This Was NOT What I Expected...
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 พ.ค. 2024
- The GPD XP Plus is one of the newest high-end Android handhelds on the market today. Coming in with a D1200 SoC, claims are being made that this is the most powerful Android handheld on the market today. In this video, we take an in-depth look at the GPD XP Plus to see how it holds up as a product and as an emulation handheld.
More Info: gpd.hk/
Camera: amzn.to/3REWpcj
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GPD XP Plus Specs
CPU: D1200
GPU: Mali G77 MC9
RAM: 6GB LPDDR4x
Storage: 128GB UFS 3.1
Battery: 7000 mAh
Display: 6.81" IPS 1080x2400
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 / BT 5.2
OS: Android 11
Stamps
Intro/Disclaimer - 00:00
Specs & Benchmarks - 01:41
Modules & Controls - 02:45
"Vita DPAD" - 04:02
Analog Sticks & Shoulder Buttons - 05:34
Case & Build Quality - 07:54
Display/Audio/Fan - 09:35
I live in the cursed timeline - 12:45
Software Annoyances - 16:54
PS1/N64/DC - 18:41
PSP/3DS - 20:24
GameCube / Wii - 21:32
PS2 / Switch - 24:05
Pros / Cons - 27:04
Closing Thoughts - 28:48
Disclaimer: This review includes affiliate links. Anything you purchase from those links helps support the channel. - เกม
Happy Father's Day to all the retro gaming dads out there. 🎮
🙏🏼
Thanks man. Same to you Taki.
Does this play game boy games?
Same to you
My son turned 2 a few days ago and he is sitting on my lap as I watch this right now. Little does he know my RP2+ is sitting in my pocket for when he finally decides to go down for a nap :)
Thank you, and also thank you for your thorough and informative content.
I've honestly never considered your reviews anything less than honest. I think some people and sadly, companies just cannot handle constructive criticism, when in fact they should really value it.
Too bad for them, thats why we support the real, they lost genuine customers tryna be greedy.
Exactly, if people put out their products just for people can review them, then of course we are going to say a few things good and a few things not so good. They should know we are not like a grade school teacher and give them a gold star something they would put less effort too.
what happened to gpd man i used to root for them until they fell from grace with the gpd win 3 then the aya neo came out then the steam deck and now they blacklisted taki udon just sad.
I agree with you but this review while very good felt kinda spiteful with a choice of words in some cases that ou don't usually see in reviews.
Yes, 200% agree..............I was never good in math 🤔
Being honest, transparent with the audience/noting any conflicts of interest, and trying to remain as neutral/unbiased as possible is the only real way to do anything resembling a good product review. It's sad that nowadays everyone is just expected to be free PR. Hang in there and thanks for sticking with it.
Thanks for the kind words!
Even hearing about being blacklisted just for stating the obvious things over a handheld, I still can’t believe they would do that and it is a bit cheap that they the owners of the 3rd party handheld like GPD and anbernic and many others would blacklist someone for giving an honest review. I hope next year companies would be mindful about this and listen without whining saying their products is good.
In China, gadget review need to be positive to make it sell, some content creator or press even get paid to say good things only, and saying bad staff will usually get blacklisted, the Chinese are exporting these type of assignment to the west, try to fool consumer outside China, just like Amazon's fake user feedback
^ This is true.
Its also incredibly strange considering handhelds are already an extremely niche market (despite it growing fast) and positive reviews from critics like Taki are unquestionably the biggest marketing tool for companies right now. Blacklisting a critic for giving your product a bad review means that any GOOD products you might make will likely not be covered by them, losing you tons of advertising.
@@TehHAuxaRs 2022 is a strange year tbh, I wanted to remind this to other people not in the handheld marketing but also gaming like sega for example is not doing too well directing with games minus the merchandise. but persona 5 royal and perosna 4 gold got ports for xbox user's so I'm glad for them.
anbernic does that?
daaamn thats an nice preview. thank you for all the details. keep going :)
As a new subscriber with only a couple of your videos under my belt, it is IMMEDIATELY clear to me that you are passionate about this hobby and committed to ensuring your viewership is armed with the unbiased knowledge needed to make informed purchases. As a life-long retro gamer diving into the handheld emulator market for the first time, I was IMMEDIATELY overwhelmed by both the options, and the hiccups associated with translation, cloning, mods, and just a general lack of understanding about this space. Then I found your channel. It was like a sigh of relief. Here’s a guy who makes videos explaining each of these products entirely. No jump cuts. No shameless promotions. No bullshit interstitials. Just information relevant to my potential purchase.
