Which tablet should I get?

[It's Not Lupus]

I would mostly be using it for web browsing and playing videos on the device (Netflix, Plex). I'm not heavily invested in either Android's or Apple's ecosystems.

Nexus 7 has a great price and stock Android. Nexus 10's shape is too ugly for me to hold and look at.

iPad 4 is the latest with Retina display and has premium feel to it. Current iPad Mini isn't worth the price for its specs.

iPad 2 4th revision is considered just for its incredibly long battery life. (I missed a great deal on this for $280 at Best Buy.)

I'm not familiar if any of the devices can output to an HDTV via HDMI. That would be great but not a requirement.

 

[IamDavid]

Samsung Ativ. It's a windows 8 device. Love mine, use it for everything. It's a full windows device.

 

[Bateluer]

I wouldn't buy an iPad 2, simply because of the age of the platform. It was a great tablet in its day, but its ancient now.

For video, I think the weak speaker on the Nexus 7 may be a major turn off for you though. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and 10.1 have much better sound than the N7, but the plastic build feels extremely cheap. The Note 10.1 is usually stated to be mushy in reviews, Android Police really ripped them for it in their review. I've a Note 8 myself, and while not mushy, the plastic back is very slick, and once sweat and oil from one's fingers gets on it, you can actually feel 'crud' on it. Its kinda gross. Easy to wipe off, but still gross.

Samsung Ativ. It's a windows 8 device. Love mine, use it for everything. It's a full windows device.

Stop me if I'm wrong here, but didn't Samsung decline to ship the Ativ in the US because Windows 8 had no demand? Or was that a different Ativ model?

Either way, Windows RT is a zombie platform, and Windows 8 doesn't look to rosy either.

 

[s44]

Should have grabbed the Nook HD+ on sale...

 

[poofyhairguy]

Put the money in a jar. First day the iPad mini 2 launches buy that.

 

[Aganazer]

Samsung Ativ. It's a windows 8 device. Love mine, use it for everything. It's a full windows device.

This.

Love my Ativ. I prefer it over my iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 2. Some of the reasons I prefer it are:

-Multiple logins. Its like having two different devices when my wife or I log on to it. Each fully customized to our own accounts and preferences.

-Metro IE. After getting used to it its now painful to use the internet on any other tablet.

-Its fast and fluid like my iPad, but customizable and personalized like my Android tablet. Best of both worlds IMO.

Stop me if I'm wrong here, but didn't Samsung decline to ship the Ativ in the US because Windows 8 had no demand? Or was that a different Ativ model?

Either way, Windows RT is a zombie platform, and Windows 8 doesn't look to rosy either.

The Ativ is not WinRT. Win 8 only has a bad reputation on mouse driven desktop systems. Its really good on touch tablets.

 

[Oyeve]

Put the money in a jar. First day the iPad mini 2 launches buy that.

This.

 

[boomhower]

I'm an iOS fanboy but for the uses given I'd vote none of the above. The 4:3 aspect of the iPad makes it not the best choice for video. And I'd want a larger screen than the Nexus 7 offers.

Whatever you do skip the iPad 2, it's simply to old at this point to invest $400 into.

 

[Ravynmagi]

It's a tough call between the iPad 4 and the Nexus 7.

I love the iPad 4. Everything is so fast and smooth. The apps are great. I like the 4:3 ratio for web browsing. Display and the speaker is awesome.

The Nexus 7 is a great value for $200. It's pretty fast with most apps, though Chrome still seems a bit slow. Saving $300 does come at a price, the color quality isn't as good and the speaker really sucks.


As for the Samsung Ativ. I had one, I ended up returning it. The drivers were flaky and immature. And while the 11.6 inch screen made for a nice netbook experience, the size and weight made it a rather large and awkward tablet.

There is an 8 inch Windows 8 tablet from Acer possibly coming very soon. I am thinking of giving that a try.

 

[AnMig]

I have the nexus 7, nexus 10 wife has the iPad 2.

Size should play a part on your decision. Out of the house, use while standing nexus 7 all the way.

I am more of an android due to the freedom and ease of getting stuff in the device. Drag and drop and your done. Copy stuff from network folder or stream videos all day on android devices.

IPad are locked down devices and getting media in is a chore (at least for me)

PEACE

 

[Bateluer]

There is an 8 inch Windows 8 tablet from Acer possibly coming very soon. I am thinking of giving that a try.

I wish more manufacturers would make ~8in devices. Its the perfect size, IMO.

OP might want to consider the Fire HD 8.9 too or the Nook HD+. Solid devices, though pretty locked down by Android tablet standards. And heavily, heavily skinned.

 

[s44]

I don't know why people are skipping the OP's actual requirements and recommending the usual N7/iPad.

iPad is both overkill and poor form factor for what he's doing (video streaming). N7 is just too small/low res/crappy-speakered.

Even at its non-sale price the Nook HD+ is a better option than either.

OP might want to consider the Fire HD 8.9 too or the Nook HD+. Solid devices, though pretty locked down by Android tablet standards. And heavily, heavily skinned.

