Looking for suggestions: Android tablet

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quickymart

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#229065 6-Feb-2018 08:01

I'm thinking of getting a new tablet (as budget permits). Never had one before and there seem to be lots of options.

Right away I'll say I don't want an iPad. They seem quite overpriced for what they are.

For me smaller is better, size-wise (easier to travel with). I did see a Samsung Galaxy one (Tab Active? Either that or this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeT_fhczOms) that was 7" that I was quite impressed with but they seem to have very little storage.

Prefer to stay with Samsung if I can, as I quite like my A3 micro SD would be a requirement.

Oh and it needs to have 3G/4G as well.

Suggestions?

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317 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1952284 6-Feb-2018 09:30

having a quick look about Noel Leeming seems to have the best deals on today

Given your requirements I would look at these.

Samsung 7" Galaxy Tab A 4G @ $269.99

Lenovo Tab 4 10-Inch Wi-Fi/LTE @ $359.00

If you didn't need the 3/4G you could something similar for about $30-40 less

1eStar

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#1952308 6-Feb-2018 10:24

Check out the screen resolution before you commit. Many of them are poor.

1eStar

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#1952313 6-Feb-2018 10:43

I've found 8.3 to be the sweet spot between portability and visibility. I have a 4 year old lg gpad. Still going strong, have put custom ROM on it to keep it fresh.

The Huawei Mediapad has decent specs. https://buymobile.co.nz/products/huawei-mediapad-m3-8-4-w09-32gb-wifi?variant=33701917710

1101

3122 posts

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#1952844 7-Feb-2018 11:17

Check internet reviews for charge time.
My new Lenovo 7" is great, but takes forever to charge

Also, most brands abandon them as soon as they are released .
You wont get any sort of security update or android update : so factor in that it will be obselete in 3 years , and will never get patched
to fix known security issues .

Screen resolution isnt such a big deal on a 7" . Its only 7" after all, you dont need 1080 resolution :-)
Quality of display is more important than resolution (within reason)

vexxxboy

4245 posts

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#1952922 7-Feb-2018 13:17

when it comes to tablets you are better off shopping Banggood and Aliexpress, bigger range and way better prices. NZ seems to have given up on Tablets.

example https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Lenovo-P8-8-0-inch-Tablet-PC-Android-6-0-Snapdragon-625-Octa-Core-Lenovo-Tablet/32822870330.html?sp

Common sense is not as common as you think.

tchart

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#1952931 7-Feb-2018 13:52

Saw the Lenovo on the weekend at Warehouse Stationery. Looked pretty decent - back up to $449 today @ NL.

But TBH my daily phone is a 6.4 inch Xiaomi and I find I have little need for a tablet anymore.

DaveB

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#1953528 8-Feb-2018 10:40

I purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 on the weekend for my father @ $385. The idea was to put all of the photos we had taken during his 3 month trip to NZ into a nice digital folder. It immediately updated to Android 7 and I have to say that I was very impressed. In fact so impressed, I ran out again and bought another for my son!

Everything you need including easy Micro SD card expandable to 200GB, excellent HD display and what appears to be good battery life.

Although now higher price than the weekend, I see Noel Leeming have them available at $449.

Sharesies

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DeepBlueSky

547 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1953602 8-Feb-2018 13:01

Ditto on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 had this since it came out its become my daughters (8 year old) computer. Great thing with Android 7 you can install Googles Family Link and lock down the access. The Tablet is bullet proof tablet too. been dropped more times than I care to remember and keeps on trucking, and battery life is great.

Way better quality than cheep tablets too, not priced in the ethereal Apple tablet league and just goes enough said.

dafman

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#1953605 8-Feb-2018 13:08

DeepBlueSky:

Ditto on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 had this since it came out its become my daughters (8 year old) computer. Great thing with Android 7 you can install Googles Family Link and lock down the access. The Tablet is bullet proof tablet too. been dropped more times than I care to remember and keeps on trucking, and battery life is great.

Way better quality than cheep tablets too, not priced in the ethereal Apple tablet league and just goes enough said.

And it's 16:10 which is great for consuming video, unlike the more expensive Tab S3 which is 4:3

quickymart

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#1954623 10-Feb-2018 06:15

Saw a Tab 3 Lite and a Tab E at The Warehouse last night. The Tab 3 caught my eye (due to its size) - that's the 7" one eh?

They seem to be running Android 4 - is that still supported? I thought it wasn't?

(I tried uploading an image of them but the image uploader seems to be broken).

Dingbatt

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#1954624 10-Feb-2018 06:39

quickymart:
Saw a Tab 3 Lite and a Tab E at The Warehouse last night. The Tab 3 caught my eye (due to its size) - that's the 7" one eh?

They seem to be running Android 4 - is that still supported? I thought it wasn't?

(I tried uploading an image of them but the image uploader seems to be broken).

Android 4.4 (KitKat) to be exact. So 2014 software, with hardware capable of running it. While it will meet the minimum standard required by many apps in the play store I can only see it ending in frustration and tears.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

quickymart

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#1954630 10-Feb-2018 08:02

Hmm good point. Maybe something more recent then?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_A_10.1

(with 16GB or 32GB storage)

DeepBlueSky

547 posts

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#1955098 11-Feb-2018 09:43

I go mine free with my TV BTW, just checked its the 16GB version, and its been fine remember these are SD-Card upgradeable if you need storage you can insert a 128GB card for around a $100'ish and you will have a tone of storage.

Also Googles Family Link only works on Android 7 also know as Android N (Nougat) and above, keeping to a recent design is a good idea the speed difference is noticeable.

driller2000

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#1955146 11-Feb-2018 12:21

vexxxboy:

when it comes to tablets you are better off shopping Banggood and Aliexpress, bigger range and way better prices. NZ seems to have given up on Tablets.

example https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Lenovo-P8-8-0-inch-Tablet-PC-Android-6-0-Snapdragon-625-Octa-Core-Lenovo-Tablet/32822870330.html?sp

Yep agree 100% ie. Aliexpress, Banggood and Ge*rbest are my tech sites of choice nowadays.

You can get some great specced options for way less coin than here - recommend you search and compare .

https://www.ge*rbest.com/tablet-pc-and-accessories-c_11999/tp~2_10.1~inch__tp~4_4gb__tp~5_64gb/

And while these manufacturers don't have a profile here - they do make some pretty decent product. As always do your research before purchase.

Potential downsides are lack of support with lesser known brands eg. lack of updates and if it fails - returning is not usually worthwhile. That said I have purchased 5 tablets to date from BG or GB over the last 3 years and all are going strong (Bar one minor issue - which has an intermittent issue charging). But for the price difference cf local you can often get another one and still be ahead.

Good luck with your purchase/decision.

1101

3122 posts

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#1955538 12-Feb-2018 10:08

quickymart:

Saw a Tab 3 Lite and a Tab E at The Warehouse last night. The Tab 3 caught my eye (due to its size) - that's the 7" one eh?

They seem to be running Android 4 - is that still supported? I thought it wasn't?

just no, avoid it.
how long have they been sitting on the shelves in warehouses , years ?
So old that some of it batt life has probably gone ?

You will start to run into apps that wont install due to such an old version of Android.

No retailer should even be allowed to sell hardware with now unsupported, end of life OS.
Its like selling new PC's with Windows XP

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