Tablet - Android vs iPad

elh_2009

elh_2009

elh_2009

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Ok so i want a tablet, ive posted on here before about which tablet to get but ive since decided i have a bit more of a budget.

Ive never owned a Apple product (apart from my ipod classic). Im due a phone upgrade soon as well (currently have a galaxy s3). Bascially if i get a iPad i'll get a iPhone, if i get a android tab i'll probably get a phone of the same make (but def android).

I want it mainly for watching videos, streaming sky ect and just general browsing. I want a decent spec tab tho and if im going for android i want something that already has or will be getting KitKat.

I'm totally undecided, i dont think 7" is big enough. I like the iPad air but dont know what the best 10" android tab is.

Any advice would help.
 
Budget?

It really depends if you like iOS or Android more. Personally due to using Android, I find iOS too restrictive but you may find it more easier to use.

As for watching media, the 16:9 ratio really helps compared to the iPad's 4:3 (due to no black bars).

Asda is doing a special deal on the LG G Pad 8.3 for £179. It's been confirmed it will get KitKat but LG is pretty slow on updates so no idea when you'll get that (unless you flash the GPe ROM on it). If you want bigger there's the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition.

As for the phone, MWC is next week, where new devices will be announced. It's worth waiting then to see what Samsung/HTC/Sony/LG/etc. is launching.

And you don't need to stick to the same brand :p. It's because they use Android you can use apps/flash ROMs to make them similiar regardless of the manufacturer.
 
Orcvader said:
Budget?

It really depends if you like iOS or Android more. Personally due to using Android, I find iOS too restrictive but you may find it more easier to use.

As for watching media, the 16:9 ratio really helps compared to the iPad's 4:3 (due to no black bars).

Asda is doing a special deal on the LG G Pad 8.3 for £179. It's been confirmed it will get KitKat but LG is pretty slow on updates so no idea when you'll get that (unless you flash the GPe ROM on it). If you want bigger there's the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition.

As for the phone, MWC is next week, where new devices will be announced. It's worth waiting then to see what Samsung/HTC/Sony/LG/etc. is launching.

And you don't need to stick to the same brand :p. It's because they use Android you can use apps/flash ROMs to make them similiar regardless of the manufacturer.
Click to expand...

I was worried about iOS being restrictive as well, i was also looking at the LG G Pad as ive read very good things about it, that is a good price, i think i might look into that.

I know i dont need the same brand lol but ive read good things about the LG phone as well so maybe i could? ;)
 
If you're just looking for a basic tablet to watch movies and browse, and don't really care about much else (apps, gaming, etc.), G Pad 8.3 is a pretty good choice. Otherwise, the tablet app selection on Android is still poor compared to iOS, but of course if you use a limited selection of apps you may be OK dependent on what those apps are.

Players like VLC on iOS allow for a bit more flexibility with file formats, so it's very unlikely that'll be an issue.

Only issue with the iOS route is the cost of an iPad that will meet your capacity requirements if you plan to stick loads of movies on it.
 
If you want long-term software support or want apps, get an iPad.

If it's just for browsing and watching videos then you can save some money by going for an Android tablet.

I prefer 10" tablets but it's a matter of personal preference.
 
elh_2009 said:
Ok so i want a tablet, ive posted on here before about which tablet to get but ive since decided i have a bit more of a budget.

Ive never owned a Apple product (apart from my ipod classic). Im due a phone upgrade soon as well (currently have a galaxy s3). Bascially if i get a iPad i'll get a iPhone, if i get a android tab i'll probably get a phone of the same make (but def android).

I want it mainly for watching videos, streaming sky ect and just general browsing. I want a decent spec tab tho and if im going for android i want something that already has or will be getting KitKat.

I'm totally undecided, i dont think 7" is big enough. I like the iPad air but dont know what the best 10" android tab is.

Any advice would help.
Click to expand...

I wanted an Android tablet, I waited months on the new Nexus 10, first I bought a Nexus 7......... not quite big enough and touch screen was not the best, then after another few months I bought the LG G Pad 8.3.........jeez it ate battery, bout 6 hours if lucky...AND the screen is awful for movies, I bit the bullet and reluctantly got ipad mini retina, screen is awesome and it hits nearly 13 hours battery life, I would still prefer a Nexus 10 (if it ever shows up) but imho there is not a decent Android tablet for my needs atm (I wouldn't buy Samsung due to ridiculously long waits for OS updates).All imho.
 
