Pipo M1 Max 1.6ghz Android Jelly Bean Tablet Hands On Review

A few days ago I reported on the excellent looking Pipo M1 Android Jelly Bean tablet, excellent because it offers a dual-core Rockchips 1.6Ghz CPU, Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean OS and great looking 9.7 inch IPS screen all for a great price. Best of all mine arrived yesterday! Hands on photos after the jump!

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I personally own the original iPad and an Ainol Novo 7 Android tablet. I love my old iPad, but it has become extremely slow, and while the Novo 7 is a good tablet the small screen size really put’s me off from using it (in fact no one in my family every uses the Novo 7!).

So I found myself in the situation where I wanted a 9.7 inch Android tablet which was faster than my current iPad while being cheaper than the iPad 2 or current new iPad, and I found the Pipo M1!

The Pipo M1 costs just $215 and features some awesome high performancefeatures which are usually reserved for tablets twice and sometimes 3 times the cost!

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Pipo M1 in the box

The Pipo M1 comes in a very thing good quality box with foam inserts to keep the 9.7 inch tablet from getting damaged in transport. The box is so thin that the included mains charger and data connection transfer wires actually come in a separate smaller box.

I ordered my Pipo M1 from Pandawil and when it arrived it came with a pre applied screen protector which was a nice and unexpected surprise!

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Instructions are included with the M1 however they are written in Chinese, but being and Android tablet anyone who is able to touch a screen should have no problem operating the Pipo M1.

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Pipo M1 Body

The body of the Pipo M1 has an alloy rear shell which features an embossed Pipo logo on the back and striped pattern. The rear also has a 2 mega-pixel rear camera which offers basic photo capture capabilities.

The sides and edges are made of plastic which is punctured from time to time with various physical controls such as the volume rocker, power/lock button and back buttons.

Along the bottom edge there is a micro SD card reader which lets you boost the built-in 16GB of internal storage, a 3.5mm head-phone jack, two micro USB ports, HDMI out and the external speaker.

A glass display covers the entire front of the Pipo with a generous bezel for holding the tablet and there is also a front facing camera which is claimed to be a 2 mega-pixel unit like the rear and can be used for video calls.

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

About the author

Andi

RHS
September 8, 2012
Hi, Andi. Great buy, but why you didnt choose some of 10,1 inch screen tablets like cube gt30? They are the same apart from better screeen resolution which is 1280*800 while costing only $205?
- September 8, 2012
  No reason really other than I’m use to the size of my old iPad. This is a great replacement tablet for anyone wanting to replace an iPad
  - Patrick
    November 13, 2012
    9.7 inch 4:3 is the best size. 10.1 is only good for watching movie in my opinion.

farookb4u
September 8, 2012
where is zopo 900 review part 4!!?? still waitin for it!! it has been a weak.. hav u forgot andi?
- September 8, 2012
  Ha ha I’m actually trying to make the hands on video so I can launch the competition. Last night I had no Internet and now my camera has no power!… Hopefully later today 😉
ThinkOutsideTheBox
September 8, 2012
This is VERY nice, congrats on the new tablet!
ThinkOutsideTheBox
September 8, 2012
Andi, check out the new hands on video of the GooApple i5 phone. There are now 2 versions, and another competitor also joined the i5 clones. I’ll leave the rest to you! There’s 2 videos of a hands on online so far.

sere83
September 8, 2012
Thanks for the review, white looks much nicer than original black. Think i’d be looking for something with a higher res display though, but not bad for the price.
My main concern is that the battery often discharges in a non linear way on these rk3066 tabs, or at least the battery meter shows it does. So one minute its at 80% then will be ok for a long time then suddenly drop to 20%. Would like to hear how long it actually last though.
Watch out for the SmartQ X7 that was just announced, looks pretty beastly
- September 8, 2012
  @sere83 I’m really impressed by the screen to be honest. Although it’s not the highest res screen on the planet I’ve been pleasantly surprised by it. My only problem is finding compatible games for it…..

justme8282
September 8, 2012
Guest
September 8, 2012
Hi, Andi. Great buy, but why you didnt choose some of 10,1 inch screen tablets like cube gt30? They are the same apart from better screeen resolution which is 1280*800 while costing only $205?
- Guest
  September 8, 2012
  No reason really other than I’m use to the size of my old iPad. This is a great replacement tablet for anyone wanting to replace an iPad
- Guest
  November 14, 2012
  9.7 inch 4:3 is the best size. 10.1 is only good for watching movie in my opinion.

