2014 Lacking Tablets?

[Justin Stepp]

So I have been looking to replace my nexus 7 2013 for awhile now. As I look at all the tablets that have come out I am left very unimpressed.

Everything was built to be cheap this year with very few tablets worthy of a premium title. Samsung Pro tablets and maybe the LG tablet would be the only "premium" tablets I saw this year.

Sony, Toshiba, Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Motorola, Nvidia and HTC did not have much to offer this year. Most of these manufacturers either missed, quality, price, or specs. Sometimes all 3. (For me at least).

What do you guys think? Was this a good year for android tablets?

I didn't see an 8" tablet with quad HD screen, 2-3 GB of ram, premium processing potential, superior build quality, and great speakers. Samsung had decent stuff but I do not like Samsung or LG products.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[manoffewwords]

I too am underwhelmed with this years tablet assortments. You would think in a world where we have so many top of the line phones to choose from, that we would have a similar number of choices in tablets too....

But the simple fact remains that Sammy, the fruity boys, and perhaps LG are the only REAL choices in this market segment.

I am still hopeful now that HTC is kinda out of the red (at least for the moment) that they will come out with a killer tablet that mimics the quality & specs of these other mgfr's SOOON.....

 

[wrecklass]

I think that the general consumer and the industry are in the process of reconsidering the Tablet. Even market leader iPad sales have flattened recently. It would seem that the new Phablet category has given many consumers the perfect fit: Large enough screen yet still pocketable and with LTE.

Microsoft is currently betting that the larger tablet is a convertible device with keyboard ala the Surface 3, and that may be the next evolution. There are even rumors of Apple working on an iPad pro that will be 12+ inches.

 

[Justin Stepp]

I don't think you will see phones take over the small tablet category but I could see the larger tablets getting bigger.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[LeoRex]

Phones got larger, Chromebooks got popular, and people kept holding on to their current tablets for far longer than phones. Bad recipe.

They make the devices people want to buy and tablets just don't make sales noise.

 

[LeoRex]

Oh... and if you need more proof.. http://www.cnet.com/news/get-a-14-inch-hp-chromebook-and-free-4g-for-179-99/

The 4GB model is only $20 more

 

[ljxdaly]

I didn't see an 8" tablet with quad HD screen, 2-3 GB of ram, premium processing potential, superior build quality, and great speakers.

Posted via Android Central App

it would seem to me that the Nvidia Shield meets your requirements, and then some. Not sure why you had nvidia in your list. By most accounts it is the best android tablet available. perhaps the cost turns you off, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a quality device. if i could afford it, i'd love to have it over any other tablet.

 

[Justin Stepp]

Oh... and if you need more proof.. http://www.cnet.com/news/get-a-14-inch-hp-chromebook-and-free-4g-for-179-99/

The 4GB model is only $20 more

Chromebooks are still very very different from what a tablet offers. I have 2 Chromebooks but they are not the media and gaming device I need.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Justin Stepp]

it would seem to me that the Nvidia Shield meets your requirements, and then some. Not sure why you had nvidia in your list. By most accounts it is the best android tablet available. perhaps the cost turns you off, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a quality device. if i could afford it, i'd love to have it over any other tablet.

The shield is an ok tablet. The build quality isn't exactly premium and it's screen is lack luster with a yellowish tint.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[LeoRex]

I think something that is kind of clouding things a bit is that tablets are still getting lumped in a bit with phones. Smartphones still have a blazing quick life cycle with new models flying out, upgrades, new form factors... there's a lot of volatility there that you just don't have in the tablet world. Tablets have floated over to the PC/laptop world in terms of how they are used, how long people are willing to keep them around, etc. They don't have the same consumer gravitas as smartphones, so you'll see things cool in terms of new models.... Why does an OEM want to invest a ton of effort in turning over new models when users won't even bother looking at them right away.

We're just in that period of adjustment. I mean, headlines right now are dominated by news that the iPad's sales took a bit of a nosedive... but Apple just needs to realize that their "just put out a new model and they'll buy it" approach might not work with the iPad line anymore. And there are a fair amount of Android tablets, from cheap to expensive, from big to small... they just aren't sexy.

 

[Ivy Lin]

Best tablet deal is probably the ipad mini 2 (not the mini 3). Still available, and pretty affordable.

 

[AnMobi]

Yeah, i really wish sony z3 tablet compact packed with 2K screen. Then it will be amazing...

 

[master20]

Really good subject

 

[chris9000]

I got the shield. Loving it except for the buttons which are hard to press. Digging everything else about it.