Need advice and help choosing a tablet, have it narrowed down to three!

[charleyd]

Hi there!
I'm new to the forums as I stumbled across them while seeking advice on purchasing a tablet. I consider myself pretty tech savvy, so I understand the basics of specs, etc. I have narrowed my search down to two tablets. The Nexus 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8 inch. I will be using the tablet mostly for web browsing and watching Netflix, and am not looking to spend more than 300 Canadian dollars, taxes included. Now, I know that the obvious choice here is the Nexus, but, since I will be watching a lot of video, I am considering the Samsung for it's larger screen and expandable storage, but also because it is on sale locally for 229 (usually 299), while the nexus sells for 249 (16 GB version). If you were in my position, with my needs and the Samsung being on sale, what would you do?

Do you have another tablet to suggest?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

[JnEricsonx]

Take the Tab 3 8.0 inch.

 

[yoyokid8]

If I were in your place I would go for an LG GPad 8.3 Google Play Edition. Its a little pricey, but what you're getting is great. It gets the Nexus experience, vanilla android and quick updates. You'll also get the 8 inch (8.3 inches to be exact ) screen with a better resolution and you'll also get better internals. ( Snapdragon 600, 2 GB of RAM, etc.) It has expandable storage. I'd choose it so you don't have to deal with TouchWiz. I personally have a Nexus 7 myself and its great so that's always a great option.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[charleyd]

I'd actually love the G Pad but I can't find anywhere locally that sells it, even online!

 

[yoyokid8]

I'd actually love the G Pad but I can't find anywhere locally that sells it, even online!

As for the Google Play Edition, its only available on the Google Play Store online. If you go to googleplay.com and click devices, you'll find it.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[charleyd]

Sorry, it doesn't show up for me, is it perhaps because I'm in Canada?

 

[yoyokid8]

Sorry, it doesn't show up for me, is it perhaps because I'm in Canada?

Possibly.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[SactoKingsFan]

You might want to consider the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 inch. Good tablet at a great price.

Sent from my LG-G2 using Tapatalk

 

[ultravisitor]

If you were in my position, with my needs and the Samsung being on sale, what would you do?

I prefer the OS to be very clean and up to date, so I would get the Nexus 7. Google has been moving Android towards being more compatible with lower-end devices, too, so the Nexus 7 may have better longevity since it will have much better support over time with updates. I wouldn't count on the Samsung being updated much, if at all, in the future.

Yes, you will give up an inch of screen space, but I'd bet that you'll have a better long-term experience with the Nexus than the Samsung.

 

[charleyd]

Thanks for your advice. Just wondering if you think the 16GB version is adequate for my needs?

 

[someguy01234]

Thanks for your advice. Just wondering if you think the 16GB version is adequate for my needs?

The Nexus 7 is the better choice than Samsung if you want a fast and clean operating system and will get updates directly from Google.

Whether 16gb is enough is depending on how you consume media. If you stream all your contents from online, such as using YouTube, NetFlix and HuluPlus, then the internal storage space doesn't really matter. But you'll need WiFi connection wherever you are of course.

The Galaxy Tab have microSD card, but that's only if you want to transfer offline videos from your computer to it and watch videos offline.

 

[raymaane]

I went with the 32GB Nexus 7, to be safe. And just to have the freedom if I'd like to load it up. Obviously, expandable storage is idea if you just need that much room.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[clemson77on]

I have had the LG G Pad for about three weeks and couldn't be happier. I have the Mahdi ROM which is AOSP 4.4 and it runs perfect. I bought mine from Newegg for $249, but currently it's $299 so that may be a little bit outside your budget.

 

[Geodude074]

For budget 8 inch tablets, the Dell Venue 8 is worth looking into, also the new Acer 8 inch tablet. Both are available for $180 USD. Specs-wise they're both superior to the Tab 8.

For a more premium 8 inch tablet, go for the LG Pad 8.3 or if you don't mind finding a used but "mint" condition tablet, try the Note 8. I've seen plenty of Note 8's resold for around $240 USD.

For 7 inch tablets there are MANY to choose from. You can't go wrong with the Nexus 7 though.

 

[Geodude074]

You might want to consider the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 inch. Good tablet at a great price.

Sent from my LG-G2 using Tapatalk

That's way outside his price range.

 

[ultravisitor]

Just wondering if you think the 16GB version is adequate for my needs?

I had a 32GB of the 2012 and now have a 32GB (LTE) of the 2013 because I didn't have the option of 16GB for either. I've never come close to filling either one of them, but that's because I stream shows rather than save them locally.

 

[charleyd]

For budget 8 inch tablets, the Dell Venue 8 is worth looking into, also the new Acer 8 inch tablet. Both are available for $180 USD. Specs-wise they're both superior to the Tab 8.

For a more premium 8 inch tablet, go for the LG Pad 8.3 or if you don't mind finding a used but "mint" condition tablet, try the Note 8. I've seen plenty of Note 8's resold for around $240 USD.

For 7 inch tablets there are MANY to choose from. You can't go wrong with the Nexus 7 though.

What is the name of the new Acer Tablet??

 

[Geodude074]

What is the name of the new Acer Tablet??

Acer Iconia A1-830

My bad, it's actually on sale for $149 USD soon. I don't think you'll find a cheaper 8 inch tablet by a reputable (I use that term loosely as well) manufacturer.

The CPU is only a Clover Trail Z2560 which won't win many awards, but it's not terrible by any measure. The resolution is modest too.

It also has expandable storage and a micro HDMI port.

Think of it as an iPad Mini at half the price.

 

[charleyd]

Acer Iconia A1-830

My bad, it's actually on sale for $149 USD soon. I don't think you'll find a cheaper 8 inch tablet by a reputable (I use that term loosely as well) manufacturer.

The CPU is only a Clover Trail Z2560 which won't win many awards, but it's not terrible by any measure. The resolution is modest too.

It also has expandable storage and a micro HDMI port.

Think of it as an iPad Mini at half the price.

What about the older version of that, the A1 810?
Would you recommend that over the Tab 3 8 inch?

 

[Geodude074]

What about the older version of that, the A1 810?
Would you recommend that over the Tab 3 8 inch?

That's hard to say. The Tab 3 8 is has a dual-core A9, but the Acer has a quad-core A7. I'm not a big fan of either so I don't know much about them in terms of benchmarks and performance.

The Tab 3 8 has 1.5 GB of RAM vs 1 GB of RAM for the Acer, and the Tab 3 8 has a slightly better resolution.

Both have expandable storage, but the Acer has a micro HDMI port.

I would say the Tab 3 8 has better build quality.

However, the Acer can still be found for $180 while the Tab 3 8 is $280. So it really depends on your budget.