Ask Slashdot: Are There Any Good Android Tablets Out There? 129
Longtime Slashdot reader hadleyburg writes: For a user with an Android phone and who's happy to stick within the Google ecosystem, an Android tablet might seem like the more obvious choice over an iPad. Of course, iPads are a lot more popular, and asking about Android tablets is likely to invite advice about sticking with what everyone else has.
The Slashdot community on the other hand -- being a discerning and thoughtful crowd -- might have some experience in this area and be willing to share the pros and cons they have found.
The use case is someone not requiring any heavy usage -- no video editing or gaming -- just email, browsing, YouTube, video calls, and that sort of thing.
The Slashdot community on the other hand -- being a discerning and thoughtful crowd -- might have some experience in this area and be willing to share the pros and cons they have found.
The use case is someone not requiring any heavy usage -- no video editing or gaming -- just email, browsing, YouTube, video calls, and that sort of thing.
No (Score:3)
Re:No (Score:5, Interesting)
There are no good android tablets. As an android user I have an iPad for tablet-y tasks, it doesn't get used much, but the iPad is the superior tablet for the average or power user android user. If there was a better option out there, I'd use it.
The fact that the iPad finally uses the USB-C standard has been really helpful, when my wife's iphone finally dropped the "lightning" connector we've been able to drop the number of charging cables in the house/car to 1, and drastically simplifies travel logistics.
Even better when you pair it with an iPhone (Score:3)
Re:No (Score:5, Informative)
There are plenty of good Android tablets.
If you want pen input, Samsung are a good bet. Way better than an iPad. You can scribble anywhere and it just works. Handwriting, drawings, selections, it's all seamless and supported in every app. Last time I checked, iPads don't have that kind of basic functionality for their pens.
For other stuff, Xiaomi are a good option. Very nice screens, good speakers, fast processors, and a lot of models to suit every price point. Battery life is generally excellent.
Of course they all support side loading and alternative app stores, so you aren't locked in to Google Play/Apple Store.
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Of course they all support side loading and alternative app stores, so you aren't locked in to Google Play/Apple Store.
For now. Goggle is trying to lock down the sideloading and the play store.
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And if you don't want pen input, it will keep trying to convince you that you do want pen input. It'll even show some floating icons on the screen related to pen input, which it doesn't want to let you remove. If you do manage to make that go away, it'll be back as soon as an update has the chance to flip a setting back.
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I thought I wouldn't use the pen, that it would not recognise my handwriting. It actually works really well. It's a decent way to enter and edit text.
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Any of them? (Score:4, Interesting)
If those are your only requirements, even the cheapest Kindle Fire is probably good enough.
Fire (Score:2)
Kindle Fire (Score:2)
I have used Kindle Fire's of different versions over the years, (I get a lot of my content from Amazon) but I hear that future versions of the Fire will not be compatible with the android system.
(and don't call it a Fire Tablet, that is the name of a specific Holy Text that been around for more than a century.)
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I have used Kindle Fire's of different versions over the years, (I get a lot of my content from Amazon) but I hear that future versions of the Fire will not be compatible with the android system.
And at that point, they will be worthless.
Yes! (Score:3)
Get a Surface Pro tablet and run the Android emulator on there.
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Ouch, the price is worse than iPad prices!
No because... (Score:4, Interesting)
... the latest versions of Android put too many "protections" in place that prevent usability.
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... the latest versions of Android put too many "protections" in place that prevent usability.
For example?
Yes, there are good android tablets (Score:2)
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Yeah, I'm using a 10.5" Galaxy Tab, forget which model, but a bit older one. All I really use it for is reading though.
Re:Yes, there are good android tablets (Score:4, Informative)
My home tablet is an A9+. Got it on a Black Friday sale for $250 last year, and we use it to cast Netflix to our Samsung TV. My son also uses it for games. Works great. Not speedy, but we don't need it to be. (If you need speedy, get the S-series, but it's at least double the price.)
