other tests that we managed to run on the Lingbo Pad A20. Those who need it can compare it with their smartphones/tablets or any others.
Brief summary
SoC – instead of eight cores, only four ancient Cortex A53.
Instead of 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage – 2 GB and 32 GB, respectively.
The screen instead of 3000×1440 is only 1280×800. What adds piquancy is the fact that the SoC supports no more than 1280×720.
Cameras – instead of 13 MP and 8 MP, only ~5 MP and 2 MP.
Instead of Android 12, there is the old Android 8.1 Oreo.
Instead of an 8000 A*h battery, only 5,000 A*h, plus dangerous charging with the wildest ripples of 0.8 V!
For his money he is not good
A reasonable question is: is this a normal tablet for the money? It costs 7-10 thousand rubles, but is it possible to buy something better for this amount? Yes, you can. For 6999 rub. in one not the cheapest, but decent network there is a model with an 8-core chip, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage and Android 11. And for 8-8.5 thousand you can also find a 10-inch tablet with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB storage. These characteristics are twice as good as what we actually see in the Lingbo Pad A20 under review, and the SoC is three times faster (see tests above).
At the same time, there are other chain stores where you can find something from conventional domestic brands with similar characteristics, only even cheaper.
Therefore, it is categorically impossible to take such a Frankenstein – why do you need a set of problems and glitches for bOa larger amount?
In addition to the massive invasion of fake Lingbo, there are the same fake tablets W&O, Oulestor, X-Prime and other Umiio. I list them specifically so that people can get to this review through a search.
About fake returns
I’ll start with WB – it’s basically impossible to return any of the equipment there. They openly declarethat the ZPPP (Article 26.1, clause 4) does not bother them. Rospotrebnadzor has already responded to my requests twice, and I am currently waiting for the third one from them. If there are lawyers here, share your thoughts on how and on what grounds we can “cheer them up” – this would be an interesting case.
Ozon accepts returns if you indicate “did not fit” as the reason and do not explain anything further. And if you choose the option “problems with the product – counterfeit,” then returns are stuck, which people write about en masse in the comments. This Lingbo was suspended and returned – instead of the promised three days for consideration, the application has been hanging for a couple of weeks. In general, this is to my advantage – it will be an occasion to once again test other ways of restoring justice and talk about it. And maybe even earn extra money.
Refunds are still working on Yandex.Market. But with the caveat that you are returning according to Article 26.1, clause 4 of the PZPP. Simply and without explanation, they say it didn’t fit. If you start pointing out deception, inconsistency or defects, they may involve a seller, who will immediately explain that everything is fine, he does not see any defects or inconsistencies anywhere. Even if the photos sent show cardboard instead of a tablet.
How to spot fakes
I will list the diagnostic applications that helped determine the real characteristics. Alas, the most popular AIDA64 and CPU-Z failed. Most likely due to the fact that the cunning Chinese changed the data exactly where these utilities get it from.
1. To display the actual amount of RAM, it is suitable DevCheck. Other applications recognize fakes only partially or do not see problems at all. Alternatively, you can install the bulky GFXBench. It also recognized the SoC and the real amount of memory.
2. The storage capacity can only be found using the application DiskInfo. Or manually filling in data until the system begins to cancel operations.
3. The real screen resolution was shown by CPU-X and the GFXBench test. Alternatively, you can take a screenshot and see its dimensions.
4. The correct OS version was recognized by CPU-X, DevCheck and GFXBench.
Open appeal to marketplaces and retail
The reason why marketplaces are not very clear in the technology and electronics segment are still littered with fakes and bullshit (I’ll explain further). Fakes are identified simply by price and ridiculous characteristics corresponding to goods 2-5 times more expensive.
Doubts arise: what if the product is normal? Test purchase, 20-40 minutes for verification – the seller is banned. And in the case where there is evidence of deliberate forgery on the surface, contact the relevant authorities. All! In a month or two there will not be a single seller of fakes in the electronics segment.
But there will be an image of an honest site. People will calmly buy expensive equipment. By the way, this is why the trio of retailers DNS, Citilink and MVideo, with a total turnover last year of 1.4 billion, was twice as large as all marketplaces combined in the electronics and equipment segment. But the market share they occupy could have long ago gone to marketplaces…
Therefore, when they say that it is profitable for marketplaces to sell palms, this is only in the short term. Here we need to take into account the costs of returns, overloaded support, customers running away from the negative, loss of image and, most importantly, the surrender of a huge market share to retail.
What can marketplaces do? – create a small department to combat technical fakes and make test purchases. At the same time, report on popular sites (blogs) about discovered new tricks of scammers and thereby get the image of a normal site. And, most importantly, save hundreds of thousands of customers from the flow of crap. If you need help – please contact. Let's do a good deed together. I've been working with hardware and content for 25 years. The last 7 years – with corporate customers, i.e. I understand who I am offering what and how to do it.
What can retail do?. Organize or sponsor an independent project to catch fakes on marketplaces (since they can’t do it themselves). Politely and tactfully tell how sad everything is there. Show readers important details so they don't fall for scammers. And also provide references to quality alternatives. The native background will be strengthening the image of your company, which cares. If there is a desire – we can discuss everything. I would love to put this on stream.
What can we do. I have no special illusions about the two above proposals. Therefore, I am hatching the idea of a third option. But first we must wait for the reaction of those who should deal with this in the first place. In the meantime, you can read my popular articles on these topics:
– Technological products that are systematically deceived by manufacturers
– Analysis of a laptop with fake memory that filled Ozon
– Test of a fake Makita screwdriver
And look into mine telegram Tech Debunkerwhere I regularly analyze similar stories.
