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[Q] Common issues fixed?

Hi! I'm looking into buying the Shield Tablet or the Nexus 9. Right now, I'm leaning more towards the Shield Tablet.
Here's a quick versus of the two for me:
Shield Tablet
- $100 cheaper
- Expandable storage
- Lower res meaning probably better in gameplay
- Stylus
- Shield Hub/ Supported Games (I'm not sure about this if there will be games available on the Shield that won't be on the Nexus 9 via the hub)
Nexus 9
- Pure Google device (Came from a Nexus 5 and 7 2013 and yeah love stock)
- Larger screen
- Better Battery; larger and has turbo charge
- 64 bit
So anyway, I've been reading around and a lot of people have been having issues and problems with their Shield Tablet (Wifi and cracks) but I checked the Nvidia forums and apparently that should only be for the first batch of units and they're replacing everyone who has issues. They said they were able to isolate the problem in production and the new batches should be fine. My question is, are people still experiencing issues with the new batches? Is it safe to get one now? Or should I just save up the extra $100 and go for the Nexus 9?
Btw I'm just a student so the extra $100 is a big deal for me just so you guys understand the situation. Also, I'm from the Philippines so when I get it shipped from my relatives in the states, I'm hoping I wouldn't have to send it back because of issues and stuff.
Thanks!

Even if you do, the RMA process means they ship one out to you first before you send your defective unit back. And they include courier labels so no cost to you.
Speaking from experience here. ?

You should be fine in regards to games on Play store; They should be Tegra K1 optimized, so I don't think Nvidia is locking them as 'Shield Tablet optimized'- most of those titles function on the Shield Portable too. Gamestream should also be accessible to you via limelight.
While Nvidia claims that hardware issues were isolated to the first batch, there have been reports and users claiming that it happens on later batches and the LTE model. If RMA is something you're comfortable with doing (sending it to your relatives to RMA), then best luck with the Shield. However, if you want to absolutely avoid having to RMA due to cracking or other issues, try the Nexus 9. One caveat though; The Nexus 9 has thermal throttling, from what I've read.

Not too sure about that Nexus 9 comment. There's definitely a build quality issue with these early batches.
See my post here for my experience. -- There's plenty more of it.
The reason I'm here is because I was considering a shield tablet, after RMAing my Nexus 9. Now it seems both devices have ridiculous build quality issues.

xnaquada said:
Not too sure about that Nexus 9 comment. There's definitely a build quality issue with these early batches.
See my post here for my experience. -- There's plenty more of it.
The reason I'm here is because I was considering a shield tablet, after RMAing my Nexus 9. Now it seems both devices have ridiculous build quality issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not had any build quality issues with my v shield. Wi-Fi is still a pain in the ass sometimes but that will be fixed with updates.
Otherwise I'm completely satisfied with my tablet. It's powerful runs fast. Kills it on game stream. It's great.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app

ShrekOpher said:
I have not had any build quality issues with my v shield. Wi-Fi is still a pain in the ass sometimes but that will be fixed with updates.
Otherwise I'm completely satisfied with my tablet. It's powerful runs fast. Kills it on game stream. It's great.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I've read, WiFi performance can be severely impacted based on how one holds the device. If that's true ( and from reading a bit here and on the NV official forums, there is no reason to believe it is 100% false) I would call that a build quality/manufacturing issue. Is that what you are referring to as a "pain in the ass" ?
For me the two biggest concerns are screen cracking (confirmed by NV here) and WiFi signal. The screen cracking issue, while promised to be fixed in a manufacturing refresh still has users with the same issue.
The rest of the tablet specs/reviews I'm pretty happy with, but those two issues are significant enough to stop my purchase.

To clarify, I don't think anyone's screen has cracked. Its corners of the plastic casing. By my estimation the cracking issue is being resolved quietly behind the scenes with silence about it in public.

I have a little trouble with my Shield with wifi dropping but no weak wifi. I do have to restart every day or so which I don't mind. Mine will drop out then if I restart it it works perfect for the rest of the day.

kylethelife said:
Hi! I'm looking into buying the Shield Tablet or the Nexus 9. Right now, I'm leaning more towards the Shield Tablet.
Here's a quick versus of the two for me:
Shield Tablet
- $100 cheaper
- Expandable storage
- Lower res meaning probably better in gameplay (lower res isn't visible!!)
- Stylus
- Shield Hub/ Supported Games (I'm not sure about this if there will be games available on the Shield that won't be on the Nexus 9 via the hub)
Nexus 9
- Pure Google device (Came from a Nexus 5 and 7 2013 and yeah love stock) (Shield is very close to stock and will come very soon with Android L)
- Larger screen (with movies 16:9 playing only little size difference)
- Better Battery; larger and has turbo charge (charges very slow, read postings of users)
- 64 bit (doesn't mean faster!! Read more about it on the web! Antutu scores are about the same!)
So anyway, I've been reading around and a lot of people have been having issues and problems with their Shield Tablet (Wifi and cracks) but I checked the Nvidia forums and apparently that should only be for the first batch of units and they're replacing everyone who has issues. They said they were able to isolate the problem in production and the new batches should be fine. My question is, are people still experiencing issues with the new batches? Is it safe to get one now? Or should I just save up the extra $100 and go for the Nexus 9?
Btw I'm just a student so the extra $100 is a big deal for me just so you guys understand the situation. Also, I'm from the Philippines so when I get it shipped from my relatives in the states, I'm hoping I wouldn't have to send it back because of issues and stuff.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read my comments in red.

