This is a treat. A twenty-three-minute video by someone who flashed Windows 8.1 to his Teclast X98 Air and is very comfortable using Windows on a tablet.
(All screensnaps from the 720p video; click to enlarge.)
He opens by talking about what a trip it was trying to install Windows. Figuring out how to change the language to English took him days — and he needed his Surface nearby as a guide to translating Chinese to English.
He doesn’t have good news for those of you pining for Windows on it. He’s not completely satisfied with the performance. He says that sometimes he can have just one program open and there will be stuttering!
Another disappointment is WiFi performance. Here’s Speedtest on his Surface:
And on the Teclast X98 Air with Windows:
He says that although 5G WiFi is advertised, it’s not actually in the tablet. I wonder if this is true or if his unit is somehow defective? I also wonder if the recent WiFi tip would help him?
He plays a few games, one of which is Halo:
It goes well. But then when he tries Asphalt 8 at full retina resolution …
… the frame rate is insufficient and he also has a great deal of trouble controlling the car.
On the Desktop side, he runs a Steam game …
… and that goes well.
But there’s a bit of a trick with that …
… the resolution was set to just 1280 x 1024!
He then lowers the screen resolution …
… and tries Asphalt 8 again …
… and the frame rate is improved and so is control.
He has no interest in the camera but takes a sample still shot and a short video for the sake of viewers …
… but using the camera really isn’t his thing.
Now the video:
Previously here:
Teclast X98 Air WiFi Tip
Teclast X98 Air Gets A Review
Two Videos Of The Teclast X98 Air
Teclast X98 Air Listed At English JD Site
Teclast X98 Air: iambillbil Appearance Evaluation
Teclast Tablet News Items
Teclast X98 Air: First Unboxing Photos
Teclast X98 Air On Pre-Sale Tomorrow
Teclast Adds X98 Air To Their Site
Teclast X98 Air Coming
Teclast Teases T98 Air
Teclast Makes AnTuTu Score Claim For P98 Air
A Glimpse Of The Teclast T97 Air?
Mike Cane’s xBlog 
Thanks for posting this. I think they are pushing to raise resolution on tablets that can run Windows OS too fast without proper testing. We see heat problems in some, and performance problems in others. I think you need an Intel 3770 to do anything about 1280×800. Even with that processor, unless the battery is huge, it will drain in six hours or so. There are some good 10 inch Windows tablets out there with processors that can handle a higher resolution like the HP Omni 10. For me, I prefer an 8 inch device like the Lenovo Thinkpad 8 (which also contains the 3770).
My dream Windows tablet would be:
8.9″ Screen
3770 Processor
8000+ mAh battery
4GB RAM
64GB EMMC
1900×1200 Resolution (although I would accept 1280×800 if the above stats were met – especially 4GB RAM!)
And for $200 usd right? Not going to happen. There is a Lenovo I think that has a 4GB z3770 but its 10″
Where did I mention price? I don’t mind paying for it. Also, Lenovo has an 8″ Thinkpad for $399 with a 3770 in it with 1920×1200 resolution. The battery life isn’t as good as 1280×800 tablets, but other than that, it is a fantastic tablet.
It’s nice to have the option, but I don’t see the benefit of having Windows instead of Android on a tablet, especially if you can’t dual boot.
Some people — like the guy who made the video — don’t like Android.
To be honest, I think a lot of people just don’t understand what Windows can offer. Sure, you can get a lot more “apps” in the iOS or Android store right now, but all the important apps I need are in the Windows store. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part, everything I need is there. Beyond that, I have a tablet with FULL WINDOWS. I can plug in any piece of hardware I want, from hard drives to printers. I can plug it into a monitor and load up any standard Windows application (for desktop mode) and do actual work. Photoshop, Office, Etc..
Windows tablets also offer the best performance when it comes to browsing. Even putting performance aside, a Windows tablet can run any website without ANY issues. Flash? No problem. Next, you can load up a solid version of XBMC, one that works much better than the mobile OS counterparts, and watch live TV or stream movies.
I’ve been reviewing Chinese tablets since they were running Windows CE and Linux, when iPad was a pipe dream. I had one of the first Android tablets, and own many of them even now. While I still love Android, I do see many reasons why a Windows tablet would be an awesome piece of hardware.
That’s a damn shame. I think it must be a rubbish rom and I thought the X98 Air already had Windows 8.1 on it, or at least I know now that I can buy it with windows 8.1 from Alibaba. With these issues I think the Onda 975W would be the best buy right? Looks like an okay machine the Onda 975W. Its only like 1mm thinker than the X98. I like your blog too buy the way, I want a cheap machine for mostly internet and movies, but with a nice screen and these retina chinese tablets fill the gap. (Btw I have a surface 3 pro) But this is for a cheap but ok machine for my wife.
Teclast doesn’t seem to have any interest in doing the X98 Air with Windows pre-installed. I guess sales of the X98HD with Windows pre-installed told them not to bother and to offer just a download.
I don’t see any reviews on the X89HD 7.9″ they make, except for your links to Chinese reviews with people that are having heat and battery life issues. So far, you are the only voice on the internet for this information in English. I would have already purchased the X89HD had I not seen your posts.
That tablet hasn’t gotten any tech press coverage since. And the IMP3Net forum hasn’t any posts about it from owners.
I think really the one to watch is the Z3736f. That coupled with decent Win8 and Kitkat ROMs would be a serious contender in the Chinese tablet scene imo.
Mike,
Is there any good information on the Ramos i8pro Windows tablet out there?
Have not seen reviews that I can recall. Checked my China Bookmarks. Nothing there, either. Just the three posts I did:
https://mikecanex.wordpress.com/?s=i8pro
I found this review in the IMP3Net forum:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fbbs.imp3.net%2Fforum.php%3Fmod%3Dviewthread%26tid%3D11170083%26highlight%3Di8pro&sandbox=1
Mike, thanks so much for taking the time to find those. I’ll look into them.
I wonder if the Teclast x80h will be a good model? I heard it will be in stock on 9/29. I’m not sure I believe it is as thin as the pictures make it look.
Not interested in it. Will see if any reviews appear. They’re basically all the same, just different masks.
This post made me pull the trigger on a Onda V975w, the X98 air/air 3G just isn’t ready for windows. Give it a few months and it might be a fine system. Nice HD 4:3 screen and good enough to run basic x86 apps its fine deal.
So would you recommend getting the teclast x98 air or the Onda v975w?
If you want Windows immediately, the V975w.
for me windows is not a must, and 3G is a must! so i will go for the Teclast x98 air 3g one. I am sure Teclast will release a stable Windows 8.1 one day and then i can give a try for it :)
Anyone here have a tutorial how to flash Teclast X98 to Windows 8.1?
Is it any known issue?
Thank you