Recommendations for a fast Android Tablet

ShokWaveRider

ShokWaveRider

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DW wants to get rid of her iPad and move to Android. It is our only iOS device and I cannot wait to dump it.

10" - 12" Samsung's S6 and S7 are ~$500. (64gb- 128gb) That seems pretty OTT for us.

Amazon Fire Tablets are too limited. We do not want to be locked into an ecosystem. (Hence our aversion to iOS)

Is there a FAST Android Tablet that costs around ~$300 or so. I looked at the Lenovo M10 but it is 3 times slower than the S7 and has a way inferior screen.

I am not a Tablet expert so any advice would be appreciated.
 
You might want to check out this article for some recommendations. https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-android-tablets

I have an old Samsung Galaxy Tab that I need to upgrade due to major battery issues. Samsung makes really good tablets, but I have been disappointed in their limited support for Android OS upgrades and their (IMHO) poor battery performance. I definitely will be looking at other vendors, especially considering that Samsung seems to be the "premium/luxury" brand in the Android world.
 
ShokWaveRider said:
Is there a FAST Android Tablet that costs around ~$300 or so. I looked at the Lenovo M10 but it is 3 times slower than the S7 and has a way inferior screen.
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In addition to my comments above, I would remind you of that old, time-tested adage: good, fast, cheap... pick any two.

You probably won't find a cheap, fast Android tablet that also has a large, high-quality screen. If you don't want to spend over $300, you will have to live with a device that is lacking in one area.
 
ShokWaveRider said:
DW wants to get rid of her iPad and move to Android. It is our only iOS device and I cannot wait to dump it.

10" - 12" Samsung's S6 and S7 are ~$500. (64gb- 128gb) That seems pretty OTT for us.

Amazon Fire Tablets are too limited. We do not want to be locked into an ecosystem. (Hence our aversion to iOS)

Is there a FAST Android Tablet that costs around ~$300 or so. I looked at the Lenovo M10 but it is 3 times slower than the S7 and has a way inferior screen.

I am not a Tablet expert so any advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you consider FAST, but I just bought a Dragon Touch MAX 10 Android tablet and have been very happy with it. I upgraded from an 8 year old Kindle Fire so it's a major improvement for me. The wide gamut quantum dot display looks really nice.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R7K9F5X

I also got the "Fintie" case for it. I originally purchased the TabSuit case that was recommended, but found it covered the edges of the screen too much. The Fintie is softer to the touch and seems to work better.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071J84WZ1

I generally only use the tablet to read books or news, maybe look stuff on the web, or watch a movie that I've downloaded to the tablet (during a power outage for instance). The built-in speakers don't have the greatest sound, but you could probably pair a good blue-tooth speaker if that was important.

I don't play games or attempt any serious productivity work on the tablet, so I can't comment whether the Dragon Touch Max 10 would be good enough for that.
 
I seem to agree the Samsung Galaxy Tab s6 Lite appears to be the best value for our requirements. DW's iPad air could be heading for file 13, well that or Betty Griffin.

Maybe a Black Friday sale perhaps.
 
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I have a 2016 Samsung Galaxy Tab A that I'm pretty happy with. Costco is offering the current model (A7) for $260.

The A7 at Costco runs Andriod Q which is Android 10.
 
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I have the costco A7. When it's on sale it's $200, and may well hit that again later this month. It's certainly faster enough for me.
 
Whatever tablet you look at be sure to check which version of Android you are getting with it. Android 12 was just released for phones. I would be leery of buying any tablet that comes with Android 10 (came out over 2 years ago) because tablets typically only allow one upgrade to the OS.

Can you buy a tablet with Android 11? If not, basically any Android tablet you buy today is already obsolete.

It's a shame that manufacturers don't support Android tablets the same way they do phones.
 
Walmart has a refurbished The Samsung Galaxy Tab s6 Lite for $249!

All new android Tablets Run Pie (9), different from phones.
 
ShokWaveRider said:
Walmart has a refurbished The Samsung Galaxy Tab s6 Lite for $249!

