Best Android tablet 2013

sandt

Hi Guys, I'm looking for a bit of advice on which tablet to buy.
I have been an iphone and ipad user for a long time and recently changed to an android phone and love it! so im looking to sell my ipad and get an android tab instead.......but there are sooooo many out there!

I have a pretty big phone so i think 7" tablet wouldn't be much of an option.....although i do like the look of the nexus 7.
I have tried out a few in my local electrical shop and really liked the note 8.0, the S pen feature seemed like a nice addition, although it may be just a bit of fun for a while and not really used after a few weeks - (i'm not an artist, but do like editing photos). i don't know if its worth the extra money over the galaxy tab series.

Speaking of which, is the galaxy tab the 'budget' range for samsung? I think the tab 3 is out this summer, correct? any price on the 10" model? is there are huge gulf in hardware between this and the note series?

Also the nexus 10 is an option, although i'm not sure how to get one in Ireland

I've also read a few times that there areent many apps optimised for android tabs because there are so many different versions/sizes that developers don't bother, they just stick to the ipad because of its 2 sizes, is this true?

Lastly, should i hold on for a few months and see what the ipad 5 brings to the table? or are there any other android tabs that will be released later this year that would be woth waitng on?? e.g nexus 10v2


thanks

sorry, forgot to add, I'll be using the tab for browsing, reading, news, netflix, youtube, some gaming, mirroring to tv, torrents.

sandt

sandt wrote: »

I have a pretty big phone so i think 7" tablet wouldn't be much of an option.....although i do like the look of the nexus 7.

A newer version of the Nexus 7 is due to be out this month. Worth waiting at least until this comes out.

sandt wrote: »

I have tried out a few in my local electrical shop and really liked the note 8.0, the S pen feature seemed like a nice addition, although it may be just a bit of fun for a while and not really used after a few weeks - (i'm not an artist, but do like editing photos). i don't know if its worth the extra money over the galaxy tab series.

The Note 8.0 would be the tablet I would buy right now if I wanted one. I find 7 inches too small and 10 inches too large, plus I can see myself using the S pen a lot for writing notes on research papers etc. Depends on whether you can find many functions for it or not. Here is a good video comparing it to the Ipad mini. It has been as low as £284 before so keep an eye out.

sandt wrote: »

Speaking of which, is the galaxy tab the 'budget' range for samsung? I think the tab 3 is out this summer, correct? any price on the 10" model? is there are huge gulf in hardware between this and the note series?

Yes that tab range is considered the budget range now. The specs of the Galaxy tab 3 look worse than the Nexus 10 so I wouldn't even consider it.

sandt wrote: »

Also the nexus 10 is an option, although i'm not sure how to get one in Ireland

Useful thread on the process here. THe Nexus 10 was easily the best 10 inch tablet when it came out and it's still hard to beat now.

sandt wrote: »

I've also read a few times that there areent many apps optimised for android tabs because there are so many different versions/sizes that developers don't bother, they just stick to the ipad because of its 2 sizes, is this true?

Yes this is true. The situation has been improving though and will do as more tablets are sold. There are very few apps where there not being a tablet optimized version will be a problem, it will just look like a blown up version of the mobile app which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

sandt wrote: »

Lastly, should i hold on for a few months and see what the ipad 5 brings to the table? or are there any other android tabs that will be released later this year that would be woth waitng on?? e.g nexus 10v2

I would wait until at least the end of this month to see if a new Nexus 7 comes out.

sandt wrote: »

sorry, forgot to add, I'll be using the tab for browsing, reading, news, netflix, youtube, some gaming, mirroring to tv, torrents.

Even the cheapest HDMI-capable €40 tablets will accomplish these things so you should be satisfied with whatever you choose.

3rdDegree

I recently sold my iPad for a Sony Xperia Z tablet and so far, I love it. Very thin and light, fast and lovely screen.

timetogo

I think the best performing tablet this year is the Nexus 10. Also I don't think anything has a higher screen resolution.

However with the faffing about with Google & proxys I couldn't order one (unless I wanted to pay an extra £50 through Amazon).

So I got a Note 10.1. Since then I've seen my Note beside the Nexus and I'm not disappointed. The screen is better on the Nexus but at no stage so far have I thought I'd need a better screen on my Note.

Performance wise it's a flyer. The Nexus performs better in benchmarks though.

But the killer feature is the pen. I didn't think I'd use it and thought it was a gimmick. Now, I can't live without it. I use the tablet for work all day now (that wasn't the original plan).

It's also handy that it has a microSD card slot. 32GB is only about €20 so it's cheap to upgrade.

LoveCoke

Deleted User wrote: »

Even the cheapest HDMI-capable €40 tablets will accomplish these things so you should be satisfied with whatever you choose.

can you give an example of one. i still have not decided:D

poitinstill

i have aniol crystal novo7 inch..happy with it

LoveCoke

Going for nexus 7 in

Tom Dunne

Another +1 for the Galaxy Note 10".

I have evangelised considerably about it on a number of occasions on this forum, so I won't repeat it here. Buy suffice to say, since I jumped from the iPad 2, I think it is the best gadget I have ever bought.

I should point out that I use the S-Pen extensively, along with the usual Android/Tablet features. The infra-red port is also a useful gimmick for controlling the TV and mediacenter on the Raspberry Pi connected to said TV.

sandt

Sorry for the late response (been away for a while)

Thanks for the replies guys, i have tried out the note 10.1 and 8 again and think that I'm leaning more toward the 10.1. i think the extra screen real estate will be needed when using apps side by side - might be a bit too tight on the 8.0.

I would be worried about getting the nexus 10 without actually seeing it in the flesh - despite all the great reviews, i still would want a play with it before shelling out the cash and don't think that's possible here.
New nexus 7 doesn't interest me anymore, just not a big enough difference between that and my screen size.

I would be happy to go with the note 10.1 at this point, BUT......I think it will have been out for a year in Q4 2013, so I'm guessing that they're will be a new note 10.1 v2 released maybe in the next couple of months??
probably with a better screen, better battery, android 4.3, new s pen feature etc.....so i may be best to hold on a while?

I have searched the web but cant find anything about a Samsung event organised in the near future........i know they had an event in June but nothing regarding a 2nd gen note 10.1 was announced.

Does anyone know of a possible 10.1v2 release date or of an upcoming Samsung event that may announce it???

thanks.

sandt

sandt wrote: »

I would be happy to go with the note 10.1 at this point, BUT......I think it will have been out for a year in Q4 2013, so I'm guessing that they're will be a new note 10.1 v2 released maybe in the next couple of months??
probably with a better screen, better battery, android 4.3, new s pen feature etc.....so i may be best to hold on a while?

I have searched the web but cant find anything about a Samsung event organised in the near future........i know they had an event in June but nothing regarding a 2nd gen note 10.1 was announced.

Does anyone know of a possible 10.1v2 release date or of an upcoming Samsung event that may announce it???

thanks.

There is a rumoured Samsung event in September for the Note 3, so if there is to be a rehash of the Note 10.1 that could be a likely date, although I don't believe the Note 2 and Note 10.1 were launched at the same event.