Cheap, POS android tablet made me love android more than my s6

[slackerinabox]

I picked up a 'free' (no contract, no payments, but $10 a month for lte) tablet from t-mobile, and it's pretty much a piece of crap (alcatel one touch pixi). Grainy and dull screen (very low res), modest low-end cpu, and fisher price level construction. Really, I can see why it's free. But, you know what, it does everything my s6 does, and it makes this iOS fanboy appreciate android.

From playing games to updating my calendar, app for app, I could do everything on this $70 tablet that I could on my s6 edge. I miss the camera, but that's being rectified on the low end with the new moto g as an example. Sure, cool iPad 4 features like airplay and the general slickness of iOs are missing, but at $500 less I think the sacrifices are completely warranted. I look at my mom's moto g 3rd gen with similar respect - it does everything you gotta do, for $120 on sale. Sure, the camera and slickness of my wife's iphone leave it in the dust, but it's 500 more! S6 edge, also at $500 more? Does not make sense, because the moto g does everything.

So I never got android and was annoyed "downgrading" to an s6 from an iphone 6 - but just a week playing with a $70 tablet has left me impressed - android DOES make sense and offer some clear advantages, but why would anyone invest in high end android? Does this leave the high end completely to Apple? Depreciation alone on the android front SUCKS - I hate that the phone I paid $745 for can be had for half of that just a few months later, while my wife's apple has kept a good deal of it's value (tourists in nyc will pay bank for used iphones, it's absurd - post a cl ad and you have 50 offers).

 

[foghorn67]

I picked up a 'free' (no contract, no payments, but $10 a month for lte) tablet from t-mobile, and it's pretty much a piece of crap (alcatel one touch pixi). Grainy and dull screen (very low res), modest low-end cpu, and fisher price level construction. Really, I can see why it's free. But, you know what, it does everything my s6 does, and it makes this iOS fanboy appreciate android.

From playing games to updating my calendar, app for app, I could do everything on this $70 tablet that I could on my s6 edge. I miss the camera, but that's being rectified on the low end with the new moto g as an example. Sure, cool iPad 4 features like airplay and the general slickness of iOs are missing, but at $500 less I think the sacrifices are completely warranted. I look at my mom's moto g 3rd gen with similar respect - it does everything you gotta do, for $120 on sale. Sure, the camera and slickness of my wife's iphone leave it in the dust, but it's 500 more! S6 edge, also at $500 more? Does not make sense, because the moto g does everything.

So I never got android and was annoyed "downgrading" to an s6 from an iphone 6 - but just a week playing with a $70 tablet has left me impressed - android DOES make sense and offer some clear advantages, but why would anyone invest in high end android? Does this leave the high end completely to Apple? Depreciation alone on the android front SUCKS - I hate that the phone I paid $745 for can be had for half of that just a few months later, while my wife's apple has kept a good deal of it's value (tourists in nyc will pay bank for used iphones, it's absurd - post a cl ad and you have 50 offers).

I love my S6. However, it seems like it is just a Samsung way of being Apple. It does it well, but it doesn't feel like Android sometimes. The dialer and call screens are pretty, but it isn't Android.
The only time it feels like I am using something that is different from Apple is when I configure my homescreen (with Nova Launcher) with widgets and custom icons, configuring Android Wear watch faces and sharing links or files to Pocket or the TXT/messenger of choice.

 

[Artdeco]

I just got one if they ever ship it, they're back ordered right now. Giving it to my older sister so she can Skype with our mom.

 

[Crono]

I've never liked TouchWiz. At the beginning Samsung was blatantly copying Apple, and since then they've developed their own style but crapped up their phones with too many features. To this day I feel like Samsung's flagship phones with TouchWiz - more so the Galaxy S series than the Notes - have slower interfaces than significantly cheaper phones like the Moto G. It's not just me, either, a lot of professional reviewers have commented on this.

I prefer CyanogenMod-based ROMs and AOSP. Motorola's current minimal approach works well, too, and the only OEM heavily skinned theme I like otherwise is HTC's Sense. LG's skin/UI (does it even have a name anymore?) isn't as heavy-handed as Samsung's, but it does look a little dated and I prefer AOSP to it. I haven't tried Zen UI or other manufacturer's interfaces, though, so it's possible Samsung's isn't the worst.