Iron force problem
The only game I play is Iron Force, and when running, the majority of the screen is white with only a few objects that show up. This needs to be addressed and fixed.

Michigan Jason said:
The only game I play is Iron Force, and when running, the majority of the screen is white with only a few objects that show up. This needs to be addressed and fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well considering that you had to sideload that game because it is incompatible in the app store I would say that it is the game not the tablet, you need to talk to Chillingo about that. On that note it is incompatible with a few of my various devices which is not a good sign for the game in general.

whoamanwtf said:
Well considering that you had to sideload that game because it is incompatible in the app store I would say that it is the game not the tablet, you need to talk to Chillingo about that. On that note it is incompatible with a few of my various devices which is not a good sign for the game in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually you are wrong. I downloaded it directly from the play store.
Ohh here is proof from NVidia also.
http://shield.nvidia.com/android-game-list/
Notice it is a compatible game.
Nvidia customer support had the white screen on one tablet, then tried it on another and it worked.

Michigan Jason said:
Actually you are wrong. I downloaded it directly from the play store.
Ohh here is proof from NVidia also.
http://shield.nvidia.com/android-game-list/
Notice it is a compatible game.
Nvidia customer support had the white screen on one tablet, then tried it on another and it worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is weird, what link did you get the game from? When I googled it the play store said it was incompatible with all of my devices.. I currently have a G2, S5, Shield Tab, and N7 (2013) on my account.

[Q] Get a shield or wait?

I'm really interested in getting an 8" Tablet. I'd be using it for movies, reading, surfing, gaming, etc. while at work and traveling. I was looking at this Shield and the Asus Memo Pad 8. I see that the Memo pad 8 is on clearance, so I assume they are releasing an updated version soon.
Both the Memo 8 and the Shield released at the same time. So does anyone know if Nvidia is working on an updated model of the Shield around the corner at all? Would hate to get one for a new one to be released a couple of months later.

hi
i this oder the tablet i was say get the Shield i think they this came out with this 8" Shield so i dont think they be makeing a new one any time soon all so the Shield tablet is the best when it comes too android upgrades so if you are going too get a tablet get the Shield you be vary happy with it

DFA1 said:
I'm really interested in getting an 8" Tablet. I'd be using it for movies, reading, surfing, gaming, etc. while at work and traveling. I was looking at this Shield and the Asus Memo Pad 8. I see that the Memo pad 8 is on clearance, so I assume they are releasing an updated version soon.
Both the Memo 8 and the Shield released at the same time. So does anyone know if Nvidia is working on an updated model of the Shield around the corner at all? Would hate to get one for a new one to be released a couple of months later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wait and get the shield, trust me i had a galaxy tab S and i returned it for my shield, which was $120 less than the galaxy tab S, and its much more powerful runs everything super smooth, i also have a shield portable tho, thats what made me want to go with the shield tablet also, the asus memo pad sucks IMO

I am not sure because mine is super laggy a lot of time even though I have the latest update. My old Nexus 7 2013 runs smoother than the Shield. I hope mine is a lemon (getting a replacement due to dead pixels) . I will see if the new one is any better.

My shield smokes my 2013 Nexus 7.
I just geek benched, it rivals an older lenovo laptop i5 520m I use in garage on cars.
My Nexus, not so much.
If you didn't hard reset after updating, well you need to. If you did, then you've a roque app maybe.
WR

I say yes, because I just got myself one.
The options for me:
1. Google Nexus 9 32GB WiFi Only - $399
2, NVIDIA Shield Tablet + Controller 32GB/LTE/WiFi - $399
I picked the freakin' shield tablet over google's newest nexus. It's that awesome of a device.
I don't see a huge upgrade in specs in 2015 (Nexus N1 has good specs for the price but....the same) -- really, the K1 and Keplar are freakin' amazing.
If you do go and get one, stick around for my kernel soon to be released...

Yea I don't think that Nvidia is looking to create a new SHIELD Tablet anytime soon. They're still polishing this model and considering it's their first tablet, it seems they're going to play with it for awhile.

I believe my problem is Google Now Launcher. I just uninstalled it and things look to be a lot better. I will monitor for the next couple of days.

myrcgarage said:
I believe my problem is Google Now Launcher. I just uninstalled it and things look to be a lot better. I will monitor for the next couple of days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just freaking remembered if you use GEL, to turn off " Ok Google" in the options.
If you limit to only recognizing voice on search screen bug goes away.
I'm sorry I forgot an just dawned that might be it.
WR

WarRaven said:
My shield smokes my 2013 Nexus 7.
I just geek benched, it rivals an older lenovo laptop i5 520m I use in garage on cars.
My Nexus, not so much.
If you didn't hard reset after updating, well you need to. If you did, then you've a roque app maybe.
WR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A benchmark app says nothing about how fast the device is for normal everyday use. Sure, it runs every game I have tried extremely well, but it still have irritating slowdowns now and then in UI and apps like browsing, which makes it feel slower then my other much less powerful tablets for normal use.

