Which Android Tablet to buy

murttheryano

Hi folks,
I'm just new here so I hope I'm posting this in the right place. Can anyone advise on the best android tablets to buy, I want one with a sim card in it so I can surf the web while on the bus or Dart. Many of the tablets don't have a sim card attached but the Motorolla and Asus have. My preference would have been the Samsung but it doesn't have a sim. I really like the Asus, it is nearly half the price of the Motorolla at €300 and you can also buy a keyboard with it which really cool. Has anyone used any of them?

And please don't suggest the Ipad, I'm only interested in Android since I have an android phone already. I see I can do a poll here so I'm going to include a poll, hope that's alright?:)

C-Shore

I suppose it really depends on what you're looking for..

There's always the option of using your phone as a hotspot, so the sgt10.1 isn't really out of the question, although there is the issue of battery drain using your phone; just a side note really.

To actually answer your question, again it's preference.

The transformer and the xoom are quite similar really, same screen, ram and processors. Yeah you have the keyboard on the transformer but without any really good office docs editing it seemed pointless to me, because I would always do that on a laptop, so no need for a keyboard except the added battery life.
The transformer is lighter as well I suppose, but not much in it.

The xoom on the other hand will most likely get software updates that bit quicker than the transformer, so if that's something that you want then the xoom might be worth it on that alone; for me it is anyway.
Particularly with Ice Cream Sandwich coming in October/November; bare in mind though that the launch of ICS could bring a new tablet with ICS, as well as the annual nexus, but you can't keep waiting because innovation waits for nobody
The xoom has a slightly better front camera also, and I kind of prefer the finish on the xoom over the transformer.

My two cents anyway, hopefully it helped.

mickoneill30

murttheryano wrote: »

I'm only interested in Android since I have an android phone already.

If you have a phone already getting a SIM in your tablet isn't top priority. Yes it's handy but you're paying for two SIMs.

I've a Xoom and tether to my phone if I need to.

With the amount I use my tablet I charge it about every 3 - 4 days so I'm not sure if the extra battery life on the Asus would be needed for me. And to get the extra battery you do have to have the keyboard. That's not a plus for me. I'd prefer to charge it more often than have to carry the keyboard. All (I think) androids can have a keyboard using Bluetooth if you really need it.

If I was buying tomorrow I'd probably buy the Samsung 10" or the Xoom.
The HTC is 7" so I wouldn't even bother looking at it.

The major differences for me between those two are

Size. The Samsungs a bit skinnier and lighter. Not hugely important but nice.
Connectivity. I don't think the Samsung has a SD card slot or USB port but I use my Xoom nearly totally wireless anyway.
Charge time. I've read the charge time on the Samsung is slow. The Xoom is quick. I fully charges in about an hour and a half. This is not majorly important if you charge overnight. It's important to me though as I normally forget and get the battery alert when I want to use the tablet. Being able to plug in for 10 mins to get another hour of battery is handy.
Price - For the WiFi models the 32Gb Xoom is €469 in Currys and the 16Gb Tab is €479.
Camera - I presume the cameras on both models are different. I don't care. I've used the camera for about 5 minutes and then never used it again. For video calls I don't care if it's 2Mb or 10Mb.

Actually before I typed all that I would have considered the two tablets. Now that I've typed it I'm just going to vote Motorola. The Samsung is a nicer size but that's not enough for me.

Carlos Orange

C-Shore wrote: »

The xoom on the other hand will most likely get software updates that bit quicker than the transformer, so if that's something that you want then the xoom might be worth it on that alone; for me it is anyway.
Particularly with Ice Cream Sandwich coming in October/November; bare in mind though that the launch of ICS could bring a new tablet with ICS, as well as the annual nexus, but you can't keep waiting because innovation waits for nobody

Non US Xooms actually get updated very poorly by Motorola. The Transformer has a much better record. If you root the Xoom and install the US rom you get great updates but not everyone wants to do that.

Blazer

Has to be the Asus Transformer or the galaxy tab.
The Xoom is still too expensive compared to the rest though I do love it..

mickoneill30

Sc@recrow wrote: »

Has to be the Asus Transformer or the galaxy tab.
The Xoom is still too expensive compared to the rest though I do love it..

The 32Gb WiFi Xoom is £346 in Amazon or €469 in Currys in Ireland.
The RRP is a lot pricier (and it was pricier when I bought mine )

voxpop

Sc@recrow wrote: »

Has to be the Asus Transformer or the galaxy tab.
The Xoom is still too expensive compared to the rest though I do love it..

Agree with this - Asus is 419 in PC world, samsung galaxy tab is 479. The samsung is supposed to have a nicer screen, lighter but has no expansion slots. Asus has expansion slots and keyboard if needed.

There is rumoured to be an asus transformer 2 in the coming months - so might not be the one to buy just yet (unless you can pick it up second hand)

conolan

Wait for Amazon....

Tom Dunne

murttheryano wrote: »

Can anyone advise on the best android tablets to buy, I want one with a sim card in it so I can surf the web while on the bus or Dart.

From my experience, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" model is ideal for traveling - small enough to fit into a pocket (barely), but big enough screen to be useful while on the move and plenty of space for games/videos/etc.

However, it runs Android 2.2, which is now a bit dated and I don't think it can be upgraded to a newer version.

elderlemon

I don't think so. Looks like the amazon tablets will be very locked down - basically just front ends devices for buying amazon stuff. I read they won't even have Google apps or the Android market on them!

No thanks

conolan wrote: »

Wait for Amazon....

C-Shore

elderlemon wrote: »

I don't think so. Looks like the amazon tablets will be very locked down - basically just front ends devices for buying amazon stuff. I read they won't even have Google apps or the Android market on them!

No thanks

Yeah, very disappointed when I read that, although I should have expected it.

I think it will have the amazon app store, but that's not available outside the US though is it? I think there is a workaround that you can get the free apps, but no paid apps as far as I know..

Rumour has it it's only 1ghz processor and 6gb memory? So unless it has an sd slot, it's very limited.
All in all, I don't see much benefit in it when there is already a kindle app.
Even at such a low price, by the time anyone figures out any customizations on it, other tablets already released with the same if not better hardware will be just as cheap.

Stick with samsung or motorola I reckon

conolan

Amazon would not be so foolish as to lock out stuff that people want. And with rumoured $250 price it will be very disruptive. It won't damage Apple but will hammer Samsung, Sony etc. By next year there will essentially be a 2 horse race. Apple and Amazon with 80% of the tablet market. My humble etc.

C-Shore

conolan wrote: »

Amazon would not be so foolish as to lock out stuff that people want. And with rumoured $250 price it will be very disruptive. It won't damage Apple but will hammer Samsung, Sony etc. By next year there will essentially be a 2 horse race. Apple and Amazon with 80% of the tablet market. My humble etc.

I know we can only take his word for it; but have you not read this?

From what he says, it's not exactly the same market as the iPad or Android.

It's intended for amazon services, not a media/communication device. So using it for media/communication, for the mass market consumer (people who can't root (if that's even possible on this)) would be a pain in the neck with all the customisations.

Sure, it will sell a bundle for people who want e-readers, but I don't think it's fair to put it in the same market as an iPad.

If people want a cheap android tablet, there are far better ones out there where the kindle app can be installed along with amazon cloud player.

I really just think it's apples and oranges.