Guest
September 8, 2012
where is zopo 900 review part 4!!?? still waitin for it!! it has been a weak.. hav u forgot andi?
- Guest
  September 8, 2012
  Ha ha I’m actually trying to make the hands on video so I can launch the competition. Last night I had no Internet and now my camera has no power!… Hopefully later today 😉
Guest
September 8, 2012
This is VERY nice, congrats on the new tablet!

Steve
September 8, 2012
Hi Andi, great review by the way. I am planning to buy the PiPo M1 from pandawill soon and its nice to see that you bought it from the same online shop. Antutu score of over 8000 is reallllly impressive. I have ordered the ainol novo aurora II which i expect to arrive anytime but later found out about the PiPo after i had spent my money so will sell it and get the M1 because i want that huge screen. As for the games compatibility i think the Play Store still doesnt recognize many tablet and phone models from China so if you want to install all those games youll probably want to change the build.pro of the tablet to read as maybe a galaxy SIII since they have the same GPU or the Nexus 7. Or just head on to slatedroid am sure you’ll find a solution there.
cheers
- September 8, 2012
  @Steve Cheers Steve I figured I would have to do this. I’ll have a proper play around with it tomorrow and try to get some games on it. I think you will really like the Pipo it’s a great tablet for the money 🙂
Guest
September 8, 2012
Andi, check out the new hands on video of the GooApple i5 phone. There are now 2 versions, and another competitor also joined the i5 clones. I’ll leave the rest to you! There’s 2 videos of a hands on online so far.
- Guest
  September 8, 2012

Guest
September 8, 2012

Guest
September 8, 2012
Thanks for the review, white looks much nicer than original black. Think i’d be looking for something with a higher res display though, but not bad for the price.
My main concern is that the battery often discharges in a non linear way on these rk3066 tabs, or at least the battery meter shows it does. So one minute its at 80% then will be ok for a long time then suddenly drop to 20%. Would like to hear how long it actually last though.
Watch out for the SmartQ X7 that was just announced, looks pretty beastly
- Guest
  September 8, 2012
  @sere83 I’m really impressed by the screen to be honest. Although it’s not the highest res screen on the planet I’ve been pleasantly surprised by it. My only problem is finding compatible games for it…..
Guest
September 8, 2012

Guest
September 8, 2012
Hi Andi, great review by the way. I am planning to buy the PiPo M1 from pandawill soon and its nice to see that you bought it from the same online shop. Antutu score of over 8000 is reallllly impressive. I have ordered the ainol novo aurora II which i expect to arrive anytime but later found out about the PiPo after i had spent my money so will sell it and get the M1 because i want that huge screen. As for the games compatibility i think the Play Store still doesnt recognize many tablet and phone models from China so if you want to install all those games youll probably want to change the build.pro of the tablet to read as maybe a galaxy SIII since they have the same GPU or the Nexus 7. Or just head on to slatedroid am sure you’ll find a solution there.
cheers
- Guest
  September 8, 2012
  @Steve Cheers Steve I figured I would have to do this. I’ll have a proper play around with it tomorrow and try to get some games on it. I think you will really like the Pipo it’s a great tablet for the money 🙂
September 10, 2012
the M1 looks stunning! I had seriously considered the U1 but went with an Ainol Novo7 Fire…

Guest
September 11, 2012
the M1 looks stunning! I had seriously considered the U1 but went with an Ainol Novo7 Fire…
Pete
September 11, 2012
Mine arrives any time now. Biggest downside is that it’s not available from within the EU, so we have to post it half way around the world if there are any h/w issues.
Guest
September 11, 2012
Mine arrives any time now. Biggest downside is that it’s not available from within the EU, so we have to post it half way around the world if there are any h/w issues.
- Guest
  September 11, 2012

Consolato
September 20, 2012
Hi Andi i have purchase also the PIPO M1 ,and i need help in wich port inserth the OTG cable.
Host or USB ,and wich dongle 3g need , i have a Huawei e160,e1550,e353.
Pls reply and HELP me.
Ciao
Consolato
- September 20, 2012
  I’m not sure which dongles are supported (I think the pandawil site mentions this) as for which port it should be the host.