I'd never buy a Samsung phone without intending to put another ROM on it. I can't believe how many people buy Galaxy S' without that intent and think they are getting the best Android experience. I always tell people to go Motorola, HTC (as long as they have some life in them ), OnePlus, or any Nexus-branded device over Samsung, but Samsung is the default option for a lot of people who know little about Android.

 

[Raduque]

I'd never buy a Samsung phone without intending to put another ROM on it. I can't believe how many people buy Galaxy S' without that intent and think they are getting the best Android experience. I always tell people to go Motorola, HTC (as long as they have some life in them ), OnePlus, or any Nexus-branded device over Samsung, but Samsung is the default option for a lot of people who know little about Android.

I've been a Samsung user for a very long time. Galaxy S, SII, Note II, Note 3, Note 4, and now the S6. Before the S I had a myTouch 3G (HTC Dream, IIRC) and between the S and SII, I had a myTouch 3G Slide. Between the SII and Note II, I had an LG Optimus G Pro (which, got root AND a 4.0 update about a week after I sold it!)

Unfortunately, I think the S6 will be my last Samsung phone. TouchWiz, now Nature UX never bothered me. I quite liked it. I really like the design and how solid it feels. But my S6 is ridiculously sluggish. It's seriously unusable at times. I may have to wipe data and start over, but that's a pain too because of the lack of uSD card.

I think a Moto device may be my next one. But, whatever device I choose in the future, it absolutely MUST HAVE WIRELESS CHARGING. Period. If my S6 has shown me anything, it's that wireless charging is the future. Any phone without it is simply not going to be on my radar, ever.

BRB, factory resetting my S6.

 

[slackerinabox]

I've been a Samsung user for a very long time. Galaxy S, SII, Note II, Note 3, Note 4, and now the S6. Before the S I had a myTouch 3G (HTC Dream, IIRC) and between the S and SII, I had a myTouch 3G Slide. Between the SII and Note II, I had an LG Optimus G Pro (which, got root AND a 4.0 update about a week after I sold it!)

Unfortunately, I think the S6 will be my last Samsung phone. TouchWiz, now Nature UX never bothered me. I quite liked it. I really like the design and how solid it feels. But my S6 is ridiculously sluggish. It's seriously unusable at times. I may have to wipe data and start over, but that's a pain too because of the lack of uSD card.

I think a Moto device may be my next one. But, whatever device I choose in the future, it absolutely MUST HAVE WIRELESS CHARGING. Period. If my S6 has shown me anything, it's that wireless charging is the future. Any phone without it is simply not going to be on my radar, ever.

BRB, factory resetting my S6.

Yeah, I want to like my phone but, compared to my iphone 6, the s6 edge's battery, reception, and ergonomics suck. The interface is dated and the finger print reader has a 50% success rate, if that. If I paid $200 I wouldn't be upset, which is where I think all android is headed in a few years. In fact, the interface on the crappy tablet (stock android for the most part) looks better, which is so weird to me - why would samsung put so much effort into making stock look older and chintzier? Just leave it be!

I'm probably going back to apple for the 6s but what moto and the other chinese manufacturers are doing (cheap, stock) are more interesting to me than wanna-be korean iphones

 

[Artdeco]

Am considering Bondoing my cheap, LTE tablet into my truck's dash...

 

[poofyhairguy]

Yeah Android has a lot of value if you are a savvy consumer. Last year I got my smartwatch, M8 and a Nexus 7 for less than my friend got his unlocked iPhone 6 32gb. An entire mobile ecosystem for the cost of a flagship iPhone. Then this year he bought an Apple Watch for close to what my next phone should cost new. The value gap is growing.

Heck that S6 is a damn fine value right now if you got a deal like this:

http://m.ebay.com/itm/391103074698

But that means not overpaying for the cosmetic edge. The people paying full price for 128gb S6 Edges only have them self to blame. There is not excuse, there is almost always a deal in Android. I got my wife's Note 4 for over $200 off the first day it came out by maxing a promotion.

I think maybe the issue is that the iOS ecosystem teaches you there is no such thing as a deal, and that cheap is cheap for a reason (new model coming soon). With Androids, even the Galaxies, there is always a way.

