HP touchpad replacement tablet

pete6032

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Dec 3, 2010
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So my touchpad upped and died a few days ago and I'm looking for a replacement tablet. I bought an LG G pad but I think the screen is too small and I may return it. My touchpad had an 8.9 screen and I don't really want to go any smaller than that. Can anyone recommend an android tablet with these specs?

9.7 inch screen or higher
Quad core of higher processor
2 GB RAM
HD screen

seems like the only tablet that meets these specs is the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9? Any others to consider?
 
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Ravynmagi

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Jun 16, 2007
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Yeah, it's a shame there aren't more 9 inch tablets. Though I do kinda like the 8 inch size of my Dell Venue 8 Pro (a Windows tablet though).

If that G Pad 8.3 isn't big enough, it seems your only choice is the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 or larger 10.1 inch tablets (or go super cheap with a Nook HD+, but the CPU is pretty weak).
 

pete6032

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Dec 3, 2010
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HP Touchpad uses a 9.7 inch screen.

Ooops, fixed. I bought the Gpad online and took it out of the box and it was tiny compared to the touchpad. Granted my touchpad has a huge bezel, but it just seemed too small for my liking.
 

Bateluer

Lifer
Jun 23, 2001
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9.7 inch screen or higher
Quad core of higher processor
2 GB RAM
HD screen

seems like the only tablet that meets these specs is the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9? Any others to consider?

There's the Nook HD+ at 9", but it fails your quad core requirement. There's a few 10.1in tablets that meet your requirements. The Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, the Asus TF701(Tegra4), the Asus MemoFHD 10.1, the Sony Xperia Z tablets might all be on your radar.

Give that you kept the TouchPad well past its usable lifetime, what is your budget? Tablets with the spec's you're looking for from tier 1 vendors are going to cost much more than the TP did.

I'd also say to give the G-Pad some time. The ~8in is a great size for tablets. Its large enough to separate itself from a smartphone but small enough for single handed use, and more portable than a 10.1in tablet.

There's about a dozen Chinese tablets with 9.7in displays that are quad core and high resolution, but they come with their own set of drawbacks.
 

pete6032

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Dec 3, 2010
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There's the Nook HD+ at 9", but it fails your quad core requirement. There's a few 10.1in tablets that meet your requirements. The Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, the Asus TF701(Tegra4), the Asus MemoFHD 10.1, the Sony Xperia Z tablets might all be on your radar.

Give that you kept the TouchPad well past its usable lifetime, what is your budget? Tablets with the spec's you're looking for from tier 1 vendors are going to cost much more than the TP did.

I'd also say to give the G-Pad some time. The ~8in is a great size for tablets. Its large enough to separate itself from a smartphone but small enough for single handed use, and more portable than a 10.1in tablet.

There's about a dozen Chinese tablets with 9.7in displays that are quad core and high resolution, but they come with their own set of drawbacks.


Well I'm in kind of a weird situation. I really don't use a tablet that often, only for leisure purposes. I only got the touchpad due to the $99 fire sale. I installed Android on it a year ago and had been using it for couch internet surfing and as an e-reader. It wasn't really ever part of my essential hardware collection as I much prefer using a full-fledged laptop over a tablet.

I'm not sure now if I should try and buy a cheaper tablet with lower specs since I don't use it all that often or if I should go for a high quality tablet with modern specs right now so I can hold onto it longer. My HTC one is quad core 2GB RAM, HD resolution so I feel like anything less on a tablet would feel slow.

I really don't think any android device without quad core or 2GB RAM at this point could be considered future proof.
 

SKORPI0

Lifer
Jan 18, 2000
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I still keep 2 unopened 32GB HP TP bought from that fire sale Aug 2011. Currently using one with JellyBean 4.1.2 since I need Bluetooth to work.

Looking for a 10.1" with 2560x16000 screen as a replacement. With 32GB, microSD slot, Bluetooth and GPS. Probably go for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014), Samsung Galaxy TabPRO 10.1, ASUS TF701T-B1-GR, or the newer Nexus 10 (if it comes out). Or even those just announced 12.2" tablets Samsung Galaxy NotePRO/TabPro.
 

bearxor

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Jul 8, 2001
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Yeah OP, if you're interested I could hook you up with a replacement TP 32GB for $150.