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Same. It's so old the battery won't last six hours, but it still works fine. The sound quality is great, too.
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I've got the Galaxy Tab 6A Lite, and use it for the purposes described by the OP, plus some light gaming, no problems, and it's a few years old now. It replaced a Tab 3 which still has good life in it as well, more the OS is aging out than anything.
Been happy with both investments, FWIW.
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Ended up getting a Lenovo for that... but it's a flat-out inferior tablet compared to the Galaxy.
There is no Great Tablet That Does All The HDR Goodies My iPad Does, sadly.
The biggest damn shame on the Galaxy, is that gorgeous ass screen is wasted by only being able to do HDR10+
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I replaced my Galaxy Tab S6 with an S10 Ultra, and the new one is just too big for my druthers. I didn't realize that it wouldn't fit as well in places like my backpack's tablet pouch, and it's heavy. The pen might be good for some users, but I haven't found a place that I would use it.
On the plus side, windowed apps seem theoretically nice, although I haven't yet used them in anger.
Re: Yes, there are good android tablets (Score:2)
E-ink tablets (Score:3, Interesting)
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I have one but sadly I cannot use it for Android app development unless I root it first. When I try to deploy my debug APK, the debugger needs access to some .so files, but the permissions Boox is using prevent their download which is annoying.
I've long wanted a color tablet with a screen that I can read in bright sunlight out doors. The Kaleido 3 e-ink screens are okay but definitely very dull and muted colors. Crazy that after all these decades we still don't have a decent reflective color screen.
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I've been using a TCL NXTPAPER for reading for a couple of years, and haven't used my kindles since. The screen has no glare at all, none. It's night right now, can't tell you about reading in bright sunlight. I haven't found a phone yet which is any fun in bright sun, so this NXTPAPER is probably not great either. But none of my house lights drown it out.
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Personally I bought an ipad (Score:4, Interesting)
I think unfortunately the Apple hardware is much better than whats available for Android in the tablet ecosystem.
That said, personally I feel that the Apple ecosystem is much worse than Androids for tablet applications despite claims to the contrary. While its been a while since I used and Android tablet when I did all the applications would fill the screen, on Apple there are a large number of applications which only have phone layouts thus render in a small window on a tablet. Also, ipad's notification system is shockingly bad compared to Android.
The other part that sucks is being stuck with Safari. On Android phones I use Firefox with ublock origin, with safari you're limited to content blockers which are much more restricted in terms of their capabilities so its not unusual to end up with ads or broken pages. I assume if you're in Europe there might be other options?
iPhone format? (Score:3)
"on Apple there are a large number of applications which only have phone layouts"
If you are saying that the iPad will begrudgingly run old iPhone-only apps, that's true. But describing it as a limiting factor is not reasonable. Of the dozens of iPad apps I use - and I do use quite a lot - not one is running in iPhone compatibility. No matter what your need is, there are iPad-native apps to meet it. Usually it's the same binary - a universal app.
Besides, it's like complaining that your Ubuntu desktop is lack
Lenovo adware (Score:4, Interesting)
I have been using Lenovo Tab M9 tablets for a couple of years. They generally work well, but eventually updated with a system application called Tips that started throwing notifications for Temu and some other garbage. The app can be stopped until the next reboot, but not removed (not that I have looked for any elaborate way to remove).
Also, every update brings a non-dismissable app installer notification, that will by default install about a dozen garbage apps every time unless you deselect each of the apps. Everyone involved with this needs to be fed to sharks. Again, the tablet itself is decent, but I paid for something that I do not own.
ROMs (Score:4, Interesting)
The first question is, if there are still good Android ROMs out there. Before buying you should check which ROMs exist and how hard it is to unlock the device (and if the manufacturer claims things like lost warranty). And the problem is, that Google is trying hard to make the life hard for ROM developers. They are getting the source late and in one large archive instead of having access to a repository, Google apps are less compatible, they want to disallow installation of apps by developers that were not approved by Google, they use SafetyNet and PlayIntegrity to stop you from trying to mess with what data apps are allowed to access, and many more problems.