 

[jhu]

I picked up a 'free' (no contract, no payments, but $10 a month for lte) tablet from t-mobile, and it's pretty much a piece of crap (alcatel one touch pixi). Grainy and dull screen (very low res), modest low-end cpu, and fisher price level construction. Really, I can see why it's free. But, you know what, it does everything my s6 does, and it makes this iOS fanboy appreciate android.

From playing games to updating my calendar, app for app, I could do everything on this $70 tablet that I could on my s6 edge. I miss the camera, but that's being rectified on the low end with the new moto g as an example. Sure, cool iPad 4 features like airplay and the general slickness of iOs are missing, but at $500 less I think the sacrifices are completely warranted. I look at my mom's moto g 3rd gen with similar respect - it does everything you gotta do, for $120 on sale. Sure, the camera and slickness of my wife's iphone leave it in the dust, but it's 500 more! S6 edge, also at $500 more? Does not make sense, because the moto g does everything.

So I never got android and was annoyed "downgrading" to an s6 from an iphone 6 - but just a week playing with a $70 tablet has left me impressed - android DOES make sense and offer some clear advantages, but why would anyone invest in high end android? Does this leave the high end completely to Apple? Depreciation alone on the android front SUCKS - I hate that the phone I paid $745 for can be had for half of that just a few months later, while my wife's apple has kept a good deal of it's value (tourists in nyc will pay bank for used iphones, it's absurd - post a cl ad and you have 50 offers).

That's why I usually buy the last generation's high end instead of this generation's.

 

[poofyhairguy]

why would samsung put so much effort into making stock look older and chintzier?

To increase appeal and ease of use for the lowest common denominator.

 

[lyka]

this actually make sense..

 

[Red Storm]

I personally dislike those el-cheapo ~$50 tablets. To me they are buggy, poor performers that can create a negative perception of tech in non-techy minds. But, they have their place in the market.

 

[Zaap]

android DOES make sense and offer some clear advantages, but why would anyone invest in high end android?

Because you get what you pay for. Personally you couldn't pay me to use a cheap Android tablet vs. a higher quality one. The list of potential negatives is long: poor build qualify, unacceptably low resolution screens, terrible touch sensor, horrible battery life/longevity, shaky upgrade support, weak processors, etc.

There are plenty of price points between el-cheapo Android ($50+) and 'high end' $500+ to find a fairly decent android tablet without going for either extreme.

Personally I find many lowend devices so frustrating to use for anything productive or even entertaining that a more expensive yet higher quality device is well worth it.


I also dont really get the comparison between an s6 and a cheap android tablet. Depending on the task (like say play a resource hungry 3D game) the s6 will absolutely destroy most any sub $100 tablet. The screen also will be no contest better than pretty much all cheap tablets. The only thing a cheap tablet would have over the s6 in most cases is just physical size.

 

[openwheel]

My S6 is great phone. Great battery life, very snappy and best camera on the market today. What's not to like?

disclaimer: it is rooted, clean rom, and tethers 200gb a month like a champ. Not exactly fair to a typical iPhone/Galaxy user.

 

[slackerinabox]

Because you get what you pay for. Personally you couldn't pay me to use a cheap Android tablet vs. a higher quality one. The list of potential negatives is long: poor build qualify, unacceptably low resolution screens, terrible touch sensor, horrible battery life/longevity, shaky upgrade support, weak processors, etc.

There are plenty of price points between el-cheapo Android ($50+) and 'high end' $500+ to find a fairly decent android tablet without going for either extreme.

Personally I find many lowend devices so frustrating to use for anything productive or even entertaining that a more expensive yet higher quality device is well worth it.


I also dont really get the comparison between an s6 and a cheap android tablet. Depending on the task (like say play a resource hungry 3D game) the s6 will absolutely destroy most any sub $100 tablet. The screen also will be no contest better than pretty much all cheap tablets. The only thing a cheap tablet would have over the s6 in most cases is just physical size.