I didn't mean should I get the memo 8 over the shield, I meant should I wait to see if a new 2015 shield is around the corner and wait for that newer model.
Finally found a store in Atlanta that had both the memo 8 and the shield on display. (after I asked the employee if they had them and he said no for both... Dumb ass).
Both felt great, I actually preferred the memo 8's feel over the shield. But know the shield had more power. So basically I will be getting the shield and my gf can get the memo 8 (their on clearance so I assume a newer memo 8 is around the corner).
Do any of you use the shield's flap case thing? Is it worth it?

DFA1 said:
I didn't mean should I get the memo 8 over the shield, I meant should I wait to see if a new 2015 shield is around the corner and wait for that newer model.
Finally found a store in Atlanta that had both the memo 8 and the shield on display. (after I asked the employee if they had them and he said no for both... Dumb ass).
Both felt great, I actually preferred the memo 8's feel over the shield. But know the shield had more power. So basically I will be getting the shield and my gf can get the memo 8 (their on clearance so I assume a newer memo 8 is around the corner).
Do any of you use the shield's flap case thing? Is it worth it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a better-than-decent piece and does what it's supposed to do with any issues. Saying it's worth the $40 price tag is a bit of the stretch, though. Many people like having the flap because it makes it much easier to wake the device, since the wake/power key could have been designed much better.
While I was using it, I ended up unconsciously babying it, so I bought another case for like $12 off Amazon and now I don't care what happens to that case, lol

Thanks for all the responses. I'm about to pull the trigger, but have one last question. 16gb $300 model or 32gb $400 model? I'm with Verizon so the AT&T LTE wont benefit me, are there any other features other than LTE and 32gb storage on $400 model?
I'm going to get a 64gb sdcard anyway so would I be able to store all my apps and games on that, and run them well? I'm guessing I'd have to get one of the high end (high speed) microsd cards to run games/apps properly.

I think the only difference from the 16 to the 32 is the bigger storage option and the LTE. Since I am on sprint and only plan on tethering with my note 4. I went with the 16gb model and bought a 64gb card as well.
Other than when they talk about the bands. The only difference I see is;
Storage 32 GB (WiFi+4G LTE) / 16 GB (WiFi-only)
http://shield.nvidia.com/gaming-tablet/
Scroll down for the specs. Hope this helps!

But is 16gb enough? Will apps/games run off the 64gb microsd?

My 2 cents coming from an iPad -
The Shield is lightning fast compared to my iPAD 2. When I compare it to my wifes Ipad Mini Retinia its about the same.
The screen is very very good on the Shield - I have no clue what others are saying its average. I have compared it to the Retina and its very very close and some instances better.
The form factor is great though the iPad Mini form factor is better for reading and browsing.. the shield is better for moving watching, gaming etc.
The speakers are amazing.
Did I say its lighting fast?
The ONLY slow down I have on 5.01 is when it first wakes up out of a deep sleep. Other than that I have 0 slow downs. I HAD slow downs when 1 I didnt do a full reset after an upgrade AND 2 Facebook and Facebook Messenger absolutely destroy the tablets performance. I dont know what facebook does with Messenger but that is a POS like I have not ever seen. It literally occupies a 1/2 of a core all the the time doing nothing. So... I have 0 slow downs except for right out of deep sleep. Prior to 501 I saw MANY slow downs.... I was not impressed. Now... I am impressed!
Browsing is amazing (recently with 501 and the new version of chrome)...
Battery life is HORRRRIBLE! Now.... I will preface that with I am comparing it to my iPad 2 and the iPad Mini which I could literally go days without seeing a charger with normal use. The shield however has a very powerful GPU in a very small form factor. So, its probably sufficient for the size, etc. I can only get even after removing bloat 5 hours of on screen time - thats it. I would get 50 % more than that on the apple products. This is my only complaint... but its one I live with and I can not fault the device due to its size and power.
SD Cards - I havent found a single person who has been 100% happy how it works. Everyone seems to have issues with either games not installing on them (inconsistent), accessing them in general (many successful after rooting), even issues with recovery images not being able to format large SD Cards. I would suggest if you can afford the extra $$ get the 32 GB if you think your going to need the storage. Reserve the SD card for movings, music and pictures (for now until they fix it).
WifI - horrible performance compared to every other device I have compared it to. If you have strong WiFi signal in your house you will be fine. If your already on the fringe (2 bars out of 4) forget it... this tablet may not even connect to the AP at any distance. Its also very sensitive to APs that are on the same channel. If your AP is on channel 11 and your neighbors channel is on channel 11 and your within 10 dB of each other, the tablet drops connections like crazy. The simple fix is to either get a booster, better antenna, better AP and change the channel... The device however is flawed and no software can fix these issues.
Developer Friendly - yes the platform is very developer friendly so if your into making custom roms, kernels, etc. This is a great tablet.
Quality - My tablet, excellent. but others have complained. So its a roll of the dice. Generally when everything works as it should its perfect. Unfortunately there have been lemons.
Nvidia Support - AMAZING! even with the lemons Nvidia is fast to respond. I have had many conversations with techs in their forums and they are almost as fast as Google when it comes to updates. I love that!
Software Quality - ****E!!! In my career I have never seen so many bugs (I run a division of software engineers - in software engineering for 20 years). I am shocked with how poor the quality assurance is. There are core user functions that broke in 501 - In my world these would have been show stoppers! But Nvidia let it go out the door. I am shocked honestly. 501 has to be the worst Quality OS revision I have seen from any product. They introduced regressions like screen corruption (its apparent in many many many games, apps, etc.), battery stats are all messed up, battery life inconsistent, some games no longer work at all. Nvidia and Google need to step it up on the quality side. The tablet is usable but for some it may not be - especially if one of the apps you use on a daily basis is now broken.
Wait or not? I dont think it matters. The hardware is not going to change and I dont think Nvidia or Google's code quality is going to change. They will fix these issues in the next release and break other things.
Its a question of whether or not do you go with Android or not. If you like to fiddle with your tablet its a yes... if not go with apple.
If you want a small form factor android then you go with the shield.
I recommend the tablet for its price, performance and support. I own it and for now will be keeping it. I personally dont like Apple - I dont seem them an innovative anymore.
But, If you want rock solid performance, quality and battery life - go with Apple.

