China Tablets to recommend

[Remless]

My Xiaoxin Pad Plus does come with Global Rom, but I dunno if it is using the same rom as the Lenovo Tab P11 Plus. However, my widevine security level remains at the best L1.

I don't think it's the same since different chipset.

Are u able to ota update? This will determine if it's an official ROM.

 

[Dorkable]

I don't think it's the same since different chipset.

Are u able to ota update? This will determine if it's an official ROM.

It checked for updates before advising me that it is already on the latest.

 

[blue00]

Not much difference cos the China ROM supports GMS... can sideload (install) GMS (find APK online) and you can run Google Playstore and Google Framework just like any normal international or global ROM... from my short experience with the China ROM (ZUI ROM), some parts of the menu are still in Chinese... those in the deeper parts of the menu... things may have changed with new updates to the latest ZUI ROM...

You can ask the seller to flash for you but note that Bro Remless has found out that ZUI ROM 12.6 onwards cannot flash to global ROM... so you have to ask the seller what version of the ZUI ROM the P11 comes from... and if it comes by default with version 12.6, then you have to live with the ZUI ROM cos cannot update to global ROM...

thks for reply Teo,


may i ask or can i u pm me where to find GMS apk that is virus free?

paisay i sound like a noob n i m a noob.

my understanding of tablet / phone stuff is still at momo tablet era. like 10 yrs back.


my understanding of no google play n framework is cannot youtube n many things cannot work in sg.

in the past was very hard to install , is the GMS a one stop software that install everything?


initially i wanted to get the nokia t20 ard $360? but for the price i realize i can get 2 tabs for my parents.

personally as a son i fail miserably to get them good stuff.

i can only make do with what i can afford..

 

[Remless]

It checked for updates before advising me that it is already on the latest.

Frankly speaking, I don't think its an official rom. This tablet is not listed in Lenovo's official rescue and smart assistant. So for any reason if u encounter issues with this rom and want to reflash, u will not be able to get this rom back.

The models listed in the assistant are:

Lenovo Tab P11
Lenovo Tab P11 pro
Lenovo Tab P11 plus (This is the helio G90 variant)
Lenovo Tab P11 5G
Lenovo Tab P12 pro

So these are the models that are confirmed to have global roms. Since I can directly download the ROW (rest of the world) roms directly from it.

 

[Remless]

I think someone asked how to flash to global rom for china sets.

NO 1 rule: Do not OTA update the china zui rom. Verify its zui 12.5 or lower from settings.

If your tablet model is listed above, the easiest way is to use Lenovo's official tool.

https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/sg/en/downloads/ds101291-rescue-and-smart-assistant-lmsa
U need to register a lenovo account to use the software. Select rescue to reflash to global rom by following the instructions from the assistant.


There are cases where using the official tool may fail. In that case, u need to follow the instructions in the xda forum post below carefully and use qualcomm's rom flash tool.


https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...and-tab-p11-pro.4205737/page-14#post-85640381
The instructions are mainly for p11, but also applies for the rest.

The entire Lenovo rom repository is available here. U can even flash cn rom using the same method.

https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/lenovo/
(PS: I cannot find even the cn rom for xiaoxin pad plus 2021 in this repository)

 

[Remless]

https://www.gsmarena.com/snapdragon_898powered_samsung_galaxy_tab_s8_runs_geekbench-news-51740.php
The chase for power is endless. Best is to assess your needs and buy what u need.

 

[Dorkable]

I asked the mercurytech seller on Shopee if his Xiaoxin Pad's Global Rom can OTA update to Android 11. He asked to hold on, think he's trying to find out himself now

 

[Remless]

I asked the mercurytech seller on Shopee if his Xiaoxin Pad's Global Rom can OTA update to Android 11. He asked to hold on, think he's trying to find out himself now

It's best to ask him to send u or provide a link to dl the ROM as a backup.

