the ipad must be the only tablet with 4:3

[desura]

screen ratio.

Curious, no?

16:9 tablets especially are pretty bad in portrait mode, feeling really cramped horizontally.

Why don't more of them make tablets in 4:3?

 

[bearxor]

There are some cheaper brand tablets that have a 4:3 screen, but they're not very desirable.

16:9 screens are most likely cheaper and more readily available. Honestly, I find them awkward to hold if more than 8" in either orientation. I've not had the time to try out a 16:10 tablet yet, but if the HP Omni 10 goes on sale for $300 that may change...

 

[SlitheryDee]

I think it works well in a 7 inch tablet. Usually they're designed to be held horizontally most of the time, so you get to take advantage of the width to display a larger cross section of a page. On larger tablets 16x9 starts to get too long for my tastes though.

 

[openwheel]

16:10 is the best ratio imo

 

[Mopetar]

The only company that really buys 4:3 panels on a regular basis is Apple and they probably buy up most of the capacity for them. On the other hand, if you make 16:9 or 16:10 panels of certain sizes, you'll have an easier time selling them to any number of manufacturers who make Android tablets. For the people buying the panels it also makes it easier to shop around.

Basically if you want 4:3 panels, you either have to wait around for leftovers, compete with Apple for them, or have a custom order that will likely cost more than other panels.

The Android market is already pretty cut-throat so added cost is almost always avoided. I would imagine that most companies are leery of the potential risk of such a device not selling well compared to other tablets in which case they're out a lot of money.

I think Archos recently came out with a low cost 4:3 Android tablet using some of the old iPad display panels before Apple switched to the higher resolution displays. HP has a 8" tablet (Slate Pro) that's 4:3. Beyond those two, I haven't heard of any recent 4:3 Android tablets, but there are usually a few around at any given time.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I like 4:3 and 16:10. And I absolutely hate 16:9.

4:3 is great for web browsing because you can see more of a website at once. And I find quite a few games feel better with this ratio as well.

16:10 is great for watching videos. I also favor it for reading books, especially on a 7 or 8 inch tablet since I can normally easily wrap my hand around these tablets hold them comfortably in one hand.

16:9... WTF? I don't get why Windows decided to make these the goto size for most tablets or even laptops and monitors for that matter. But it's especially cruel on tablets because portrait mode feels so freaking cramped in one direction and too tall in the other. Thank goodness at least the 8 inch tablets (and at least one 10 inch) has bucked the trend and uses 16:10.

 

[sontin]

HP has a 8" 4:3 Android tablet on the market - HP slate 8 pro.

 

[Rdmkr]

There's quite a lot of chinese budget tablets with a +/- 2000x1500 resolution at a 4:3 aspect ratio just like apple uses.

unfortunately most of them don't have strong enough GPUs to render even basic android interface tasks smoothly. but if you're fine with a little lag you can import them for around $200.

the recent Onda model with 2Ghz cortex A9 quad processor and mali 450 GPU looks promising. I have only tried Rockchip rk3188 models myself. this one might actually be passably unlaggy. Rockchip rk3188 with the SDK 2.0 upgrade may also be fast enough.

don't even TRY anything with a processor worse than rockchip rk3188.

There is also a 2.0 Ghz cortex A15 model named Freelander PD800HD (make sure it has HD; there is a non-HD version with a laggier rockchip) that I think would run quite well. It has the same exynos duo internals as the Nexus 10. I'm just not sure it's still being sold.

 

[Imaginer]

The advantage of 16:9, is shown when I snap two or three things side by side of either Modern apps mixed with the desktop, or being able to put a window side by side with a major program's window I am working in. Things can fit a bit better without each fitted application feeling cramped if placed side by side.

It has it's uses... I wouldn't discount the aspect ratio completely.

If there is a thumb keyboard (even more so that there is the split thumb keyboard with keypad in the middle of the Surface Pro), then any aspect ratio is not going to matter for me. I am fine in using landscape 16:9, but one does have to one thumb stretch to the middle of the screen, by extending the reach with foredigits of the fingers around the bezel at the edge of the device (unless you pan the contents within your reach).

 

[Imaginer]

But mainly, the reason why there is such a proliferation, is due to the media setting that standard in movies, and every TV manufacturer followed along (and subsequently, LCD manufacturers).

I remember there being many 16:10 monitors, but now they are a rarity.

 

[sequoia464]

I like 4:3 and 16:10. And I absolutely hate 16:9.

Pretty much agree with this, returned a couple of 16:9 tablets.

Not that it is relevant anymore, but isn't the HP touchpad 4:3?

 

[bearxor]

Yes, it is. I have a friend who uses it a lot and it's basically falling apart at this point. He's been reluctant to upgrade because all the other decent Android tablets are 16:9 and he loathes the form factor.

