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Looking to replace my Android tablet, what's good?

MrH

MrH

Banned
Nov 3, 2017
3,995
I currently have Lenovo Tab 4 10" Plus which has good specs but isn't being updated past Android 7 which sucks, and I'd prefer an 8" over a 10" so I'm looking to sell this one and buy something else.

The Huawei Mediapad M5 8 has caught my eye but I've never used one of their products so I'm wondering if anyone is using it? If not any other suggestions for a solid Android tablet around £250? I want it to have 8.0 with support for 9.0 in the future if possible.

I use my tablet a lot in bed for Hearthstone, Reddit, Youtube and reading comics.
 

philipnorth

Member
Oct 31, 2017
561
Will follow this as well since I have to replace the kids' tablets next year or so. They currently use Samsung galaxy tabs.

But is the Amazon Kindle fire 8 not An option for you?

I am considering them, unfortunately Amazon doesnt ship them here so have to use a workaround for that.
 
Chan

Chan

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,334
There's literally only two tablets to buy, Amazon Fire for dirt cheap or iPad, seriously the Android experience sucks.
 
Firebrand

Firebrand

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,741
Unfortunately the eBay POWPOW15 for 15% off just expired, would have made the iPad 32GB £254. :( (assuming you're considering something non-Android)
 
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MrH

MrH

Banned
Nov 3, 2017
3,995
Chan said:
There's literally only two tablets to buy, Amazon Fire for dirt cheap or iPad, seriously the Android experience sucks.
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Firebrand said:
Unfortunately the eBay POWPOW15 for 15% off just expired, would have made the iPad 32GB £254. :(
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I've never used iPad, are they actually good or are you just paying for the brand? Like, if you had an equal spec Android vs iPad would there be a noticeable difference in performance?
 
Spork4000

Spork4000

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
8,645
In android tablet land? Absolutely nothing. The segment is dead.

MrH said:
I've never used iPad, are they actually good or are you just paying for the brand? Like, if you had an equal spec Android vs iPad would there be a noticeable difference in performance?
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Even the base iPad that can be had for $250 on sale is leaps and bounds above most android tablets when it comes to speed, accessories, and support.
 

BabaJii

Member
Oct 28, 2017
6
Have a look at the Samsung TAB S2 2016 version, even though it's an older model, it's supported by Lineage OS (likely to get Lineage 16 and beyond). Android flagship tablets are supported less than phones unfortunately, when it comes to software updates…

Edit: 9.7" version is currently £250 directly from Samsung
 
Chan

Chan

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,334
MrH said:
I've never used iPad, are they actually good or are you just paying for the brand? Like, if you had an equal spec Android vs iPad would there be a noticeable difference in performance?
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The current iPad uses the A10 I think? That's as probably on par with current flagship Android devices.....

It'll probably last you a good 3 years before it starts to slow down.
 
Rahfiki

Rahfiki

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,033
My Samsung Galaxy Tab has been great for all of the things you listed (aside from Hearthstone i've never tried it) and I assume they're pretty cheap considering mine came with my cheapo phone for free
 
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MrH

MrH

Banned
Nov 3, 2017
3,995
Spork4000 said:
In android tablet land? Absolutely nothing. The segment is dead.



Even the base iPad that can be had for $250 on sale is leaps and bounds above most android tablets when it comes to speed, accessories, and support.
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I mean all I want is something that's fast and reliable, so I'm happy to switch to Apple if it's good, I'm just a bit wary as I've never used a single one of their products. The 32GB 2018 is temping though.
 

Ragnorok64

Banned
Nov 6, 2017
2,955
I've got an old Tegra note with a mad cracked screen. I'll need to replace it at some point, but this thread is not instilling confidence.
 
Spork4000

Spork4000

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
8,645
MrH said:
I mean all I want is something that's fast and reliable, so I'm happy to switch to Apple if it's good, I'm just a bit wary as I've never used a single one of their products. The 32GB 2018 is temping though.
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Do it, apps are there and still being optimized for the space. Creative apps are the best they've ever been, and most of those features can be done on the cheap model. The ecosystem will take some time to get used to but as someone who's taught android users how to use iOS in the past, the switch is fairly painless.
 