Guest
September 20, 2012
Hi Andi i have purchase also the PIPO M1 ,and i need help in wich port inserth the OTG cable.
Host or USB ,and wich dongle 3g need , i have a Huawei e160,e1550,e353.
Pls reply and HELP me.
Ciao
Consolato
- Guest
  September 21, 2012
  I’m not sure which dongles are supported (I think the pandawil site mentions this) as for which port it should be the host.

Consolato
September 21, 2012
Tank’s mr. Andy the HOST it’s correct !The Huawei dongle E160 and E 1550 working , but not new E 353.
Guest
September 21, 2012
Tank’s mr. Andy the HOST it’s correct !The Huawei dongle E160 and E 1550 working , but not new E 353.
Dimitris
September 29, 2012
I don’t have a good performance using Skype comparing with my iPad. There is a lot of noise. Is there anyrthing I can do to fix it ?

AJ
September 29, 2012
Andi (or any helpful user):
I need to know if my portable hard drive can connect to the M1. Specifically, to view 1080p mkvs and listen to mp3s from my NTFS drive (since the videos are over 5g). Can anyone confirm that the M1 can handle my portable hard drive and files? Thanks!

Julie
September 29, 2012
hi there andy thanks for your nice review , i’m willing to buy one but saw there’s a lot of models , is there any difference between the pipo m1,m2 and m3?!
and also do you advise me to buy this one or to buy the onda vi40 – heard a lot about this one too-or another chinese model , heard about a ramos w30..
it would be great to make a top 10 chinese tablet buyers guide , same as your great phone’s guide 😀
thanks for your advices 😀
Guest
September 29, 2012
I don’t have a good performance using Skype comparing with my iPad. There is a lot of noise. Is there anyrthing I can do to fix it ?

Guest
September 29, 2012
Andi (or any helpful user):
I need to know if my portable hard drive can connect to the M1. Specifically, to view 1080p mkvs and listen to mp3s from my NTFS drive (since the videos are over 5g). Can anyone confirm that the M1 can handle my portable hard drive and files? Thanks!

Guest
September 29, 2012
hi there andy thanks for your nice review , i’m willing to buy one but saw there’s a lot of models , is there any difference between the pipo m1,m2 and m3?!
and also do you advise me to buy this one or to buy the onda vi40 – heard a lot about this one too-or another chinese model , heard about a ramos w30..
it would be great to make a top 10 chinese tablet buyers guide , same as your great phone’s guide 😀
thanks for your advices 😀
Hi there.
Whats the diference between Pipo M2 wireless and Pipo M1?
Guest
September 30, 2012
Hi there.
Whats the diference between Pipo M2 wireless and Pipo M1?

Ian Wishart
September 30, 2012
I’m thinking of buying a tablet but have no idea what to buy but reading your reviews on this one it looks good. Will I be able to get google play on this and will it support all the apps here in the uk.
Guest
October 1, 2012
I’m thinking of buying a tablet but have no idea what to buy but reading your reviews on this one it looks good. Will I be able to get google play on this and will it support all the apps here in the uk.

Dimitris
October 1, 2012
Hi,
My Pipo M1 after a week of good operation doesn’t boot.
It freezes in the screen with the Pipo logo.
Can anybody give me some help?
Can I do a hard factory reset using the keys on the tablet ?
Thank you in advance.
Dimitris
- RamPowered
  October 11, 2012
  When your device freezes, try pressing inside the RESET hole under the camera.
  This should help.

October 1, 2012
Hi,
My Pipo M1 after a week of good operation doesn’t boot.
It freezes in the screen with the Pipo logo.
Can anybody give me some help?
Can I do a hard factory reset using the keys on the tablet ?
Thank you in advance.
Dimitris
- Guest
  October 12, 2012
  When your device freezes, try pressing inside the RESET hole under the camera.
  This should help.