I am only complaining that much about Android, because it is still the better choice, even though it doesn't mean it is good anymore. But Apple is already doing all of what I criticize about Google. So, who wants to build a nice system that is really open source and tries to work for the user instead of for large commercial companies?
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LineageOS is my go to firmware but their support for tablets is limited to just 4 or 5 devices total and nothing current. So the third party firmware scene seems rather bleak for Android tablets.
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While Android drivers are stable and the middle-ware is compatible with everything on the planet, the UI has gotten worse: Gestures replacing the hardware button means navigation is more error-prone. The API has changed for the worse too, supposedly for 'security': Remember, Google tried to force all software be re-released for the Android 11 (or higher) API. Google is trying to disappear the biggest feature of And
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And the nerds have been sleeping because it were a "good enough" product. Now they awake in an ecosystem where even if you manage to get the required driver blobs your alternative system is worthless because the whole world only builds apps for iOS and Android. The "Linux on the phone" like we have it on the desktop is not in sight.
Pixel Tablet (Score:3, Informative)
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I agree. I use my Pixel Tablet regularly, and it's held up well.
Real advantage of iPad (Score:2)
The iPad has accessories. You want a case? You get more options. A holder that fits it? IPad.
Otherwise, any Android is probably a better deal financially. You get more for your money.
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I've got a couple of Android tablets. I've never found a case hard to find. I can't say about accessories because I've never needed any. The only thing I could imagine would be a keyboard, but there are BT versions of those that should work with any tablet.
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It is easy to find "a" case/accessory. But quality matters. If you want something designed for your Android tablet that is high quality, you may be very limited.
I had to replace an Android tablet once when I dropped it - inside a case. After that I went looking for the best possible case. I found a model but they did not make one for the tablet I had previously. So I bought an iPad and paid less than $30 for the case - less than insurance would have cost.
I personally prefer supcase. But like I said, t
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I should have clarified - if you want your choice of quality accessories designed for your tablet, you need to buy an iPad.
But yes, if you want to buy something that somebody describes as working with your tablet, you can get something.
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Samsung (Score:3)
I think Samsung might be the only one making great Android tablets. I have used several. The last two have been in the "S" line. Current one I use is Galaxy Tab S9. They are expensive, but freaking fantastic screen, great build, fast, lots of RAM, etc.
Even their lower-end models are nice. But the S has that kick-butt screen.
Amazon Fire Max 11 with Fire Toolbox mod (Score:4, Interesting)
The Amazon Fire Max 11 with the Amazon Fire Toolbox mod is just about perfect.
It's fast, has big and bright screen, super long battery life, and is compatible with the Google Play Store.
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra (Score:2)
I love my Samsung 14 inches tablet, I get it with the keyboard and it come with a spen, it's very usable, a lot of software and
Lenovo Y700 (Score:2)
I'm using the Lenovo Y700 and love it. It's an 8 inch tablet, up to date OS, well specced, and minimal bloatware. They introduce a new one each year, so pay attention to the year and the model if you decide to order one.
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I've got a 7" Lenovo and a 10" Lenovo (really the wife's), I'd have to go find the models but they were bought probably in '21 or '22. Both are decent and get the job done. I think I tried to go too cheap and the CPU is barely adequate, so be willing to spend an extra $50 or $100 to get a good CPU. Even with the only adequate CPU, I can still player tower games just fine, watch YT videos, and browse IMDB and such without any problems ... that's on the 7" one (I actually use it for reading on more than anyth
Avoid Samsung (Score:2)
Insufferable UI a d annoying, irrational bloatware.
I don't get what people use their tablets for (Score:2)
For reading, get a TCL NXTPAPER (Score:2)
I have one, #11 I believe, which I use instead of Kindles. Zero glare, zero lag while paging. Works OK for general use too, but it beats the pants off Kindles and all other tablets I've tried for readability. Had it for a couple of years now.
