Tablet Specs and Recommendation

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networkn

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#195551 24-Apr-2016 00:17

Hi.

I have a 2013 Kindle Tablet which has been fantastic. Sadly the screen is flickering and faithful may soon need to be replaced.

There is a later model which has higher specs.

Last year I bought a Samsung 8.4 S and to be fair I've been pretty disappointed with it's performance. On games like Hay Day and Clash of Clans it's not really coping, to the point I don't use it. Comparatively the S6 Edge and Galaxy Note 5 easily cope.

The new Kindle has a Snapdragon 805 Processor and Adreno Blaze 420 GPU, and the Samsung a Octacore 5420 @ 1.9ghz and an ARM Maili T628 MP6 GPU.

I can't really find a good comparison.

I am looking for a lightweight Android Tablet that will be excellent for games.

Any commentary?

d3Xt3r

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#1540962 24-Apr-2016 08:17

Unfortunately I can't really recommend an Android tablet at present. To explore some of the popular options:

- Galaxy Tab S2 : Outdated SoC (same as that of a Note 4) so it's not worth the price.
- Pixel C : Too big, various build/quality issues, doesn't have GPS/NFC/LTE, expensive.
- Xperia Z4 tablet: Too big, heavy
- Nexus 9: Only 2GB RAM, serious memory management issues
- Huawei/Asus/Lenovo: Heavy OEM skins, dated OS/lack of updates.

I would wait for Google I/O next month to see what Google have in store for the Nexus series. I'm hoping for a sequel to the Nexus 7 2013 - which was a splendid tablet in its time.

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#1540964 24-Apr-2016 08:23

Lenovo Tablet from Amazon is what I got. Significantly faster than my S4, nice screen, not too heavy. Apparently best to leave it on Android 4 according to what I've read online, so I've never done the Android 5 upgrade that's available. Selection thread here.

I don't play games but happy to download something and see how well it works for you. Could possibly even make a video with my phone, or screen recording software. Or if you're in Wellington come try it. JB Hifi used to have it, but it cost $100 more than Amazon, even taking shipping into account.Ships direct to NZ.

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#1540966 24-Apr-2016 08:40

Ive got a Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 and it's a very nice device. Copes with Hay Day fine and I find the 8 inch 4:3 form factor excellent.

IronH

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#1540975 24-Apr-2016 09:13

I had the Tab S 8.4 when it first came out and was also disappointed with its slow load times and stuttery performance. I played some of the same titles on my wife's iPad mini 2 and they were significantly smoother, like buttery smooth and they loaded a lot faster. If you want a tablet purely for gaming maybe consider an iPad? But if you are set on Android, maybe the nVidia Shield (if you can find it) or Nexus 9 or a Sony Z4 Tablet, there aren't a lot of options for high end tablets. I didn't keep my Tab S very long due to its lag but also wanted to stay with Android, but due to lack of tablet options I ended up going with a phablet instead - the 6.44" Z Ultra, and the combination of the snapdragon 800 and 1080P screen gave me much better gaming performance (less stutter and lag) than the Tab S did. It feels better in the hand due to size (I can palm it one hand easily) and nicer build materials (metal/glass vs plastic). I found it was a perfect compromise between screen size and portability (it fits in my pocket... sort of). I have been happy with it but the Snapdragon 800 has been starting to show its age lately, with lag creeping into modern games. So I'm also on the look out for a replacement but haven't settled on anything that suits yet. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there aren't any tablets powered by Snapdragon 820 yet, and there doesn't seem to be on the horizon, so I'm again looking at the larger phablets. Otherwise Tablet Z4 has the highest specs with Snapdragon 810 - at least it doesn't suffer from overheating due to the larger footprint of the tablet.

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#1541073 24-Apr-2016 11:28

NVIDIA Shield, made by gaming company, excellent value, excellent update frequency, awesome features and flexibility. @6.0.1 OTA. The bad news = 390g.

d3Xt3r

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#1541081 24-Apr-2016 11:49

gzt: NVIDIA Shield, made by gaming company, excellent value, excellent update frequency, awesome features and flexibility. @6.0.1 OTA. The bad news = 390g.

I would have recommended the Shield too, but I don't see a point in buying a device with 2GB RAM in 2016, when flagship phones are packing 4GB RAM. Also, the original Shield was made two years ago, so I wouldn't expect it to be updated any further (so no Android N). The K1 might be worth considering though, as it was released November last year. Still, only 2GB RAM. :/

@networkn: Do you plan to use the tablet for other tasks as well (Web browsing etc), or do you intend to use it exclusively for gaming? Because if you're only going to game and not multitask, then the Shield (K1) would be ideal.

networkn

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#1541082 24-Apr-2016 11:52

gzt: NVIDIA Shield, made by gaming company, excellent value, excellent update frequency, awesome features and flexibility. @6.0.1 OTA. The bad news = 390g.

I don't consider 390g to be unacceptable honestly, considering the Pixel C is 590g.

It's about similar to the Amazon Tablet.

I guess I wait.

We have an Ipad, but it's not really my platform of choice, and I want to switch between it and my note 5 easily.

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networkn

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#1541084 24-Apr-2016 11:54

d3Xt3r:
gzt: NVIDIA Shield, made by gaming company, excellent value, excellent update frequency, awesome features and flexibility. @6.0.1 OTA. The bad news = 390g.

I would have recommended the Shield too, but I don't see a point in buying a device with 2GB RAM in 2016, when flagship phones are packing 4GB RAM. Also, the original Shield was made two years ago, so I wouldn't expect it to be updated any further (so no Android N). The K1 might be worth considering though, as it was released November last year. Still, only 2GB RAM. :/

@networkn: Do you plan to use the tablet for other tasks as well (Web browsing etc), or do you intend to use it exclusively for gaming? Because if you're only going to game and not multitask, then the Shield (K1) would be ideal.

I use it for a lot of stuff, most honestly I don't really play THAT many games or use a tablet THAT much (My note is primary and is fine), but we have 2 kids and so I am looking for a device that I can replace the Amazon tablet which copes pretty well, with something more modern.

networkn

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#1541085 24-Apr-2016 11:54

timmmay:

Lenovo Tablet from Amazon is what I got. Significantly faster than my S4, nice screen, not too heavy. Apparently best to leave it on Android 4 according to what I've read online, so I've never done the Android 5 upgrade that's available. Selection thread here.

I don't play games but happy to download something and see how well it works for you. Could possibly even make a video with my phone, or screen recording software. Or if you're in Wellington come try it. JB Hifi used to have it, but it cost $100 more than Amazon, even taking shipping into account.Ships direct to NZ.

Thanks, that is a generous offer. I'll give that device some thought and follow up if I want to investigate it more seriously.

timmmay

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#1541090 24-Apr-2016 12:02

No problem. It really is noticeably faster than the S4, nice screen - everything I need and nothing I don't.