He's starting to realize he's not going to have a choice in the matter though and is looking at Win 8 tabs.

 

[TerryMathews]

9" android tablets are mostly 3:2 ratio which feels a lot like 4:3 in your hands.

Nook HD+, for instance.

 

[Rdmkr]

the recent Onda model with 2Ghz cortex A9 quad processor and mali 450 GPU looks promising. I have only tried Rockchip rk3188 models myself. this one might actually be passably unlaggy. Rockchip rk3188 with the SDK 2.0 upgrade may also be fast enough.

Onda V975M is on sale at pandawill on Monday during Happy Hour. $183 for first 5 buyers, then $193. I've never managed to be among the first five, so you should probably expect to get the second price if you try.

Link to tablet: http://www.pandawill.com/onda-v975m...oid-43-retina-2gb-ram-16gb-silver-p85263.html

Link to Happy Hour: http://www.pandawill.com/happy-hour/?current=Monday

(it still displays last week's deal as I post this link; should get refreshed soon)

 

[s44]

He's been reluctant to upgrade because all the other decent Android tablets are 16:9

I don't know why people keep repeating this misconception.

Android tablets are 16:10. Every major device since Honeycomb has kept to that ratio. Low-res (Galaxy Tab) is 1280*800, midrange (Nexus 7, G Pad, MemoPad FHD) is 1920*1200, and high-res (Nexus 10, Note/Tab Pro) is 2560*1600.

It's W8 that clings horribly to 16:9.

Your friend should get the TabPro 10...

 

[bearxor]

No, you're right they are all pretty much 16:10 now.

I should have clarified that he dislikes both aspect ratios.

 

[Red Storm]

4:3 is annoying for videos.

 

[bearxor]

4:3 is annoying for videos.

Agreed, but I find it much more comfortable to hold. When I watch a video, I'm almost always holding my tablet. Those times that I set it up somewhere to play a video, it's almost always because I'm not really watching and it's just background noise.

So, in my list of priorities, comfortable to hold trumps almost everything, even functionality. That's why, even though I loved it a lot, I returned the Surface Pro 2 to go back to an iPad. Functionally, it's so superior to the iPad that it shouldn't even have been a contest. But it was too thick/too heavy/too awkward. If Microsoft can eliminate two of those things with the Surface Pro 3 (too thick/too heavy) I'd be more than willing to put up with 'too awkward' especially with the integrated kickstand.

But everyone has a different list of what's important to them, so it's great that we have all these choices to begin with.

 

[quikah]

4:3 is annoying for videos.

It wouldn't be that bad, but Apple insists on forcing portrait mode by putting both speakers under the home button.

 

[zerocool84]

Obviously 4:3 is great for reading and websites but sucks for any media. I like 16:10 and dislike 16:9 as its too wide.

 

[bearxor]

It wouldn't be that bad, but Apple insists on forcing portrait mode by putting both speakers under the home button.

I don't see why that would force portrait mode.

 

[quikah]

I don't see why that would force portrait mode.

If you want stereo sound it does.

 

[SlitheryDee]

If you want stereo sound it does.

The speaker quality on all tablets is so bad that quibbling about proper stereo reproduction seems pointless to me. I always count myself lucky if I can make out anything clearly over ambient noise when using the built-in speakers on my ipad or nexus 7. When I'm going for good sound I use headphones or earbuds.

 

[Raduque]

4:3 is a terrible aspect ratio for everything. Books and magazines are both taller than they are wide so 16:10/9 is better for that in portrait and videos are almost universally widescreen so naturally 16:10/9 is better for that in landscape.

I would never consider an almost-square tablet for the same reason I wouldn't consider an almost-square TV: It's not suitable for any of my content.

 

[bearxor]

If you want stereo sound it does.

Yeah, I suppose I just don't care. Not trying to recreate a home theater experience when I put my iPad on my desk and watch netflix. I'm just looking for something to drown out the sound of the guys keyboard next to me. Even then I usually wear one side of an earbud so it doesn't really matter.

And when laying in bed at night watching something, it's more about the convenience than it is the experience.

4:3 is a terrible aspect ratio for everything. Books and magazines are both taller than they are wide so 16:10/9 is better for that in portrait and videos are almost universally widescreen so naturally 16:10/9 is better for that in landscape.

I would never consider an almost-square tablet for the same reason I wouldn't consider an almost-square TV: It's not suitable for any of my content.

It's not really about "what's better for the content" for me than it is "what's more comfortable to hold in my hand". I don't mind 16:9/10 if it's 8" or less. Over that and I just think it's starts to get awkward. That's why I'm still considering a Venue 8 Pro to replace my iPad 4.