All new android Tablets Run Pie (9), different from phones.
Click to expand...

If a tablet runs Android 9, by definition it can't be fast. The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite runs Android 10.
 
I'm very much interested in this thread because I want to replace my ancient Nexus 7 (2013.) It's become very slow, though oddly it performs adequately after a full battery charge and a cache partition wipe.

Last spring I discovered the TCL Tab 10s. It looked pretty good to me but I never pulled the trigger because I couldn't find out where to buy it. Advertised for $299.

I see the TCL Tab 10S compares almost identically to the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. Still can't find where to buy it.

So now I'm considering a iPad. It would be my only Apple product.

There have been rumors that Google is developing a Pixel tablet. I would very much be interested in that.
 
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ShokWaveRider said:
...

Amazon Fire Tablets are too limited. We do not want to be locked into an ecosystem. (Hence our aversion to iOS)

...

I am not a Tablet expert so any advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
I bought the 2021 model of the fire HD 10 for my wife and installed the Google play store with no problems https://www.howtogeek.com/232726/how-to-install-the-google-play-store-on-your-amazon-fire-tablet/ - she's downloaded numerous apps from the play store and all run with no issues. Currently available for $100 from Amazon. It has an octa-core processor, 3 GB ram and is quite speedy
 
Recently, I got a replacement phone. Well, actually a phablet (too big for a phone but too small for a tablet). This serves me well and I really don't need a tablet (as far as I can tell).
 
So far I think the Samsung Galaxy Tab Lite 64gb will fit the bill. Remember it is DW's surfing, Pintrest, Youtube, FB, Email etc, machine. Currently she is using an iPad Air (0 Generation, so I suppose it is a Gen 1). She uses a plug in headset to listen to her craft videos and I noticed that a lot of new devices do not have a socket for one. It is as slow a Molasses, but does suit her needs although she does complain on occasion. I personally find it unusable. She tells me to wait till the battery pegs out, which does not look as if that is going to be soon. I am torn.

I was hoping for a sale but with the current supply chain issues, it maybe wishful thinking.
 
ShokWaveRider said:
So far I think the Samsung Galaxy Tab Lite 64gb will fit the bill. Remember it is DW's surfing, Pintrest, Youtube, FB, Email etc, machine. Currently she is using an iPad Air (0 Generation, so I suppose it is a Gen 1). She uses a plug in headset to listen to her craft videos and I noticed that a lot of new devices do not have a socket for one. It is as slow a Molasses, but does suit her needs although she does complain on occasion. I personally find it unusable. She tells me to wait till the battery pegs out, which does not look as if that is going to be soon. I am torn.

I was hoping for a sale but with the current supply chain issues, it maybe wishful thinking.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a Christmas gift idea. Black Friday is coming up in three weeks. Might be on sale then.
 
Qs Laptop said:
Whatever tablet you look at be sure to check which version of Android you are getting with it. Android 12 was just released for phones. I would be leery of buying any tablet that comes with Android 10 (came out over 2 years ago) because tablets typically only allow one upgrade to the OS.
Click to expand...

Really? Is that true for all tablet manufacturers, or just Samsung? I know I was very disappointed that my Samsung tablet (circa 2014) didn't allow more than one or two OS upgrades, but I thought (assumed?) it was just a "Samsung thing".

Qs Laptop said:
It's a shame that manufacturers don't support Android tablets the same way they do phones.
Click to expand...

IMHO, it's worse than just a shame. I'm going to look into this very carefully before purchasing a new Android tablet. Thanks for the heads up.
 
I think it varies by manufacturer. Our iPad Pros started out with version 9 of the OS and are now running 15 with no end in sight yet.
 
ejman said:
I bought the 2021 model of the fire HD 10 for my wife and installed the Google play store with no problems https://www.howtogeek.com/232726/how-to-install-the-google-play-store-on-your-amazon-fire-tablet/ - she's downloaded numerous apps from the play store and all run with no issues. Currently available for $100 from Amazon. It has an octa-core processor, 3 GB ram and is quite speedy
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That's interesting. I have the previous year's version of the same tablet (which I thought had basically the same internals) and find it a bit slow and clunky - similar to the Galaxy Tab A that it replaced. The nice things about the Fire HD are the screen and the price. As a media viewing tablet it's tough to beat until you start spending 2-3 times as much. But opening and running multiple apps can be pretty laggy. If I find a decent deal on one of the S-series Galaxy Tab's I'd be tempted to upgrade.
 