TheMadTitan

TheMadTitan

Member
Oct 27, 2017
27,415
Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 aside from what was already mentioned. But really, iPad is really the only option if you're not looking at a Surface tablet or one of the ChromeOS foldables/tablets.
 
bossmonkey

bossmonkey

Avenger
Nov 9, 2017
2,518
I have a Fire HD 8 and it's not bad. Apps are locked down by Amazon but it's not like you won't be able to find most of the usual suspects. Bought a couple for my parents at Christmas and they were all of $50 apiece. Not bad especially since you aren't in it for that much if you want to replace it in a year or 2.
 
TheDoctor

TheDoctor

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,270
Xiaomi's Mi Pad 4 (if you don't mind importing).

Huawei Mediapad M5 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3/4 are pretty much the only other options running Android 8.0.
 
Kingpin Rogers

Kingpin Rogers

HILF
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,459
I'm happy with my Fire 10 HD, picked it up on the black Friday sale for £99 and it was easily worth it if you're just into casual reading, streaming and browsing type stuff. There's also the Fire 8 HD which from what I've heard is very similar, just a smaller size.
 
Maturin

Maturin

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,145
Europe
Been very happy with the Asus Zenpad 3S 10 my wife bought me last Christmas. Great screen, plenty of storage.
 
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MrH

MrH

Banned
Nov 3, 2017
3,995
Is the 2GB of RAM not an issue? My current tablet has 3GB, and similar priced Android tablets have 4GB.
 
bevishead

bevishead

Member
Jan 9, 2018
885
MrH said:
I've never used iPad, are they actually good or are you just paying for the brand? Like, if you had an equal spec Android vs iPad would there be a noticeable difference in performance?
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I am an android fan and have had many android tablets. Last year I got a Samsung Chromebook plus for web surfing and mobile games, but chrome os is hit or miss when it comes to working with android apps. The other option is to pay $300-$600 for the latest high end Samsung or Huawei tablet. I followed the advice of my Reset bros and got an ipad pro 2017 edition. This ensures I have access to all the latest games on hardware that pounds the latest android tablets into the mud and most of all frequent OS updates. I got my Ipad and I am very happy with it so far after 2 weeks.
 
Ramathevoice

Ramathevoice

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,939
Paris, France
Left field pick: I'm using an Acer Chromebook Tab (it's mainly aimed at the education market but sells to regular folks too). It's the same price and format as the iPad, but with a better screen, and uses Chrome OS , which as of the latest version is a pretty competent and usable tablet OS that's compatible with Android apps too. And I love that it has the full-fat, desktop version of Chrome, with support for all extensions. Having ublock origin on a tablet is really awesome (and yes, it is deactivated on Era ^^)

I kinda dig it tbh :)

E: probably underpowered if you want to play games on it though.
 
FernandoRocker

FernandoRocker

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,987
México
As much as I love Android (vastly superior to iOS in my humble opinion), it's not ideal for tablets.

For tablets get an iPad. For phones, Android. But honestly... Why do you need a tablet? My 6" phone is enough.
 
JeffG

JeffG

Member
Oct 27, 2017
873
Edmonton, Alberta
bossmonkey said:
I have a Fire HD 8 and it's not bad. Apps are locked down by Amazon but it's not like you won't be able to find most of the usual suspects. Bought a couple for my parents at Christmas and they were all of $50 apiece. Not bad especially since you aren't in it for that much if you want to replace it in a year or 2.
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I have a 7 and 10 Fire tablet. Best bang for your buck.

You can install the Google store and install apps that don't exist on the amazon store (I did that for access to the WestJet app)

https://www.howtogeek.com/232726/how-to-install-the-google-play-store-on-your-amazon-fire-tablet/
 
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MrH

MrH

Banned
Nov 3, 2017
3,995
Well my decision has just become more rushed, I bricked my Lenovo Tablet...I rooted it awhile ago and after formatting it ready for sale it stopped booting past the logo, so yeah, that sucks ass. I'm reading up on the Huawei M5 and Ipad 2018, the Ipad looks tasty but it's £280 cheapest (that I could find), and without the £130 I was going to get from the Lenovo it's quite an ask.
 
