Time For A New Tablet - What To Buy?

[zom247]

I have a Samsung Tab S5e which is getting a bit slow now and no longer has any updates.

I'm looking for something around the same size 10/11" screen, I have looked at the Samsung S9 which I've seen for £650 with my blue light discount so that's the sort of price range. However, it's probably overkill for my needs as I'll only use it for browsing and reading comics. I doubt if I'll ever play games on it (got the PC for that) and apart from watching YT stuff I won't be using it to watch movies etc. I would like a tablet that's going to get regular updates for several years though and want to stick with Android (too long in the tooth to swap to the other side now!). Grateful if anyone could recommend something that would fit my needs.

 

[Conan257]

I'm not an apple fan, as such, but feel that the iPad beats the android offerings... My iPad Pro from 2017 is only suffering now due to how badly I have treated it, and am considering a new screen rather than a new device.

That being said, the wife's S8 is a very nice device and the S9 is only slightly better. I would, if you're not going to tax the device too hard, look at the new Xiaomi and Honor offerings as their value seems to be pretty decent (half the price of the S9, and they'll do what you want).

 

[Andre]

Look at the OnePlus Pad - it is a 5x7 format 10" Android tablet - perfect for reading. I have one and it runs nicely.
They can be picked up, possibly with stylus and keyboard/mouse folio, for around the £400 mark

 

[Countcussy]

I upgraded to the S9 tab last year. No regrets.
Its also slightly overkill for my needs, but it really is a nice piece of kit, with a beautiful screen. Has seen regular updates as well.

FYI, Samsung regularly have trade-ins around new release time. I traded in a S6 lite, and the Tab S9 (11") cost me £ 539.00 delivered. Higher memory and storage combo as well.

 

[koolpc]

How about the S9 LTE?

 

[cheesyboy]

Is there much point going for an S over a much cheaper A Samsung tablet for this set of requirements?

We've got two Samsung A series 10" tablets, a 4 year old and a 1 year old edition, and they've both been great for content consumption. I've not noticed them being slow compared with my S21 phone.

My eldest child, a teenager, clumsily flung the older tablet onto a hard floor a couple of weeks ago and the screen, though not cracked, now has some glow to it, making movie watching a bit crap. Its a shame, as it was still otherwise excellent.

 

[Orcvader]

Have you considered replacing the stock ROM with a custom one? S5e user here too, I only use it for media and reading, I have LineageOS installed since version 19/Android 12, updated to the very recent 21/Android 14 and it still runs very smoothly. I've been playing around with the idea of replacing it too but considering my needs there's not really any point.

Edit: Just remembered there's a 4GB and 6GB RAM variants of the tablet. I have the 6GB version so that could be one reason why my S5e is still smooth. However, I do remember a later OneUI update did feel more bloated and slower which was one reason why I moved to LineageOS.

 

[zom247]

Have you considered replacing the stock ROM with a custom one? S5e user here too, I only use it for media and reading, I have LineageOS installed since version 19/Android 12, updated to the very recent 21/Android 14 and it still runs very smoothly. I've been playing around with the idea of replacing it too but considering my needs there's not really any point.

Edit: Just remembered there's a 4GB and 6GB RAM variants of the tablet. I have the 6GB version so that could be one reason why my S5e is still smooth. However, I do remember a later OneUI update did feel more bloated and slower which was one reason why I moved to LineageOS.

I looked into doing this ages ago but couldn't be bothered! I also have the 6GB version so I might give it a shot and save myself some money.

 

[zom247]

After 2 attempts (no idea why first didn't work) I've put the latest lineages on. Looks nicer and put about half my apps back on, will do the rest tomorrow and see how it goes. WiFi on this tablet is not the fastest now but it might be worth keeping for what I'm using it for.

 

[koolpc]

I asked a friend of mine, who is a doctor, which tablet does he recommend. He said Paracetamol!!

 

[Begbie]

So if it wasn't for the lack of sd slot id be all over a OnePlus pad. Super cheap if you have student access too.

OLED screen and decent spec for 360!