You are a rare and appreciated creator on a platform full of garbage.
Thank you for doing what you do and helping me begin my journey into a new hobby.
Man that intro was intense love the content you always give great breakdowns
😂😂 idk why I just love hearing you refer to GPD in the manner you do. The whole cursed timeline and everything.
Priceless.
I actually have the first one and really like the way it feels in the hand. It’s a very solid feeling hand helps and the controls feel great. I’m interested in upgrading to the plus version for the extra oomf. Great review. And thanks I’m a dad so happy Father’s Day to all the dads.😁
This was a well done review.
What a funny turn of events. I guess you can expect a lot more review units in the future haha
I won't hold my breath on that one. I still have the same channel in my Discord server.
Thank you so much for your blatantly honest reviews.
It's insane that you were ever blacklisted for *not* fondling the balls of a fucking hardware company.
I watch these for you and your objective overview.
These guys can get bent.
Thanks again for the review, Taki.
I chuckled. Very eloquent words sir.
If I didn't own an Odin I'd be tempted, but I think a new wave of emulation handhelds is just round the corner and by this time next year we will se competitively priced Windows handhelds that are doing the same job and more
i have both xD
I don't think you live in the cursed timeline. I'm glad that GPD was listening to your input and provided you with the root access patch for the XP Plus, because the performance you get out of it rooted is definitely night and day. Now, as for the attachments and size of the device, I honestly think this would be the absolute perfect device for me if they changed a few things, most notably that D-Pad, but I would prefer a variant of the device with symmetrically laid out analog sticks on the main gamepad attachment. Moving the ABXY buttons down on the main gamepad module to line up with the D-Pad better would be a far more ergonomic solution for my sized hands, because I find that asymmetrical layouts like that found on the Nintendo Switch or the Xbox just are not comfortable for me.
That said, I have to admit I'm very, very intrigued by the attachments they provided in addition to the main gamepad attachment, and I'd honestly swap between all three of them depending on what I'd want to play or emulate at any given moment. I think the MOBA pad attachment makes it a damn good thing for something like a Game Boy/Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, or retro emulation system like the NES, SNES, or even Sega Genesis, as you could map those buttons to what you would need out of those. And the flat panel attachment makes it fit better in a pants pocket by far, honestly. I'd ship it, if it were me, with lower-profile analog stick caps for just such a purpose, because those changes would definitely make this my daily driver for an Android phone and AIO device.
vita sticks
Great review, thanks a million!
✌️😁
Lack of analog triggers is always a dealbreaker for me. I hope that starts to become a more common feature in the future.
For which games do you need analog triggers for? (I have them with my v1 kishi, but I'm not a huge fan of racing games)
@@TheDarkmore Super Mario Sunshine comes to my mind right now, early in the game you need an analog right trigger to play. Not sure if there's an effective workaround for this (other than binding an entire axis from the right analog stick to R2).
@@sovo1212 the simple workaround is binding slight R press to one right trigger and full R press to the other since the GameCube only has 3 shoulder buttons and the left analog isn’t used for anything in super Mario sunshine, it’s not the same as having an actual analog trigger but it works, I was able to beat the game when I emulated it on my computer and didn’t have a compatible controller with analog triggers
@@PatrickThomasBrady That's very clever!
@@sovo1212 never knew that an analog trigger was mandatory on that game, reading ths i wonder how nintendo managed to resolve this in the super mario all stars version of mario sunshine
Great video as always. You’re my go to for an honest review and I truly appreciate your candor.
Pretty epic, Taki! Right on, connected. Synchronicities abound...
Great in depth description of the d-pad. Thank you for that.
Glad you like it!
Preordered it one week ago, mostly because of the D1200 SoC, intrigued of what it can do, almost cancelled it after looking few previews, will keep it now, i see the potential and more importantly i see GPD reviewing feedback and taking action, defitenetely support the more color options remark... Thanks Taki amazing video as always.
GPD is/was always good about making software modifications when I was an earlier reviewer of their products. That's one good thing I can say. This the first time they have done a hardware modification from something that I found.
