New Tablet or?

[Dice144]

My current tablet is an old Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 that I got 2011. After I got a Samsung Note 2 I gave the tablet to my kid. She is now using my Note 2 over the tablet because the tablet is on its last legs. Audio jack not working, battery life is really bad now. Gotta open the side of the case to even turn it on and off (the button broke over 2 years ago when I dropped it at work)

How much would you say that new tablets have advanced. I am on the fence about even getting another. A small part of me wants to get iOS device just to play with it.

Current phone is a Motorola G.

My budget is under $450 but less would be best. I haven't kept up with current tablet reviews/tech so recommend away please.

 

[gmaster456]

Any tablet you get today will be leaps and bounds better than a 3 year old tegra 2 tablet. I recommend getting a Surface 2 if you can go without android. If not, one of the galaxy tab pro models wouldn't be a bad option.

 

[jacktesterson]

Tab Pro 8.4 is the best tablet on the market. (Minus Touchwiz).

I still like the Nexus 10 the best for a 10 Incher.

 

[MarkizSchnitzel]

if on a budget, and if windows is an option and if build quality feel is not the most important, T100 is very nice, for the price.

 

[jacktesterson]

I owned a Dell Venue 8 Pro for a while.

While its a nice Tablet, I'm not sold on the O/S for Tablet use.

Notification system sucks

Using Desktop mode sucks.

I found myself always going back to using the Mobile IE Browser

Screen is nice but low res.

I think Windows Tablets are great for people who want a hybrid between a laptop and a tablet, but Android/iOS still offers a much better experience overall in my opinion.

 

[paperwastage]

best buy has Samsung Tab Pro 8.4 on display, $350
best buy also has nexus 7 on display, but i think the bezels are too big.
verizon retail stores have LG G Pad LTE, $300. Play with it, you can get the GPE verseion at $350

iPad mini (cheaper @ microcenter) too, for iOs, but it won't be as developer/tweaker friendly as android

 

[paperwastage]

best buy has Samsung Tab Pro 8.4 on display, $350
best buy also has nexus 7 on display, but i think the bezels are too big.
verizon retail stores have LG G Pad LTE, $300. Play with it, you can get the GPE verseion at $350

iPad mini (cheaper @ microcenter) too, for iOs, but it won't be as developer/tweaker friendly as android

 

[Ravynmagi]

For $450 you could buy yourself and your daughter a Nexus 7 tablet.

 

[tvdang7]

I used to have that tablet too. I can honestly say tablets are significantly better. That tegra 2 was really slow i could feel it really bad when you have a 3d background going. I have a nexus 7 now and the screen quality is better than before. More ram so its much more responsive over time compared to 1gb of ram on the original nexus 7 and transformer. Most tablets have cameras now , not sure if you use it but better than nothing. Build quality is better now on most tablets. I do rememeber the weird texture cheap feeling on the transformer.

 

[s44]

Would this be for you or for her? 10" Note/TabPro is excellent with splitscreen, but that's probably more for you than for her. For her, a 2013 Nexus 7 (refurb even) would be fine for half your budget or less.

 

[gmaster456]

I owned a Dell Venue 8 Pro for a while.

While its a nice Tablet, I'm not sold on the O/S for Tablet use.

Notification system sucks

Using Desktop mode sucks.

I found myself always going back to using the Mobile IE Browser

Screen is nice but low res.

I think Windows Tablets are great for people who want a hybrid between a laptop and a tablet, but Android/iOS still offers a much better experience overall in my opinion.

Part of the issue is that full windows is not designed for a 8 inch screen necessarily. The metro interface helps but desktop mode and the like is still going to be a problem. Where it really shines on tablets is the 10, 11 and 12 inch ones.

 

[Dice144]

This would be for me. She is only 7 so the Note 2 is already spoiling her.

Part of me wants to get a Surface 3 for surfing (maybe Diablo 3 at work on breaks). I am aiming for the 7" size as the Transformer was a bit to bit and huge bezel.

However, I really like netflix, hbo go, games on Android, haven't used iOS since I had a iphone 3GS years ago.

 

[Ravynmagi]

This would be for me. She is only 7 so the Note 2 is already spoiling her.

