New Gal Tab Pro 10.1, slow, regrets, advice?

[DukeOfURL01]

I just got a Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 and while it's very nice, it's slow.

I consider myself a power user. I'm trying to move from the iOS universe, I'm a long time iPhone user, and I'd like to move to Android, so I got this tablet. First thing I did was load my favorite game, The Simpsons Tapped Out, and much to my dilemma this tablet doesn't run this game smoothly, something that my 2+ year iPhone 5 can do.

I haven't decided if the problem is hardware or software. If it's software, it can be fixed. If hardware, then no.

The tablet is SO NEW that I can exchange it for another model if I want, probably... (I haven't researched that yet actually, I probably should)

The reason that I settled on the Galaxy Pro in the first place is the built-in real GPS, something that, to my knowledge none of the other Samsung Tablets have. To me, that's huge, but I have decided that I'd give the GPS up if the overall unit were faster. Though it would be really nice to have.

There's no way for me to tell which units are faster, short of actually buying on and trying it. The display units in the store don't have an internet connection, so there's just no way to tell. Is there? Is there something I don't know about?

Another way of telling this thing just isn't fast, is how fast it draws web pages. I've tried the built-in browser, Chrome, and Firefox, and none of them draw pages quickly. It's ridiculous.

Please, someone tell me if my expectations are too high, or what? Is this Galaxy Tab Pro truly slow, or is it just my imagination?

I'm looking for all comments and opinions, don't be shy.

thanks in advance

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Samsung devices come with so much preinstalled stuff that some of it can potentially contribute to lag or slow performance. TouchWiz itself is often regarded as a common cause of slow performance, but it shouldn't be a big issue for Samsung's more powerful devices. I would suggest going to the App Manager and Disabling apps that you know you'll never use. If you don't care about TouchWiz, you could also consider installing an alternative launcher like Nova Launcher, which is typically snappier.

Browser performance will depend largely on your wifi speed--how is it?

I'll soon get my hands on a Tab Pro 8.4, so I'll see if I can update this thread on things to disable.

 

[DukeOfURL01]

Thank you. I am SOOO new to Android that I don't even know what TouchWiz is. I don't know how to do lots of stuff, including disable things. I'm still less than a week into the Android world. My Internet is 30 Mbps, should be more though (but that's a long story). I think I've decided to keep this model, unless it can be proven to me in less than a day that the newer model is much faster, and so far that hasn't been proven.

 

[B. Diddy]

See if this guide is helpful to you. Keep in mind that it is based on "vanilla" Android, the unmodified Android that comes with Nexus devices. So it won't be entirely like the Samsung interface, but it should be close enough: http://forums.androidcentral.com/general-help-how/399060-guide-getting-started-android-2014-a.html

 

[DukeOfURL01]

Hmm, I'll check it out. Thanks.

 

[DirkBelig]

I picked a refurbed one up a couple of weeks ago and the performance is abysmal; scrolling across home screens and menu pages is awful; pressing the home button takes a second or two to get back. (This is even after switching to the Google Now launcher from the weird Magazine UX.) It's like my old ASUS Transformer (the original one from 2011) which is nuts for modern HW. I was looking at a Galaxy Tab Note 4 at the store yesterday and it is almost as smooth as my 2013 Nexus 7, so what gives?

 

[lannatwin]

I recently picked up a refurbished one. Immediately rooted and installed CM11. Runs beautifully.

 

[DukeOfURL01]

That would be nice, except that I don't know how to do that.

 

[lannatwin]

I didn't either - until I read the easy to follow directions on xda-developers.