Don't wait unless you are anal and are going to obsess over ever minor issue. If you are looking for gaming nothing out there can compare. The grid being free is amazing especially if you are like me and have not played any of the games on it. There is occasional stutter using 2.4ghz but I have loved multiple hours and game play is awesome. Battery is not great but I get between 4-5 hours and it typically take around 2 1/2 hours to charge to full.
I read all the negatives prior but quickly came to realize that most complaints appear to come from the same people. Be aware of the potential issues and decide if the risk is worth the reward.
Sd card if rooted works great, I have a 64gb samsung class 10 using folder mount almost all game data on external and everything runs fine. I could not recommend an ipad over this Tablet unless you are tech illiterate and want to over spend on limited storage so that you can pay tons for apps and check Facebook

I own an Apple iPad Air2 64gb and a nVidia Shield Tablet 32gb. I used to own the Nexus9 32gb tablet but returned it for the nVidia Shield Tablet. I wanted both an Apple and an Android tablet for gaming. I also have the nVidia controller and the Steelseries XL ipad controller. I prefer gaming on the Nvidia Shield tablet and spend more time gaming on this tablet. I went with the 32gb model Shield due to more internal memory. There are some games that I cant move to the SD card. That is why I went with the 32gb model with a 64gb microsd.
Do not wait, and pick up the nVidia 32gb tablet. I have 22gb left on the internal memory on my nVidia 32gb after moving everything I could to the sdcard. So if I had the 16gb model I figured it would only be about 6gb left of internal memory.

kuztov67 said:
I own an Apple iPad Air2 64gb and a nVidia Shield Tablet 32gb. I used to own the Nexus9 32gb tablet but returned it for the nVidia Shield Tablet. I wanted both an Apple and an Android tablet for gaming. I also have the nVidia controller and the Steelseries XL ipad controller. I prefer gaming on the Nvidia Shield tablet and spend more time gaming on this tablet. I went with the 32gb model Shield due to more internal memory. There are some games that I cant move to the SD card. That is why I went with the 32gb model with a 64gb microsd.
Do not wait, and pick up the nVidia 32gb tablet. I have 22gb left on the internal memory on my nVidia 32gb after moving everything I could to the sdcard. So if I had the 16gb model I figured it would only be about 6gb left of internal memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If rooted use folder mount and you can move all

Trigger pulled, I'm now a Shield owner. Got the Nvidia cover, Fintie Cover, and 64gb Samsung Microsd. Been using my girlfriend's Memo 8 for the past week and think I'm now a tablet user (at least at work). Not sure if I'll use it for a lot of controller gaming (unsure if I will find a controller I like). I'm more of an Xbox controller lover than a PS4... but if it works I might give it a try. Haven't even turned it on yet.
Will attempt to root it here shortly while at work. Fingers crossed....

[Q] Nivida Shield Tablet without the "gaming" ?

I'm in the market for a 8inch+ tablet.
I'm generally using it for web browser, mostly android games (Heartstones) and youtube.
I also do have a decent PC with Nvidia video card that can stream on the Nvidia shield table if I ever want to do it.
I heard the Nvidia shield tablet is great for gaming.
The main reason I had my eyes on the Nvidia shield tablet is because of the dual front speaker and great cpu power (future proof).
Would it be a total waste $ if I'm not using it for the main purpose of gaming?
I will definitely not get the Nvidia controller. Unless it was on a sale later in the coming years.
Should I just get a galaxy tab/similar tablets?
Any other tablet recommendation ?

It would be a sound purchase even if you will not be using it primarily for gaming. I'm one of those purchasers, and I am very happy with my purchase. I upgraded from a Tegra Note 7 and Nexus 7 LTE. I purchased the Shield Tablet LTE and transferred the SIM I was using on the Nexus. I'm very satisfied.

I'm running an AOSP build with none of the proprietary Nvidia apps or services and I use it more than the Nexus 9.

