iOS to Android - Which Tablet?

BeanFlicker

Hi All,

Right I need opinions and recommendations please

I have an android phone (Xperia S - stock rom) and absolutely love it.

I was never a fan of apple and have got bored with its limitations and customisation, and the same drivel every new product.

It's time to switch to Android tablet, but I don't know which.

Tablet must be 10+ inch, i'm thinking the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab 2 is probably my best bet. Whats people opinions on them?

Any other recommendations?

Price isn't much of an issue as I would put the extra cash to whatever I sold my iPad 2 for.

Question is what tho?

Cheers in advance

biko

Have a look at side-by-side comparisons on youtube of Xoom, Galaxy and Transformer.

Atomic Pineapple

Wait to see what Google announce next Monday, they may release a Nexus 10 tablet.

Stayfrosty2

I've a xoom myself.
It's pretty class, had it for nearly a year now.
If I was to buy a new one I'd take serious look at what kind of ui is in use.

Samsung ones are a bit different with their own ui which I don't like as much.
Best thing would be to head to pc world or the like and spend a bit of time messing around with whatever they have and see what you like.

Other than that everything has the same basic functionality
I'd just keep an eye out for what version of android its running and if it will be upgraded at all.
That and external storage, most take 32gb micro sd but I've seen some limited at 16gb which is a bitch.

I'd probably wait till after Christmas sales too and get one cheaper!

BeanFlicker

Went it to Dixons to play with the Galaxy note 10.1, seriously impressive, €100 more than the Tab 2. Samsung offering 50e back when purchased on both.

Difference being the note has a quad-Core 1.4 GHz processor with 2GB of RAM VS the Tab 2 Dual-core 1 GHz processor with 1GB of RAM.

@biko - they didn't have the Transformer working today but the guy in there will have it up and running tomorrow so will give it a go then

@stayfrosty - wouldn't have the patient to wait till after Christmas, too impulsive.!


Would it be worth the extra money be worth going for the note 10.1 @ €479?

biebiebie

draffodx wrote: »

Wait to see what Google announce next Monday, they may release a Nexus 10 tablet.

+1. Said to have a screen resolution better than even the ipad retina display.

Unless of course you see the Note having functionality you need with the stylus.

BeanFlicker

biebiebie wrote: »

+1. Said to have a screen resolution better than even the ipad retina display.

Unless of course you see the Note having functionality you need with the stylus.

Not really, wouldn't have to much use for the stylus but a nice option to have, added with the split screen functionality. Its more speed and battery life.

Is there any indication when the nexus 10+ may be released on the market?

Hoping to get a new tablet soon and was very impressed with the note, gonna check out the asus transformer tomorrow.

Cheers for the comments

biebiebie

We'll hopefully find out next Monday about availability. Should be this side of Christmas I'd imagine so as to capture holiday/Christmas buys.

I'd expect strong demand and initial short supply, so get your order in quickly once they go on sale!

Pop'n'Fresh

Also something to keep in mind is that the Asus Transformers a store will have on display will most likely be the TF300 and/or the TF201 (Prime). These are not the latest iterations of the transformer line which is only available online in Ireland (TF700 - Infinity). Users of the Prime have also noted poor Wifi and non existent GPS signal - If you end up buying this make sure you get a good discount from the store and get the free dongle from Asus!

I am super interested to see what Google announce on Monday. Rumours of a Samsung Nexus 10" tab appear to be all but confirmed. Samsung built tablet without their awful touchwiz sounds very promising. My advice would be to definitely hold off until Monday!

BeanFlicker

No joy with the Asus today, still none on display. Cheers for the heads up Pop'n'Fresh re the transformer problems.

I messed around with the Nexus 7 and wasn't overly taking by it, am I missing something??

Played again with the note 10.1, really liking it, the split screen is a really nice addition, I know reviews are saying the screen isn't excellent etc, seems perfect to me anyway, couldn't fault it

Will try and hold out till Monday anyway and try get a go of the Asus and see what the new samsung nexus 10" has to offer

Ste-

BeanFlicker wrote: »

No joy with the Asus today, still none on display. Cheers for the heads up Pop'n'Fresh re the transformer problems.

I messed around with the Nexus 7 and wasn't overly taking by it, am I missing something??

Played again with the note 10.1, really liking it, the split screen is a really nice addition, I know reviews are saying the screen isn't excellent etc, seems perfect to me anyway, couldn't fault it

Will try and hold out till Monday anyway and try get a go of the Asus and see what the new samsung nexus 10" has to offer

HMV have the transformer on display too.
Well the Henry St one does.

BeanFlicker

Ste- wrote: »

HMV have the transformer on display too.
Well the Henry St one does.

Sound, will check it out after work.!

