Mid range android tablet suggestions?
polycounter lvl 19
Hey everyone, my employer is dishing out free tablets to the dev team for testing out our daily builds, and i've been pegged with the role of "mid range hardware" tester, so i need some recommendations on a tablet with not the best, but also not the worst specs.
I was thinking a nexus7, but i'm not too sure where that stands, so any suggestions would be great!
I was thinking a nexus7, but i'm not too sure where that stands, so any suggestions would be great!
Replies
For example, you can get a 7 inch Asus Memo pad with a 16gb hard drive for $99, this by the way should be the same company that actually makes the nexus 7 for google.
With the Galaxy Tabs by Samsung you get more access to peripherals and cases, while the Asus tablets, including the nexus seem to be better built. Google specific brands remove the SD Card slot (perhaps to help sell services or try to control what you put on the tablet) so that could be a loss...but if ordering online there is an Asus version (since they make it for google) which does come with the SD card slot.
Having a Samsung Galaxy tab 2 (which I use every day) I couldnt imagine not having an SD card slot... its like having a second hard drive that I can remove and transfer between devices.
Dataday, thanks for the heads up, never thought about the sd card slot. Do you lose out on anything by not having the google branding? I dont want to have to mess around too much on this thing since its just going to be for work
This would be roughly on-par with an iPad 2.
Nope, the only thing google does by marketing their own brand on the asus tablets is remove the sd card slot and push their services and bloat apps to the user.
Android tablets regardless have access to everything google offers, so it wont matter. You can save some money by getting the original asus variant and either order more of them or put it towards packing them with SD cards.
WTF? I wouldn't even buy any non-Nexus device these days due to the slow or non-nature of Android system updates for other brands. Other brands are slow to push out any updates, but quick to abandon a device altogether. With a Nexus device you're guaranteed to have the fastest updates for the longest period.
Also it seems has his "bloat" perceptions mixed around. Nexus devices have the cleanest, most streamlined, pure android experience. I have no idea what he means with "google bloat services", it's all optional and non-intrusive. On top of that, they're way easier to unlock and root than other devices, leaving you open to use a ROM without any google apps (though honestly, you're missing out almost everything that makes Android great in that case)
First off, instead of taking a "wtf" approach, why not offer your opinion or feedback without taking it so personal.
There is no reason for it.
As for the google nexus as opposed to the asus nexus, the Verge is already reporting on numerous quality control issues with the device. No software update can fix problems with the hardware, and for software well, that is something some google nexus users can take up with google.
Mike asked if you lose out not having the google branding. I gave my opinion that no you dont. Getting updates first vs via Google Play store isnt a huge loss or something I would consider you lose out on. Each update isnt the second coming of (insert religious figure), and in fact many users prefer older variations of the Android OS. Additionally, it doesnt mean you will never get the said update. More importantly in my opinion, is the accessibility that comes with having a SD card slot. You are free to disagree on this.
Whether you are getting a Samsung, an Asus or a Google (asus made) tablet, you will get a good tablet compared to the rest of the tablets out there. This isnt which one is worse, but I would argue that price point + sd card slot and reported better build quality makes the Asus the first choice. Again you are free to disagree, but if so lets keep it friendly. There are no sides in this kind of discussion.
Any other answer is wrong.
Using the Nexus gives you the good baseline. If it works on that, and not on another, then you know its something the manufacturer did with the OS or drivers.
Also fwiw, Nexus is very easy to unlock, and doing so allows you to use micro to usb adapters to plug in SD cards.
Personally would stay away from the old Nexus, I ended up just getting my money back after three replacements. They had an issue with the screen flickering with a low wifi signal and the screen brightness set really low.
And if lends any credence to my suggestion, I worked on a bunch of pretty high end tablet games, one of which was used by Google to show off the Nexus on reveal.
fmnoor, its purely for testing so the idea is that each person on the team gets a different level of hardware so we can test on a wider range of devices. By the sounds of things i'll be going for the launch model. I'd like the latest and greatest if it was for personal use but free is free so i can argue with that
Its only like $30 more than the original. I would suggest it because it has the higher pixel density. You can see what fails texture and GUI wise. The lower rez tablets like the original nexus pretty much emulate what a mid range phone offers rez wise.