New android tablet - opinions wanted

[Raduque]

I'm looking at a new Android tablet before my TF101 dies completely. I don't want to spend a lot, maybe about $250 at most.

I found two devices so far:
Lenovo Yoga Tab3 10 (Android 5.1, Snapdragon 212, 1gb ram $220)
Lenovo Tab2 A10 (Android 4.4.4, Mediatek quad, 2gb ram $180)

Both machines have FHD 1080p screens, uSD slots and 16gb storage, and are available locally at those prices (Best Buy - they should price match the Lenovo price of $189 on the Yoga Tab3 though).

I'm thinking the Yoga Tab3 is the better choice between the two due to the SoC and newer version of Android - but the Tab2 has more RAM.

Opinions?

 

[shabby]

Neither, these $200 tablets always have some kind of flaw, old os, outdated soc, 1gb of ram or low 1280 resolution.

 

[Raduque]

I'm thinking you didn't read. Both tablets have 1080p FHD displays. All I'll be using the tablet for is comics in Google Play and hidden object games (better on larger screens).

Everything else I do with a tablet is more than covered by my Surface 3.

If the NAND storage on my TF101 wasn't dying, I wouldn't even be bothering with this.

 

[shabby]

I did read, i didn't say those tablets you picked had low res displays, its just that $200 tablets could possibly have either one of those flaws. Just look at the bestbuy listings and you'll see tons of $200 tablets with 1280x800 res.

Anyway if my choice was between those 2 i'd get which ever one had a newer os, lollipop runs so much better on older hardware than kitkat.

 

[Oyeve]

Get the yoga tab3. Even with the 1gb of ram it has GOT to be better than the mediatek SOC.

 

[Raduque]

I did read, i didn't say those tablets you picked had low res displays, its just that $200 tablets could possibly have either one of those flaws. Just look at the bestbuy listings and you'll see tons of $200 tablets with 1280x800 res.

Anyway if my choice was between those 2 i'd get which ever one had a newer os, lollipop runs so much better on older hardware than kitkat.

Tab2 A10 has a 5.0 update out. And yes I know that most sub-$200 and even sub-$300 devices have low resolutions, which is why I limited my choice to those two Lenovo ones.

For my use case, I think either one would do, which is why I was asking for opinions on them.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I simply won't use an Android device with 1GB of RAM in 2015. So the other one is my vote.

 

[Oyeve]

Surprised your TF101 lasted as long as this. I blew mine up years ago. Was a turd IMO.

 

[Raduque]

Surprised your TF101 lasted as long as this. I blew mine up years ago. Was a turd IMO.

I actively started hating it about 3 years ago. The bezel screws are gone after I took the bezel off to fix a power button issue, it's been dropped, stepped on, left it outside overnight on a wet night, and it's finally decided it's had enough. I was going to use it as a 10" connected photo frame, but all the Android apps to slideshow pics refuse to use a network source or are just really terrible.


I was able to get some time today to play with the Lenovo tabs I listed. The A10 is a nice tablet for sure and feels pretty fluid and smooth. But, the Yoga Tab 3 has a much much nice feel in the hand in portrait mode due to the rounded bottom edge. It feels more like holding a flipped back magazine, and it has a far more solid feel than the A10. It feels pretty responsive despite only having 1gb ram.

For reading comics and probably other books, the Yoga Tab 3 feels like the better choice for me.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Can you find an Asus ZenPad 8 at BestBuy? They are available at mine. Only $200.

Has Android 5.1, Intel Z3530, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, micro SD.

 

[sweenish]

If 8 in. tablets are an option, I think the Shield Tablet K1 is the best bet.

 

[Raduque]

An 8" feels too small. My eyes aren't very good anymore even with my glasses and smaller high resolution displays can challenge them.

 

[quikah]

I'm thinking you didn't read. Both tablets have 1080p FHD displays. All I'll be using the tablet for is comics in Google Play and hidden object games (better on larger screens).

Everything else I do with a tablet is more than covered by my Surface 3.

If the NAND storage on my TF101 wasn't dying, I wouldn't even be bothering with this.

Have you tried running Ami DuOS on your Surface 3? From my experience it works very well, just didn't find a need for it myself.

 

[Raduque]

Have you tried running Ami DuOS on your Surface 3? From my experience it works very well, just didn't find a need for it myself.

I actually have, and I'll try it again once I reset my S3, but the first time I tried it, it felt as sluggish as my TF101.

 

[Geekbabe]

Following this thread with interest. My son has a 32GB Amazon Fire that is two years old, the new Fire models are inferior & I am lost as to what to get him next. I am considering an 8.4 inch model.

 

[Arachnotronic]

The other tablet got an Android 5.0 update? I'd go with that one, then.

 

[Raduque]

Update: I got the Tab2 A10-70 today. Beautiful screen, solid build, quick and responsive. The Mediatek SoC seems fine for general use. It's tons faster than my TF101. Did the 5.0 update and a factory reset immediately after, haven't seen any issues yet. I think it'll do me just fine.

The other tablet got an Android 5.0 update? I'd go with that one, then.

Well, the Yoga Tab3 is on 5.1, and the A10 got updated from 4.4.4 to 5.0.1. So, the YT3 is running a newer version of Android.

 

[desura]

I recently picked up a Dell Venue 7840.

It's a nice little machine.

 

[Raduque]

I had a Venue 8 Pro - really liked it, neat little machine running 8.1 on a Bay Trail Atom, I think it had 2gb ram and 32gb storage. 8" tablets though are really too small for my eyes to read comics on.

 

[AMDisTheBEST]

Get mediatek. Devices with their SoC are usually 25 to 50 percent cheaper than the Snapdragon counterparts. They offer more cores for cheaper prices too. In short, it is the AMD of the mobile devices and best value for budget consumers.

 

[Raduque]

Get mediatek. Devices with their SoC are usually 25 to 50 percent cheaper than the Snapdragon counterparts. They offer more cores for cheaper prices too. In short, it is the AMD of the mobile devices and best value for budget consumers.

I already did. AMD is a terrible value.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Get mediatek. Devices with their SoC are usually 25 to 50 percent cheaper than the Snapdragon counterparts. They offer more cores for cheaper prices too. In short, it is the AMD of the mobile devices and best value for budget consumers.

Mediatek's 8 core processors are all running on small Cortex A53 cores though. Little processing power there and I'm not sure your apps are really going to be leveraging all those cores.

The more expensive Snapdragons and Exynos use a big.little design where they have 4 big A57 cores and 4 small A53 cores. So you have the muscle when you need it and the power savings when you don't.

For a budget tablet, I usually look for something with an Intel Atom processor. Intel seems to be subsidizing these heavily to get into the mobile market, so you find them in a lot of cheap tablets and are actually quite powerful.

 

[Raduque]

It has a quad A53. Feels like it has enough power for what I need.

 

[sweenish]

And it's unlikely it will ever see another update again.

That it even got one is miraculous, considering how lousy MediaTek is for support.

But at the end of the day, it's all about whether your needs are met in a satisfactory manner. Glad you're liking it so far.

 

[Raduque]

But at the end of the day, it's all about whether your needs are met in a satisfactory manner. Glad you're liking it so far.

And they are. :thumbsup:

I have my Surface 3 for tablet-y things that need done, and the Tab2 A10 is for the Google App-specific things. It also has GPS (don't think my S3 does) so it'll be better for Navigation than a phone.