But just about anything you buy is going to be better these days.
 

Ravynmagi

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Jun 16, 2007
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The trend has been for cheap small tablets, so there isn't much available in the 10 inch size range. And most of them are a bit old right now and just shy of being refreshed, like the Nexus 10 and Xperia Tablet Z.

Two tablets available right now that I think look good are the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition and the ASUS TF701T.

The ASUS TF701T is a fairly recent refresh of the TF700 and now has a quad core Tegra 4 and 2560x1440 resolution display. It starts at $420 on Amazon ($450 at Best Buy). And there is a cool optional keyboard dock that turns it into an Android netbook.

The Samsung Note 10.1 2014 has the Exynos 5 quad core, 3GB of RAM, and the 2560x1440. Also it has a Wacom digitizer and a built in pen so you can take notes, draw, or whatever. But this is quite a bit more expensive starting at $550.

Also Samsung just announced new Galaxy Tab Pro tablets, including a 10.1 inch model. I assume will be a bit cheaper than the Note version because it doesn't have a digitizer/pen, but not sure when it's going to be released.
 

Bateluer

Lifer
Jun 23, 2001
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The Samsung Note 10.1 2014 has the Exynos 5 quad core, 3GB of RAM, and the 2560x1440. Also it has a Wacom digitizer and a built in pen so you can take notes, draw, or whatever. But this is quite a bit more expensive starting at $550.

2560x1600.
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-note/SM-P6000ZKVXAR-specs


Here's a few more 10in options for the OP that are decent.

ASUS MeMO Pad FHD 10 - 260 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834231269


Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 - 360 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834131535


Lenovo IdeaTab S6000 - 230 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834312840

Android tablets at 7in and 10in are the most common Android tablets.
 

Ravynmagi

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Jun 16, 2007
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Yeah, 1600p. Had 1440p on my mind since so many things are using 16:9 these days. Thankfully not Android for the most part. :)

Not a fan of cheap 10 inch tablets. People are probably better off spending the same money on a higher quality 7 or 8 inch tablet and having something better (just hold it closer to your face :) ).
 

pete6032

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Dec 3, 2010
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Do you guys think it would be dumb to buy a dual core android tablet at this point in the game? Will future versions of Android likely only require dual core?
 

Ravynmagi

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Jun 16, 2007
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Do you guys think it would be dumb to buy a dual core android tablet at this point in the game? Will future versions of Android likely only require dual core?

I guess it depends on the processor and the price. A dual core A15 probably wouldn't be too bad still. Nexus 10 uses a dual core A15 and I think the performance on that is still reasonably good. But I don't see too many dual core A15s in use. Usually dual cores are low end A9 chips like a TI OMAP 4470 in the Nook HD+, which are okay too, since a Nook HD + with a 9 inch 1080P display is still a nice tablet for $150 (or less).

Nvidia is back tracking though on the core count race. While some are working on real 8 core processors, Nvidia is going back to dual core, but these will be "super cores", larger more complex cores that do a lot more.
 

Bateluer

Lifer
Jun 23, 2001
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Do you guys think it would be dumb to buy a dual core android tablet at this point in the game? Will future versions of Android likely only require dual core?

Questionable. Today, and in the near future, any tablets with dual cores are going to be lower end devices. Which you may be fine with, given how long you kept the Touchpad.

I guess it depends on the processor and the price. A dual core A15 probably wouldn't be too bad still. Nexus 10 uses a dual core A15 and I think the performance on that is still reasonably good. But I don't see too many dual core A15s in use. Usually dual cores are low end A9 chips like a TI OMAP 4470 in the Nook HD+, which are okay too, since a Nook HD + with a 9 inch 1080P display is still a nice tablet for $150 (or less).

Nvidia is back tracking though on the core count race. While some are working on real 8 core processors, Nvidia is going back to dual core, but these will be "super cores", larger more complex cores that do a lot more.

Keep in mind, the Nexus 10 is going to be refreshed soon. There's no doubt that its at the end of its production run. Any worthwhile tablet, I think, will be using quad core of some kind; Whether thats quad A15, quad A7, or some combination of the two, is debatable.

Disclaimer: We may have to re-examine this question when the A53 designs start dropping, but its likely that they'll be quad core for the high end when they launch, and possibly for the mainstream versions too.