Lenovo for China (Score:2)
Lenovo make some very nice tablets for the Chinese market. I have a Y700, a couple of years old, bought on aliexpress (I'm in UK). Unfortunately Lenovo is one of the worst offenders for not supporting their Android stuff longer than a year or so. It matters a bit less than with a phone but it is still disappointing. Anyway, they are nice tablets with excellent display and audio, lots of RAM & storage, take a microSD, very fast charging on USB-C. The bootloader can be unlocked and there are custom ROMs
Samsung is the only one you have a prayer (Score:2)
As far as the rest of it make sure you have at least 8 GB of RAM and they're all basically the same at that point. You might want to get a high density display which I think Samsung has a model for if you're going
I'm very happy with Galaxy Tab S-series (Score:5, Interesting)
Samsung makes three tablet lines: the A, which is a value product that isn't bad for around $200; The S6 Lite, which is a specific mid-tier offering that is updated less than annually and has its own model specs per release. There's also the full-fat Tab S line, which are premium tablets.
I have an S6 Lite from 2020, a Tab S8 and an S9+. The S8 has a fairly normal 10" screen and is actually my favorite of the bunch; I find the 12" screen on the S9+ too big since I mostly want a reading device rather than a watching or playing device. I use the S9+ as a portable monitor and video capture device for my camera when I'm shooting photos with models. It's big and bright enough to see even in outdoors in broad daylight. All three of them have reasonable Qualcomm SoCs and big-boy amounts of RAM. All three of them have an SD card slot for big-boy storage. Newer Tab S series tablets are also water resistant, if you're someone who might use such a device in the bath or near a pool.
Not everybody wants to buy a premium Android tablet and I'll admit I don't pay full price for them either, but they're superb hardware, and I have no problem recommending the S6 Lite or the comparable Lenovo M11 for general use. Those aren't waterproof and they don't have high end SoCs, but they have nice screens, work well in their intended ecosystem and they aren't saddled with a sub-par mobile OS like Apple or Amazon hardware.
Yes, I know it's possible to add the Play Framework to a FireOS device. The problem is that you have to fight to keep it that way since Amazon updates will eventually reset your settings. As far as I know, there's no cure for the limitations of iOS, which is why I'd never bother with an iPad.
Not Doogee (Score:2)
My tablet suffers from ghost touch and according to the reviews mine is not the only one.
Although the device is still sold with Android 14, there is no update provided for my device running Android 13.
In fact, there never was any security update since I bought it.
All information about the device has vanished from the manufacturer website although it was brand new 2 years ago.
one plus tab 2 (Score:2)
I've had it for about 10 months now and I love it. Great screen, decent sound and a really nice feel to it. It fast charges and I get a solid 8 hours. Not cheap but not in the Samsung or iPad range.
https://www.oneplus.com/us/one... [oneplus.com]
one plus tab 2 (Score:2)
One Plus Tab2
I've had one for about 10 months now and I really like it. Good picture, decent sound, an active bt stylus, and a really solid feel. It was not cheap, but not in the Samsung Tab or iPad range.
https://www.oneplus.com/us/one... [oneplus.com]
Re: one plus tab 2 (Score:2)
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Nope (Score:3)
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Not really (Score:2)
And if there are, they'll fall out of support after a few years.
I have a Star Labs StarLite tablet. It has MPP Pen support which is nice for doodling and note taking. It's basically a Linux-friendly PC architecture, so put whatever you want on it (except Android). I'm running Zorin on mine with some small compromises, but there are other distros known to work on it.
I went with this rather pricey option because if it's a PC, the odds of future Ubuntu/Fedora/Debian/whatever distros supporting it seems very hi
An unpopular opinion (Score:2)
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I bought one of these. Horrible low res screens. No auto screen dimming. Slow, older generation processors. Also most of them lie about their specs. 12 gb of RAM! Actually just 4 GB with 8 GB of swap enabled. I bought it because i figure it I can get my software that I'm developing running on it decently with those low specs out should run everywhere. But I wouldn't recommend this tablet to anyone.