Pop'n'Fresh

Samsung Note 10.1 is a top class tablet - all that it's missing is an HD screen. The full plastic casing can cause some creaking when being picked up/held tightly but in turn the plastic makes it lightweight and ensures no wifi/gps/Bluetooth signal problems. Don’t let the sales pitch of the “splitscreen” functionality win you over too much, it’s available for the handful of Samsung apps developed for the tablet. There are a few floating apps available on the android market for all tablets and a browser called Overskreen which allows for resizing the window, opening multiple windows etc.
I’ve written posts in a couple of threads on this forum recently with a short personal review on a few of the top line android tablets available right now. A quick search should uncover them - I’ve no doubt they will be well out of date by Christmas

BeanFlicker

PopnFresh wrote: »

Samsung Note 10.1 is a top class tablet - all that it's missing is an HD screen. The full plastic casing can cause some creaking when being picked up/held tightly but in turn the plastic makes it lightweight and ensures no wifi/gps/Bluetooth signal problems. Don’t let the sales pitch of the “splitscreen” functionality win you over too much, it’s available for the handful of Samsung apps developed for the tablet. There are a few floating apps available on the android market for all tablets and a browser called Overskreen which allows for resizing the window, opening multiple windows etc.
I’ve written posts in a couple of threads on this forum recently with a short personal review on a few of the top line android tablets available right now. A quick search should uncover them - I’ve no doubt they will be well out of date by Christmas

Thanks again Pop'n'Fresh, yea will check them out later, which did you rate in your top 3? Yea, probably will be well outdated by Christmas, sure the note was out, what, 2-3 months after tab 2.

Had a quick look at that "Overskreen", looks good, cheers.

Still to make my mind up, but what I've seen so far its between Tab 2 or Note, like you say about the apps etc, I'm still not sure which. Tab 2 is €100 less, but in saying that, better battery life and speed etc with the note, does it justify the €100 tho

Bluefoam

Pop'n'Fresh wrote: »

Also something to keep in mind is that the Asus Transformers a store will have on display will most likely be the TF300 and/or the TF201 (Prime). These are not the latest iterations of the transformer line which is only available online in Ireland (TF700 - Infinity). Users of the Prime have also noted poor Wifi and non existent GPS signal - If you end up buying this make sure you get a good discount from the store and get the free dongle from Asus!

I am super interested to see what Google announce on Monday. Rumours of a Samsung Nexus 10" tab appear to be all but confirmed. Samsung built tablet without their awful touchwiz sounds very promising. My advice would be to definitely hold off until Monday!

This is a very miss informed statement. The TF300 is the latest version alongside the TF700, they both run the latest version of android and are aimed at different ends of the market. The differences are screen resolution, processor speed and build materials... both are very capable.

I use the TF 201, which is the previous generation. It runs the latest version of android, and is only separated from the TF700 by a slight speedbump and screen resolution - although the screen is still awesome. The GPS and WiFi issues only effected the older TF201 and not the new models. I haven't experienced any of the WiFi or GPS issues on mine.

Heroditas

Somehow I have ended up with an iPad 3 or whatever they're called. Been using it today and, to be honest, they're not a patch on my Nexus 7. I really don't see what the fuss is about Apple.
I'm very tempted to give this to the wife and go back to my Nexus and wait for the N10 to appear soon ....... which, according to someone I know, is a complete ass kicker!

Pop'n'Fresh

Bluefoam wrote: »

This is a very miss informed statement. The TF300 is the latest version alongside the TF700, they both run the latest version of android and are aimed at different ends of the market. The differences are screen resolution, processor speed and build materials... both are very capable.

I use the TF 201, which is the previous generation. It runs the latest version of android, and is only separated from the TF700 by a slight speedbump and screen resolution - although the screen is still awesome. The GPS and WiFi issues only effected the older TF201 and not the new models. I haven't experienced any of the WiFi or GPS issues on mine.

My post was most definitely NOT misinformed. The latest iteration of the Transformer line is the Transformer Pad Infinity. The TF300, Prime TF201 and Infinity TF700 all run Android Jellybean 4.1.

The TF300 is a budget model tablet with a lower res screen, only capable of 300 nits brightness (which some users claim to be "dim"), lower clocked Tegra 3 processor (1.2Ghz I believe), cheaper plastic casing, heavier and thicker.
It's perfect for an every day user and is a great value tab especially with the keyboard dock.

TF201 Prime model is the old cousin of the TF700 Infinity. It has a complete metal back which restricts Wifi and GPS signal - fact. You may not have as badly effected one as others but they -all- suffer from the poor signal due to bad design on Asus' side.
You can get a free dongle from Asus which will boost your WiFi signal but GPS is a dead donkey.

TF700 is an upgraded prime with a plastic strip at the back tgat houses the WiFi antenna. No more signal problems - hurray! Full HD screen, IPS+ display (600 nits same as Prime TF201) and higher clocked processor.