I think it is a solid tablet for pretty much any purpose. There are some goodies which few other tablets offer. Sound is nice - louder and more full than other tablets I experienced. The stylus is an extra that I unexpectedly actually use some times for sketching and even general control. I read a lot of comics with it, watch some movies or youtube, and of course browse the web. Web browsing is kinda sluggish some time for me. I had a low budget 8 inch Win 8 tablet before - browsing was a better experience there - but still, the Shield is quite good or I think comparable to other high end tablets.

Have had mine for 2 months, haven't spent a single moment using it for gaming - & love the thing.

Thank for the inputs.
I will most likely get the Shield tablet.
I want to get something $300 ish.
The galaxy tab series are nice but I want something bit more.
The galaxy tab S series are what I'm looking for in term of performance but its over my budget.

I been reading some research on the other forums as well.
I'm now a bit worry about the cracked edge.
How common is this?

I'm an all around type of person. I sometimes play games but I also use it as a regular tablet. I also have a tablet mount in my car and use it to play Sound Cloud, Waze, Torque Pro and other various apps. It does have its own quirks such as 5.0.1 doesn't really respond to root very well so I've elected to drop back down to 4.4.4. Works wonderfully right now.

bobola said:
I been reading some research on the other forums as well.
I'm now a bit worry about the cracked edge.
How common is this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not uncommon but supposedly they've fixed the major issues that cause it to just spontaneously crack. Still, it's very easy to get replaced and the send you one first so you won't have to be without. It's annoying but it's mostly cosmetic atleast.
One downside is lack of accessories. There are screen protectors and cases, but there aren't many options. No tempered glass and really only one hard case right now and I doubt that will get better.
I'd recommend it over a samsung, but then again samsung is one of the last major OEMs I'd get a device from. Not a fan of their software or physical button setup (one hard button + capacitive buttons.
For the price I went for it and don't regret it. The stock os is basically AOSP with some extras thrown in and Nvidia has been pretty good about updating it.
---------- Post added at 10:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:49 AM ----------
SEscobedo said:
I'm an all around type of person. I sometimes play games but I also use it as a regular tablet. I also have a tablet mount in my car and use it to play Sound Cloud, Waze, Torque Pro and other various apps. It does have its own quirks such as 5.0.1 doesn't really respond to root very well so I've elected to drop back down to 4.4.4. Works wonderfully right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5.0+ and I've had zero issues with root, flash the newest supersu zip for 5.0 and you should be fine. Everything I did with it before lollipop works fine after updating. I can see some apps not working with ART if they haven't been very well supported/updated, but I haven't had any issues with that either.

And here I'd definitely recommend Samsung over NVIDIA, although Samsung badly needs to come out with a newer generation tablet featuring an S-Pen. The Tab S line makes this device look clunky unresponsive in terms of touch input.

Use mine for non gaming and work - it's been great. No cracked edges and I bought it in October last year. I love the pen functionality!

sbdags said:
Use mine for non gaming and work - it's been great. No cracked edges and I bought it in October last year. I love the pen functionality!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi sbdags! Great to see you here. Are you thinking of doing any development for this wonderful tab?
Without you I would have ditched my TF700 ages ago.

okantomi said:
Hi sbdags! Great to see you here. Are you thinking of doing any development for this wonderful tab?
Without you I would have ditched my TF700 ages ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate - long time no see! Yes once I finish the latest CROMi-X for the TF701T I am going to unlockl and see what can be done with the shield. I'm keen to keep the CleanROM principles so it will be stock NVIDIA based but allow us to remove what we want and offer some performance tweaks.
Watch this space.

Your deft touch is all this baby needs. It's almost great right out of the box.

okantomi said:
Your deft touch is all this baby needs. It's almost great right out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is why I am still locked and not rooted yet

sbdags said:
Hi mate - long time no see! Yes once I finish the latest CROMi-X for the TF701T I am going to unlockl and see what can be done with the shield. I'm keen to keep the CleanROM principles so it will be stock NVIDIA based but allow us to remove what we want and offer some performance tweaks.
Watch this space.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This tablet could definetly use a ROM with some (especially battery) tweaks thrown in!

Quick review: Hardware is good for the price, software is bad.

