Hisense Sero 8 Pro

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PatchTuesday

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So I took the plunge and bought myself an android Tab .
Got the Hisense Sero Pro 8 at Hifi corp for R1399 (Special)
I ordered it online and opted to collect in store.The whole process was quite painless.

To my surprise,the package includes a cover that the tab fits snugly into.
I don't like having to search for covers for devices I purchase,so in most cases I don't buy anything to protect them with (rare cases where i do do this though).That was +1

The unboxing wasn't anything too spectacular.
The Tab,Charger ( 5.0V 2000mA) and USB cable were included in the box. There's some paper work in there too but who reads that?

I found that the tab was fully charged.So i could set it up immediately.

Once setup,i discovered there was quite a bit of bloat.I proceeded to delete what I could.
The other stuff bothered me so I went in search of a rooting method.
not too difficult to find, came across THIS.I actually installed TWRP first.

The instructions to do so were quite simple :

prerequisites
a) best is to use a win7 PC; do not use USB3.0 ports
b) make sure you use the original USB cable

preparation
a) decompress the download pack to the root-folder (C: drive) of your PC
b) connect your tab with the power supply (if available) and with the PC via USB cable
c) enable USB-Debugging in developer options (if not visible tap 5 times onto the build number)

Installation of the USB driver (skip if already been done)
a) run DriverInstall.exe
b) click Uninstall Driver
c) click Install Driver

Start your Tab into flash-modus
a) run AndroidTool.exe with admin rights
b) click Switch > status "Found One LOADER Device"
for tabs with only Power Button like ours: unplug usb cable, hold Power for 12 sec until screen goes black from a powered on state) and plug usb-cable (THIS didnt work for me,I held the power button in for much much longer,perhaps 20 seconds or so)

Flash TWRP or CWM recovery
a) choose TWRP 1536x2048 (
b) click Run
c) tab will reboot

Start/exit of TWRP
- start: unplug all cable and Power-Off; hold Power and Vol+ (or according to keypad /Esc/Reset)
- start: via app RebootMenue (comes with the Oma_RK32_Root_zip) > Reboot Recovery (not supported by some kernel)
- exit: reboot system (if not supported by kernel: hold Power Button until reboot)
- if somethings goes wrong: Hard Power-Off (hold Power for 12 sec) or Reset

Couldnt get this working in all honesty.I used the ADB command to reboot into recovery from the PC

Root the tab
a) copy Oma_RK32_Root.zip to an external sdcard and plug the card in
b) start TWRP/CWM
c) install zip from external_sd
d) exit TWRP/CWM

Once rooted,I installed SuperSU as a system app from within its menu and proceeded to format device (I don't think this is necessary but i prefer it that way)

I resetup everything,installed Titanium back up from my playstore.
I uninstalled the remaining bloat and made a backup of the current rom to a spare micro SD card i had laying around

I was able to run Antutu Benchmark and got a score of 33K. Not bad for a cheapie tab.

Im gonna run it through its paces and see how real world performance is then do a mini review of the overall device with pics and stuff

If you are thinking about getting this,I'd say go for it purely on the price vs performance i've seen so far.Do you guys have any questions for me about this?

As to the why I bought it : I didn't need it,I had some spare cash and was looking at android devices for light tasks.
The windows tab i own is pushed daily for work related stuff
 
Last edited:
Suspect99 said:
Thanks for this. I was looking for a way to root the one I bought recently
Click to expand...

My pleasure man.
Just a few things to keep in mind,
The TWRP method is by far the easiest - EASY Root Access

I've disabled system updates as that kept popping up (using Titanium)
Remember to make a backup of all files once TWRP has been installed too.

I've disabled that annoying MTP in Kitkat using this method now that I have root access :

Step 1: Opened terminal emulator and entered following command to login as root user
"su"

Step 2: Granted root permissions

Step 3: Entered following command in terminal

"setprop persist.sys.usb.config mass_storage"

Step 4: Entered following command to restart tab

"reboot"

Once it was back up and running i connected the USB cable and it allowed me to turn on storage.
Its much faster than MTP.The only thing is I'm no longer able to see the internal storage with MTP disabled :D Its not a biggy for me as I have a large SD card.I'll figure it out at a later stage

UPDATE : I found out that Internal and apps memory are shared thats why mass storage is not supported for internal sd.

Seems like that might be a draw back for some.I personally prefer faster copying than access to internal memory.I can always move stuff over to make room for more
 
Last edited:
An Update for those wondering.

