Tablets Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2019) (experiences/thoughts?)

[sracer]

Hi Sracer, I saw at the beginning of this post topic where you were coming away from Amazon Fire tablet(s). I just picked up the Fire HD8 for about 54 dollars on Prime Day. It's not a bad tablet for the money although I just received it and have only had a couple days with it. Would you mind going over what you liked about them and what you felt was limiting about them. I do have an Amazon Prime account so much of those services come "preloaded" as it were. Thanks!

I have a few threads here on MacRumors where I cover my experiences with Amazon's Fire tablets...

Amazon Fire HD 8 - Tips n Tricks

Amazon Fire HD 10 - Tips n Tricks

Amazon Fire 7 - Tips n Tricks

 

[servenvolley]

I have a few threads here on MacRumors where I cover my experiences with Amazon's Fire tablets...

Amazon Fire HD 8 - Tips n Tricks

Amazon Fire HD 10 - Tips n Tricks

Amazon Fire 7 - Tips n Tricks

Thanks, Sracer.

 

[nickdalzell1]

BTW I own this tablet (It was open box at Best Buy in 2019, $149 for me for a 32GB model) and it's currently got Android 10, so it's no longer locked to Pie.

I keep it as a backup though, given I prefer their older Touchwiz Nature UX interface over the flat boring One UI 2.x. I still use the old Tab 2 10.1 as my main deal, along an equally old Note 10.1 Cellular/Wifi model. Other than my preferences though, the A 10.1 2019 is thin, well designed, I'm guessing an aluminum back, and very iPad-looking. I'm no fan of the way gesture controls are implemented (it doesn't use Android 10's gestures at all) or the UI but to each their own. It performed well during the short time I used it.

 

[mrteethcentury21]

I've looked for one too and haven't found anything anywhere near the traffic of Macrumors. That's why I post my Android-related stuff in this sub-forum. There is more interaction on this sub-forum than on forums dedicated to Android devices (XDA Developer excluded)



FIRST WAVE OF TESTING
Although I've been using the Tab A extensively since buying it, I've only now had the chance to go through some formal testing.

I've been using Amazon Fire tablets so long that I forgot how nice it is to simply turn an Android tablet on and go. Performance in everything I've thrown at it so far has been great. Occasionally a momentary pause on a task but it is so infrequent that when it happens, I'm reminded, "oh yeah, this can sometimes happen".

I was able to easily pair my bluetooth Motorola keyboard w/trackpoint with the Tab A. The connection is strong and the keyboard was responsive. Initially, the trackpoint was a bit jittery, but turning the keyboard off and back on again resolved that. (the calibration was probably incomplete during the initial pairing) Every use after that first time has been without any issue.

View attachment 852825

The mouse pointer is very visible and easy to use.
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Here's a close-up of the keyboard.... It is the same dimensions as the Tab A so stacking them and carrying them works well.
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STREAMING VIDEO

I've been a cord-cutter for a few years and I have a handful of apps that I use to serve my streaming needs.

Mobdro - this works as expected
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EarthCam - I love webcams... EarthCam (both Android app and website) work well too.... here's a live shot of Wildwood, NJ taken a few minutes ago.
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Pluto TV - This is my go-to streaming service when I don't have anything in particular in mind to watch.
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PIP - The Tab A supports picture-in-picture. Here's Pluto TV running in a window....
the window is movable but not sizable, at least I didn't tinker with it long enough to figure out how (if it is).
View attachment 852838

CASE - Here's the ProCase I've settled on. A grey canvas design, thin, light, sturdy. Cutouts are accurate.
View attachment 852839

Next Up: EXPLORING SAMSUNG's ONE UI and ANDROID PIE.

It looks perfect...

 

[sracer]

I hope to be able to take a trip at the end of the year and I plan on traveling very light. I'm leaving my laptops home and will only be taking my phone and Galaxy Tab A 10.1. In preparation for that, I bought a 256GB microSD card (maximum capacity supported by the tablet)... $30.

I loaded it up with a ton of movies, music, ebooks, cbz/cbr magazines, comics, and vintage catalogs... and have 1/2 the space still free. (I may put some game emulators on it) Performance of the card is great. A reminder for me of how much I appreciate the support for removable media.

As I get closer to my trip, I'll post what my gear bag looks like... and when I return, post the good, bad, and ugly of the experience.