RamPowered
October 11, 2012
Hi Andi.
I own the Pipo M1 tablet for some time.
Amazing machine, No doubt about it.
Yet, I would like to get your opinion about the battery power capabilities.
In your post (that was written 34 days ago) you told that you can not comment on the issue.
I hope that you can now….
My device last 1.3 work hours or 13 hours sleep mode (not together)!!!
I made 3 charging circles, no help.
I used very low demands (minimum brightness and only 2 main apps running, not need large cpu time.)
It looks very poor performance. Something looks wrong.
What is your experience?
- October 11, 2012
  Hi RamPowered for me I get about 3+days of standby and about 4-5 hours use depending on what I am doing. It’ no iPad in the battery department but I’ve been impressed.
- Andrew
  October 20, 2012
  That seems really short, I’d say mine also goes 4-5 hrs. The first time the battery meter dropped fast before being stuck a long time at 5%, but after a few cycles it seems to be more accurate. Try turning off location services and possibly a custom ROM (search TNT pipo m1), and if you still only get an hour it could be defective.
  - sutz
    November 22, 2012
    RamPowered,
    did you manage to solve the battery problem, because i have the exact same issue.
    i was wondering if you tried a custom rom and whether that helped

Guest
October 12, 2012
Hi Andi.
I own the Pipo M1 tablet for some time.
Amazing machine, No doubt about it.
Yet, I would like to get your opinion about the battery power capabilities.
In your post (that was written 34 days ago) you told that you can not comment on the issue.
I hope that you can now….
My device last 1.3 work hours or 13 hours sleep mode (not together)!!!
I made 3 charging circles, no help.
I used very low demands (minimum brightness and only 2 main apps running, not need large cpu time.)
It looks very poor performance. Something looks wrong.
What is your experience?
- Guest
  October 12, 2012
  Hi RamPowered for me I get about 3+days of standby and about 4-5 hours use depending on what I am doing. It’ no iPad in the battery department but I’ve been impressed.
- Guest
  October 21, 2012
  That seems really short, I’d say mine also goes 4-5 hrs. The first time the battery meter dropped fast before being stuck a long time at 5%, but after a few cycles it seems to be more accurate. Try turning off location services and possibly a custom ROM (search TNT pipo m1), and if you still only get an hour it could be defective.
- Guest
  November 22, 2012
  RamPowered,
  did you manage to solve the battery problem, because i have the exact same issue.
  i was wondering if you tried a custom rom and whether that helped

Andrew
October 20, 2012
Thanks for the review, it swayed my decision to buy one. I’ve been using it for a couple weeks now and am quite satisfied. Using TNT Revision 3 custom ROM which is working great, scores 8200 in Antutu and games run smoothly. Only downside is the weak speaker, but still usable in quiet environments. Overall a great value, the equivalent would be a TouchPad or iPad 1, which are far less capable.

Guest
October 21, 2012
Thanks for the review, it swayed my decision to buy one. I’ve been using it for a couple weeks now and am quite satisfied. Using TNT Revision 3 custom ROM which is working great, scores 8200 in Antutu and games run smoothly. Only downside is the weak speaker, but still usable in quiet environments. Overall a great value, the equivalent would be a TouchPad or iPad 1, which are far less capable.

David
October 22, 2012
Hi, judging by your posts I’m guessing that English isn’t your first language – what country are you from?
Guest
October 22, 2012
Hi, judging by your posts I’m guessing that English isn’t your first language – what country are you from?
Zac
November 23, 2012
Hi all, I recently bought a Pipo Smart S1, which is the 7″ model of the M1. I have to say that the dual core CPU @1.6 GHz, the quad core GPU and the 1080p screen have been amazing. My only problem is I have trouble running some games, such as TinTin, which just force quits, Avatar, not even recognized on app store, and Lara Croft, which runs, but only if I force install and only in a verrrry basic state, Dead Space, etc. Can anyone elaborate more on a solution to get these games to run? I’m smart enough to figure out the Linux/Android architecture to root the device etc but I’m stuck.

