Teclast X98 Pro, so this is Cherry Trail

Today I'm planning less of a tablet review and more of a test of Intel's new generation of processors, Cherry Trail, which replaces the previous generation, Bay Trail.
The previous generation was produced for about a year, and a lot of mini PCs and tablets were released with these processors, so I was doubly interested to find out whether the new generation had made a difference to performance.

The previous generation was the first to become widely available, but it had already started to feel a little stale. Quite a few tablets were built around it, followed by small mini PCs.
It was interesting because you could get a small but fairly powerful computer running Windows.
But since this generation of processors had been around for about a year, people had already had plenty of time to study it inside and out and learn its strengths and weaknesses.
One of Bay Trail's weaknesses was that it couldn't work with more than 2 GB of RAM. That was plenty for me, but some users wanted more.
This processor version supports up to 8 GB, which is a substantial increase, especially since the memory can run in dual-channel mode. However, this improvement applies only to the 8500 and 8700 models; the 8300 is still limited to 2 GB and single-channel mode.

This review will focus more on getting acquainted with the new hardware, which will most likely be carried over from one device to another, just as the previous generation was.
So, to avoid going over the detailed description again, I've decided to describe the internals as fully as possible here, and in future reviews I'll only point out the key differences, if there are any.

As always, I'll start the review the usual way.
The tablet arrived wrapped in bubble wrap, looking like a giant candy :)
The tablet itself was packed in a branded box. As far as I know, there's also a “simplified” packaging option on sale, just a foam box. This is because some stores have an agreement with the manufacturer and others don't. But I won't get into the business side of things; I'll just describe how mine arrived.
The box lists the main specifications, but since some are in English and some in Chinese, I'll list them separately below.

The box says TECLAST tPad—the last word looks a lot like iPad :)



The box has two levels; the top is lined with foam to protect the screen from damage during shipping.


Everything included:
1. Tablet
2. Power adapter (or charger, whichever you prefer to call it).
3. USB-to-microUSB cable
4. OTG cable
5. A pile of manuals: separate ones for Windows and Android, plus a general manual and warranty card.


The manual is almost useless, since most of it is in Chinese.
The included cables are very ordinary, nothing special, but they worked fine. The only thing worth noting is that the connectors fit very tightly.
The included power adapter has the familiar plug and an output current of 2 A.
At first I was going to complain that it gets hot during use, until I measured the tablet's power consumption. It came to about 2.3 A.


Since accessories aren't very interesting to most people, I'll move on to describing the tablet.
At first glance, it looks nice and neat. It feels good in your hands.
There were complaints about the first versions because of glue seepage, but that's not an issue here. The appearance gets a 5 out of 5.




Compared with a slightly smaller, 8.9-inch tablet.
The Teclast's screen is more square, so the tablets are almost the same length, but not the same width.
Here I noticed the main difference in appearance: the tablet doesn't have a standard Windows button o_O


And of course, no review would be complete without the traditional photo with a matchbox :)
By the way, there's a protective film on the front, but unfortunately it's just the shipping film. Some of the more recent devices I've seen came with two films: a shipping film and a regular screen protector.


The back cover is aluminum, dark with a slight purple tint.
There's also a protective film on the bottom, but it's best to remove it right away, since it impairs heat dissipation. And if you leave it on, the heat will make it bubble, so you'll have to remove it anyway.


The back also lists the internal flash storage capacity and the tablet's power requirements.
What's odd is that the included power adapter is rated for 2 A, while the tablet calls for 2.5 A.


1. There are speaker openings on the bottom, too. Depending on how you hold the tablet, they'll be either at the bottom or on the left. Of course, you can hold it any way you like, but I went by the position of the controls.
2. On the left (in landscape orientation) are:
A MicroHDMI port. They could have squeezed in a mini port, I suppose, but this is better than nothing :)
A 3.5 mm jack for headphones or an amplifier.
A MicroUSB port for charging or connecting an OTG adapter.
3. On top there's a microphone hole and a slot for a MicroSD memory card.
4. On the right are the volume and power buttons.
It's worth noting that the buttons are correctly positioned this time. Depending on how you hold the tablet, pressing the right or top button turns the volume up (landscape/portrait orientation).


The tablet has two cameras: a rear camera and a front-facing one.
The rear camera is protected from damage by a raised rim. Its resolution is 5 MP (2560x1920) or 3.6 MP (1560x1440), depending on whether you shoot in 4:3 or 16:9 mode.
The front camera is more basic and has little protection; it's located under the glass that protects the screen. Its resolution is 2 MP (1600x1200) or 1 MP (1280x720), in 4:3 or 16:9, respectively.
Both cameras can record video: the rear one at 1920x1080p, 30 fps, and the front one at 1280x720p, 30 fps.
The rear camera also has autofocus, which can work either automatically or manually (you choose the focus point).
Below I'll show some sample photos and videos taken with these cameras.


A couple more photos that don't really mean much.
The sticker on the front lists the main specs. I removed it later so it wouldn't get in the way.


Just one more look at the exterior—it really does look neat.


When you turn on the tablet, the familiar OS selection screen appears. As usual, the OS used last time loads automatically.
You can switch from either operating system to the other automatically (the tablet reboots and selects the required OS).
During boot, a message in Chinese appears. I assume it’s the tablet’s name; I can’t think of anything else.


