Hey all,
I'm trying to look for the ideal tablet to fit my needs and price range, so here we go:
- I'll most likely be installing a custom rom on it, so I care more about internal specs than stock rom
- screen is a big factor, since I'll be using the tablet mostly for movies, occasional/light gaming, and reading
- screen size between 8 to 10 inches
- don't really care about front facing speakers (i always use headphones)
- priced below $500
I've narrowed my choices down to the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and NVidia Shield Tablet, but here's what's keeping me from making a final decision:
- Tab S has a gorgeous screen, but I don't like physical home buttons
- Not sure if CM11 or any soon-to-be-stable roms for the Tab S allow for fingerprint scanning, in which case the above is null
- Shield tablet's screen isn't as good (IPS vs super AMOLED, hd vs quadhd)
- Shield's internal specs are top-notch, but I don't game very often nor heavily, so in terms of regular day-to-day use, performance for Shield vs Tab S on CM11 probably won't have many differences (not sure about this though, can someone comment on this?)
- Tab S is more expensive ($50-70 more expensive on amazon)
Also, I took a look at a few other alternatives, such as the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4/10.1, which are one step down from the Tab S but according to a few videos on Youtube seem to be running buttery smooth on CM11 and are priced MUCH lower (around $230 on amazon).
I'm sure many people would benefit from a thread like this because I tried searching for recent tablet-choosing threads and nothing came out of it. Responses and advice would be greatly appreciated!
Related
I am after a Galaxy Tab but I keep switching between wanting a 10 inch and wanting a 7 inch. The thing is, I definitely prefer the screen size of the 10 inch. I saw someone on the train this morning with an iPad 2 reading a PDF on it and I could immediately see the advantage of the screen size for this. I have several technical PDFs which will be the first thing that I put on it.
However, I need to commute with this device and the 7 inch tablets seem far better due to their size and weight. They just seem more practical and I even question whether a 10 inch would fit in my bag (it should do but it'll be a tight squeeze). I've noticed that Adobe Reader has a text flow feature which seems to work reasonably well (but not perfectly) which helps with these large PDFs.
I suppose I am the only one that can really answer which one is best for me but I wondered if anyone went through a similar dilemma and what decision they made? Was it the right decision?
In a way, the 8.9 is probably the perfect compromise but they are way too expensive here in the UK. To qualify that statement, I can only afford a 10.1 by buying a manufacturer refurbished unit and there don't seem to be any 8.9 refurbs on the market.
you posted in a tab 7+ forum which is why you would mostly get biased anwers. anyways, i hate 10 inch tablets 'cause they're too big. but one time, i also considered buying the GTab 10.1. however, by reading the 10.1 forum, I've read a lot of negative feedbacks on how much it lagged, etc. Try visiting the General section of the GTab 10.1.
Also take a sneak peek at the GSMArena comparison here:
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=4208&idPhone2=3894
Specifically look for the processor power. GTab+ has a Dual Core Exynos 1.2GHz while the GTab 10.1 only has a Dual Core Tegra 1GHz. You can also look around the web why Exynos is better and faster than Tegra 2. I think the only reason why Tegra is better is because of the Tegra Games which BTW can also be played on Exynos chipsets by using the Chainfire 3d app (FREE).
Now if size and weight matters, it would always boil down to your preferences. If you like heavy, expensive, large screen, not-so-thin tablets, buy the GTab 10.1. But if you adore the little, light, not-so-expensive, thin tablets, buy the GTab+.
You would be surprised how much this little thing can do for you.
Good luck!
10.1 isn't exactly expensive - since it's been around longer, you can find refurbs for less than the Tab Plus.
It's really a matter of preference - the Plus has a better CPU, the 10.1 has a better screen (higher resolution, larger size), although the "larger size" aspect of the 10.1 isn't always a positive.