@@TakiUdon I was a bit hesitant of not buying another gpd product after seeing this that they would go for the modular route. After buying the product we’re you nervous about loosing one of the pieces or miss placing it somewhere around your house?
@@TakiUdon 🥱Still not a review of the x86 handheld. We are still waiting for the Celeron 7305 and Pentium 8505.😪
Absolutely appreciate your honest reviews!
That’s why I’m a proud owner of the Odin Pro.
While that SOC here is definitely awesome everything else isn’t. I have no use for that attachment crap and that screen kills it in the first place for me. No analog triggers is another thing …
Still I would love to know what phone is inside 😆 I would bet money on some phone being inside of that because nobody in their right mind would buy such a screen to build a console with it so I bet they bought the board and screen from some phone manufacturer…overstock?
first time watching your channel, such excellent work, how I wish that all companies would give talented people like yourself the chance to test and play around their devices and actually listen to ways to improve them !
Wow, thank you!
Alright now I'm excited... I pre-ordered one about a month ago and was considering cancelling it when I heard about performance issues which you mentioned... You're the best, keep up the good work
I do like the modular aspect as it can give options for varied controller layouts. Whilst giving you the root patches to show the capabilities actually available, the fact that they were unable to come to the same conclusion with access to the same tools is very worrying and begs the question of how competent their team really is, or even if it is developed in house at all. There is clearly potential but this potential is not being explored hard enough and so a re-organisation at GPD, in one form or another seems to be something that management have to talk about in their internal meetings. The Odin Pro is the likely competitor and with the Odin having been out a while and having great reviews and response from purchasers, is still likely to be a clear choice right now in comparison to this. Even the Odin Lite might still be considered a better choice with its much cheaper price unless the Dimensity 1200 can be demonstrated to be that much superior in real world play. The lack of those analogue triggers will really put quite a few off. In an ever increasing crowded market for this exact type of device, there are going to be casualties quite soon and if GPD want to avoid being one of them, they seem to need an internal kick up their own rear ends to see the potential dangers and do something to avoid the possibilities. At this precise moment, I would not personally consider purchasing one. I will give the GPD head some credit though for sending this out to somebody who clearly has some historic conflict with the company, so maybe a step or two is already in the works to give greater consumer confidence in both the company and products.
Taki honest as always, class act n dope review 👌 cheers man!
First video I've ever seen and you are by far the best tech review channel I've ever seen. Some of the test you were doing like showcasing the sound of the fan are greatly appreciated. Excellent review sir. This what all reviews should be like dig into the device and find everything wrong to make it better.
Your honesty just earned another subscriber! Thank you
I really appreciate this casual rivalry you have btw GPD. They seem pretty chill about this whole situation.
we need more companies to listen to honest reviewers like you.
Looks amazing 👍
Its always awesome when you watch a review from someone who REALLY knows what there talking about.
But when that person is so good that the company is using the reviewers ideas to improve there product, well thats just badass!!
Well done sir.
Taki, we trust you. I know you do this from a passion for retro games. It's honorable that you go above and beyond to explain your position as a reviewer. Just wanted to let you know that we recognize that. Great work on this one.
As someone who follows a lot of tech stuff but only recently started following handheld devices like this, I'm curious about what happened to GPD or its marketing. I remember it was one of the first companies I heard about in the portable PC space.
Taki, you have an awesome channel, and I love watching your movies !
Don't worry too much. I reckon you're quite well respected within the retro handheld community thanks to your straight up honest review style. The fact you're not biased comes across well too as you seem to test all devices equally regardless of manufacturer.
If they're not a fan of yours, that's their problem, not yours.
Please keep reviewing all these lovely devices that I cannot afford. 😆👍 I really enjoy your work. 😀
Dude you're freakin' awesome, because I test alot of phones with MediaTek processors & their Dimensity chipsets are actually, quite amazing & extremely underrated, you've proven that even more so, that there's so many devices using these processors, that just aren't optimized, like Snapdragon-powered products.
You have become my favorite reviewer for this subject. That’s what us consumers look for. Thank you for your service.
Wow! Good review!
I ordered this device, and I am very thankful that you have made a few good suggestions to GPD to further improve this product! The performance increased significantly with your hack!
We’re you able to do the performance increase yourself? Is it easy to do or is there a tutorial?
