Looking for a cheap but good Android Tablet

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gcorgnet

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#248546 30-Mar-2019 12:13

Hey guys,

Looking for a tablet to wall mount (in landscape mode) to display Home Assistant (web browser) through Android WallPanel (an app) or using Home Habit (another Android App)

Because of the limited use, I don;t think it needs a lot of grunt/CPU/Memory or even battery life (will be mains powered). It does need a good screen though (1280x800 minimum, 1080p would be good)

Getting lost in the sea of Chinese made tablets.. anything good out there?

EDIT: 8" at least, 10" would be great

Thanks,

Guillaume

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gehenna

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#2207585 30-Mar-2019 12:15

What's your budget? That'll help sort out the wheat from chaff.

gcorgnet

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#2207601 30-Mar-2019 12:19

gehenna:

What's your budget? That'll help sort out the wheat from chaff.

Not too bothered about budget but I know I can get great options for $400+ buying from the big box shops so I was wondering if I could find something cheaper that was good value for money considering mu use case.

rb99

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#2207608 30-Mar-2019 12:29

Amazon Fire HD 10 ?

rb99

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#2207609 30-Mar-2019 12:30

No idea about that WallPanel stuff, but you can put Google Playstore on it.

rb99

vexxxboy

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#2207699 30-Mar-2019 13:40

Harvey Norman have a Lenovo Tab 4 10.1 inch for $249 .

https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/computers/tablet-and-accessories/tablets/lenovo-tab-4-10.1-tablet-2gb-ram.html?gcl

Common sense is not as common as you think.

gcorgnet

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#2207704 30-Mar-2019 13:46

vexxxboy:

Harvey Norman have a Lenovo Tab 4 10.1 inch for $249 .

https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/computers/tablet-and-accessories/tablets/lenovo-tab-4-10.1-tablet-2gb-ram.html?gcl

Good find!

What do we think of this one? Older for sure and only 1GB of RAM but I wonder if that would be grunty enough for running what I need to run?
https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/computers/tablet-and-accessories/tablets/lenovo-tab-10-10.1-tablet.html

vexxxboy

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#2207714 30-Mar-2019 14:26

gcorgnet:

vexxxboy:

Harvey Norman have a Lenovo Tab 4 10.1 inch for $249 .

https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/computers/tablet-and-accessories/tablets/lenovo-tab-4-10.1-tablet-2gb-ram.html?gcl

Good find!

What do we think of this one? Older for sure and only 1GB of RAM but I wonder if that would be grunty enough for running what I need to run?
https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/computers/tablet-and-accessories/tablets/lenovo-tab-10-10.1-tablet.html

personally i would spend the extra $80 , you can never go wrong with more performance than not quite enough and you get Android 7 with the more expensive one.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

gcorgnet

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#2208382 1-Apr-2019 08:07

So I went to HN to check out that Lenovo Tab 4 tablet and it was ok (although small-ish resolution) but they didn't have stock. Which let me to have a look around and so the Lenovo M10 tablet which looks much much better.

Big bright screen with FullHD resolution... unfortunately, that's $450 which is not bad but wasn;t sure I wanted to spend that much. And looking around, it seems like this Amazon Fire 10 might do the trick and much cheaper...

I'm now on the hunt for a solution to wireless charge said tablet. I heard about those Qi receivers (thin little mat thingy that plugs into the charing port). Any experience with these on tablets?

sbiddle

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#2208383 1-Apr-2019 08:10

I've got a Fire HD 8 myself and have played with most of the other fire tablets. In terms of specs their cheaper tablets are not great - low spec screens and they're sluggish.. But as a tablet for your needs they may be perfect. At least you're going to get some security updates unlike buying a cheap Chinese device, and installing play store takes 2 mins.

Geektastic

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#2208416 1-Apr-2019 08:36

Probably excluded by price, but I'm very happy with my Tab S4.

1eStar

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#2208540 1-Apr-2019 11:46

gcorgnet:
So I went to HN to check out that Lenovo Tab 4 tablet and it was ok (although small-ish resolution) but they didn't have stock. Which let me to have a look around and so the Lenovo M10 tablet which looks much much better.

Big bright screen with FullHD resolution... unfortunately, that's $450 which is not bad but wasn;t sure I wanted to spend that much. And looking around, it seems like this Amazon Fire 10 might do the trick and much cheaper...

I'm now on the hunt for a solution to wireless charge said tablet. I heard about those Qi receivers (thin little mat thingy that plugs into the charing port). Any experience with these on tablets?

Yes, I've used a Qi receiver on the 8.3" LG Gpad I used to have. I had the receiver tucked in between the case and the back of the tab. The tablet size meant it would not balance on my desktop upright style wireless charger, unless I leant it carefully against the wall, or turned the tablet face down and plonked the charger on its back. So good luck with aligning the charger with the receiver.

gcorgnet

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#2208561 1-Apr-2019 12:08

1eStar:

Yes, I've used a Qi receiver on the 8.3" LG Gpad I used to have. I had the receiver tucked in between the case and the back of the tab. The tablet size meant it would not balance on my desktop upright style wireless charger, unless I leant it carefully against the wall, or turned the tablet face down and plonked the charger on its back. So good luck with aligning the charger with the receiver.

I'm planning some sort of wall mounting with magnets to hold the tablet so position of the Qi charger should not be a big issue.

1eStar

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#2209152 1-Apr-2019 23:19

gcorgnet:
1eStar:

Yes, I've used a Qi receiver on the 8.3" LG Gpad I used to have. I had the receiver tucked in between the case and the back of the tab. The tablet size meant it would not balance on my desktop upright style wireless charger, unless I leant it carefully against the wall, or turned the tablet face down and plonked the charger on its back. So good luck with aligning the charger with the receiver.

I'm planning some sort of wall mounting with magnets to hold the tablet so position of the Qi charger should not be a big issue.

Well don't put the magnet or metal plate anywhere near the charger/receiver, they don't play well together.

danepak

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#2227063 28-Apr-2019 23:34

I'm looking for a cheap Android tablet too.
Just for the kids to watch YouTube and play Minecraft
Got an Amazon Fire tablet, but it doesn't charge anymore.
Have had this issue for a couple of months, where it then suddenly started charging anyway, but looks like it's a thing of the past. And I've read that this is a common issue with this model.
Just over a year old, so warranty has gone.
Any recommendations much appreciated. No more than $150 max

DeepBlueSky

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#2227076 29-Apr-2019 06:32

My 2 cents,
Have a look to see if a model is supported by the community then maybe get a quality second hand unit and put a new version of Android on it.

I just reinstalled the OS, Android Pie on my 2014 Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 inch tablet it looks and runs great.

It a just an option for a cheap tablet.

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