Budget friendly Tablet advice

[countryblue]

I purchased this a couple days ago. Awaiting delivery today. I wish I had come here for advice first, to make sure all the important criteria was met.

I delved thru all the available devices, made comparisons, read the reviews. I focused on Android 15, ram, 8000mah battery, & Octa-Core processor.

I wish I had discovered the following details earlier. Turns out the description was misleading. When you visit the page, the distinct impression is that it has 24gb ram. However, turns out it only has 8gb, which is only revealed in the "See more product information" when visiting that side panel.



Tablet 11 inch Android 15 Tablets, 24GB RAM + 128 Storage(Expandable up to 2TB), Android Tablet with Case, Octa-Core, IPS HD Display, 13 MP Dual Camera, 8000mAh, 5GWiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0 (Black)

Performance is my main goal. Depending on the advice I get here, I may be returning it. What are the feature priorities when making this type of purchase? I have a 256 sd card from my old Galaxy s5e. Is that compatible for these later units.

Also, what is your opinion of the 2.0GHz core. Is that comparable with the other units in the price category?

I know you only get what you pay for, so my expectations must be reasonable.

 

[B. Diddy]

I never trust any of these off-brand/no-name Android devices. The manufacturers often lie through their teeth about the specs (it's fairly easy to spoof the specs to fool even device info apps), and these devices usually have much lower specs than they claim. You can see examples on YouTuber channels like SMOOREZ, where they get phones and tablets from places like AliExpress and Wish with great sounding specs, but are easily revealed to be much worse than that.

In addition, the number of cores and the clock speed don't mean everything. Most of these devices use old MediaTek chips (and sometimes even worse chips like Unisoc/Spreadtrum, like the one you ordered) that are slow and sometimes buggy. On top of that, these devices will get absolutely zero support, meaning no updates and no customer support.

I would strongly recommend returning the tablet, unless you only want it for very light use (like media streaming or checking your email). If you want a good budget tablet, consider Lenovo or Walmart's Onn. brand.

 

[countryblue]

Thanks. Yes, In the comparison chart, it does have cpu manufacturer Unisoc.

I'm curious. Does this mean that Octa-Core s just a generic reference, i.e. Octa = 8, and a similar one there with AliExpress.

So these entities are just distributors?

Should I still be focused on Android 15? There's only Android 14 at Walmart.

How about this onn 11" Tablet Pro, 64GB, (2024 Model) - Grey. Storage is expandable. Can I use the sd card from my old Galaxy s5e.

Doesn't say anything about memory expansion. it has a Qualcomm 2.8GHz Octa-Core processor, Will that processor compensate for only the 4gb ram. The one I bought is only 2.0GHz.

 

[B. Diddy]

Octa-Core just means the SoC has 8 cores. That's generally better than quad-core, but octa-core technology has been around for a long time (first introduced in mobile devices around 2013), so there's nothing magical about them.

The more recent the Android version, the better. I'm not sure how good Onn. devices are with update support. Lenovo is ok but not great. Samsung is probably the best (apart from Google themselves, with the Pixel Tablet) -- but bear in mind that the cheaper Samsung tablets won't get as frequent updates as the (very expensive) flagship tablets.

That Onn. Tablet Pro seems ok (the Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 will be much better than any Unisoc), but if you can spend a little more, consider the Lenovo Tab Plus or the Galaxy Tab A9+.

 

[countryblue]

The Samsung is 2023. I don't see a version. Does that mean Android 14? How does that figure in available OS updates?

Will my old s5e sd card work with the later Samsung? Is the 4gb ram gonna be a problem? I assume the ram is not expandable?

Lenovo is Android 14.

I'm leaning to the Samsung, but was thinking about a refurbised ONN with a 2 year warranty. It is from 2024.

 

[Golfdriver97]

I think we should take several steps back....what do you want to do with the device?

Let's change this to a car (almost everyone can relate better to a car). If someone tells me they want a car that goes fast, I'll suggest a Corvette ZR-1. If they want something fast but in a price range for most consumers, a Camaro (when it was still in production) or a Mustang. If they want something fast, inexpensive, and that doesn't look like it's a fast car, I'd say a Subaru WRX.

Three different answers depending on the use case.

 

[B. Diddy]

The Tab A9+ started on Android 13, and is supposed to get up to Android 16 (I'm not sure if it's currently on 14 or 15). It's also supposed to get security patches until 2027. That's probably still better than what the Onn. tablet will get.

Your microSD card should still work, but keep in mind, of course, that all you can do with a microSD card is to increase the storage for files, not for installing apps (the latter uses internal storage, not SD cards).

I don't think 4 GB RAM will be a problem for light to medium usage (i.e., browsing, media consumption, light gaming and productivity). I would much rather have a good CPU and 4 GB of RAM than a lousy CPU and 8 GB RAM. But if you want to do heavy duty gaming or office work, then you'll need to pay more for higher specs. Too many people expect budget devices to perform like flagships, and that's just not possible.

 

[countryblue]

The Tab A9+ started on Android 13, and is supposed to get up to Android 16 (I'm not sure if it's currently on 14 or 15). It's also supposed to get security patches until 2027. That's probably still better than what the Onn. tablet will get.

Your microSD card should still work, but keep in mind, of course, that all you can do with a microSD card is to increase the storage for files, not for installing apps (the latter uses internal storage, not SD cards).

I don't think 4 GB RAM will be a problem for light to medium usage (i.e., browsing, media consumption, light gaming and productivity). I would much rather have a good CPU and 4 GB of RAM than a lousy CPU and 8 GB RAM. But if you want to do heavy duty gaming or office work, then you'll need to pay more for higher specs. Too many people expect budget devices to perform like flagships, and that's just not possible.

Nothing fancy. No gaming. Efficient. Reliable. But that 64gb is a factor I did not consider when it comes to apps space. I have a lot of apps, but I don't know how much space the occupy. But I will have the 256gb for everything else.

 

[B. Diddy]

Here's another option to consider -- the Lenovo Tab K11 LTE. Shipped with Android 13, but should be up to Android 15 this year, and will continue to get security patches until 2028. 8 GB RAM, 128 GB internal storage, all for <$200.

 

[countryblue]

Here's another option to consider -- the Lenovo Tab K11 LTE. Shipped with Android 13, but should be up to Android 15 this year, and will continue to get security patches until 2028. 8 GB RAM, 128 GB internal storage, all for <$200.

I was able to verify that my old s5e was 64gb. So that is sufficient.

That said, the Lenovo Tab K11 LTE is verrry tempting. I also like the Samsung, But I can get a "Refurbished - Excellent" onn. Surf 11″ Tablet Pro, with the 2 year protection plan for $103.

Give me your final verdict, your honor. Thanks in advance for all the great advice\learning experience

 

[countryblue]

Here's another option to consider -- the Lenovo Tab K11 LTE. Shipped with Android 13, but should be up to Android 15 this year, and will continue to get security patches until 2028. 8 GB RAM, 128 GB internal storage, all for <$200.

Any idea if the onn will be updated to Android 15. I just called their tech support. No definitive answer. They said if and/or when was up to google.

 

[B. Diddy]

Any idea if the onn will be updated to Android 15. I just called their tech support. No definitive answer. They said if and/or when was up to google.

That's incorrect information from Onn. -- if or when is up to the device manufacturer. Google puts out the code for all Android updates on a regular basis (and updates their own Pixel devices with it), but it's up to each manufacturer to review that code and tweak it to work correctly for their own hardware. This is why most budget manufacturers have little to no update support, because reviewing and modifying the base code requires a team of engineers, which costs money.

My guess is that it won't get Android 15.