From what I see so far, xiaoxin pad plus may never get a official global release or global rom.
The upcoming Lenovo p11 5g can be considered the global release for xiaoxin pad plus.

https://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_tab_p11_5g-11091.php
As u can see from the specs, everything is almost identical to the xiaoxin pad plus except for the addition of the 5g sim slot. And thanks to that 5g sim slot, it's gonna cost more than double the price of the xiaoxin pad plus.

 

[Dorkable]

It's best to ask him to send u or provide a link to dl the ROM as a backup.

From what I see so far, xiaoxin pad plus may never get a official global release or global rom.
The upcoming Lenovo p11 5g can be considered the global release for xiaoxin pad plus.

https://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_tab_p11_5g-11091.php
As u can see from the specs, everything is almost identical to the xiaoxin pad plus except for the addition of the 5g sim slot. And thanks to that 5g sim slot, it's gonna cost more than double the price of the xiaoxin pad p

No need for me to ask for any Rom backup since I don't do any rom flashing on my own.

 

[Remless]

No need for me to ask for any Rom backup since I don't do any rom flashing on my own.

It's really up to u. It's more for a peace of mind.

These online sellers are providing shop warranty. Anytime they can close shop, derigister the shop name and register themselves under another name and discharge all warranty obligations of the old name.

It's better to ask for all the support and backup u can while they are still responding to u. Even if u do not flash ROM yourselves, u can still ask other more techie guys to help u in the event of any issues in the future.

And from my experience, sometimes a clean reflash resolve many issues. My iplay40 has a number of issues that I posted earlier in this thread which are resolved from reflashing the ROM.


Strange I really cannot find the roms online for this xiaoxin pad plus.

 

[friedmilk]

Frankly speaking, Lenovo launches more tablets than my mum makes hotcakes this couple of years.
The xiaoxin pad 11 is also known as the Lenovo tab p11 globally, is the most basic version out of their xiaoxin pad series that should meet most users need.

But it will be better if u can tell us your budget and if u are a power user. Also do u play heavy 3D games like genshin impact? Do u prefer OLED or lcd screen? Etc. It will help us better to zoom into the exact model u should buy for the best user experience.

Some shoppee sellers do have presence in Lazada. It really depends on how much platform discount we can get. One of the better sellers is this monmartech in Lazada, who also sells in shoppee.

Do note that this seller will open up the set, unlock bootloader and flash unofficial English custom roms if buyers do not indicate anything (for the 2021 models like the pad pro 2021).
Best is for buyers to indicate in remarks that u want a sealed set and u do not need seller's help to install anything.

Take these couple of days before 11.11 to chat with the sellers if they can provide sealed untouched sets (especially for the 2021 models) before placing orders.

Been doing homework on this. I don't play genshin impact tho. Maybe some other online gamea like rox, or others mmo using unreal engine 4.
And, more for media consumption I guess.
I am contemplating Lenovo xiaoxin pad vs Lenovo pad plus? Any different other then their cpu? I mean for different in cpu how different in terms on snappier or speed.

 

[Remless]

Been doing homework on this. I don't play genshin impact tho. Maybe some other online gamea like rox, or others mmo using unreal engine 4.
And, more for media consumption I guess.
I am contemplating Lenovo xiaoxin pad vs Lenovo pad plus? Any different other then their cpu? I mean for different in cpu how different in terms on snappier or speed.

For your scenario, I will recommend the pad plus (usually). SD700+ processors are definitely better for gaming.

But since yesterday I had been researching on this pad plus (myself contemplating to get a set and sell the iplay40 away. Lol), but it seems that support is very lacklustre. I cannot even find the official cn ROM. Also there are not much discussions on this set online. Which makes me bit doubtful.

Depending on your budget, u might want to keep the Lenovo pad pro in view. It has a beautiful OLED screen, sd730g processor, able to flash to official global ROM and it seems that there are more support and discussion online. I bought it for $289 last month after a whopping big $100 discount.

If u can pay higher, the pad pro 2021 is the best, even though it does not have an official global ROM.


For the pad pro, u can go down to the official Lenovo stores to have a feel.

https://www.lenovo.com/sg/en/partner/bplocator/
Fyi, local Lenovo shops are selling at $749 with global ROM and warranty. Online sellers are selling the cn sets for almost half the price. Flashing to global ROM takes only minutes using the official lmsa tool (if the process is smooth).