I've never found my 10.1 laggy
Gunnzie said:
I am after a Galaxy Tab but I keep switching between wanting a 10 inch and wanting a 7 inch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly who didn't giggle and say in their head "THATS what she said..."
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
Hi there!
I'm currently in the hunt for an Android Honeycomb 3.1/3.2 tablet. and i'm choosing between Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus (which has the Mali 400MP GPU) and the Sony Tablet S (with its own Geforce by Nvidia Tegra 2.) both has a dual core processor although Samsung has the new Exynos 1.2GHz processor.
Based on the initial tech specs i've seen online the Samsung has a supposedly mind-altering 20 hours battery life while Sony has only 6 hours max. advertised.
But, does a processor speed or the graphics card always determines a device's overall performance, responsiveness & battery life? ( i'll be mainly surfing the net, watch Youtube videos, facebook, twitter, viewing .pdf or .doc files, odd photos & uploading them, listening to music, playing games, using DLNA to watch movies to my TV)
I'm trying to aim for anything below 10" screen size, with an SD/microSD card slot, dual speakers and GBP400 max budget.
Thank you.
id go with prime, thinnest, lighest, and 4 core. toshiba is coming out with some nice ones but not sure about specs. between the 2 you've said it depends on you preferances/requirements. one is 7 inch and one is 10 inch. one has a big ass bunp and a ir blaster, the other doesn't, it seems like your not sure what your looking for
I'm looking for something at least 7" and not more than 10". i thought a 10" one is big (because of the things i'll be mostly be doing with it) so anything in-between is almost perfect.
I've got some choices in mind. two of them not officially released yet in the UK namely the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and the Tab 7.7. on the other hand the iPad 2 vs the Sony Tablet S.
My problem with the iPad 2 are several. namely the inability to send any files via bluetooth, lack of SD/microSD card support, a single mono speaker, a lacklustre front-facing & rear-facing camera amongst others.
My problem with Sony Tablet S are tiny/not-so-loud speakers, lack of Playstation games (even after roughly 4 months of being released and has a PS-certification why not enough games are coming out???) and that's it.
I want to weigh and balance all of them but...i don't know which to choose?
All of them are within my bidget but shall i wait for the iPad 3? shall i invest on the Exynos-powered Galaxy Tabs or jump in to the all-entertainment, all-dancing Sony tablet?
I want to buy something before the last week of march so i can bring it with me during my holiday.
please help....
I'm purchasing a galaxy note 2 from sprint next week. I am also in the market for a tablet its either the samsung note 10.1 or the ASUS infinity. Is there any benefits of having a samsung phone and tablet? The reasons why I want a infinity is for the slightly better display and battery performance, but like the S-Pen functions on the note 2. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.
zakolson5 said:
I'm purchasing a galaxy note 2 from sprint next week. I am also in the market for a tablet its either the samsung note 10.1 or the ASUS infinity. Is there any benefits of having a samsung phone and tablet? The reasons why I want a infinity is for the slightly better display and battery performance, but like the S-Pen functions on the note 2. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my opinion I believe the note 10.1 out performs the infinity and if all you want is the display get the nexus 10. I've had my note for 2 months and love it
isnt the nexus 10 have no expandable storage?
No it's not, that can be a deal breaker for some but i figure between dropbox and other cloud services it wouldn't bother me. But back to between the note and the infinity. Screen res the infinity definitely wins but hardware it's a close race. In quadrant standard (take that for what it's worth) i score consistently in the mid 5000's. When it updates to jelly bean it will be much better. (my galaxy s3 went from 5200 to 6100 with the update) i have yet to slow this thing down.
even though it is a lower res screen it still has more pixels than the ipad 2 and HD movies still look pretty stunning.
If you see some of the post in this forum there is a word that N10 has lots of issue specificly with display as far infinity is concerned it has whole list of issues which have been talked about by its owners in this as well as forum specific to infinity but when it comes to note you will find there are some issues with quality but it restricted to display only and most of the actual users (there are many who are fake owners who only citizise note) will only praise not
I agree that there are very few issues with this tablet, and if you have a note 2 then you will love having both devices so similar, it will make syncing them a breeze.