Some people love their TF300s, some people love their Primes TF201 (though not as many) and some people love their Infinities TF700. I was merely informing a potenial buyer that the tablets they will have in stores in Ireland are NOT the most recent iteration of the transformer line. The TF700 Infinity is -only- available to purchase online in Ireland right now.

Now to get back on topic
Beanflicker:
If you're only looking for a 10" tablet and money was not an issue my top 3 (in no particular order) would be:
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700
Lenovo IdeaTab S2110

I personally don't like Sony tablets but it's worth mentioning the Sony Xperia Tablet S is a decent 9.7" alternative.

If you're finding it hard to choose between a couple of tablets I highly recommend checking out Lisa from mobiletechreview's youtube reviews. Very in depth, informative and non biased opinions.

BeanFlicker

Thanks again Pop'n'Fresh, really appreciate it,

Played with the TF201 is HMV, I know from what you say and amazon etc that is an older model etc, but felt clunky with the keyboard and still in favour of the note

They had the TF300t is Dixons but not a display model and I agree on the Sony Tablets.

Thanks again for the help all

Gonna go to powercity later and see what models they have to mess around with, want to try the TF700 before I choose

Cheers

Pop'n'Fresh

Good luck Beanflicker - Happy Tablet Shopping

As I said earlier I'm 99.99% sure you won't find the TF700 in a store in Ireland so no display models to play with. If you didn't like the TF201 you won't like the TF700 as they're extremely similar.

The Note 10.1 is a great tablet and a fantastic choice. Be sure to check out the xda-developers forum for lots of hints, tips, apps, and of course top class ROMs if you feel like going that far

pickarooney

Do they have the Toshiba AT300 in Irish stores?

Catsmokinpot

BeanFlicker wrote: »

I messed around with the Nexus 7 and wasn't overly taking by it, am I missing something??

Yes loads, using it now to type this message, it's awesome. Same space better processor than iPad, half the price, great res screen can actually safely hold it in one hand. battery life is good too. Loads of apps to tweak it, usb so you can plug whatever you want into it.

Free cloud to upload your music to. Drop box for whatever else you need space for, I can even run torrents on it.

Doesn't replace a pc, but that's not what a tablet's for anyway.

As for screen size, It's much of a muchness. If you really think you need a 10 inch screen then it's not for you but do you really need a screen that big?

BeanFlicker

Cheers for all the suggestions, I ended up with the Tab 2 after all of that :pac:

Forgot about taxing the fecking car so funds got drained but overall very happy with it, thanks again much appreciated..!

BeanFlicker

Update:

Brought back the Tab 2 after 3 days, found it to be very sluggish and unresponsive compared to the iPad. Wasn't too keen on touchwiz either, overall was v.disappointed with it. The speakers on front both sides were a great feature and I liked the look/build of it, but the overall performance was a major let down.

Ended up putting the extra cash towards the TF300T, and am really happy with it so far. The one speaker on the rhs is a bit of a disappointment but sound is still decent enough for youtube, netflix etc,. Didn't think I would use the keyboard as much as I do but its absolutely excellent for email, keyboard shortcuts and boards of course, the additional sd slot and usb port is another plus.

The overall build quality feels very robust, a little bit on the heavy/thick side with keyboard attached but not an issue. Screen quality is perfect imo for my use, and with jellybean its a very smooth and responsive experience.

Overall, well done Asus..!

marlie2005

Ah no .... can't believe I'm hearing this...

I have been watching this tread for everyone,s input as like yourself I'm days away from buying the galaxy tab2 . Had wanted the ASUS but couldn't justify the price..

Last week I was definite on the tab 2..

Now I'm in two minds again ....

marlie2005

Ah no .... can't believe I'm hearing this...

I have been watching this tread for everyone,s input as like yourself I'm days away from buying the galaxy tab2 . Had wanted the ASUS but couldn't justify the price..

Last week I was definite on the tab 2..

Now I'm in two minds again ....:(

BeanFlicker

Hi Marlie,

It’s really dependent on your daily use. I had the iPad 2 and in fairness it is a good tablet, but I much prefer Android hence why I moved over.

Your best bet is to play around with the Tab 2 for a while and download a few apps and see if you like it, don’t get me wrong, its not rubbish, very nice design even tho a bit plastically but I found it v.slow compared to the iPad 2, so it just left me frustrated trying to access emails, using internet and going in and out of apps.

If you like Samsung, The Note 10.1 is the superior version if you wanted to stench your budget.

I ended up choosing the Asus because I felt I would get more use out of it due to the keyboard with the added battery life, usb port and keypad itself.

As previous posters said, wait for the Nexus 10 to be released and way up price then etc. It really seems it’s going to be great value and seriously take on the iPad. I was too impatient and just wanted a new tab but reviews for it so far seem excellent

http://reviews.cnet.com/google-nexus-10/

pickarooney

I stall a decent launcher before you test the galaxy tabs. I reckon they lose hordes of customers with the treacle-slow default interface.