I think the only positive Android tablets have going for them is the ease of loading media content. For example, you can easily attach expandable storage via USB OTG, micro USB card ready or micro USB sticks and none of those require root to use (unless you wish to write to the media).

Obviously that's only a positive if you want to carry and consume a lot of large media content such as Blu-ray rips on a long haul plane journey. That's the only thing I find I use my Nexus 10 for now really, it has actually been sat unused and uncharged for about 2 months.

There's no questioning that iPad applications are generally better quality, you only have to look at the difference between Android & iOS versions of Sky's applications to see this.
 
I'm currently pulling my hair out over whether to get the Note 10.1 2014, Ipad 4/Air 64Gb or the Surface Pro. They are all roughly the same price, deliver roughly the same functionality and have a similar level of display quality.

I've got an iPad 3, so quite happy with that, just not 100% sure if I want another or something else...
 
I guess if you are going into an iPhone, then an iPad may make more sense - same environment and all that.
Otherwise, an Android tablet will pretty much be a nice few £s cheaper.
Of course, there is always Windows too.....

For me, I have had exclusively Android phones in recent years, and did have an original Transformer (Android) tablet. Thing is, I found that the phone got pretty much all the use and so the tablet went (admittedly, I do go for the high-end and big~ish screen phones, such as HTC OneX, HTC One and now a Note 3, so quite usable for most 'tablet things').
I replaced the Transformer with a Dell Latitude Pro tablet - runs full-fat Windows 8(.1) and is genuinely usable as a productivity tool, in my line of work, not lease because I can run full Office, access Windows domains easily and so on.

Then, on the other hand, my wife had had a few Android phones and is in no way a tinkerer etc. She had a cheapo Android tablet, but was frustrated by poor battery life and quirky oem software. So, I recently bought her an iPad mini (retina) and she loves it - to paraphrase "It just works and is so slick". Figured I should migrate her fully to Apple-land, so bought her an iPhone 5S for Valentines, and now she is super happy in Cupertino's pocket.

Anyway......decent Android tablets are great, iPads are too. Windows tablets offer a slightly left-field option, if you have the need. With i-stuff, I think the benefit is more pronounced if you are completely in the club.
 
m currently pulling my hair out over whether to get the Note 10.1 2014, Ipad 4/Air 64Gb or the Surface Pro. They are all roughly the same price, deliver roughly the same functionality and have a similar level of display quality.

I've got an iPad 3, so quite happy with that, just not 100% sure if I want another or something else...
Click to expand...

But the surface pro is a fully fledged pc with windows 8?
 
I was looking at the Surface as well both RT and Pro, i've never owned a Apple product as i said apart from a ipod classic. I really dont know what to do! I want a 10" i think. I dont think i'll ever get a iPhone so thats whats putting me off a iPad.
 
I personally would go for the iPad/iPhone setup. Pretty much everything you want to do with the device can be done. I find that with Android, I can tweak it to get it looking and sort of working like how I'd want it to, but offers little more than iOS in the end of the day, delivering less in other areas too.

Just my opinion of course, but i'm someone who wonders why on earth manufacturers are cramming as much power as they can into the phone to power so many unnecessary features they keep adding, then trying to add more features to save some battery life.

edit: I agree with earlier posts. Apps on iOS just work, where as those on Android can seem less slick with slightly odd designs. The Sky app is certainly one, and the Facebook one never works properly on my phone. Friends list on iOS is alphabetical, but completely random for me on Android.
 
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apps on ios are more slick because less fragmentation compared to android and many companies making the iOS app first and then porting it and doing a hack job on android :(
 
AMDPower said:
But the surface pro is a fully fledged pc with windows 8?
Click to expand...

Basically yes, but its in a 10"(ish) tablet form factor, and can run the full Win 8 app set as well as desktop apps. But for 499 its a lot of kit and delivers most if not all of the capabilities of a tablet, just not quite with the battery life...hence the comparison.
 
Personally I went for an Android for my phone and an iPad Mini for my tablet, to me I feel I get the best of both worlds.
 
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