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ChromeOS tablet (Score:3)
Not competing with ipad, but ChromeOS does let you run a full desktop version of Chrome, so good for extensions.
And also lets you run Android apps.
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+1
I switched from iPad to Chromebook and couldn't be happier.
Large screen and maybe a SIM card (Score:2)
Get a popular name brand tablet and you should be fine.
You can get one that takes a SIM card.
The larger the screen the better.
Since you're used to Android, there is likely no reason to change.
You could try a Samsung, but don't opt in for any of the Samsung add ons.
Try to keep your tablet as base Android as you can.
When it gets old and unsupported, you could consider installing something else on it (who knows, maybe Ubuntu).
Such ROMs are only released (i.e. figured out) for name brand tablets that lots of pe
7 or 8" for me (Score:2)
Xiaomi (Score:2)
Xiaomi tries really hard to be like Apple, but without giving up on the EV project.
Have a look at the Xiaomi tablets and see if they have what you need.
Honor OLED Android 12" Tablets (Score:2)
Raspad (Score:2)
Samsung or in a pinch Xiaomi (Score:2)
If you're having to ask this question..... (Score:2)
Xppen (Score:2)
Daylight (Score:2)
I like the Daylight Computer DC-1 for its very fast, e-ink like display which is easy on the eyes. Granted I am not using it daily and my daily computer is a Mac.
Don't skimp on the screen res and CPU (Score:2)
The cheaper Android tablets (sub-$200) tend to have lower resolution screens and slower CPUs, which I find detracts from the media/game consumption that you'd traditionally use tablets for. I standardised on 10" or larger and a resolution of 2560x1600 (which first debuted for me with the Nexus 10 way back in Nov 2012). My last two tablets have been the Xiaomi Pad 5 and 6, but be careful about the Pad 7 - it''s bizarrely ditched the ideal 16:10 aspect ratio for the terrible 3:2 (3200x2136) which is bad for m
Higher end Samsung Galaxy tabs (Score:2)
Those have worked pretty well for me. The downside is that Samsung's longer-term support is spotty, at best. It's disheartening to buy a relatively expensive tablet and then 3 years later it is no longer getting updates from Samsung even though it's perfectly fine from a hardware/speed standpoint. So I eventually just caves and started using an ipad. A little pricey, but it works and I'm not sweating the support suddenly vanishing.
Best,
DooGee makes good ones. (Score:2)
My youngest child is severely autistic and depends on their tablet to be able to experience the world, do digital artworks, watch movies and shows and play games. They are on that thing probably 8 to 12 hours a day; and before anybody yells at me, they are severely disabled and the tablet is an integral part of their existence in the same way that people with non-working legs use a wheelchair. They're using the app Ibex paint to do artworks that surpass what I used to do on a desktop using the full Adobe su
Not really but... (Score:2)
Google shouldn't have even bothered with ChromeOS and instead focussed on making Android tablet & desktop e.g. resizable windows, printers, proper mouse & keyboard support as an alternative o
Lenovo K11 (Score:2)
Had a Samsung Tab previously, replaced it with a Lenovo K11 and bought the smart stylus. Used largely for book reading and movies. Reasonable battery life.
Lenovo Tab P12 (Score:2)
I grabbed a Lenovo Tab P12 back in May and so far it's been a great companion device for traveling and basic tasks. I got the version bundled with the stylus and the keyboard cover for I think about $350 US.
The only real "issue" is that the stylus being Bluetooth needs to be charged as well but unlike the higher end models of Lenovo Ideapad, it doesn't charge when attached to the back of the tablet. So I have to remember to periodically charge it or it just doesn't work. I don't use the stylus a ton but it
Good (Score:2)
Still haven't figured out the use (Score:2)
Of course the kids are glued to iPads for games and watching videos around the house.
But for me, I honestly haven't figured out what to actually use a tablet for.
I have a nice Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+, which only gets used for watching video content when I'm on airplane flights.