FWIW, I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, and it's by far the best tablet I've ever owned, accompanied with the keyboard for same. I use it literally every day at home and it's excellent for travel, so I think I'm getting my money's worth despite paying more than the OP wants to spend. I think the idea of getting the S6 Lite might be a good one.

In terms of operating system upgrades, my recollection is that Samsung now leads even Google in how many years of OS updates they offer. Is this just for phones? I had assumed it was for tablets too. I just checked and my S7 is running Android 11, One UI version 3.1, last security update was in September. My Samsung phone --- a Galaxy S21 --- is also running Android 11 and One UI version 3.1, last security update was last month (October). So pretty much the same at this point anyway.


A minor thing that I like about having two Samsung devices is that when traveling I can take photos with my phone and then very easily transfer them to the tablet for easier viewing. Or just transferring any files to/from tablet or my wife's phone.

Indeed these devices have no dedicated wired audio output; you use the USB-C power slot with a little dongle for a wired headphone or speaker or whatever. For travel, I bought a little unit that plugs into the USB-C power slot and allows me to plug in both a power cord and a wired headphone, though I have since found wireless headphones that I like better.


I guess the main thing that I notice about this tablet is all of the things that I DON'T notice --- I've owned several tablets over the years and each and every one has been somewhere on a "this is annoying" spectrum for various reasons. I just don't get that with current higher end Samsung devices.


I periodically get tempted to look into newer products by competitors --- such as the latest Pixel phones. But I expect I'll stick with Samsung going forward so long as they keep producing products that don't bug me (and I'm a guy that's pretty easy to 'bug' with techno and other failures ... just ask my wife :)).
 
Sojourner said:
Really? Is that true for all tablet manufacturers, or just Samsung? I know I was very disappointed that my Samsung tablet (circa 2014) didn't allow more than one or two OS upgrades, but I thought (assumed?) it was just a "Samsung thing".
Click to expand...

It's been one or two OS upgrades (usually only one) for Android tablets for years. As far as a "Samsung thing", what other Android tablet manufacturers are there besides Samsung, Lenovo, and Amazon Fire?


IMHO, it's worse than just a shame. I'm going to look into this very carefully before purchasing a new Android tablet. Thanks for the heads up.
Click to expand...

I just looked this up and Samsung S6 and S7 are supposed to get Android 12 at some point. I wonder though--Samsung's new policy is three YEARS of OS upgrades, not THREE OS upgrades. The Galaxy S6 Tab came out in August 2019; the Galaxy S6 Tab Lite came out in May 2020; the Galaxy S7 Tab came out in August 2020.

It seems to me that the Galaxy S6 Tab Lite and S7 series would get OS upgrades through summer of 2023 if they hold to the three year rule. So if Android 13 comes out before summer of 2013 these devices should get it. However the Galaxy S6 Tab likely will end with Android 12.
 
I might add to my last post that I also now have a samsung watch. I used to used Fitbits, but the battery always died sooner than I thought reasonable. I got a Garmin fitness watch and the strap broke and I just could NOT buy a replacement (!). The Samsung watch has two big drawbacks --- it's bigger than I had wanted, and the battery life is crap, but otherwise I like it a lot. I've become accustomed to the size and to charging it literally every day.



My point in saying this is that for me I guess I'm falling into a sort of mini Samsung ecosystem with these now three devices. Well, I have a Samsung TV too, but don't see any synergies there, or at least none that interest me. The synergies overall aren't large, but I speculate that part of the reason I'm not so bugged by these devices is that they do seem to play together well, and have no artificial limits (such as the Amazon branded tablets).
 
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