VASTKING Kingpad SA10 review: COVID-19 has locked everybody in the house this year. Life has become difficult particularly for kids that are not used to being in-house especially when they’re asked to remain indoors for months! My kids needed something to spend time on, plus a mobile device for their national education e-learning classes.

I thought about buying a laptop for each, but the cost – prices for any kind of PCs have skyrocketed in Europe since last March – was too high. I tried to buy a tablet for them but the availability was minimal and the prices were again too high. Not only that, the tablets that were available and I could afford had Android 7, being the leftovers in the stock of retail stores after 6 months of Coronavirus lockdown. The solution showed itself when VASTKING sent me their own Kingpad SA10 – a device that was worth its money as you will find out.

But what were my prerequisites for having a brand new affordable tablet? Well, at first it should have a display large enough for lessons and games and its quality build should be as strong as possible – kids being kids. What I also value in tablets is software. While iPads rule the market with iOS I could not spend so much money for my kids plus they could use the tablet as a shield or a Frisbee in their daily gaming. An Android tablet was my target but with Android being… Android, I checked for the last version possible. I don’t value OEM updates on Android versions in the amount of money I look at so I did not want to take the chance. My tablet of choice should have Android 10 for 2 years of usage without any software issues.

It seems that VASTKING Kingpad SA10 covered all my prerequisites as you see. VASTKING was an unknown firm to me but the VFM was unbeatable to pass over for a more expensive and less able tablet. So let’s see what this brand new SA10 Android 10 tablet offers!

ASTKING KINGPAD SA10 – SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 10″
GPU: IMG8322
CPU: Octa Core, 1.6GHz
Chipset: SC9863A
Resolution: 1920*1200
Storage: 32GB (expandable by up to 128GB)
RAM: 3GB
Operation System: Android 10
Battery: 6000 mAh
Audio: Dual speakers
Ports: Type C/earphone port/microSD Card Slot
WIFI: 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz
Front Camera: 5MP
Rear Camera: 13MP
Weight: 620g
Dimensions: 258mm x 150mm x 7mm
Power supply: DC 5V,2A
Bluetooth: 5.0

VASTKING KINGPAD SA10 – UNBOXING

SA10 comes in a carton box that has an image of the tablet on the top and the specifications on the bottom. Inside we can find the tablet (in silver gray for me – the other color is rose gold), the charger, the cable, a user guide in many languages and a fast set up guide. Included are two offers, one for increasing the warranty to 2 years with a simple phonecall and a free tempered glass or a protective case in case the new owner makes an honest review in one of the retail / e-shops he bought the tablet from. The tablet has a protective film on, but anyone with kids will need a case (a fat plastic one) and a tempered glass. That is a good offer!

VASTKING KINGPAD SA10 – DESIGN AND CHARACTERISTICS

SA10 has a 10 inch display with normal bezels in the sides but large ones in top and bottom. Bezels are needed in tablets, because this is the place where the user puts his hands to hold it. A selfie camera can be seen in the top bezel, but don’t expect to have huge likes in Instagram from it.

The top part has an SDcard slot. The low part has two grilles for the speakers, a 3.5mm audio port, a USB-C port and an internal microphone, Lest side is empty, right side has the volume rocker, the lock/power button and a reset port (can be reset with the SIM card tray needle included in the package). The back panel has a single camera – in a weird top position that seems to be too left from the center. We can see the logo in the middle, and the serial number and other information in the lower part with a smaller font. The metal body has a nice finish – especially in the upper part, where a horizontal strip has a different pattern.

The design is elegant and minimal while providing extra protection being all metal. The button quality is excellent and the sturdiness of SA10 is superb.

The dimensions are good for the size and the weight at 620 grams is not bad for carrying around. I have ordered a case for the back seat for the car, so my kids can see videos in our journeys (if the lockdown ends soon that is…). They can carry the tablet in their school backpacks when in need (at this point we have only PC classes, all notes are with paper & pencils).

The display is of IPS technology, with a diagonal of 10 inches and resolution of 1080p. It provides a perfect widescreen experience when it comes to ratio. Colors are fine and 1080p videos on YouTube are fun to watch. Brightness is not the best for the hot summer sun, so avoid using the tablet in intense light conditions – you will need to find a shade. Touching the display feels good – all movement is proper without any issues.

What is extra, and perfect for long time usage, is the Anti-Bluelight screen. VASTKING has an in-house tech that reduces eye strain. My kids use the tablet for lessons and gaming all day without complaining about sore eyes.

A massive plus is the headphone port of the tablet, as they can listen to their classes and music without annoying the grownups. In case we don’t have work, kids use the built-in stereo speakers. They are loud and clear without distortions. Don’t forget to lower down the alarm volume, as I had an unpleasant experience the first morning of usage.

SA10 includes a 5MP selfie camera and a 13MP back camera. The first one is ok for e-classes and talking to grandparents with skype. The second one provides decent quality only in good lighting conditions. Kids use the camera to send pictures and videos to their friends. My daily usage is to take pictures of their homework and send it with Gmail to their teachers.

The main SoC of the device is called Unisoc SC9863A (formerly known as Spreadtrum). Is an entry level octa core SoC with 8 ARM Cortex-A55 cores in two clusters. One performance cluster with up to 1.6 GHz and a efficiency cluster with up to 1.2 GHz. The SoC also integrates an LTE modem (TDD-LTE/FDD-LTE/TD-SCDMA/WCDMA/GGE), a PowerVR IMG8322 /GE8322 graphics card and 1080p video support. It is similar to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 429. I had no issue whatsoever with the usage.

SA10 has 3GB of RAM to help multitasking. Don’t expect to play heavy 3D games here with top quality, but for most applications – especially for what my kids need (e-class, YouTube, games, Skype) – it is perfect.

Storage is at 32GB, which is not enough for applications, pdf, photos, videos and mp3/4 files. SA10 offers an expandable storage with a SDcard to 128GB. I had one laying around and I included it immediately thus solving any future storage issues. Connectivity is excellent with the usage of my apartment’s WiFi.

As I said in the beginning, the very important thing in the selection of tablets for me, is the version of Android. Not only I want it to be the latest possible version but I want it to have Google Services. SA10 runs on Android 10 and is GMS certified! That makes it future proof for 2 years at least, not mentioning the scenario where VASTKING decides to update with Android 11. In any case I am happy with what I got. Settings’ menu is complete with fast navigation. There are no extra applications (bloatware) or advertisements in any of the menus. Experience is stock Android 10.

SA10 includes a fully functioning Google Play Store. All the applications can be installed without issues. The setup itself was easy as I synced my kids Google mail accounts from their smartphones separately and all their favorite applications and games were installed in a single night. SA10 has Google Assistant voice control. While not being used from my kids I personally like to use it to play some music or listen to a recipe when cooking for them.

What is very important in tablets? Battery life of course! With a 6000mAh battery the tablet can support up to 12 hours of gaming, or 2 days of normal usage (videos, pictures, e-class, video calls). Charging is not fast but since I change it only at night I don’t mind. I am very pleased with the battery life of SA10 and I believe VASTIKING should advertise this part more.

VASTKING KINGPAD SA10 – CONCLUSION

At the price of $169,99 it seems we can get a decent all-around tablet! It has everything I wanted for my kids and more. I did not expect stock Android experience at this amount of money or the absence of advertisements. The build is excellent and the combination of good display, SoC and sound, makes Kingpad SA10 a great choice for everyday usage.

 

* From gizchina.