I've actually installed Oma's custom rom to see how it compares against the original.
No particular reason why i switched,i just like to know all options
 
real tempted for this specs seems good and a great price

wonder how good the screen is inperson

sucks we dont have a hifi corp here
 
Gtx Gaming said:
retina screen tablet for R1400 ,sounds to good to be true :P
Click to expand...

I've never owned any other device with a retina display so I'm not sure how to compare.I can say that it does seem very clear compared to my cheapie phone.Not grainy in the slightest if that makes a diff?

sybertiger said:
real tempted for this specs seems good and a great price

wonder how good the screen is inperson

sucks we dont have a hifi corp here
Click to expand...
its quite bright,although i haven't had a chance to take it out into sunlight yet.
I'd say go for it if you are in the market for a tab.They will deliver too :P
 
This must be the stupidest question ever. But please explain why did you root it for what? I do not understand . Even thou I do not know what you did your explanation getting there top notch !
 
Judgewarrick said:
This must be the stupidest question ever. But please explain why did you root it for what? I do not understand . Even thou I do not know what you did your explanation getting there top notch !
Click to expand...

I rooted it to remove apps I couldn't uninstall (basically the extra apps hisense added that I don't want)
I installed TWRP to make much better backups.
Lastly the custom rom install was just for myself.I've probably voided the warranty doing that,I'm not sure ? I can restore it back to complete stock if needed though

I wish i could take credit for the explanation,most of it is just copy paste work.I added in what i though was relevant

Side Note : GTA runs perfectly fine with maxed out settings.
I was like "What black magic is this :wtf:,a tablet that can handle this for R1399?" but it was a pleasant suprise :p
 
Just checking if you have another update after another weeks use?

I am going to buy these today for my two daughters (10 and 8) just for basic games and media but before I do want to check if you have run into any problems?

I don't think there is a better value tablet in that price range for their needs at the moment unless I am missing something?

Also, what is the battery like?
 
weelzSA said:
Just checking if you have another update after another weeks use?

I am going to buy these today for my two daughters (10 and 8) just for basic games and media but before I do want to check if you have run into any problems?

I don't think there is a better value tablet in that price range for their needs at the moment unless I am missing something?

Also, what is the battery like?
Click to expand...

Mine has been working great. I did have initial issues with screen responsiveness or rather my screen would get sticky and my finger would misclick when playing games, but this seems like a residue from the box. Its completely gone now.

Battery life is good, but games really drain it as expected
 
Suspect99 said:
Mine has been working great. I did have initial issues with screen responsiveness or rather my screen would get sticky and my finger would misclick when playing games, but this seems like a residue from the box. Its completely gone now.

Battery life is good, but games really drain it as expected
Click to expand...

OK great thanks.

Yeah I thought the battery wouldn't be the best.

Don't get me wrong, my kids don't play real intensive games - more "basic" type games. But even if it can last say 4 hours of game play and then just remember to charge it at night that shouldn't be a problem.

Any other issues? You think this tablet will suite their needs the best?
 
weelzSA said:
OK great thanks.

Yeah I thought the battery wouldn't be the best.

Don't get me wrong, my kids don't play real intensive games - more "basic" type games. But even if it can last say 4 hours of game play and then just remember to charge it at night that shouldn't be a problem.

Any other issues? You think this tablet will suite their needs the best?
Click to expand...

I think it will be great.
I play hearthstone and clash of clans, which is sort of graphically intensive and online and the battery lasts ok. Can't really tell you how long though as I dont keep track.
 
Suspect99 said:
I think it will be great.
I play hearthstone and clash of clans, which is sort of graphically intensive and online and the battery lasts ok. Can't really tell you how long though as I dont keep track.
Click to expand...

OK cool.

Going to order now.

Thanks.
 
So I received the 2 tablets on Saturday and turned them on quickly yesterday to make sure all is in working order. From first impressions the tablets are great. Very good, solid build quality and then screen really is nice.

Will spend time closer to christmas and remove the pre-installed apps and add the games I know they enjoy.

Just wanted to check if anyone knows of any update for the tablet to get to a more recent version of Android or is KitKat 4(x.x.x) the latest one bedsides the versions for phones?
 
Has anybody managed to find a decent case for this tab? I dont quite like the one it ships with. Its showing its age after a few months plus I also get "false clicks" when the tab is in the original smart cover. Must have something to do with the magnetic cover as it does not do this when I take it out the cover.

Has anybody successfully used the iPad mini book-style covers? It seems to be almost the exactly the same dimensions as the ipad mini.

Thanks.
 
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