I previously had the Transformer TF101 (the original copper); this Note blows it out of the water. Sure, the display isn't on par with the Infinity's, but I got the Note because I use it for taking notes and drawing stuff. For me, I rather have the stylus over the keyboard (though I am looking for a keyboard dock of a sort) because I take notes in physics classes. However.. I'd go for the Nexus 10 if you don't need the stylus. Although this tablet has better hardware than almost everything out there (or is it just everything?), the Nexus 10 is a great price for a great tablet with a great display, and that's all you need if you don't want the stylus. I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 for my phone, but I haven't noticed better syncing or whatever compared to when I used my Asus Tablet..
benefits:
- same apps for special Samsung markets
- synchronization works better on same brande devices
- special S pen application will works perfect on both device
- you need just Kies in PC (if you are using this kind of SW)
- compatibility of accesories
Hey all,
I'm trying to look for the ideal tablet to fit my needs and price range, so here we go:
- I'll most likely be installing a custom rom on it, so I care more about internal specs than stock rom
- screen is a big factor, since I'll be using the tablet mostly for movies, occasional/light gaming, and reading
- screen size between 8 to 10 inches
- don't really care about front facing speakers (i always use headphones)
- priced below $500
I've narrowed my choices down to the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and NVidia Shield Tablet, but here's what's keeping me from making a final decision:
- Tab S has a gorgeous screen, but I don't like physical home buttons
- Not sure if CM11 or any soon-to-be-stable roms for the Tab S allow for fingerprint scanning, in which case the above is null
- Shield tablet's screen isn't as good (IPS vs super AMOLED, hd vs quadhd)
- Shield's internal specs are top-notch, but I don't game very often nor heavily, so in terms of regular day-to-day use, performance for Shield vs Tab S on CM11 probably won't have many differences (not sure about this though, can someone comment on this?)
- Tab S is more expensive ($50-70 more expensive on amazon)
Also, I took a look at a few other alternatives, such as the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4/10.1, which are one step down from the Tab S but according to a few videos on Youtube seem to be running buttery smooth on CM11 and are priced MUCH lower (around $230 on amazon).
I'm sure many people would benefit from a thread like this because I tried searching for recent tablet-choosing threads and nothing came out of it. Responses and advice would be greatly appreciated!
EDIT: reposted to correct section. mods please remove this
First of all welcome everyone, glad to be a part of this forum. I've been lurking XDA developers since long, long time ago back in the PDA era (HTC SPV M5000 anyone?).
I've owned my Galaxy Note 2 for over 2.5 years now and I'm tired of constantly running out of internal storage and the now-supar camera. I'm looking to buy a new smartphone that will check off many boxes, but if I could describe what I need in 2 sentences, it would go something like: a large-screened productivity workhorse with loads of storage and battery, and a good camera. And if it's future-proof, that's even better! I want a device that will last me for at least 2+ years.
Here's what I'm looking for:
- Screen size between 5,5" and 6"
- Internal storage min. 32 GB, needs to have a microSD card slot (unless it has 128G internal storage)
- Decent camera with OIS (camera should handle low-light shooting well)
- Decent UI (unlike the majority of community here, I don't really want to be flashing my phone with new ROMs or any of that, I just want something that works well right out of the box and is user-customizeable through custom home launchers etc)
- Great battery life (this is big for me, I'm often on the road, I listen to tons of podcasts, use mobile data, bluetooth, sometimes wifi tethering etc. I need a phone that can get me through a looong day)
- Fingerprint scanner
- Won't put a huge hole in my wallet (I wouldn't mind paying more for the perfect and FUTURE-PROOF phone but seems like there isn't one that checks off all the boxes. At the same time I'm trying to keep it below $500)
- A physical home button is a plus (and capacitive buttons! Just like in Samsung Galaxy series)
- Screen res. above 1080p is a plus (better for VR and I will probably try some VR in near future)
- Replaceable battery is a plus (plus extended phone cases, yay!)