It comes with the now-familiar Windows 10, as found on newer tablets.
The screen looks dark in the photo because I used the flash.
In reality, the screen is bright. I usually used 25 or 50% brightness, which is more than enough indoors. At 75%, and especially at 100%, it started to strain my eyes a little.
Outdoors I used 100% brightness, and everything was readable, though there wasn’t much headroom. The glossy screen was more of a problem.
There aren’t many devices that are easy to read in bright sunlight. I still use an old Siemens M75 phone partly because its screen is perfectly visible even in direct sunlight, when you have to shade all the other phones with your hand.
It’s a shame that finding a screen like that nowadays is a problem :(


That’s enough about the exterior. I’ll just say that I have no complaints about it: everything is quite neat, with no creaks or other unwanted noises. The image is excellent—sharp, vivid, with superb viewing angles.

Time to move on to the software and do a few tests in the configuration the tablet ships with (the “stock” version, so to speak).
I’ll split the testing into two parts: Windows and Android.


AnTuTu 5.2 somehow failed to “recognize” this tablet and listed it as “unknown.”


The test that simulates working with different apps behaved a little strangely.
At first it showed the tablet model and its version, but on the second run it showed only the model.
The test results were different, too.




After I installed 3DMark, it asked to update.
And it updated to the Sling Shot version, although I thought it would be Ice Storm.
Because of this update, I got a different result, which will be hard to compare with the results of previous Android tests.




When you turn off the tablet, in addition to the standard options, there's an option to reboot into Windows.
Handy.



Since I bought the tablet as a gift, I hadn't planned to take it apart. But the tests (or rather, their results), and plain old curiosity, got the better of me, so I went ahead and opened it up :)
Besides, there could have been something interesting inside, so I'm not even sure what prompted me—heat or curiosity.


Processor.
Judging by the markings, this is an Intel Atom x5 Z8500, although externally the only difference is the marking.
The rubber pad on top isn't original. The processor's top is mirror-like, so I couldn't get a decent photo; I covered it with a rubber pad from the PWM controller.
This processor was made using the new 14 nm process. The idea was that this would give it higher performance with less heat and, consequently, lower power consumption.


A side view, so to speak.


1. Among other things, I found a spot on the board for an LTE module and its antenna.

Now, a little about improving the cooling.
2, 3. First, I trimmed the insulation on the cover a little; I thought it might interfere with cooling the processor.

4. My initial goal was to try improving the cooling with as few materials as possible, so anyone could do it.
For this, I used only thermal paste, increasing the thickness of the “sandwich” in the process.



1. I put rubber pads on top of the thermal paste, but trimmed the one over the processor a little; I'll need the leftover piece later. Then I applied more thermal paste over everything.
2. The rubber pad over the PWM controller made it difficult to apply the thermal paste properly, so I had to apply it to the cover instead.
3. I closed the cover. To ensure thermal contact with the tablet's back cover, I used the remaining rubber pads I had, plus another one of the same thickness, 0.5 mm, that I found somewhere in my stash.
4. That's it, you can close it up. Don't forget to put the button plungers back in place. It's best to do this with the tablet resting on the edge of a table, buttons facing you, so that the edge of the tablet hangs slightly over the table.



After the modification, I ran another series of tests, this time using a shortened test suite in Windows only.

Seeing that there was an improvement, even if it wasn't as big as I'd hoped, I moved on to the second part of the modification.

Well, let's see how it turned out this time.

After that, I let it update to version 5.7. It also asked me to install a plugin for 64-bit systems.


The score here is even higher: 52278 points.




For some reason, the synthetic test of performance across various apps scored lower than before: 5000 versus 5245.


3DMark, on the other hand, scored 1446 points versus 1372.
Overall, Android results turned out to be less dependent on temperature than I expected, and I was hoping for a bigger performance gain.



Toward the end, I tested battery life, since it's one of the most important things in a mobile device.


Now we can sum up the test results.
Pros
Large 2048x1536 screen
Excellent IPS panel with plenty of brightness to spare.
The new processor can deliver good performance, and excellent performance in video playback.
4 GB of RAM, which is very rare in tablets.
Neatly designed case
HDMI video output.
High-quality assembly.
Comes in branded packaging

Cons
Overheating
The battery leaves a lot to be desired.
Microphone. It’s really only there for the sake of having one, since it’s not suitable for high-quality audio recording.

My take: As usual, the otherwise good overall performance is let down by a poorly thought-out cooling system—or rather, the complete lack of one. It amazes me that such a cheap modification can noticeably improve performance, yet the developers are adamant about not doing it from the start. I’d even say this isn’t specific to this product; it’s a general problem. You can count on your fingers the devices that have good cooling.
The battery was the second disappointment. I came across claims online that sometimes only one of the two batteries works, but that seems unlikely to me.
Otherwise, after the modification, the tablet delivered very good performance. What’s more, there’s no longer a 4 GB limit, and if manufacturers start using dual-channel memory, that could improve performance a little further.
When I modified the tablet, I could have achieved even better cooling, but that might make it uncomfortable to use, since the back cover would get even hotter. So I’ll leave it as it is and let it run hot.
As for operating systems, Windows alone would have been enough for me personally, but the tablet wasn’t bought for me, and Android was more familiar. Windows might come in handy too, though, so dual boot is just what’s needed here.


The store gave me a discount on the tablet, but since the rules require it, I have to say—

The product was provided by the store for review.