HP Pro Tablet 608 G1 Discussion Thread

I can't do that until my 608 arrives. It's still scheduled for September 30.

 

I just received my 608 G1 today. Here are some initial impressions

Build:
The form factor is pretty much perfect. Its pretty much the exact same size and weight as the ipad mini. The beveled side tapers in the opposite direction as the surface line, so instead of the screen facing side tapering to a smaller back side, the 608 has a smaller screen footprint that bevels to a larger backside. Build quality is quite good, I actually prefer a plastic back for ease of setting the tablet down without worrying too much about scratching it up, the metal edge looks good but it doesn't compare to the surface build quality by any means. The sd card slot holder is actually metal and not plastic which is surprising and welcomed. My biggest complaint is the plastic (edit:not sure if it is plastic, but they are a bit loose notheless) power and volume buttons feel a bit cheap. It really is a nice looking device, but it doesn't feel as solid as something with a unibody design.
Software:
I picked up the Windows 8.1 version because it was cheaper and I can upgrade to windows 10 at any time and keep a backup of both OS versions so I have options. HP has very little extra software loaded. (great job hp!) It feels like a microsoft signature device really.
Performance:
I will be doing some more extensive performance comparisons in the near future, but for now I can say that the eMMC controller on the 608 Pro is much better than the eMMC on the Surface3 (sorry S3 owners) Initial performance tests with crystaldiskmark shows about 3x performance on writes and about 30-50% more performance on reads. The controller is listed as a hynix HCG8e. The device feels really snappy even when running windows updates in the background, and I think that the faster writes are to thank for that. The surface3 really has choppy performance when the storage is being pegged, the 608 seems to do much better.
Screen:
The screen is very high resolution, I haven't played with the scaler too much, but I can't see myself wanting any more resolution out of a device of this size. Brightness seems a bit low on high brightness, however I can tell it is being limited artificially because if I shine a flashlight at the tablet I can see it bump up to a higher brightness mode. I'll have to figure that out in software somewhere. All and all I think it is basically the same panel as is in the ipad minis which is a good thing.
Connectivity:
Its my first USB-C device... Reversible cables that handle usb 3.1 in a tiny package are great, but I also already have a lot of charging ecosystem built around microusb cables so I have mixed feelings but confidence for the future with it... I'm waiting for a USB-C OTG adapter to arrive so I can really start plugging in devices and playing around with the OS and BIOS on the machine. It is very nice to have the AC adapter available using the docking pogo pins (although I don't have one yet) but this means you can plug in USB all day long and while I haven't tested, I'm confident that you could use this machine at high CPU/GPU usage and it wouldn't be losing charge if you were plugged in that way (I'm looking at you Surface3) Charging time looks good so far! I haven't run a full test, but using the USB-C charger, (It is a 3amp Charger) it went from 60% to 93% in about an hour, so I have hope that it will charge quicker than the surface3 which is a snail at charging.
The microsd slot seems like it might be limited to usb 2.0 speeds since I can't get any reading higher than 46 MB/s Perhaps there will be a bios setting that opens up the performance (a la Dell Venue Pro A03 BIOS)
Audio:
Audio is clear but not loud at all. Further testing required to tweak this.

Cables:
The included USB-C charging adapter has quite a long cable! (About 10 inches longer than the Surface3 cable) and it also has the plug in portion that clips on and off and you can potentially extend the ac adapter using a two wire AC extension that you commonly see with laptop or projectors. This is a nice touch, I felt like a tool with my surface 3 plugged into an extension cord even when just using it a table with a plug on the floor right next to the table.

More to come later...

 

dear sir, i am planning to buy a 608 g1 soon instead of my thinkpad 8. i was wondering if you can post pics and maybe a short review video as there are only 2-3 videos on the web till now without a detailed review

 

Your wish is now granted:


Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

Nice video! The performance difference between it and the Surface 3 could indeed be the latter's slightly higher turbo speed and better thermal design--the S3 is HUGE in comparison (thanks for putting them next to each other to show that)--and it has a metal case. Other factors might be indexing, etc., since you've only had the 608 a day.

As you mentioned in the video, the recently leaked Dell Venue 8 appears to be the only potential competition for the 608, so far, depending on one's needs and desires in an 8" tablet. The Dell 1920x1200 version probably wouldn't have visible pixels to my eyes, but it's 16:10 and at 150% scaling would end up the same effective 1200x800 as all the other 8" Windows tablets. I need more room side-to-side in portrait when marking up novel length documents in Word (and in a post-Word HTML editor)--I have to keep the Styles side bar open, and often the navigation side bar, too--and I found that the 1200x800 of the Asus Vivotab Note 8 wasn't comfortable for me to use that way, though I could get by. The HP 608's effective 1365x1024 @150% scaling, a 4:3 ratio, should feel wonderfully roomy. Perfect for my needs.

Initial activation force must be a bit high on HP's Atmel pen, from what you described. I wonder if it's something that one can simply get used to? I guess time will tell.

 

I actually enjoyed my time with the Atmel v3 pen on my Elitepad 1000. That is right up to the point where the contact corrosion began inside the pen. The pen for the 608 represents Atmel v4 technology so I hope it is even better than v3.

 

I noticed today that my 608's online invoice had a delivery date of 10/30 (?!) on the PO subscreen so I called HP SMB support again. This time the fellow (George) was kindly able to give a reason: it's due to problems getting Windows 10 to work correctly. He's going to inquire about the ETA, email back by tomorrow, and if it really is something stupid like Oct. 30 I'll reorder a Win8.1 version. I think they should give me free overnight shipping for my pain and anguish, and I'll suggest as much, but I bet those cold-hearted ... businessmen won't give it to me.

 

That's too bad, I know you have been waiting FOREVER for your device..

For what it is worth, last night I backed up my 8.1 install and clean installed Windows 10 using an OTG cable and USB hub, and it was literally the easiest most trouble free installation on a tablet device on windows 10 I've had yet. (I had already updated the BIOS to fix the button issue.) I'm still playing around with it, there may be trouble ahead, but I didn't find any glaring issues yet using Windows 10 on this device.

 

That's encouraging! I'm still bummed out by the possibility that my five-week wait has been for nothing and they'll send me to the back of the line for another couple of weeks to get the Win8.1 version.

I'm wondering if the product will be soured in my mind if that happens,so I have thoughts of giving up on it and looking elsewhere for my 2015 gadget satisfaction. If there really is a Surface Pro 4 with Core-M... Tempting.

 

I ordered mine off amazon. It was here in 2 days... I'll also be getting a Surface Pro 4 most likely as my notebook replacement, my 8 inch tablet is more for note taking, organization and scheduling.