Just bought an HD 10 (7th) and used for hours. I had decided not to do any sort of hacks and use it as it is, as normal people would to see how usable it is.
The hardware, for the price I paid, about $80 for a used one, was good. I think it is good even for the full price $150. The screen is not spectacularly good like high-end super-high resolution AMOLED, and the bottom half is slightly dimmer than the upper half, but I have seen many worse screens. This screen does not annoy me much. And for the price, I have no complaints.
The speakers are not as good as the iPad Pro 9.7" I had, but at least it is not annoyingly tinny like the $99 Windows 10 tablet I had So, the sound quality is not that good, but not that bad. And the volume can be loud. In short, it is passable. Basically like high-end phone speakers.
The speed is surprisingly fast. I expected a lot more sluggish performance, but most of the time, the performance is quite pleasant. Maybe this is because I have used old tablets (2013 or before). Those used ARM 32bit. Fire HD10 uses ARM 64bit. Maybe 64bit Android is generally faster. I don't know. But the important thing is, the performance is good for using general apps other than games.
My biggest complaint about the hardware is the weird position of volume buttons. The loud speaker position clearly suggests that this is meant to be used in landscape mode while listening to music/watching videos. But if I hold the tablet in landscape mode, the volume buttons will be placed at the bottom of the left side, which makes it really difficult to press.
Now, the software. I have installed all the updates, but the Android version is basically 5.1, which is almost 4 years old. It is so ancient, that it is unbelievable that in 2018 Amazon is still using this OS for their latest generation popular tablet. It does not even support split window. I was so used to it (my old Samsung devices support it anyway even with old Android), for a moment, I could not figure out why it was not working. It turned out that this feature was first added to Android 7.0. I have searched Amazon's AppStore for some basic utility apps (volume controller on Notification) but the search results was so small, and even the apps in the results were very very old. Their screenshots were using Android 2.3 or something. I am quite sure that those apps are not even maintained. Basically, the store seemed dead.
So, in short, it is a shame that the software is greatly limiting a relatively nice hardware. I am new to Fire tablets, but Android 5.1 is pretty much the last Android version Fire HD 10 will ever get, right? A four-year-old OS with a dead app store. I know the chance is very slim, but I really do wish some smart people could unlock the bootloader and port LineageOS to it. That will triple this tablet's value.

"But if I hold the tablet in landscape mode, the volume buttons will be placed at the bottom of the left side, which makes it really difficult to press."
That's only because you're holding the tablet upside down.
The show mode charging dock (which I have) when used, has the speakers facing up, and therefore the volume buttons in the upper right.

yourrealking said:
Now, the software. I have installed all the updates, but the Android version is basically 5.1, which is almost 4 years old. It is so ancient, that it is unbelievable that in 2018 Amazon is still using this OS for their latest generation popular tablet. It does not even support split window.
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Click to collapse
7th gen HD 10 was discontinued last year. 8th gen devices come with FireOS 6.x based on Android 7.1.2
yourrealking said:
So, in short, it is a shame that the software is greatly limiting a relatively nice hardware. I am new to Fire tablets, but Android 5.1 is pretty much the last Android version Fire HD 10 will ever get, right? A four-year-old OS with a dead app store. I know the chance is very slim, but I really do wish some smart people could unlock the bootloader and port LineageOS to it. That will triple this tablet's value.
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Click to collapse
It's designed to be an Amazon shopping portal, not a general purpose Android gizmo. OS age and app store vibrancy are largely irrelevant if feeding/supporting Amazon's closed ecosystem. That said, one can sideload many popular apps without 'hacking''; sideload capability is fully supported by Amazon and FireOS.

Ponsonby_Britt said:
"But if I hold the tablet in landscape mode, the volume buttons will be placed at the bottom of the left side, which makes it really difficult to press."
That's only because you're holding the tablet upside down.
The show mode charging dock (which I have) when used, has the speakers facing up, and therefore the volume buttons in the upper right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, they meant the front camera to be on the right in landscape mode? Then the power button becomes the weird place, but since I use the volume buttons more often, I may try to use it in that direction. But still, that is weird, because most of Android phones and tablets I have used so far, seemed to be rotated to the left (front camera to the left).

Davey126 said:
7th gen HD 10 was discontinued last year. 8th gen devices come with FireOS 6.x based on Android 7.1.2
It's designed to be an Amazon shopping portal, not a general purpose Android gizmo. OS age and app store vibrancy are largely irrelevant if feeding/supporting Amazon's closed ecosystem. That said, one can sideload many popular apps without 'hacking''; sideload capability is fully supported by Amazon and FireOS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But there aren't any 8th-generation HD 10. Amazon is still selling it, and Wikipedia says this model is still "current".
Yeah, I know Amazon wants to lock the users into their services, but the OS is so old that it is lacking split window, which should be a very useful feature for a tablet of this size. Preventing competing services like Google Movies/Books/Music may be beneficial for Amazon, but there are other services that are not available and there are no alternatives because they don't allow Google Play. For example, I cannot use Google Translate or Google Maps. Amazon does not provide a translator app. There was an in-built map, but it was too inferior. It showed mostly empty space for certain countries. I don't think Amazon is benefiting for having that stupid maps app. I guess they had to put it because there is no Google Maps. People buy Fire tablets not because they don't care about such things, but despite such things, because they are cheap. If those things were possible, more people would have bought them and maybe tried in-built Amazon services. I mean, those services need not be mutually exclusive, does it? B&N has the Play Store on their tablet.

yourrealking said:
But there aren't any 8th-generation HD 10. Amazon is still selling it, and Wikipedia says this model is still "current".
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Click to collapse
Yep - my error. Read HD 10 but brain registered HD 8. Sorry about that.
yourrealking said:
Yeah, I know Amazon wants to lock the users into their services, but the OS is so old that it is lacking split window, which should be a very useful feature for a tablet of this size. Preventing competing services like Google Movies/Books/Music may be beneficial for Amazon, but there are other services that are not available and there are no alternatives because they don't allow Google Play. For example, I cannot use Google Translate or Google Maps. Amazon does not provide a translator app. There was an in-built map, but it was too inferior. It showed mostly empty space for certain countries. I don't think Amazon is benefiting for having that stupid maps app. I guess they had to put it because there is no Google Maps. People buy Fire tablets not because they don't care about such things, but despite such things, because they are cheap. If those things were possible, more people would have bought them and maybe tried in-built Amazon services. I mean, those services need not be mutually exclusive, does it? B&N has the Play Store on their tablet.
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Click to collapse
Not sure what the point is. Amazon is business savvey (to say the least) and has made the determination that excluding Google Play Services is more beneficial than including it. Speculation on how people might behave is just that - speculation. You can bet Amazon has considered all options and is comfortable with their direction. Same for updating the Android base. It will happen someday when benefits outweigh costs.