Guest
November 24, 2012
Hi all, I recently bought a Pipo Smart S1, which is the 7″ model of the M1. I have to say that the dual core CPU @1.6 GHz, the quad core GPU and the 1080p screen have been amazing. My only problem is I have trouble running some games, such as TinTin, which just force quits, Avatar, not even recognized on app store, and Lara Croft, which runs, but only if I force install and only in a verrrry basic state, Dead Space, etc. Can anyone elaborate more on a solution to get these games to run? I’m smart enough to figure out the Linux/Android architecture to root the device etc but I’m stuck.

co-ordinationuk
November 25, 2012
Hi, I recently bought the M1 max and on the whole I really like it, I’d give it full marks if I didn’t have so many problems streaming video. At first I thought my problem was my G class wireless router range as streaming You Tube (even with “HD” switched off on the specific video) was only reliable if I was a within 2 meters of my router. I would also lose connection from time to time when doing non video browsing.
Today I bought an N class wireless router (Netgear N300), and still get more buffering or complete drop outs than expected even though the wireless strength indicators are now more stable and more likely to be 90-100 % signal strength. Is there something I can tweak? Some one with a Galaxy Tab told me it’s possible to update wireless drivers on Android devices? Is this correct? I only know Windows.

Guest
November 26, 2012
Hi, I recently bought the M1 max and on the whole I really like it, I’d give it full marks if I didn’t have so many problems streaming video. At first I thought my problem was my G class wireless router range as streaming You Tube (even with “HD” switched off on the specific video) was only reliable if I was a within 2 meters of my router. I would also lose connection from time to time when doing non video browsing.
Today I bought an N class wireless router (Netgear N300), and still get more buffering or complete drop outs than expected even though the wireless strength indicators are now more stable and more likely to be 90-100 % signal strength. Is there something I can tweak? Some one with a Galaxy Tab told me it’s possible to update wireless drivers on Android devices? Is this correct? I only know Windows.

tom
November 27, 2012
Help !!!Today I got my pipo m1 tablet but every time I try and use the camera a message pops up saying unfortunately gallery has stopped. Do you know how to fix this this issue? Because I’m not use to android 4.1.
- Stella
  December 3, 2012
  Hey there am havin same problem did you get yours sorted
- Eljean Manalo
  March 6, 2013
  i have same problem with you with my camera. Can’t use the camera both front and back. Pls help us how to fix this problem..thanks

Eskim
November 27, 2012
Helloo
I buy Pipo m1 but i can not started because i must have password…do you now some universale password or how i can Pipo Max1 Factory Reset…..
please help my…………………
- November 27, 2012
  That’s odd not come across that before. Did you contact the people you bought it from?
Guest
November 28, 2012
Help !!!Today I got my pipo m1 tablet but every time I try and use the camera a message pops up saying unfortunately gallery has stopped. Do you know how to fix this this issue? Because I’m not use to android 4.1.
- Guest
  December 3, 2012
  Hey there am havin same problem did you get yours sorted
- Guest
  March 7, 2013
  i have same problem with you with my camera. Can’t use the camera both front and back. Pls help us how to fix this problem..thanks

Guest
November 28, 2012
Helloo
I buy Pipo m1 but i can not started because i must have password…do you now some universale password or how i can Pipo Max1 Factory Reset…..
please help my…………………
- Guest
  November 28, 2012
  That’s odd not come across that before. Did you contact the people you bought it from?
kat
December 8, 2012
Cheers to your great review! I’m planning to buy a Pipo M1 this week. Umm according to your post, there are games that aren’t compatible with M1. Can you kindly mention which are those games? And do you know now how to sort it out? Thanks a lot sir and more power! 🙂

Guest
December 8, 2012
Cheers to your great review! I’m planning to buy a Pipo M1 this week. Umm according to your post, there are games that aren’t compatible with M1. Can you kindly mention which are those games? And do you know now how to sort it out? Thanks a lot sir and more power! 🙂
roushena
December 23, 2012
i had my pipo (the white one) for a month and a half and now it won’t cut on without the charger. the power button does not cut on at all. i’m really trying not to get pissed off, can you tell me what the problem could be? i’m in the process of shipping it back…..i love this tablet i’ve been telling everyone about it. my sister and i ordered it at the same time and hers is fine….