HD+ isn't locked down at all any more! And you can de-skin just by installing Nova.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I don't know why people are skipping the OP's actual requirements and recommending the usual N7/iPad.

iPad is both overkill and poor form factor for what he's doing (video streaming). N7 is just too small/low res/crappy-speakered.

Even at its non-sale price the Nook HD+ is a better option than either.

HD+ isn't locked down at all any more! And you can de-skin just by installing Nova.

Well... if you look at the poll options it might provide clues as to why the Nexus 7 and iPads are being mentioned.

 

[sequoia464]

There is an 8 inch Windows 8 tablet from Acer possibly coming very soon. I am thinking of giving that a try.

That looks like an interesting tablet, one caveat though is that it looks like it will launch with a 32 GB drive.

I got a killer deal on an HP Elitepad but the deal was just on the 32 gb drive - not nearly enough space even with using a 64 GB micro SD.

I have nothing on my drive other than drivers and windows updates and I'm down to 9.8 GB's left - With the way than Win SXS grows I'll probably loose 5-6 gb there, don't even have enough left to have office and outlook files on the EMMC.

I returned a couple of W8 tabletes (Asus and a HP X2) - really like the elitepad though (16x10 instead of 16x9) and HP is on top of driver updates for this tablet, just wish I had thought the 32 GB drive option through.

 

[sequoia464]

HD+ isn't locked down at all any more! And you can de-skin just by installing Nova.

I picked up one of these also when they were on sale, running CM10.1 through the SD card but don't really mind the stock nook UI. There are a few apps that I can't run through the stock rom though.

Beautiful screen - the 9" is so much nicer, at least for my tired old eyes, than my 7" unit.

 

[alangrift]

Wait for the Nexus 7 (the new one). I'm sure it will be great, or the new iPad. Or the new Surface Pro, the current one will have all the teething problems of a new system.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

now isnt a great time to get a tablet. most tablets still have old generation cpus in them for some reason and they are much slower than the newer ones like snapdradon 600/800. in particular i would avoid nexus 7, its only clocked at 1 ghz i think and that is ridiculously slow. do you really want a tablet that is much slower than your cell phone?? lte will probably be more widely available on upcoming tablets as well.

 

[alangrift]

now isnt a great time to get a tablet. most tablets still have old generation cpus in them for some reason and they are much slower than the newer ones like snapdradon 600/800. in particular i would avoid nexus 7, its only clocked at 1 ghz i think and that is ridiculously slow. do you really want a tablet that is much slower than your cell phone?? lte will probably be more widely available on upcoming tablets as well.

Well, it isn't bad. I find it perfectly fine for my own usage. It is clocked at that to save battery life.

 

[lopri]

Despite my misgivings towards the Nexus 10 (yah I think it's ugly, too) but at this stage of the game it's the one that I'm considering until the next gen tablets hit. It's the only one with the staying power, hardware-wise.

Even when the next gen stuff hits, I am not sure how many Android tablets will have 2560x1600, esp. @$399.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Well, it isn't bad. I find it perfectly fine for my own usage. It is clocked at that to save battery life.

It isn't bad until you get a S600/A15 phone and then your tablet feels like its a fat man running through a field of Jello when you are web browsing.

Edit: And my Tegra 3 runs at 1.4 Ghz.

 

[lopri]

Xperia Z Tablet is another tablet that has attracted me for quite some time. It doesn't run on the next-gen SoC, but it's got so many good things going for it.

 

[dagamer34]

I wouldn't buy an iPad 2, simply because of the age of the platform. It was a great tablet in its day, but its ancient now.

For video, I think the weak speaker on the Nexus 7 may be a major turn off for you though. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and 10.1 have much better sound than the N7, but the plastic build feels extremely cheap. The Note 10.1 is usually stated to be mushy in reviews, Android Police really ripped them for it in their review. I've a Note 8 myself, and while not mushy, the plastic back is very slick, and once sweat and oil from one's fingers gets on it, you can actually feel 'crud' on it. Its kinda gross. Easy to wipe off, but still gross.



Stop me if I'm wrong here, but didn't Samsung decline to ship the Ativ in the US because Windows 8 had no demand? Or was that a different Ativ model?

Either way, Windows RT is a zombie platform, and Windows 8 doesn't look to rosy either.

They decided not to ship the Ativ Tab (Windows RT). The Ativ Smart PC (Windows 8/Intel Atom) and Ativ Smart PC Pro (Windows 8/Intel Core) are still available.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Xperia Z Tablet is another tablet that has attracted me for quite some time. It doesn't run on the next-gen SoC, but it's got so many good things going for it.

Meh... $500 for a 16GB Android tablet. I'd like to see them do better than that.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

the new tablets that are starting to cum out now are around twice as good as nexus 10:

http://www.slashgear.com/hp-slatebook-x2-tablet-with-tegra-4-hands-on-21282871/

would u really want to be stuck with a $200-500 nexus tablet two months fromn now? you gonna be, like, "dayum dis is da shiz..."

 

[lopri]

the new tablets that are starting to cum out now are around twice as good as nexus 10:

http://www.slashgear.com/hp-slatebook-x2-tablet-with-tegra-4-hands-on-21282871/

That's why I'm puzzled at 1920x1200 of those new tablets when the Nexus 10 runs 2560x1600.