You couldn't ignore this one! Finally Taki did a XP video, Good one!
Bro, I absolutely love that you gave them a chance by getting root access and proving that there was more potential in the CPU. Well done my man, I absolutely applaud you for that 👏🧠📲🎮🕹️💻🖥️💯
You're one of the best reto game device channels ever, your word is golden to me
Nice video!
Happy Father's day to you too and all the good fathers out there.
Very interesting video and I'm glad Taki made this even after all the issues.
Just a quick question but what software is used to adjust CPU clocks to make it run at max performance?
I did the changes through the terminal, but they should implement this performance option as a toggle option in the pull-down menu.
I been looking at this for a while and there's many things i would've liked GPD done with it. I would've gone with a 5-6" 1080p60 screen, no camera(i know its a cellphone screen but they can use other), like taki said no modular design just 1 full handheld, i would love for someone to make the face buttons larger like those in the psp and the triggers like the ones the have the magnets for "analog like experience", latest Apu's at least 1yr back like a SD 888+ or something like that and revisions every 2-3yrs, larger battery & micro sd support is a must.
While this device is far beyond my budget I"m really thankful that serious reviewers like you are around and can even work with companies who are willing to give you some honest feedback like you give to your viewers.
This seems more powerful than the Odin but the form factor and screen make this a tough sell for me. I'll just be patient and wait for my Steam Deck reservation to pop.
Same 512 is taking forever
The deck should shit on this in terms of gpu power aswell
@@acwbit2368 Should? It 100% will lol. People need to stop comparing these to the Steam Deck. The Steam Deck is FAR more powerful, it literally has desktop level performance dude
@@Robstrap ikr performance is 1050 level
You won't regret it. I basically play my steam deck everyday all day. My ps5 has been gathering dust while I play xbox games lol
Love your honesty
You’re an honest man and I don’t even care for these but stayed for the reviews. I wish more people were honest and gave real constructive criticism. Companies get away with so much nowadays because they only give their products to paid advertising. They dismiss anyone who pays. For the average consumer, you’re a great review person. I wish you reviewed more things. I don’t play games unless it’s iPhone games. Which I don’t play often. I also buy other stuff. Maybe review popular stuff or boutique stuff. Anyways, good job!
i love these kind of Videos im a PC Gamer but i loved my GBA, PSP and PSVITA
I like fact that you are honest with us
If I may come with some constructive criticism, the shot at 4:36 was messing a bit with my head it felt like it was upsidedown other than that great video and respect for being honest!
This is how reviews should be done! I thought I was dreaming.
Nice Vid!
You already know that I'm a fan of your channel because of your honesty no-holds-barred reviews. Plus, you're down to earth. I don't know if this question has been asked, but, how did you get the EggNS emulator (26:55) to run on the device without the use of the Gamesir X2 controller?????? As far as I knew, you can only use that emulator on certain Android devices with the use of the X2 controller. Was there an update in the emulator that allows you to play the emulator without the X2? If that's the case, then WOW!
This is a really good, honest review. tanks Mang. Also, is there a handheld that can also be used on a dock?
Odin can be used on a dock
The look and design of this handheld are so cool! And, I think the performance will be smooth with the help of Mediatek chipset.
Now I need to know what did you do when rooting to increase that CPU performance.
Just wondering now that the XP+ has started shipping (got mine today), if you had any plans for a set up guide for it. It's the first handheld emulation machine I've gotten that didn't come with a pre-loaded SD card or bought one that someone else made. I thought this might finally be the time to DIY it, I just don't want to screw it up. BTW, the vent holes the cut for the back fan look pretty good considering it was a late addition to the design.
That's what I like about you & your channel. You're very honest when it comes to products and that's very important for your average consumer like myself. Amazing video, thanks for your hard work brother!🙏🏼
Taki, don't forget that current price is only for Indiegogo. The retail price for this thing once the campaign is over is $549 for the 128gb and $659 for the 256gb model. Once this thing goes up for retail I'm not sure its gonna be worth it.
Yes, but I don't know if those prices are "real" ...
They have had other products before that were on IGG with stated retail prices that never happened.
@@TakiUdon For their sake I hope it's not real.