My point is that the cheap phones/tablet have reached 'good enough' level, and a sub-$200 device can do everything my $750 s6 edge can do. I remember cheapo android just a year and change ago and the experience was awful. The mediatek's and budget qualcom chips are really pushing the envelope when it comes to performance per dollar, and I just don't see spending more than $300 on an android phone as logical anymore

 

[Red Storm]

My point is that the cheap phones/tablet have reached 'good enough' level, and a sub-$200 device can do everything my $750 s6 edge can do. I remember cheapo android just a year and change ago and the experience was awful. The mediatek's and budget qualcom chips are really pushing the envelope when it comes to performance per dollar, and I just don't see spending more than $300 on an android phone as logical anymore

Perhaps you don't, but I still see the logic. My smartphone is always my primary computer device, and to me it doesn't make sense to cheap out on it. I want all the features, the quick charge, NFC, wireless charging, high resolution display, best camera in the business, etc. I don't like to compromise when it comes to smartphones, though I get there are those who don't mind. Choice is good.

 

[bradly1101]

I picked up a 'free' (no contract, no payments, but $10 a month for lte) tablet from t-mobile, and it's pretty much a piece of crap (alcatel one touch pixi). Grainy and dull screen (very low res), modest low-end cpu, and fisher price level construction. Really, I can see why it's free. But, you know what, it does everything my s6 does, and it makes this iOS fanboy appreciate android.

From playing games to updating my calendar, app for app, I could do everything on this $70 tablet that I could on my s6 edge. I miss the camera, but that's being rectified on the low end with the new moto g as an example. Sure, cool iPad 4 features like airplay and the general slickness of iOs are missing, but at $500 less I think the sacrifices are completely warranted. I look at my mom's moto g 3rd gen with similar respect - it does everything you gotta do, for $120 on sale. Sure, the camera and slickness of my wife's iphone leave it in the dust, but it's 500 more! S6 edge, also at $500 more? Does not make sense, because the moto g does everything.

So I never got android and was annoyed "downgrading" to an s6 from an iphone 6 - but just a week playing with a $70 tablet has left me impressed - android DOES make sense and offer some clear advantages, but why would anyone invest in high end android? Does this leave the high end completely to Apple? Depreciation alone on the android front SUCKS - I hate that the phone I paid $745 for can be had for half of that just a few months later, while my wife's apple has kept a good deal of it's value (tourists in nyc will pay bank for used iphones, it's absurd - post a cl ad and you have 50 offers).

Yeah I stopped caring about 'flagship' devices a while ago. Lots of megapixels means large file sizes, slower transfers, needed shrinking when sharing...

I had a Galaxy S3 (CDMA) on Metro PCS' $30/mo. unlimited plan which I paid $500 for. It was nice, but I'm not a big phone user outside of using it as a phone. When I had to exchange it because they went on T-Mobile's GSM network I got a $300 credit. I went with the Galaxy Avant and a bunch of accessories because it was cheaper. I don't miss a single high-end feature, especially since I still have an SD slot (currently populated with all my music and music videos), replaceable battery, and NFC/Google Pay.

 

[slackerinabox]

Perhaps you don't, but I still see the logic. My smartphone is always my primary computer device, and to me it doesn't make sense to cheap out on it. I want all the features, the quick charge, NFC, wireless charging, high resolution display, best camera in the business, etc. I don't like to compromise when it comes to smartphones, though I get there are those who don't mind. Choice is good.

You see, this is what's weird. For the $700ish I paid for my iPhone 6 I had a wall-gardened but stable device that's worth a premium to me because it does what it does very well. This is what boggle's my mind with my downgrade the samsung s6 edge - the ergonomics, battery life, reception (wi fi calling drops all the time, rock solid on my iphone), flaky fingerprint reader, audio enhancement that cause erratic volume fluctuations, painfully slow qi charging, bjorked battery killing voice over lta.... I'm beating a dead horse but, at the end of the day, is the galaxy s6 or many flagship androids $500 better than a moto g? I'm pretty certain the market will settle on the sub-$350 flagship, with samsung moving to tizen in order to make some money on the back end using the walled-garden approach we're all making fun of apple for.

 

[poofyhairguy]

You see, this is what's weird. For the $700ish I paid for my iPhone 6 I had a wall-gardened but stable device that's worth a premium to me because it does what it does very well.

Which is fine, but you do understand that for some of us (those who value hardware over the "experience") that iPhone 6 is a poor value? The iPhone 6 720pish screen looks like crap in person compared to higher PPI flagship Androids, the camera lacks OIS unlike the 6+ or most flagship Androids, the phone only has 1GB of RAM which makes it a greatly inferior web browsing experience compared to most flagship Androids, etc. I get that "what it does it does well," but that isn't exclusive to Apple.

