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Mobility

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

By Bill Detwiler April 11, 2011, 11:22 PM PDT on Twitter billdetwiler

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$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

Cracking open the $180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet

Cracking open the $180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet

ntWant a tablet, but don’t want to spend $499 for an Apple iPad 2 or $799 for a Motorola XOOM? Then you might be tempted to purchase one of the low-cost Android tablets that are floating around the Web.
nt
ntIn February 2011, we reviewed and cracked open the $100 LY-706 MID Android tablet (distributed in the U.S. by FocalPrice.com) in February 2011:

n

    nt

  • nttGeek Gifts 2011: LY-706 Tablet Pad Netbook
  • nt

  • ntt$100 LY-706 MID Android tablet teardown
  • n

n

ntWe’re back with another low-cost tablet, the $180 RAMOS MID W9
nt(also distributed in the U.S. by FocalPrice.com). Follow along as we take a peek at the hardware inside this sub-$200 tablet.
nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Technical Specifications

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Technical Specifications

ntAs of this writing, FocalPrice lists the RAMOS MID W9 at $179.90 (US) with free shipping. The device has a 7-inch TFT-LCD (800×480 resolution) with resistive touchscreen, HDMI output, and runs Android 2.1. Inside the W9, you’ll find a Rockchip 2818 processor (which can operate at up to 640 MHz), 8GB of NAND flash storage, and 2GB system memory. It also supports Wi-Fi and 3G.
nt
ntNote: Several of the technical specifications listed on FocalPrice’s website appear to be mislabeled. For example, the company reports that the W9’s “Max RAM Support” is 32G and the “Hard Drive Capacity” is 2G. Neither of these values make sense. When most new laptops come with 4GB of RAM, I doubt a low-cost tablet is getting 32GB of RAM. Furthermore, I would expect even a sub-$200 tablet like the W9 to have more than 2GB of storage. After looking at the chips, I believe the W9 we tested actually has 2GB of system memory (RAM) and 8GB of storage.
nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Opening the box

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Opening the box

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: In the box

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: In the box

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Box contents

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Box contents

ntThe RAMOS MID W9 comes with a USB cable, a set of earphones, a connecting cable (not sure what this is for), and product documentation (written in Chinese).

n

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Front

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Front

ntThere are no physical buttons along the front of the RAMOS MID W9.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Back

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Back

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Bottom edge

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Bottom edge

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Top edge

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Top edge

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Ports

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Ports

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: microSD card slot cover

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: microSD card slot cover

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Prying loose the metal rim

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Prying loose the metal rim

ntUsing a thin metal blad and plastic spudger, I detached the RAMOS MID W9’s metal rim.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Lifting off the metal rim

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Lifting off the metal rim

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Metal rim removed

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Metal rim removed

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Ports with metal rim removed

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Ports with metal rim removed

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Right side with metal rim removed

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Right side with metal rim removed

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Removing the front metal edging

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Removing the front metal edging

ntThin metal edging surrounds the RAMOS MID W9’s LCD. It is held in place with adhesive and covers several screws. I removed the edging with a thin metal blade.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Bezel removed

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Bezel removed

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Removing the LCD bezel screws

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Removing the LCD bezel screws

ntUsing a Phillips #000 screwdriver, I removed the screws that hold the touchscreen assembly’s plastic bezel in place.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Removing the plastic LCD bezel

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Removing the plastic LCD bezel

ntWith the screws removed, I used a thin metal blade to pop loose the plastic bezel.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Plastic LCD bezel removed

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Plastic LCD bezel removed

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: First look at the main system board

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: First look at the main system board

ntWith the plastic bezel removed, we can lift the touchscreen display assembly up from the main PCB and case.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: First look inside

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: First look inside

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Main system board and battery

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Main system board and battery

ntThe RAMOS MID W9’s battery takes up a significant portion of the case inside the case.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Speakers

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Speakers

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Battery

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Battery

ntThe RAMOS MID W9’s battery is soldered to the main PCB. There are limited markings on this battery, but it appears to be an AE5258118P 3750mAh battery.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Removing the main PCB screws

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Removing the main PCB screws

ntSeveral Phillips #000 screws hold the RAMOS MID W9’s main PCB to the white plastic case.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Main PCB removed from case

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Main PCB removed from case

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Main PCB - Top

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Main PCB - Top

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Main PCB - Bottom

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Main PCB - Bottom

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: LCD and touchscreen connectors

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: LCD and touchscreen connectors

ntThe RAMOS MID W9’s LCD uses a removable ribbon cable, but the touchscreen’s cable is soldered to the main PCB.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: microSD card slot

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: microSD card slot

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: First Hynix H27UBG8T2ATR NAND Flash

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: First Hynix H27UBG8T2ATR NAND Flash

ntThe RAMOS MID W9 has two Hynix H27UBG8T2ATR NAND Flash chips. I believe each of these chips provides 4GB of storage–giving the device a total storage capacity of 8GB.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: XPT2046 4-wire touchscreen I/O controller

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: XPT2046 4-wire touchscreen I/O controller

ntThe RAMOS MID W9 has an XPT2046 4-wire touchscreen I/O controller.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Chip with markings JG=CL 803

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Chip with markings JG=CL 803

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Analogix ANX7150 HDMI Transmitter

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Analogix ANX7150 HDMI Transmitter

ntThe RAMOS MID W9 uses an Analogix ANX7150 HDMI Transmitter.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Rockchip RK1000-S

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Rockchip RK1000-S

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: First Elixir N2TU1G16GG-AC

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: First Elixir N2TU1G16GG-AC

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Second Elixir N2TU1G16GG-AC

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Second Elixir N2TU1G16GG-AC

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Second Hynix H27UBG8T2ATR NAND Flash

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Second Hynix H27UBG8T2ATR NAND Flash

nt
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Rockchip RK2818 processor

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Rockchip RK2818 processor

ntFocal price provide no specific frequency data on the RAMOS MID W9’s processor. But, the Rockchip RK2818 processor is capable of working as frequencies up to 640 MHz.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Samsung SWL-2480 802.11b/g Wi-Fi

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Samsung SWL-2480 802.11b/g Wi-Fi

ntThe RAMOS MID W9 uses a Samsung  SWL-2480 802.11b/g Wi-Fi module.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: PCB markings RK2818--MID WRQ

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: PCB markings RK2818--MID WRQ

ntThe RAMOS MID W9 maind PCB has markings that indcate the board was either made by, or for Rockchip, which isn’t surprising as the device uses the Rockchip RK2818 processor.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

$180 RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet teardown

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Disassembled

RAMOS MID W9 Android Tablet: Disassembled

ntThe RAMOS MID W9 wasn’t difficult to crack open. Unfortunately, the fact that its internal components are soldered to the main PCB make is very difficult to repair.

n

ntFor a complete review of the RAMOS MID W9, check out Mark Kaelin’s TechRepublic review.

n

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

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By Bill Detwiler
Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show.
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