I wish there was a big boy 4:3 screen handheld. I mainly play games for this aspect ratio. Something around 5 or so inches that I could go 2x,3x,4x resolution at the least. Do you know if there is anyone that can/eventually fit the bill without getting a folding phone which has its own deal breaking screen issues? I have always had an idea where a phone sits recessed in the inside of the controller (with rubber inserts for near perfect ratio) , telescopic, cooled, and battery backup/pd pass through charging. It would be thicker but tbh I would love a thicker handheld.
A 4:3 handheld would not be comfortable to hold unless it was small
RP2 +
That is exactly what I was looking for too my friend. Now hear me out, look closely at Surface Duo 2. It is very close to what you described.
It has great dual 4:3 AMOLED displays, 5.8" each, that are separate and fold all the way back, and do not have the screen durability issues of the Galaxy Folding phones. It sports a Snapdragon 888 and 8GB RAM. It fits a variety of telescopic controllers, USB-C ones included. You can fold it all the way back to play on one screen, or use both if you're playing DS/3DS games too. The price has come down a lot, and might be something you're interested in! They sell new for $999 new, cheaper used, but I scored mine for $250 with a small crack on the back and one of the screens. Usability is perfect though. 4:3 is important to me too, and I'm enjoying it very much for retro.
Just be warned, the case options are very limited due to the nature of the design. I wish there was a single screen 4:3 phone on the market, but there isn't sadly.
The Anbernic RG552 screen is, unfortunately enough, exactly what you are looking for.
It's it has a weird 5:3 ratio and it works pretty good for this mixed scenario.
@@AdvancedGamingYT if this device was 4:3 then it wouldn't be that big and the size will be close to what the op wants.
For consistency in software, design, and price Odin is the better choice. Too bad it's a long wait. Love mine though worth the 5 months.
I believe in Takis reviews ♡
You mention easily available widescreen hacks. Do you have a video on how to do this by any chance? I looked online but I couldn't find a straight answer. Excellent video as always :)
Sweet intro
That’s all I ever wanted was an HONEST review of any product
I love your reviews Taki! give those 2 cents to make better products for the rest of us in the future. Product designers, Engineers & manufactures take note please.
I really hope to see this SOC in a Retroid or Anbernic device this year.
I loved my GPD XD (the original one) and my GPD Win (the original one)…but nothing has wowed me since. This one, especially if they’ve made changes to better the performance, wows me. This will absolutely be my first emulation machine purchase in waaaaay too long.
@Taki Udon Since you only showed like 3 seconds of Fzero GX, how is the performance overall? I'm really considering buying this device. This is exactly what I want decent performance on Gamecube especially Metroid prime games and ps2 games. First pre ordered the AYN Loki but a lot power that device will have I will not going to be using.
This is the perfect example of the benefit of taking constructive criticism
Sooooo, did they end up implementing those root patches you made?
Alternatively how can we root it our selfs?
Have not found any info on that and their name is terrible. All searchengines i tried confuse this with the way older XD Plus .
i always wanted ps2 like this so any handled that can play it good like this is great in my book
I know you probably have a video on the settings you use for the dolphin 🐬 emulator. Cuz wow! I am not getting anything close to what you're getting using my tab s8 ultra. You're videos are awesome by the way!
I do, and I am going to make a new one soon because some things have changed.
@@TakiUdon may I have a link so that I can increase your watch time and finally enjoy wind waker like it was meant to be? Hahahaha
Taki is there anything that I can do with the Odin Pro to stop slowdown in Windwaker? I’m using Dolphin MMJR with 2.5x resolution and wide screen hacks. However in they very spot you showed in your video where you are trying to rescue the Pirate captain, I get extreme slowdown. It drops to around 20 fps. I also see the same thing happen at boss fights are the forbidden fortress.
Are you using MMJR1? To my knowledge, that shouldn't lag at 1-2x. If it does lag at 1x, there is an option that would remove it, but it won't look good.
@@TakiUdon it’s the latest version. Version 1.0-11505. Override cpu clock is enabled.
Emulated cpu clock speed is set to enabled. 60fps hack is on, and so is widescreen. The slowdown happens on ANY settings. It even happens at 1x resolution without any hacks. 99% of the game runs great even at 2.5x resolution, but man those slowdowns are annoying. Any help you can provide would be appreciated!