I'm beating a dead horse but, at the end of the day, is the galaxy s6 or many flagship androids $500 better than a moto g?

Yes. Very much yes.

No offense but you are overstating your experience. No matter what the marketing says, Samsung's Galaxy series are NOT the only flagship Androids.

I personally wouldn't use a Moto G for a primary phone even for a day. The screen quite frankly sucks, the form factor is bulky, no NFC sucks, and the camera sucks compared to flagship devices. To me it is worth the premium to get something better, like a Moto X or a Nexus 6. I also wouldn't spend a DIME on a Galaxy S 6 because I know I hate Touchwiz, and that I hate their product quality.

You have discovered what pretty much every savvy Android user here has discovered- Touchwiz sucks and devices with closer to stock Android are the way to go. That doesn't mean that the Moto G (with its stock Android) is the answer. The answer for most of us is to not touch anything Galaxy with a ten foot pole and instead invest in Android flagships that give us a stock experience.

There is value in high-end Android as long as you know what you are doing. And quite frankly your $500 gap is a red herring, I also posted in this thread a deal for a much cheaper Galaxy S 6 if that is what someone wants. Just because high-end iPhones never go on sale doesn't mean the same for Android. In Androidland the flagship LG G4 has already gone on sale, and a few flagshipish devices (Moto X Play, OnePlus Two) come in at a cheaper price than the Galaxy S 6 new.

What you should have gotten out of your S6 experience is what we all have learned the hard way over the years- Touchwiz is crap. To extrapolate beyond that some conclusion that all high-end Android is crap when your experience is a sample size of one is quite frankly intellectually dishonest. Those of us who have had multiple flagship Androids stick in the ecosystem for a reason. Quite frankly we have learned from the burns and we make better purchase decisions because of it.

 

[sweenish]

The S6 edge is also an ergonomic disaster. The regular S6 feel much better in the hand.

That's my opinion based on handling both for a couple minutes.

 

[Red Storm]

You see, this is what's weird. For the $700ish I paid for my iPhone 6 I had a wall-gardened but stable device that's worth a premium to me because it does what it does very well. This is what boggle's my mind with my downgrade the samsung s6 edge - the ergonomics, battery life, reception (wi fi calling drops all the time, rock solid on my iphone), flaky fingerprint reader, audio enhancement that cause erratic volume fluctuations, painfully slow qi charging, bjorked battery killing voice over lta.... I'm beating a dead horse but, at the end of the day, is the galaxy s6 or many flagship androids $500 better than a moto g? I'm pretty certain the market will settle on the sub-$350 flagship, with samsung moving to tizen in order to make some money on the back end using the walled-garden approach we're all making fun of apple for.

poofyhairguy summed it up pretty well. You're coming in from the assumption that the $700 iPhone is worth it. To me, it's not. I see it on the same level as the Moto G. Sure I could use it, but I'd be giving up a lot to do so. In my eyes a phone like the Note 5 is the best out there. Honestly it's the first Samsung phone where I haven't been annoyed by Touchwiz. It's very much out of the way, and the ability to apply themes takes care of the looks issue in the settings, quick settings, and what not.

I get fast charging, wireless charging, fast wireless charging (awesome!), the best display and camera in the business, a "real" OS that isn't locked down and frustrating, a stylus pen, and great build quality, etc. To me - emphasis me, my own opinion - the Galaxy Note line has always been the cream of the crop when it comes to smartphones.

 

[slackerinabox]

Which is fine, but you do understand that for some of us (those who value hardware over the "experience") that iPhone 6 is a poor value? The iPhone 6 720pish screen looks like crap in person compared to higher PPI flagship Androids, the camera lacks OIS unlike the 6+ or most flagship Androids, the phone only has 1GB of RAM which makes it a greatly inferior web browsing experience compared to most flagship Androids, etc. I get that "what it does it does well," but that isn't exclusive to Apple.



Yes. Very much yes.

No offense but you are overstating your experience. No matter what the marketing says, Samsung's Galaxy series are NOT the only flagship Androids.

I personally wouldn't use a Moto G for a primary phone even for a day. The screen quite frankly sucks, the form factor is bulky, no NFC sucks, and the camera sucks compared to flagship devices. To me it is worth the premium to get something better, like a Moto X or a Nexus 6. I also wouldn't spend a DIME on a Galaxy S 6 because I know I hate Touchwiz, and that I hate their product quality.