 

[Dorkable]

Been doing homework on this. I don't play genshin impact tho. Maybe some other online gamea like rox, or others mmo using unreal engine 4.
And, more for media consumption I guess.
I am contemplating Lenovo xiaoxin pad vs Lenovo pad plus? Any different other then their cpu? I mean for different in cpu how different in terms on snappier or speed.

Since it seems like I'm the only one to use the Xiaoxin Pad Plus here, I shall share my take on this.

Other than the SoC difference, XXPP also supports video out. In daily usage, you won't feel the difference much between the Xiaoxin Pad's Snapdragon 662 and 750G. It only becomes more apparent if you play more demanding games. I did enjoy my Pad 6Gb/128Gb back then and I highly recommend it since it is such a bang for buck tablet for the price.

I only switched to the XXPP coz I dig the white color back and also, some of my games are graphically more demanding.

 

[Teo Ming Ern]

Been doing homework on this. I don't play genshin impact tho. Maybe some other online gamea like rox, or others mmo using unreal engine 4.
And, more for media consumption I guess.
I am contemplating Lenovo xiaoxin pad vs Lenovo pad plus? Any different other then their cpu? I mean for different in cpu how different in terms on snappier or speed.

Note that the Xiaoxin Pad and the Pad Plus are both China tablets... the Pad Plus is called the Xiaoxin Pad Plus in China... so I think you're looking at two different models but not sure if you're looking athe same generation or different generation... I presume you're looking at the Xiaoxin Pad 2021 vs the Pad 2021 (aka Xiaoxin Pad Plus)...

I put all the 2021 Lenovo Pad models together for a comparison on GSMArena... note that they are called Pad, but their Chinese name is Xiaoxin Pad...
https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=10926&idPhone2=10927&idPhone3=10925
You can check out the specs and then the prices on Lazada, Shopee & Qoo10... buy from the cheapest seller with the most number of positive reviews. And importantly, as Bro Remless advises - ask if they will flash the ROM for you. If you're looking at the 2021 Pad models, these are exclusive to China at the moment and they all run the ZUI ROM which is the Chinese ROM and there are no global ROMs available...

My view is that they won't be releasing global ROMs for the China tablets anymore... cos in the last iteration, they probably lost a significant premium on their global sets as many consumers simply buy the much cheaper China tablets and then flash to global ROM...

So if you can live with the China ROM, by all means...

Also NOTE: the ZUI ROM is very good! I like it actually... and it supports GMS out of the box...

 

[Remless]

ALERT:

It had come to knowledge that some recent China Lenovo pad and pad pro are shipped with preinstalled android 11 china ROM (zui 12.6). This means that these tablets will not be able to flash to global ROM using the older methods.

For people who are keen in purchasing this tablets, do make the mental preparation that you will be using China zui ROM. (It's quite good actually, except for some quirks.)


For the highly adventurous and technically inclined users, a Korean genius had broke the code and found a method to flash to global ROM even after the tablet is updated to Android 11 zui china ROM. This is a highly technical method which rewrites the country code in the tablet. Try at your own risk!


https://m.ppomppu.co.kr/new/bbs_view.php?id=androidtab&page=1&divpage=34&no=182485&extref=1

 

[Teo Ming Ern]

thks for reply Teo,


may i ask or can i u pm me where to find GMS apk that is virus free?

paisay i sound like a noob n i m a noob.

my understanding of tablet / phone stuff is still at momo tablet era. like 10 yrs back.


my understanding of no google play n framework is cannot youtube n many things cannot work in sg.

in the past was very hard to install , is the GMS a one stop software that install everything?


initially i wanted to get the nokia t20 ard $360? but for the price i realize i can get 2 tabs for my parents.

personally as a son i fail miserably to get them good stuff.

i can only make do with what i can afford..

