Alldocube iPlay 50 Mini PRO (review): 8.4-inch Android iPad mini

Review unit provided by Alldocube

Alldocube iPlay 50 Mini PRO is an 8.4-inch Android 13 tablet released in September 2023. The price is USD 159 and may even be cheaper with the occasional promotion.

This is the more premium version of the US $109 Alldocube iPlay 50 Mini (non-Pro) I reviewed in June 2023. And since there are many similarities, I have duplicated that review here with some updates.

Bottom line

The Alldocube iPlay 50 Mini PRO is a good tablet and well worth the money. The PRO model has several upgrades and is for those with extra $50 budget and want something more premium. Here are the main differences:

The PRO has more RAM, more storage, and a display that has noticeably better colours. These three upgrades are worth the extra cost in my opinion.

General performance is quite smooth without any annoying lag. This tablet is meant for light usage such as web surfing, emails, social media, watching videos and some light gaming (nothing too graphics intensive).

Main downsides for me is the lack of finger/face unlock, and the so-so audio quality from the speakers.

This is tablet is great for those who want a decent small tablet but don't want to spend too much. FYI, the Apple iPad mini with 256GB storage and cellular (can't make calls or receive SMS) is US $799.

Specs

• Dimensions: 202.7 x 126 x 7.5mm
• Weight: 306g
• OS: Android 13
• Chip: MediaTek G99 (Octa-core(ARM-A76×2@2.2GHz + ARM-A55×6@2.0GHz)
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 256GB UFS 2.2
• MicroSD card slot: Yes
• Display: 8.4-inch IPS LCD
• Resolution: 1920 x 1200 (270 PPI)
• Brightness: 320 nits
• Front and back camera: 5MP
• SIM: Dual SIM (one slot shared with microSD card)
• Connectivity: Wifi, cellular, Bluetooth
• Port: USB-C
• 3.5mm jack: Yes
• Battery capacity: 5000 mAh

Things included

The tablet comes with a USB-A charger, USB-A to USB-C charging cable, SIM ejection tool and user manual.

On the AliExpress ordering page, there are options to buy a case, wired earphones, pen (capacitive), OTG adapter and Bluetooth keyboard.

It's quite worth it to spend extra US $10 to add a case or $20 to add a case and Bluetooth keyboard. For a $10 keyboard, you will have to manage your expectations with regards to quality. I didn't even know wireless keyboards can be this affordable.

The case unfortunately has no magnets for auto-wake and sleep.

Design

Physical dimensions of the tablet is 202.7mm x 126mm x 7.5mm. This is a tablet that can be held in one hand comfortably. The weight is 306 grams.

The tablet is slim. Design looks modern with the thin bezels and flat sides. I can see this being mistaken for the Apple iPad mini 2021 which way more expensive.

The tablet comes with a screen protector already applied so you don't have to worry about scratches. However the clear glossy does affect image quallity slight but only if you scrutinise what you see.

Resolution of 1920 x 1200 on an 8.4-inch display provides sharp visuals with no noticeable pixelation.

Colours on the LCD display look good and vibrant. The colour support and contrast ratio are noticeably better than the non-PRO model. As such, the visual experience with this tablet is more enjoyable.

Brightness is marketed as 320 nits and from what I can see, brightness is adequate for use in a bright room environment.

When tablet is viewed from the side, there's slight drop in brightness and minimal colour shift. You will get the best visual quality when looking at the tablet straight on.

There's some light glow at the top edge near where the camera is. That glow is only visible when tablet is viewed from an angle so it's mostly a non-issue.

That's the tablet beside the Samsung Z Fold5 with a 7.6-inch internal display. If you find your phone too small, having a larger tablet can be more satisfying to use. You can even use this as a phone since there's cellular.

Build quality of the tablet is solid. The back looks and feels like metal even though it could just be plastic, or as Alldocube calls it "high quality material". There's a 5MP main camera and 5MP front camera.

Unfortunately, there's no fingerprint or face unlock so you'll have to use pin or swipe unlock.

The USB-C charging point is located at the top for some reason, off centred because there's a camera there. Data transfer speed is USB 2.

It takes slightly more than 2 hours to charge the 5000mAh battery fully. Battery life is 9-10 hours.

There's only one speaker and it's not powerful so the audio isn't loud, lacks bass and fullness.

Power and volume buttons are located by the right side.

There's a sim tray on the other side which can take 2 nano sim and microSD card (2 of 3). Yes, this tablet has cellular connectivity so you can make calls -- there is a mic. Obviously to get better call experience you should use a headset.

There's a 3.5mm audio jack that's located at the corner of the tablet. Why the corner?

Performance

The tablet uses the MediaTek G99 entry level processor with 2 cores a 2.2Ghz and 6 cores at 2.0Ghz. There's 8GB RAM and 256GB storage which is expandable via microSD card.

The UI provided by Alldocube is quite lacking in features so you may want to install your own launcher. And there's Google Play Store so you will have access to a huge variety of apps. The tablet runs on Android 13 and there isn't any bloatware installed.

There's no Widevine L1 listed for some reason even though the non-PRO model has it. I could not test this since I don't use Netflix.

General performance is smooth. This is a fast-enough tablet. This tablet is not slow.

Apps are able to launch fast enough. Webpages and videos load fast. Switching between apps is smooth.

Light gaming is fine but not graphics intensive games. With Genshin impact, there's the occasional stutter but not as frequent compared to the iPlay 50 Mini non-Pro.

The main limitation with performance comes from the internal storage speed which so loading huge games will take time. The internal storage speed also affects download speed for huge apps but doesn't affect web browsing speed.

This tablet can be used as an eReader due to its compact size. But reading comics is not ideal on a small 8.4-inch display as text size in comics cannot be enlarged.

You can think of this tablet as a large Android phone. Most apps designed for Android phones will look alright in vertical orientation. Webpages are best run in mobile rather than desktop mode which will make everything look much smaller.

Conclusion

The Alldocube iPlay 50 Mini PRO looks good and performs well given the limitations. My user experience with the tablet is mostly positive.

The only things that affected my user experience is the lack of fingerprint unlock and the so-so quality of the speakers.

Affordable Android tablets are getting so good nowadays. This is a tablet I can recommend to those who want a small tablet and have a limited buget of around US $150. I do recommend getting the PRO over the non-PRO model because you get a display with better colours and contrast, 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.

Pros and cons at a glance
+ Beautiful design
+ Compact, lightweight, portable
+ Solid build quality
+ 8GB RAM and 256GB storage
+ Vibrant display at its price point
+ Screen protector already applied
+ Sharp visuals with FHD+ resolution on 8.4-inch display
+ Brightness adequate for use in bright environment
+ Wifi and cellular connectivity
+ 3.5mm audio jack
+ Android 13
+ No bloatware
+ Decent smooth performance from entry level processor
+ MicroSD card slot for storage expansion
+ Extremely affordable
+ 5000 mAh battery capacity with 9-10 hours battery life
- Weird placement of 3.5mm audio jack at the corner
- Weird placement of USB-C port at the top
- Screen protector affects image quality slightly
- So-so audio quality from low power speakers
- Alldocube custom UI has limited features
- Not good for graphics intensive games
- No fingerprint or face unlock
- No Widevine L1

Availability

You can find the Alldocube iPlay 50 Mini PRO tablet on AliExpress and there should be global shipping included with the price.