Recommend an 8" Android tablet

Forums › Android › Recommend an 8" Android tablet - June 2018

timmmay

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#237748 16-Jun-2018 12:37

My Mum is after an 8" Android tablet with decent performance, mostly to play games like scrabble on when she's sitting on the sofa.

The Lenovo Tab4 8" is looking like a good option. I have the Tab2 10" which she likes at about NZ$200 shipped from Amazon.com, but Lenovo seem to have downgraded the Tab4 compared with the Tab2 - screen is 1200x800 instead of 1920 and the CPU is about 30% slower.

Is there anything that's 8 - 9", decent quality, max price NZ$250, with a slightly better screen and decent speed CPU?

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#2038636 16-Jun-2018 12:59

this one from Banggood still has the 1920x1200 screen, Snapdragon 625 Octa Core 2.0GHz and 3GB ram

https://www.banggood.com/Original-Box-Lenovo-P8-Tab3-8-Plus-Snapdragon-625-3G-RAM-16G-ROM-Android-6_0-OS-8-Inch-Tablet-Blue-p-1247637.html?cur_warehouse=CN

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#2038638 16-Jun-2018 13:01

If she doesn't have to have Android i recommend the iPad pro 9.7.

timmmay

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#2038659 16-Jun-2018 13:45

vexxxboy:

this one from Banggood still has the 1920x1200 screen, Snapdragon 625 Octa Core 2.0GHz and 3GB ram

https://www.banggood.com/Original-Box-Lenovo-P8-Tab3-8-Plus-Snapdragon-625-3G-RAM-16G-ROM-Android-6_0-OS-8-Inch-Tablet-Blue-p-1247637.html?cur_warehouse=CN

Good spotting. It's a bit more expensive than the tab4 probably because of the better specs.

Batman: If she doesn't have to have Android i recommend the iPad pro 9.7.

OS isn't critical, but max $250 rules out anything by Apple.

rb99

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#2038683 16-Jun-2018 14:25

Fire HD 10. Bit bigger, full HD screen. Not if she wants it by tomorrow though...

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#2038698 16-Jun-2018 15:28

It's a shame Samsung didn't see fit to upgrade the 8" Tab S2. It's what I'm using to write this at the moment and is without a doubt the device I would use most in the day. It's running Android 7.0 and is still better than a lot of the rubbish being peddled on the Android tablet scene at the moment.
You might be able to find one, even used.

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timmmay

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#2038732 16-Jun-2018 17:43

She's not in a hurry at all. Not sure an Amazon Fire is ideal, they're so lock into the Amazon ecosystem.

tim0001

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#2038741 16-Jun-2018 18:06

I got a Fire HD 8 last year that I've been very please with (for the price). But as you point out it is handicapped in some aspects by the amazon ecosystem. On the positive side the OS+hardware combination has been rock solid.

I only use it for ebooks and netflix though. Can't comment on the Amazon eco system apps because I've only needed to install one app (OverDrive), and luckily it was in the amazon app store. Good battery life too.

My only disappointment is the model I ordered was supposed to come 'with special offers' and I haven't seen one yet!

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#2038748 16-Jun-2018 18:30

Dingbatt: It's a shame Samsung didn't see fit to upgrade the 8" Tab S2. It's what I'm using to write this at the moment and is without a doubt the device I would use most in the day. It's running Android 7.0 and is still better than a lot of the rubbish being peddled on the Android tablet scene at the moment.
You might be able to find one, even used.

I'm still happily using a Tab S. I thought it was dying, rebooting all the time but all it took was cleaning the battery connector. I wonder how many other battery problems are just connector problems.

rb99

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#2038751 16-Jun-2018 18:40

timmmay:

She's not in a hurry at all. Not sure an Amazon Fire is ideal, they're so lock into the Amazon ecosystem.

Well true, but even I managed to un-Amazon it a bit, enable the Google PlayStore and download Chrome and Emby.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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timmmay

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#2038874 16-Jun-2018 21:37

My Mum just wants to play some games on her tablet (she plays some scrabble game against friends), surf the web, and look at Facebook. I don't know if the games she wants to play can be loaded onto the Fire without effort - but if Google Play can get onto them that would work. It has a similar screen resolution to the Lenovo Tab 4, which suggests it's probably ok. 1200 pixels / 8 inches = 150ppi which is probably plenty. Maybe I'll just suggest the Tab 4, unless she wants to spend a bit more for the Tab3.

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#2038957 17-Jun-2018 08:46

Probably best to get a local one. Don't want to get from Amazon then wait for Youshop to finally get round to sending it, then it turns up and it doesn't play your favourite stuff anyway.

But if you ever feel the urge, it might be on sale again at some point (the 10inch was only US$99 in April) I'd order one anyway just to see, which is what I did.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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timmmay

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#2039107 17-Jun-2018 13:36

If we can find something locally that's reasonably priced that's fine, but I'm happy with Amazon stuff too. My tab2 came from Amazon, it's a nice tablet. Shame they've reduced the specs in the later model to hit a cost. The screen is probably fine at 150ppi, but the slower processor is odd.

timmmay

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#2043069 24-Jun-2018 10:08

Any thoughts on Samsung Galaxy Tab A (US$178, 2GB RAM) vs Lenovo Tab4 (US$125, 2GB RAM) vs Amazon Fire 8 ($100 inc youshop reshipping, 1.5GB RAM)? All have the same 1280 x 800 screen. Is the Tab A worth $50 more?

Any problems with a Fire working in NZ? Can it get most games that are on Google Plan without messing with it too much? I don't want Mum to rely on me to get things working, I would rather it was bog standard.

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#2043170 24-Jun-2018 16:47

Just a data point and probably not for all but I am still using a Nexus 7 2013. It got a bit sluggish on stock ROM but once I flashed Pure Nexus which is a 7.1 ROM it's been like new. I use it for email, Netflix, Amazon Video, Youtube (and to a big TV using Chromecaset) RDP (to my servers)and it works just fine.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

wooda2

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#2046216 29-Jun-2018 20:40

Got to agree about the Nexus 7 2013. Mine still going well after 4 years

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