If you don't mind I have a question. I'm considering getting a handheld mainly for PS2 purposes and was curious about what you think is the better purchase the XP Plus or the Odin series. I mainly want to play games similar to drakengard or dirge of Cerberus and other stuff
If this had a 16:9 screen I would consider it. But If I want black bars I can just use my phone with the Snapdragon 8 gen 1 and a gamesir x2 attached to it.
Taki, I've been watching for years and you've always gave a fair and honest review, I do have a question as far as the skyline emulator, I'm currently using the Asus Rog 5 with the Kunai joycons none of my roms boot up when i try to play even Sonic Mania and no one has walked me through on how to get this emulator to run, I have a flight to Thailand soon so being able to play offline will definitely help thanks in advance.
I've had the issue that you are describing two times. The first time was because I was using the wrong build of the emulator. Use this link: skyline-emu.one/download/
The second time it happened was due to my Title/Prod keys. If you have a PC you can make sure those are correct by testing with Yuzu.
@@TakiUdon when i get home i will troubleshoot using these methods, the only PC i have is the GPD win 3 so ill try to verify the the Keys that way, im honestly leaning towards the keys being the issue, thank you for your response.
my switch fan doesn't ramp up much but isn't shy when it Dows
Great video
Thanks!
the 2 other attachments are great for shooters. I found that using the screen is more precise than using a joystick.
You do you my man! It's sad that company anti-consumer practices are this bad considering they are even kickstarter pushovers sometimes.
The choice of the mediatek processor is a great addition in this gaming console.
The modular feature is the best part. I don’t want to open a console to replace a faulty button. Replacing that whole side at a reduced cost is genius
i need this in my life
I watched your previous videos and I do recall you being positive of the company....
Wonder what happened lmao.
Yeah kinda sucks that you just get thrown into this controversy without much background info.
damn, these benchmarks are not that bad... i just can't afford these handhelds right now. i'd kill to own one like this but times so rough right now.
I was looking for benchmark comparisons between this and the olden pro but I can't find the benchmarks for the Odin pro
Hello can you share how to root the device for extra performance? Thanks
I would love to have this power house of a console in the shell of an odin or something with the same launcher. that seems like the perfect handheld for me.
Those who pre-ordered an Odin Lite will be grinning while watching this video.
So much potential in the Dimensity SoC.
Dimensity can be good if you push it.
Hi Taki. I am testing one and retroarch reports screen refresh rate of 59.4hz , 59.3hz but not 60. Very noticeable in retroarch. Did you have the same experience? Any config in retroarch?
Great review, but I'm so triggered that you are playing DQ8 in widescreen mode on 4:3
First visit to the channel. Won’t be last. Big fan of objective content
@TakiUdon, thanks for another great video, if I may ask a question, how do you get binding of isaac to run within skyline? The game always crashes instantly upon boot on my device (Sd888)
The latest build that I am using (from 6/15) just runs the game without issues. It's strange that your SD888 wouldn't run it, because that is a lot better on the GPU and CPU side than this.
@@TakiUdon that's why I'm thinking it's a compatibility issue or some sort. It's just the base game you're using, right? No updates, no dlc (don't think skyline supports that yet, just asking to make sure)
Found the problem. I was using the NSP version, which somehow crashes the skyline. The XCI version boots up fine. Good to know that there is a difference in processing between the two file formats!
Hey taki, I have one of those and I want to acess the performance mode, any guides on the process? Thanks!
2 Questions:
1. Do the sticks click/have L3 functionality? (I don't remember hearing the answer in the video)
2. Is there a place to buy the GPD XP with your performance tweaks AND the modified back shell with proper ventilation?
Yes, there is L3 functionality. GPD is supposed to modify the XP Plus with the software change and the new back shell for their IGG orders.
@@TakiUdon Sounds good. Would you recommend this if I'm looking for a powerful pocket-sized handheld? (Smaller than the Aya Odin, but plays more systems than the Retroid Pocket 2+?) I just want something tiny that still packs a punch.
This thing looks incredible! Where can I buy one?
Great video Taki & Happy Father's Day. I have Odin Pro & Steam Deck, so I will pass on this (I have owned GPD devices when they were good). I agree with that i's a good device like you said, except it's too pricey, with all the competition out there. Also blacklisting... It's unfortunately fairly common practice in China. Is it unethical? Absolutely, & not really surprising.