- OTG support is a plus
- USB-C is a plus
- Dual SIM is definitely a plus
- No curved screens like on the Samsung Edge series
I looked at:
- Huawei Mate 8 - checks off most boxes, nice big battery but crappy, buggy, and not very customizable UI.
- Huawei Mate P9 Plus - very interesting camera-wise, the rest just like above
- LG G5 - also very interesting camera-wise, a bit smaller screen, and a battery that's way too small. Although replacable, I cannot imagine remembering to bring a spare battery with me everywhere.
- Nexus 6P - great reviews and everything, great software BUT I'm mostly based in China where ALL Google services are blocked, so it would probably be a big pain to have to rely on VPN the whole time. Also camera has no OIS, although I did read it's great. Another con: a bit expensive and not easily available in the 128G version
- Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro - the top contender for me so far. The 5000mAh battery is nuts and just what I need. Dual SIM and dedicated microSD slot. Affordable. But the big bummer: sub-par camera. Also a bit low on the DPI if I ever want to use VR. And no notification light (how am I supposed to know if I got notifications?)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 4 - a bit slower than the A9 Pro, smaller battery, but better camera. And the stylus - I could definitely use the stylus for more productivity. Just really not sure about investing in the aging technology. I want to get at least 2 years out of the new smartphone. Also I've read there's some issues with GPS that are hard to solve. Added benefit of possibility of extended battery case.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 5 - nice and seems like a significant upgrade from Note 4 but no card slot, and expensive at 128G. Still only microUSB v2.0 even at the high price point.
- LG V10 and LG G4 - very interesting propositions, reportedly good cameras, very mediocre batteries (and not too good power management it seems) at 3000mAh but both could be extended with a bigger battery. Pretty sure I would be fine with a little bulkier phone with a case that accommodates a 4000-6000mAh battery, but I would still need to keep it as slim as possible, I don't mind if it's not the slimmest phone but I certainly don't want a thick and heavy brick in my pocket. I've also read reviews of some of the extended battery cases and it seems like the battery quality can be a real lottery. The batteries lose their capacity quickly, and I think none of them can be charged using the Quick Charge 2.0
- ZTE Avon 7 - veeery interesting proposition, not the biggest battery but almost everything else knocks me out of my socks. 6GB RAM possible, 128G storage that can be expanded by another 128G (!), capacitive buttons in the higher version, an added benefit of insane speakers. The camera is reportedly not too impressive though, although I'm pretty sure it's better than the one in Galaxy A9 Pro. The main concerns: it's a very fresh phone, the UI is reportedly not very optimized, I can imagine there will be plenty of issues that ZTE will need to fix through software before this phone runs as smoothly as the Galaxy A9 Pro or LG G4 would. And I hate waiting in hopes. Also, being in China, I think it's a bit tricky to purchase the phone in International/European version that has a broader range of bands and doesn't block Google services. I've read through the entire 35 page thread on XDA about this phone and yes, it seems like you can get the Google services to work without problems but who knows what the next ZTE updates will do to that. The way I generally see it is Chinese UI = potential problems.
For the Galaxy A9 Pro or LG G4 I would just go to Hong Kong to buy them and enjoy a phone that doesn't have the Google services blocked. I couldn't find the ZTE Avon 7 anywhere in HK on the internet.
All in all if I had to go to the store tomorrow I'd probably need to choose between a Galaxy A9 Pro, the well-proven LG G4 with a great camera (but a need to buy a good extended battery case and ultimately ending up with a rather bulky phone), the Galaxy Note 4, and the ZTE Avon 7.
Any suggestions, thoughts, recommendations?