2018 Launch X431 PROS Mini review 4.5 stars
2018 Launch X431 Pro Mini is an amazing little tool and perfect for auto body shops who are pre and post scanning vehicles. This will perform/test/reset TPMS functions, occupancy sensors, SAS calibrations etc etc….. What’s most surprising is X431 PROS Mini won’t break the bank. There are cons but at this price and this time I’m willing to overlook them given the functionality. The seller’s willingness to correct these functions may change my rating down the road. IN fact I was going to wait to rate but I like the tool well enough so far I wanted to tout a little. (4 star tout anyway) ??
X431 PROS Mini PROS:
“no such thing as 100% complete” but very “complete” coverage of software. (admittedly I’ve been using this for about 2 or 3 weeks but so far so good
hand strap is just fantastic and provides a very secure grip on the scanner without fatique
blue tooth dongle is reliable and fits well
not sure if I’ll ever use the extra connectors but I have them if needed
Android pad is “fast enough” and the touch screen response perfectly
WIFI is reliable and decent range.
Scan reports are very easy to read and if you print them in color they show red faults and green clear code areas. VERY NICE!
IT AIN”T ALL GOOD:
X431 PROS Mini CONS:
Personally speaking, Android operating system is 5.1 but I’m hoping for the purpose of this tool security will work. (LEOGLOBAL UPDATE THIS PLEASE)
LEOGLOBAL needs to seriously update the user functions to allow for customizing the quick start buttons and removing that awful screen capture button on the home keys, among other things.
NO SD CARD SLOT!!! This is 2018, but if it were 2014 when 5.1 Lollipop came out I’d expect to have an SD card slot for extra storage. This 16 GB isn’t going to last that long!
BATTERY life is decent while the tool is in use but even if you shut down the app and blank the screen something is still draining the battery way too fast. You must power down or keep it on the charger to ensure your battery stays charged.
WAY WAY WAY too many button pushes to back out after a scan is complete. There is a back arrow in the software but there needs to be a simple “exit diagnostics” after you are done without having to click multiple times to get to the warning beep that reminds you to grab the dongle.
LEOGLOBAL & LAUNCH PLEASE PLEASE change the software to allow the user to print to ANY Bluetooth or WIFI printer, not just the LAUNCH thermal printer. I like color reports.
LEOGLOBAL & LAUNCH PLEASE PLEASE change the software to allow the user to designate where the reports are stored AND allow the file name to be changed/edited at the time of the save. The file names are too long and you have to go through each one to find the scan you wish to share/print/email/whatever. I shouldn’t have to open a report to find out if it’s the one I need. (EDIT: SINCE YOU INPUT THE CUSTOMER NAME AND MAKE THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE FILE NAME FOR EASY IDENTIFICATION AND THE DATA IS ALREADY INPUT) You can’t sort by date either, which would help some at least. In order to print to my network printer I have to save it within the Launch software then “share” it to the external app provided with the tablet, where “share” equals save it to a folder of your choosing. The problem is you still can’t rename the file first. The extra steps required to save files and print to a regular printer are annoying and shows sloppy coding.
TOO MANY MAKES I’ll never work on. I wish you could delete the software for the models you will never work on.
Even with the annoyances you’ll get into a groove but whoever is responsible for the coding hopefully will make this more user friendly. Catch this on a lightning deal like I did and in spite of the cons you’ll be glad you bought it.
