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lyceumHQ

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Aug 4, 2010
1,518
698
Okay I’m looking for recommendations for an android tablet. 10” screen minimum.

I admit I’m an Apple fan. I have had iPhones for ten years. I’ve had iPads since the original. My second phone is a Mi A1.

Few years ago I bought a Samsung Tab A 10.1. It had a WiFi issue where it would have a full signal but no connection. You’d have to then wait for it to fix itself or clear the cache. Samsung knew about this. They claimed it was a software issue but they didn’t know if they’d release a fix. So after a frustrating four months I binned it and bought a 2017 iPad which has worked perfectly since.

But the tablets main use is a media device. Kodi needs to be sidloaded or you need to be jailbroken on the iPad and it’s an annoyance. With Android that’s not needed.

So I’m looking for recommendations.

I’m not after anything amazing etc but would like the following

10” screen, bigger is fine.
Oreo (regular updates would be a bonus)
Nice screen
Not Samsung

Thanks
 

SteveJUAE

macrumors 601
Aug 14, 2015
4,426
4,632
Land of Smiles
Why just Android at similar price point etc you can have a W10 2 in 1 like the MS GO or Acer switch or Samsung Book etc that are far more capable and flexible over any mobile OS

Most of these devices are also capable of running and Android specific software you may like via emulators, so you have all bases covered in addition to the whole range of full OS software :)

Kodi is supported on W10, the GO has best in class KB of any tablet like format with best trackpad and is back lit, some are bundled with Pen and KB others are not but they are a fraction of the price Apple wants for pen and KB for IPP should you want accessories
 
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lyceumHQ

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Aug 4, 2010
1,518
698
Why just Android at similar price point etc you can have a W10 2 in 1 like the MS GO or Acer switch or Samsung Book etc that are far more capable and flexible over any mobile OS

Most of these devices are also capable of running and Android specific software you may like via emulators, so you have all bases covered in addition to the whole range of full OS software :)

Kodi is supported on W10, the GO has best in class KB of any tablet like format with best trackpad and is back lit, some are bundled with Pen and KB others are not but they are a fraction of the price Apple wants for pen and KB for IPP should you want accessories

I'd not thought about a windows tablet to be honest, I'm not against it. But I don't want to have to run an emulator in a windows tablet to run android apps when Android runs them natively, seems counter intuitive.
 

SteveJUAE

macrumors 601
Aug 14, 2015
4,426
4,632
Land of Smiles
I'd not thought about a windows tablet to be honest, I'm not against it. But I don't want to have to run an emulator in a windows tablet to run android apps when Android runs them natively, seems counter intuitive.
I'm not suggesting that :) as generally there will be the equivalent of better full OS apps.

Similar to you I have one app that is only available for Android else all others are W10

Your Kodi has a W10 version so you are ok and no need for an emulators but it's there for the odd thing :) its just nice to have the extra flexibility so you do not have to go and buy an Android device for one or two apps.

Your W10 2 in 1 will do it all, maybe not as fast as your main laptop though :D and a few touch related things may be nicer in Android but given your likely usage this is a wash and all the other bonuses on top of having a full OS is a win win

For typical web, Kindle, Netflix and dailies most of these small W10 2 in 1's are easily 10 hrs endurance

My appols if I miss lead or confused you :)
 
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1BadManVan

macrumors 68040
Dec 20, 2009
3,153
3,288
Bc Canada
Also just throwing it out there, i wouldn’t get hung up on the native app part too much as there are many apps not properly optimized for android tablets. Android tablets in general don’t get very much support through google

I would vote the surface go as well
 

AustinIllini

macrumors G5
Oct 20, 2011
12,683
10,517
Austin, TX
Based on your needs, I would go
1) Windows tablet (Surface makes a ton of sense)
2) Chrome tablet
3) Android tablet

The thing is, neither Chromebooks nor Android tablets have the Application ecosystem. I give a slight edge to the Chrome tablet or Pixelbook type hybrid simply because Google has designated Chrome as their tablet OS.

If you go windows, be sure to try out various sizes. Believe it or not, a TON of the hybrid Windows devices were WAY too big for my taste. If they're too big, hybrids simply do not make tablets.
 

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,292
13,027
where hip is spoken
I recommend the Acer Chromebook Tab 10. This is an iPad 9.7 sized device and unlike the iPad or traditional Android tablets, this Acer has the desktop strength version of the Chrome browser. This means support for extensions and full desktop browsing experience. Web apps feel more like native apps as well. It also has near-full support for USB peripherals (if that is an important distinction)

Android app support is much better now than it has ever been and with the release of Chrome OS 70, Chromebook tablets look and feel much more like tablets when used in tablet mode.
 

Mary Hernandez

macrumors newbie
Mar 15, 2019
4
2
My suggestion is Asus ZenPad 3S 10. It has a sharp display with lots of multimedia values. 10 hours of battery life along with Loudspeakers.
 

Dreads

macrumors regular
Feb 17, 2015
120
52
I go out fishing a lot for weekends at a time I been looking at a surface pro but my only issue is charging it back up can you just use a normal power bank to recharge a surface pro or do you have to buy a specific type of portable power bank...
 

Mary Hernandez

macrumors newbie
Mar 15, 2019
4
2
I go out fishing a lot for weekends at a time I been looking at a surface pro but my only issue is charging it back up can you just use a normal power bank to recharge a surface pro or do you have to buy a specific type of portable power bank...
Which Generation are you using??
 
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spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,398
5,257
Surface Pro 6 gets almost two extra hours of battery life when compared to the 2017 model. That is a big achievement considering the battery capacity is unchanged from 2017.

Surface Pro 6 bridged the gap between itself and the ipad by finally catching up in battery life. I love mine.
 
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