Fire HD 10/10+ 2021 is out - anyone got one plz post ur thoughts

amazon just started shipping a few days ago. some hands-on reviews are here:
All-new Amazon Fire HD 10 review: Promises productivity, delivers content consumption
The refreshed Amazon Fire HD 10 has officially launched and we're seeing if the new productivity features deliver more than a content consumption machine.
9to5toys.com
Amazon's new $180 tablet is good, but most people should still get an iPad
Amazon's Fire HD 10 Plus has great battery life, a good screen and easy access to movies, music and books. But it lacks a lot of apps.
www.cnbc.com
first review got some bad info: the CPU is not new (same as HD10 2019). Split screen is not new (available on HD10 2019) from Fire OS 7. 2nd review compared it against an ipad...
if anyone here got 1, plz post ur thoughts on it. thanx!
edit: OP of the Fire Toolbox released a new version that is said to be compatible w/ HD10 2021. in the same thread, sum1 mentioned the codename for HD10 2021 is "Tronia"!

newnewcomputer said:
first review got some bad info: the CPU is not new (same as HD10 2019). Split screen is not new (available on HD10 2019) from Fire OS 7. 2nd review compared it against an ipad...
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Click to collapse
how are you enabling split screen on the 2019 hd10. Mine doesn't have it.

Mine is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Ordered a replacement after my older son needed my 2019 model as an ebook reader for tech-school classes. Not going to worry about hopes for an unlock or root method, and just set it up and use it. If someone does produce an unlock or root, I'll certainly use it, but I won't pin my hopes on getting such access.

Got mine last week and have been putting it through the paces. I'm coming from a Samsung 10.1 A7 tablet that was just a tad too sluggish (really noticed it rotating back and forth) for me and was down to 6GB of space on the 32GB internal storage. There's no doubt the A7's screen is a tad sharper (thanks to the 2K resolution) and speakers were better.
On this one I used the Fire Toolbox (awesome tool!) to install Google Services, Nova Launcher and delete some unwanted apps. After playing with the grid system, for some reason on mine if I went above 7 on the height one in landscape mode the icons would be really small. I ultimately settled with a 7x7 grid layout and while I don't like the spacing in portrait mode height wise think that works the best for me. Installed all the apps I want through Google Play Store and the Appstore. I couldn't use it if I didn't have access to that.
Def way snappier then the A7. It rotates from portrait to landscape modes quicker, and loads everything else just a little faster too. I know it's the same CPU from last year in it, but the 4GB of Ram vs 3GB on the A7 seem like that's a huge leap forward. The A7 def has the better screen (2K vs HD) and speakers. But for my uses (checking feeds in the morning on Feedly, watching games on to keep track of, and watching videos while traveling are my main tasks. I can't justify spending over $500 for a tablet, so this at it's price point is a winner in my book.
Now my gripes. No way to change the timer of the lock screen before you need to re-enter the pin code again right? I've looked around in the settings and just can't find it. Still would like the pin on it, but would like to change that timer. I have my SD card mounted as internal storage. Sometimes it loses it's connection and on the lock screen shows it's lost it. But it finds it right away when I log back in. Not too thrilled with the case selection so far. The first 2 I tried didn't work for me (the official Amazon wouldn't fold back right and the other case I tried the plate where you snapped it into was backwards in my opinion. Getting another one in today to try out.
I'll see on Prime Day if there's any other sales and if there are I can still return this one to get it at the better price. Otherwise, maybe I'll try for a Samsung Tab S7 or S7+ if there's a good sale on those. But other then that, so far I'm pretty happy with this tablet outside of the Nova Launcher spacing. This is a keeper so far.

yanksno1 - Have you started using the split screen functionality? Have you found it useful? I would really like to see some screen shots of it in use if at all possible. This and the increased RAM is the biggest selling points for me.