Guest
December 24, 2012
i had my pipo (the white one) for a month and a half and now it won’t cut on without the charger. the power button does not cut on at all. i’m really trying not to get pissed off, can you tell me what the problem could be? i’m in the process of shipping it back…..i love this tablet i’ve been telling everyone about it. my sister and i ordered it at the same time and hers is fine….

franz
January 2, 2013
hi
m1 vs m2 vs m3
i plan to buy 1 what’s the best model that u can recommend to me between the three and why???
waiting for your feedback thanks….

Guest
January 3, 2013
hi
m1 vs m2 vs m3
i plan to buy 1 what’s the best model that u can recommend to me between the three and why???
waiting for your feedback thanks….
Maria Bach
January 23, 2013
I am using pipo m1 one and i really and enjoy it,and my friend envy on this because it is very fast and it is soft touch…i am using this frequently on my singing gig and it is doing well higher than what i expected.i didnt regret buying this.
Guest
January 23, 2013
I am using pipo m1 one and i really and enjoy it,and my friend envy on this because it is very fast and it is soft touch…i am using this frequently on my singing gig and it is doing well higher than what i expected.i didnt regret buying this.

buboy cabillo
March 7, 2013
hello
can you please help me fix my problem with my pipo s2. when i turn it on and the logo shows after few seconds it shutdown and goes on again. on of on of like that. i tried to reset the pin hole but it doesn’t work.
Guest
March 7, 2013
hello
can you please help me fix my problem with my pipo s2. when i turn it on and the logo shows after few seconds it shutdown and goes on again. on of on of like that. i tried to reset the pin hole but it doesn’t work.

robbie
May 12, 2013
hi all. thanks andi for taking the time to do this great review.
just wondering if anyone can talk a little about the speaker. how weak is it? any real-environment examples to help me get my head around the issue. thanks a mill folks.
Robbie

Guest
May 12, 2013
hi all. thanks andi for taking the time to do this great review.
just wondering if anyone can talk a little about the speaker. how weak is it? any real-environment examples to help me get my head around the issue. thanks a mill folks.
Robbie
Graciela Belle
August 4, 2013
PIPO M1 Pro has a very good battery life (having 8000mAh battery). The 10 point multi touchscreen is what interest me most in buying this.I must say before I bought it from merimobiles.com I had my second thoughts.But you know, what the heck! I should give this a try and yes was I not just happy but also very thankful I got this! 🙂 I love the design, the screen resolution and the performance is amazing!

Guest
August 4, 2013
PIPO M1 Pro has a very good battery life (having 8000mAh battery). The 10 point multi touchscreen is what interest me most in buying this.I must say before I bought it from merimobiles.com I had my second thoughts.But you know, what the heck! I should give this a try and yes was I not just happy but also very thankful I got this! 🙂 I love the design, the screen resolution and the performance is amazing!

John
October 13, 2013
I bought my wife a PiPo M1 Max for her birthday a couple of months ago and we both loved it at first but as soon as I put some folders of holiday snaps etc on it, on switching it on the photos all got jumbled up in the folders. On screen they were all over the place, but when viewed on my pc via usb were exactly as I had uploaded them. I deleted them and loaded them again and they were ok until she took a photo with the PiPo camera…….then they scrambled again! I sent it back for a refund and bought an iPad instead, but liked the PiPo much better when it was working!
Guest
October 13, 2013
I bought my wife a PiPo M1 Max for her birthday a couple of months ago and we both loved it at first but as soon as I put some folders of holiday snaps etc on it, on switching it on the photos all got jumbled up in the folders. On screen they were all over the place, but when viewed on my pc via usb were exactly as I had uploaded them. I deleted them and loaded them again and they were ok until she took a photo with the PiPo camera…….then they scrambled again! I sent it back for a refund and bought an iPad instead, but liked the PiPo much better when it was working!

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Pipo M1 in the box

Gizchina News of the week

Pipo M1 Body

Andi

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