You have discovered what pretty much every savvy Android user here has discovered- Touchwiz sucks and devices with closer to stock Android are the way to go. That doesn't mean that the Moto G (with its stock Android) is the answer. The answer for most of us is to not touch anything Galaxy with a ten foot pole and instead invest in Android flagships that give us a stock experience.

There is value in high-end Android as long as you know what you are doing. And quite frankly your $500 gap is a red herring, I also posted in this thread a deal for a much cheaper Galaxy S 6 if that is what someone wants. Just because high-end iPhones never go on sale doesn't mean the same for Android. In Androidland the flagship LG G4 has already gone on sale, and a few flagshipish devices (Moto X Play, OnePlus Two) come in at a cheaper price than the Galaxy S 6 new.

What you should have gotten out of your S6 experience is what we all have learned the hard way over the years- Touchwiz is crap. To extrapolate beyond that some conclusion that all high-end Android is crap when your experience is a sample size of one is quite frankly intellectually dishonest. Those of us who have had multiple flagship Androids stick in the ecosystem for a reason. Quite frankly we have learned from the burns and we make better purchase decisions because of it.

We'll agree to disagree then. With great compromise phones like the xiaomi note available now for $150, I wholeheartedly feel that $350 will be the new android "premium" marketplace, and $700 just ridiculous save for special features (pen, extra high quality screen WITH great battery life). Heck, $250 seems to be the new target with excellent recent asus and alcatel efforts. There's just too much healthy competition with component providers, with intel, qualcomm, mediatek, and upstarts battling for their slice of the low-end bringing down prices and bringing up quality. With cameras, sony seemed to have the lock on the market but there's increased research and quality products from toshiba among others, bringing quality up and prices down. GREAT for customers, just not great incentives for the LGs and Motorola's of the world, they need to skate by on very thin profits with the Chinese nipping at their market share. Samsung will be hurt, unless it goes tizen and monetizes app ad revenue and music/movie sales, but android will turn into a loss leader.. They spend far too much on r&d to and are top heavy, they're going to have a hard time competing in the $50-150 market. I'm thinking maybe premium materials is the next battleground, like LG tried to do. Stainless steel phones? 18k phones for the asian and saudi markets?

 

[poofyhairguy]

We'll agree to disagree then. With great compromise phones like the xiaomi note available now for $150, I wholeheartedly feel that $350 will be the new android "premium" marketplace, and $700 just ridiculous save for special features (pen, extra high quality screen WITH great battery life). Heck, $250 seems to be the new target with excellent recent asus and alcatel efforts.

Show me a $250-350 (new) Android phone that:

-Has a 1080p or greater screen
-Has a GOOD camera with OIS
-Has NFC and maybe wireless charging
-Is on the newest version of Android and comes from a company with a history of fast updates
-Can be bought at a local AT&T or Verizon store (aka how 99% of people buy phones)

Unless I missed an obvious competitor in the market it doesn't exist. And none of this is crazy stuff- 1080p has been standard since the Galaxy S4, NFC has been standard since the 2011 Nexus One, OIS has been a thing since the 2013 HTC M7, etc. And yet you can't get all of that and fast updates in a $250-350 phone.

Now maybe your angle is "Sure you want/need that stuff, but do most people?" I would say yes, most people at the very least want an iPhone level camera. Even if they never use NFC, or they don't care about updates, being able to capture good pictures of the kids is a huge reason why some people even have a smartphone.

Don't get me wrong, I see the value in midrange Android. Back in 2012 you either paid the big bucks for that Galaxy S3 or you were getting shit quite frankly. There wasn't this robust middle ground like we have now. But American consumers don't trust Chinese phones, and they are too conditioned to only buy phones from the carriers (or Apple Stores). Even in places like China people are willing to pay extra for flagships, because there is value there.

We are a ways off from the death of the Android flagship. Even three years from now no $150 phone will give you a true flagship experience, even if it almost does everything a 2015 flagship does. There is always some corner cut to get to that price point, and the market is always moving. Apple will put out some new tech like a fingerprint reader and then that will set a new standard for what a flagship must have. It is a constant cycle.

Not everyone has to make Apple money to survive. LG honestly has been quite the success story the last couple of years.