It works well for this, because all the "streaming apps" (which have download features) only work on phones/tablets, and because phones/tablets have great battery life for this. (and because the design of airplane seats makes laptops
TCL Tab 8 (Score:2)
A while ago, I was also looking for a good Android Tablet. I did not want the Samsung Bloat, nor did I want an iPad. I also wanted it small enough to carry in a suit coat pocket, so that I didn't have to hold it in my hands when not in use.
I settled for the TCL Tab 8. It is not e-ink and it does support 5G here in the States. It also has decent wi-fi.
I don't use it all the time, but I do use it for ebook reading, very, very light texting and only one or two phone calls per year. Not a big youTube/video user
Android vs Apple: It's all about the ecosystem... (Score:2)
I'm not going to comment on my subject line immediately; I use a cheap Chinese Android tablet (<$150), and for the purposes described (email, web, shopping, youtube, music, video calls), i use it regularly and successfully, with no problems. My wife, however, uses an iPad tablet, a Samsung tablet, and a Samsung phone. She FAR prefers the Samsung devices. And Samsung hardware is regularly ranked as highly reliable.
If you want to interact with Apple systems (for example, FaceTime), get an Apple. If you wan
Sure, plenty to choose from (Score:2)
We've got an older Huawei tablet (Media pad M5 10" with 2k5 screen, and with separate pen 2048 pressure levels), not used much anymore, but battery life was awesome, on standby and instantly ready to be used it got about 6+ weeks (indeed it gets little use nowadays, that how I know). Cost about USD 250 I think. Comment from iPad owner (full into Apple ecosystem): "wow, I think your tablet has better audio than mine." He had trouble believing the price.
Then the
Too small, too expensive, overrated (Score:2)
The mainstream tablets all failing.They're selling their brand names to simpletons who rave about them tp each other.
I use a 14" Bessitto (sp?) tablet. 256GB of storage and 64gb of ram. It was ~$250.
I spent the other $1000 or so I'd have wasted on a mainstream brand for a new GPU.
It's your budget. You do you.
Lenovo ... (Score:2)
If your needs for a table are simple, then Lenovo fits the bill nicely.
My tablet is several years old. It is the Lenovo Tab P11 Plus [gsmarena.com].
My use case is for 'normal' stuff, such as browsing, Youtube, email, ...etc.
I don't use it for drawing or with a stylus.
But it has been solid overall, and quite usable for a long time.
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Heck, why stop there?!
Any self-respecting Slashdotter would DESIGN AND BUILD THEIR OWN TABLET! And fork their own custom Linux distro to run on it!
Re: why is this in my feed (Score:2)
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Well... there are plenty of Slashdot users here who would pretend that they have the skills to develop their own fork of Android to suit their needs. Far less that could actually pull it off, and I'd imagine that their are a few. Sadly, when they do pull it off and it becomes popular, they'll probably report about on some paywalled site like The Verge so most people here can't read about it.
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why are you even here?! go make your own news!!
news for nerds. stuff that matters!
while in the USA apple rules, the rest of the work prefer not wasting their money and wants good android table for the money... problem, that is a rare hardware, the race to bottom means you have many cheap and bad tables and few good ones. This is a valid question. Samsung and Lenovo are taken usually as the last good enough tablets, but with some downsides... maybe other people know other alternatives, specially ones that c
Re:why is this in my feed (Score:4, Interesting)
I disagree. I'm glad this is here. I've done a lot of research and still don't know the answer to the original question. I welcome others' input on this. Sounds, though, that my initial finding is correct. The answer is, no. Android tablets all suck.
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I have a Samsung 7" tablet that I use mostly for reading, and have never had any complaint about it or the previous one (which I dropped on a cement floor and broke). I previously had a Nexus 7, which was great until it no longer would take a charge (by which time it was discontinued) and I got the first Samsung. I like the 7" form factor because it fits nicely in an interior jacket pocket so that I can take it and read while my wife shops, and have never had any issue with extra apps being installed as s