Hello bro,

I can't remember where I downloaded my apk from... but do use APKPure, APKMirror, Aptoid... they all contain various versions of the GMS... I also did a trial and error by downloading and see how it works... you can search for tutorials online which will also give you links to secure and safe repositories for the files...

Yes, it is one stop I believe... it will automatically download and install the GMS Framework and all the necessary software... it is easy cos the ZUI ROM already supports GMS by default... you can actually ask the seller to keep the ZUI ROM and install Google Playstore for you...

A further note that is that you install GMS first then Google Playstore then the rest is up to you already lar... haha...

Have fun lar... try the Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad 2020 or the Lenovo P11 Tab 2020... this is the best bang for buck tablet right now... with vouchers and 11.11, I think can get for less than $250...

As for your parents, no need to feel bad... just get them what's within your budget... if all you can afford is an entry level Alldocube or Teclast, that's good enough... they're really good enough these days...

 

[Teo Ming Ern]

ALERT:

It had come to knowledge that some recent China Lenovo pad and pad pro are shipped with preinstalled android 11 china ROM (zui 12.6). This means that these tablets will not be able to flash to global ROM using the older methods.

For people who are keen in purchasing this tablets, do make the mental preparation that you will be using China zui ROM. (It's quite good actually, except for some quirks.)


For the highly adventurous and technically inclined users, a Korean genius had broke the code and found a method to flash to global ROM even after the tablet is updated to Android 11 zui china ROM. This is a highly technical method which rewrites the country code in the tablet. Try at your own risk!


https://m.ppomppu.co.kr/new/bbs_view.php?id=androidtab&page=1&divpage=34&no=182485&extref=1

Wah piang... so complex... which confirms my suspicion that Lenovo China deliberately altered the code to prevent international consumers to buy their products at cheap China prices and then flash easily to global ROM like what I did... the global ROMs hold a significant premium due to the licenses that Lenovo have to pay for as well as pass various countries security and IP rules before they can be sold in these countries, mainly the West...

 

[Remless]

Wah piang... so complex... which confirms my suspicion that Lenovo China deliberately altered the code to prevent international consumers to buy their products at cheap China prices and then flash easily to global ROM like what I did... the global ROMs hold a significant premium due to the licenses that Lenovo have to pay for as well as pass various countries security and IP rules before they can be sold in these countries, mainly the West...

Yeah. Effectively, Lenovo implements region control in their android 11 update. Cn version cannot change to gl version, and gl version cannot flash cn zui also.

And also, even after the user change country code and flash to global ROM, widevine will be still broken and downgraded to L3. No solution for this one yet.

So for me, it's still better to stick to zui and wait for zui 13 update next month to enjoy new features.

 

[Teo Ming Ern]

Yeah. Effectively, Lenovo implements region control in their android 11 update. Cn version cannot change to gl version, and gl version cannot flash cn zui also.

And also, even after the user change country code and flash to global ROM, widevine will be still broken and downgraded to L3. No solution for this one yet.

So for me, it's still better to stick to zui and wait for zui 13 update next month to enjoy new features.

Hopefully some writes a simple to use software to allow us to write the second country code in the ROM and then we can easily flash from CN to Global ROM... but I might not bother if the ZUI ROM can run GMS...

And it's quite interesting that the ZUI ROM can run GMS... I thought the Chinese Govt banned that... that's why Xiaomi phones cannot support GMS anymore... just like Huawei...

 

[Remless]

Hopefully some writes a simple to use software to allow us to write the second country code in the ROM and then we can easily flash from CN to Global ROM... but I might not bother if the ZUI ROM can run GMS...

And it's quite interesting that the ZUI ROM can run GMS... I thought the Chinese Govt banned that... that's why Xiaomi phones cannot support GMS anymore... just like Huawei...

HUH!? Xiaomi cannot support google anymore? Wah lao!

Time to do some reading on this.

Edit. Oh.. just certain Xiaomi models sold in china. Not a universal ban like Huawei.

It does not seem to affect mi pad 5 pro also, even though it also run on cn miui. Seems that Xiaomi only discriminate only based on models, not every device sold in China.