Enduin

Enduin

You look 40
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,557
New York
MrH said:
I really like the look of this one though, it's 8" which would be perfect and cheaper; https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07BDT3WVY/ref=twister_B01N6XMR0V?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

How is this compared to the 6th gen Ipad?
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I have the prior version of that which I got as a replacement for my Nexus 9 which was crapping out on me big time, it's been a good replacement and has been pretty for reading comics/manga, browsing the web and watching videos. It's not super smooth, performance is good, just stuff like scrolling in the browser is choppy. Battery life has been extremely good, lasted me a whole 9 hour flight to Turkey watching movies on it. The speakers are pretty great too, loud and good quality which was a big reason I got it as I fall asleep every night listening to documentaries and stuff. Build quality is very high too and doesn't feel cheap or flimsy.
 
turbobrick

turbobrick

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,190
Phoenix, AZ
MrH said:
Well my decision has just become more rushed, I bricked my Lenovo Tablet...I rooted it awhile ago and after formatting it ready for sale it stopped booting past the logo, so yeah, that sucks ass. I'm reading up on the Huawei M5 and Ipad 2018, the Ipad looks tasty but it's £280 cheapest (that I could find), and without the £130 I was going to get from the Lenovo it's quite an ask.
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The base ipad is ok and would probably work for you. Though with only 2gb of ram expect your tabs to refresh switching between them if you have more than like 5 open. I personally passed on the base ipad because of the ram and went with a pro since I also got a good deal on it.

My dad has a galaxy s2 tab and he really likes it. He uses it for internet browsing and reading pdf's.
 

B.K.

Member
Oct 31, 2017
17,124
I've got a Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro I'm looking to upgrade. It's starting to have a lot of issues. I'll probably just buy a 32GB Tab A when I replace it. I really don't want to buy an iPad and there's not much choice when it comes to Android tablets.
 
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MrH

MrH

Banned
Nov 3, 2017
3,995
turbobrick said:
The base ipad is ok and would probably work for you. Though with only 2gb of ram expect your tabs to refresh switching between them if you have more than like 5 open. I personally passed on the base ipad because of the ram and went with a pro since I also got a good deal on it.

My dad has a galaxy s2 tab and he really likes it. He uses it for internet browsing and reading pdf's.
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I will generally have 1-3 tabs open in a browser. I use a Reddit app and I play Hearthstone, will the base be fast for that? I don't like lag/delay.
 
turbobrick

turbobrick

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,190
Phoenix, AZ
MrH said:
I will generally have 1-3 tabs open in a browser. I use a Reddit app and I play Hearthstone, will the base be fast for that? I don't like lag/delay.
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Not sure to be honest. I mean you'll probably be ok. I would still try one out if you can. Because samsung also makes good tablets, and here they are often on sale, not sure about in the UK though.
 
Book One

Book One

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,852
I've owned the Fire 7 and currently own the Fire 8 HD. I honestly don't know how people can use them on a daily basis.

Performance wise they are absolutely terrible. The 8 is an improvement over the 7 for sure but is still rather slow and clunky. It's primarily a tablet for my little one now, but beyond reading Kindle books on it I'm annoyed trying to use it in any kind of regular basis.

MrH said:
I will generally have 1-3 tabs open in a browser. I use a Reddit app and I play Hearthstone, will the base be fast for that? I don't like lag/delay.
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You will be absolutely fine. Base 2018 iPad is terrific performance wise.
 

Ragnorok64

Banned
Nov 6, 2017
2,955
people keep suggesting the ipad, but is it really good enough to justify buying into the Apple Eco system?
 
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MrH

MrH

Banned
Nov 3, 2017
3,995
Well I've just spent the last 5 hours fixing my Lenovo and now it's finally working again, so I can sell it to offset the price of the new tablet.
 
Howdyjacker

Howdyjacker

The Fallen
Oct 31, 2017
293
The only Android tablet worth getting right now is the Galaxy Tab S4.

It is the best Android tablet out bar none and you get an S Pen
 
Piggus

Piggus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,727
Oregon
If you want something that actually runs smoothly and will continue to perform well after updates, the iPad is a no-brainer. Apple dominates the tablet market for a reason.
 
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