Best Android Tablet on the NZ market today

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MikeB4

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#150368 20-Jul-2014 11:10

Inspired by another thread regarding Smartphones. I am currently assessing a replacement tablet. I currently have a Nexus 7(Gen2) and a MS Surface RT (1st Gen) The Surface is heavy and makes my hands very sore. The Surface is playing up with freezes and black screens of death despite a restore being done.

I like the look and specs of the new offerings from Samsung but there are reports coming in of these warping due to excessive heat. I also like the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet. Both these tablets are very light and well specc'd

So what do folks here believe are the best Android Tablets on the market today?

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#1092412 20-Jul-2014 11:33

Sony Z2 tablet looks real nice

MikeB4

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#1092417 20-Jul-2014 11:42

I was looking at the Z2 in the Sony Shop yesterday, they are insanely light for a 10 inch tablet

networkn

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#1092420 20-Jul-2014 11:46

For a NZ Tablet, Sony Xperia2 is hard to beat, best tablet I found at all is the Amazon HDX 8.9, though it would help if you were invested in the Amazon Eco system as I am.

regius

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#1092421 20-Jul-2014 11:48

Google is on the verge of launching the Nexus 8 (or 9?) that sounds interesting.
It is rumoured to have an 8.9" screen (2048x1440 px) Quad core Tegra K1 processor, 3GB ram, probably made by HTC and speculated to cost $399 US$ for 16GB or $499 for 32GB version. As you would know from your Nexus 7 experience, it will always have the latest version of the OS and future updates.

MikeB4

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#1092423 20-Jul-2014 11:57

networkn: For a NZ Tablet, Sony Xperia2 is hard to beat, best tablet I found at all is the Amazon HDX 8.9, though it would help if you were invested in the Amazon Eco system as I am.

I don't know much about the Amazon eco system. What does it offer for New Zealand? I like the way Amazon does business.

MikeB4

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#1092425 20-Jul-2014 11:58

I do like the Nexus products especially the clean up to date OS. The Nexus 10 though is starting to show its age.

NZtechfreak

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#1092450 20-Jul-2014 12:53

regius: Google is on the verge of launching the Nexus 8 (or 9?) that sounds interesting.
It is rumoured to have an 8.9" screen (2048x1440 px) Quad core Tegra K1 processor, 3GB ram, probably made by HTC and speculated to cost $399 US$ for 16GB or $499 for 32GB version. As you would know from your Nexus 7 experience, it will always have the latest version of the OS and future updates.

Given the question at hand here this is a bit off topic... Staying off topic and talking upcoming tablets make mine the Nvidia Shield Tablet thanks. Basically vanilla Android with some good value-adds (gamepad mapper for example), similar specs to the rumoured Nexus except it'll come with a card slot. Firmware update from Nvidia will be fine, their Tegra Note and Shield firmware support this last year has been superb.

...back on topic: Yes, the Z2 tablet is very impressive.

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MikeB4

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#1092827 21-Jul-2014 09:52

Anyone had experience with Huawei offerings?

Krishant007

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#1092841 21-Jul-2014 10:05

Ahh i have to agree with the Nvidia shield offering. I saw the leaks and this looks pretty much like the nexus 8 leaks that i have also seen. This tablet looks rather promising.

Back on topic once more, I saw the Z2 was on quite a good discount at Noel Leeming in the Manukau super center (it was about 650 or lower - I cant remember exactly).

Besides these ones, I was hoping for good things by the Samsung Galaxy S 8.4 - but again as said, the heating issue could be a deal breaker I guess. I have the Nexus 7 2013 and iPad gen 3 and frequently wish I could expand storage on my Nexus. But if they fix the heating issue on the Galaxy S 8.4 - this would be one of the best tablets I reckon.

Also, on a side note, in terms of best bang for buck, I reckon the GPE of G Pad would be quite a good tablet:

http://www.expansys.co.nz/lg-g-pad-83-google-play-edition-wifi-16gb-indigo-black-263892/

NikT

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#1092901 21-Jul-2014 11:23

KiwiNZ: Anyone had experience with Huawei offerings?

Both myself & NZtechfreak have owned the Huawei 7" 3G Mediapad, which had an amazing metal build. Unfortunately, its Snapdragon S3 chipset was a downer for both performance & battery life, but I'd imagine their current products to be much better in that department.

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MikeB4

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#1092909 21-Jul-2014 11:33

NikT:
KiwiNZ: Anyone had experience with Huawei offerings?

Both myself & NZtechfreak have owned the Huawei 7" 3G Mediapad, which had an amazing metal build. Unfortunately, its Snapdragon S3 chipset was a downer for both performance & battery life, but I'd imagine their current products to be much better in that department.

I should be able to give the Huawei range a test fire soon

graemewi

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#1093943 22-Jul-2014 21:38

Krishant007: Also, on a side note, in terms of best bang for buck, I reckon the GPE of G Pad would be quite a good tablet

I've got the normal G Pad 8.3 version, I'd normally go for a plain android experience, but it's pretty good with just a replacement launcher. Like it lots!

DrDee

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#1099384 31-Jul-2014 15:22

I just picked up a Galaxy Tab S 8.4.

I am not a fan of Samsung but that screen.......

hairy1

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#1099414 31-Jul-2014 15:45

I have had the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and Galaxy Tab S 10.5 since launch day.

I have seen no sign of warping and use both tablets daily. The screen is just beautiful. The low reflectivity is a great plus.

My points for best android tablet go to the tab S.

It is essentially the same weight as the Z2 and the book cover makes it great to use. Touchwiz is not the best however other launchers are available. I am not a Samsung fan but am an android fan.

Cheers, matt.

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#1099492 31-Jul-2014 17:46

hairy1: I have had the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and Galaxy Tab S 10.5 since launch day.

I have seen no sign of warping and use both tablets daily. The screen is just beautiful. The low reflectivity is a great plus.

My points for best android tablet go to the tab S.

It is essentially the same weight as the Z2 and the book cover makes it great to use. Touchwiz is not the best however other launchers are available. I am not a Samsung fan but am an android fan.

Cheers, matt.

We bought a Samsung Tab S 10.5 for (cough, cough, ...) my wife a couple of weeks ago. - her first tablet. I have an iPad and an Android phone (HTC One M7) so a foot in both camps. I love my iPad and my phone but that Tab S is really great - Matt's comments above are right.

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