Part of me wants to get a Surface 3 for surfing (maybe Diablo 3 at work on breaks). I am aiming for the 7" size as the Transformer was a bit to bit and huge bezel.

However, I really like netflix, hbo go, games on Android, haven't used iOS since I had a iphone 3GS years ago.

I love Netflix, HBO Go, and Crunchyroll on the Nexus 7. It's got nice stereo speakers (2013 model at least) and it's really light, so comfortable while watching a two hour movie.

 

[Dice144]

Buddy at work also telling me to just get a Nexus.
I am not an apple fan but part of me wants to try iOS again.

 

[jacktesterson]

I can't recommend iOS on a tablet personally.

Some people love it though, so that is up to you. There are more tablet designed apps on iOS if that matters to you, although Google has been updating the play store with more of a drive to get Tab Designed apps out there.

Personally, I can't stand iTunes or the need to constantly use it. I'm just an Android guy personally.

 

[s44]

If it's for you, splurge on the Tab Pro 8.4 (I think about $350 on sale now). Super screen and size. Or look at one of the Note 10.1 2014 refurb deals... it's a lot lighter and less bulky than the Transformer series (which was kept wide to match the keyboard).

 

[cbrunny]

I find myself in a similar position. I am leaning towards a Surface-type device myself, mostly because I don't play android games. I have a big collection of pc games that could run on a surface pro 2 or 3 as well. full size USB ports are very nice.

problem I find is cost, so I'm just sticking with my laptop for the time being. Gonna buy an e-reader instead.

If I was to purchase an android tab right now though, it would hands down be the Xperia Z2 Tablet.

 

[jdoggg12]

Really, if you look at the reviews, the 2013 Nexus 7 is the way to go (or Kindle HDX if you want to watch prime movies out of the box). For under $250, you get a near-top-of-the-line device that's as good looking as it is powerful. I take mine everywhere for games, gps, and stream a lot of HD movies on mine at home.

Last night I streamed Pacific Rim to it from my server. It's a 19GB 1080P MKV file... the picture was extremely crisp and had well saturated colors. No lag at all, other than when I wandered to the edge of my wifi range. (I use ES File Explorer and MX Player to watch movies like this on my network).

I don't do a lot of gaming on it, but it handles Colossatron, Clash of clans, Survivalcraft, and other games without any noticeable stuttering. Battery life is good (great by my standard, coming from a galaxy nexus as my other mobile device)... I can go a full day without charging with fairly heavy normal use. Constant gaming seems to drain it much faster than movie streaming. I can play CoC for about 5-6 hours before I start worrying about getting it plugged in.

Hope this helps!

 

[squarecut1]

I'm hoping a newer version of Nexus 7 comes out soon. Been almost a year.

 

[jdoggg12]

I'm hoping a newer version of Nexus 7 comes out soon. Been almost a year.

I was waiting for the new Nexus 10 when I caved and got the 7. The 7 is a lot more popular and will likely going to have a successor, but it's probably at least 6 months out.

 

[Ravynmagi]

My guess is we'll only see one new Nexus tablet this year and it might be around 8 inches. And it could be the last Nexus tablet as well.

 

[squarecut1]

The current Nexus 7 looks very nice display wise and performance wise, but I think the bazel is too big. That is why I am waiting for the next version, whether it is 7 or 8 inch.

 

[jdoggg12]

I think the bazel is too big.

Huh? Top and bottom bezel.... maybe. But on average, it's smaller than most. Besides, unless you only want to touch the very far edges, a much smaller bezel would wind up with a lot of accidental 'button presses'.

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Google-Nexus-7-2013_id8021/rivals

 

[squarecut1]

I was waiting for the new Nexus 10 when I caved and got the 7. The 7 is a lot more popular and will likely going to have a successor, but it's probably at least 6 months out.

It is down in price to 200 from 230. I assume that means the newer version is not far off. Maybe hopefully sooner than 6 months

 

[Ravynmagi]

It is down in price to 200 from 230. I assume that means the newer version is not far off. Maybe hopefully sooner than 6 months

Well they've been doing that $30 off at Staples and other places almost since launch. So I don't think that' really means much.

However the last two Nexus 7 tablets were released in July. So I'm expecting the Nexus 8 in July.