yanksno1 said:
Got mine last week and have been putting it through the paces. I'm coming from a Samsung 10.1 A7 tablet that was just a tad too sluggish (really noticed it rotating back and forth) for me and was down to 6GB of space on the 32GB internal storage. There's no doubt the A7's screen is a tad sharper (thanks to the 2K resolution) and speakers were better.
On this one I used the Fire Toolbox (awesome tool!) to install Google Services, Nova Launcher and delete some unwanted apps. After playing with the grid system, for some reason on mine if I went above 7 on the height one in landscape mode the icons would be really small. I ultimately settled with a 7x7 grid layout and while I don't like the spacing in portrait mode height wise think that works the best for me. Installed all the apps I want through Google Play Store and the Appstore. I couldn't use it if I didn't have access to that.
Def way snappier then the A7. It rotates from portrait to landscape modes quicker, and loads everything else just a little faster too. I know it's the same CPU from last year in it, but the 4GB of Ram vs 3GB on the A7 seem like that's a huge leap forward. The A7 def has the better screen (2K vs HD) and speakers. But for my uses (checking feeds in the morning on Feedly, watching games on to keep track of, and watching videos while traveling are my main tasks. I can't justify spending over $500 for a tablet, so this at it's price point is a winner in my book.
Now my gripes. No way to change the timer of the lock screen before you need to re-enter the pin code again right? I've looked around in the settings and just can't find it. Still would like the pin on it, but would like to change that timer. I have my SD card mounted as internal storage. Sometimes it loses it's connection and on the lock screen shows it's lost it. But it finds it right away when I log back in. Not too thrilled with the case selection so far. The first 2 I tried didn't work for me (the official Amazon wouldn't fold back right and the other case I tried the plate where you snapped it into was backwards in my opinion. Getting another one in today to try out.
I'll see on Prime Day if there's any other sales and if there are I can still return this one to get it at the better price. Otherwise, maybe I'll try for a Samsung Tab S7 or S7+ if there's a good sale on those. But other then that, so far I'm pretty happy with this tablet outside of the Nova Launcher spacing. This is a keeper so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sold a S5e and bought an HD 10 9th. But there is no way I'm claiming the HD compares with the S5e. It was merely that the S5e was overkill for a tablet I was using as an eReader. I also still have a Tab A 2020 and the HD. only beats it in battery life. Slower tablets do use less battery.

Got one for my wife and one for myself during prime days this past week. Hers is to replace a Galaxy Tab A 10.1(2019) We both use them for light gaming, web surfing and media consumption. I have already run mine through the toolkit and removed the lock screen ads, installed google play etc. Hers will be left stock for now. I am quite impressed with them. They run all my games(nothing too taxing Asphalt 9 is the biggest resource hog) For the Prime Days price, they are hard to beat. I am quite happy with mine and plan to install an SD card for extra storage shortly(mainly for movie and TV show storage)

Ordered one from Amazon, and Ive been given a 3-6 month delivery date for it
" Arriving 29 Sep - 5 Dec "

New update - 6th of December 6 Months!!!! and thats with a prime mebership, and an amazon warehouse 15 minutes drive away

Is this thing available or have thye been re called?? it just seems odd that it has a six month shipping date

2Pints said:
Is this thing available or have thye been re called?? it just seems odd that it has a six month shipping date
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guessing that they sold so well for prime and the semi-conductor shortage they might just be out of stock and waiting on them to arrive from China

Got the HD 10 Plus during Prime Day, had the previous HD 10 2019 and the 2017 before that.
The upgrade from 2017 -> 2019 was okay because of the processor upgrade but still had slowdowns and was sluggish when opening different apps.
The 2019 -> 2021 Plus version was a great upgrade, that 4GB ram definitely got rid of all the slowdowns the previous generation suffered. Smaller bezels and a bit lighter so it's a bit easier to hold. The 2019 screen has an issue where the color seemed a bit too oversaturated/overbrightened, the 2021 doesn't seem to have that issue. My 2019 one also had a lot of backlight bleed while my 2021 doesn't have any at all...though that probably depends on your luck.
Overall very good upgrade considering i only payed $40 because of the trade-in/promo codes Amazon was giving away.

Very happy with mine it's a bit lighter than the last model and feels a bit better balanced in the hand. The screen looks great but I'm having an issue using a keyboard/mouse with it. It keeps highlighting my selections, images, and videos with a grey overlay.

Go two Fire HD 10 Plus on Prime day for 110 euros each. I am pretty happy. Our previous tablets were Fire HD 10 but from 2017. It is a night and day difference.

I just found out that Fire HD 10 (11th gen) does NOT support exFAT format SD cards, only FAT32 is supported. That means you can only write files smaller than 4GB onto the SD card.
You can use the Paragon exFAT/NTFS app but it only works with USB-OTG devices, it won't work with the internal SD card reader. Apparently exFAT used to work in older gens but now Amazon wants you to use their streaming service.

You can use this Amazon tablet as:
Drawing tablet (with a VirtualTablet app)
Virtual MIDI keyboard (for music production, tested in FL Studio)
Simple server (like hosting your own websites, file server, or Minecraft server)
Smart home dashboard
Digital clock (if you don't have in your house)
Digital photo frame
Echo Show (your Fire table is registered into your Amazon account to use Show Mode)

Fire Toolbox cleaned my new 2021 HD 10 tablet nicely. But need to run a USB GPS module on it for boating Nav, & it's not operational (no led present like on Windows USB). USB OTG app states I need to add xml file: android.hardware.usb.host.xml to folder: /system/etc/permissions, but need it rooted to do this. Any experience with a root solution for latest Fire OS please?

Slammer01 said:
Fire Toolbox cleaned my new 2021 HD 10 tablet nicely. But need to run a USB GPS module on it for boating Nav, & it's not operational (no led present like on Windows USB). USB OTG app states I need to add xml file: android.hardware.usb.host.xml to folder: /system/etc/permissions, but need it rooted to do this. Any experience with a root solution for latest Fire OS please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the root is near to impsoible, the 2019 is still not rooteable only the 2017 it is.