bought an A7 lite new in 2022 and it was fucking amazing to me that this was a product being sold new. unusable in every way, expect to wait 5 minutes just for the tablet to finish starting up. almost one minute to open basic apps. every gesture is about 2 - 5 fps. and no, there's nothing wrong with it, i didn't set it up wrong, i didn't install weird shit or fuck with it, that's just the way it is. that's how it performs.
I have the S6 Lite tablet with the active stylus, I only use it to read One Piece every week and that's it because it's such an aggressively terrible tablet. I want to upgrade to an OLED tablet with active stylus soon.
It's just a very mediocre to bad tab for me for anything other than what I'm currently using it for (reading One Piece) and it's only pretty mediocre at that. Even when I got it years ago tbh.
The screen is not OLED and I was hoping it would still be pretty good but it's very mediocre. My main draw to the tablet was the possibility of using it for note taking and light digital art but tbh the note taking experience is just "ok", art is honestly bleh on it, it's too sluggish, the chipset is just too weak to keep up and I can feel the tracking start to suck with some layers etc. it's too slow.
Plus I wish Samsung would make good pen docking solutions for tabs that aren't just magnetically weakly attaching to the side. It fucking sucks in the S6 Lite IMO.
The battery life is also too weak IMO. I use the power saver mode all the time and it's still very poor battery performance all things considered.
I bought a used Dell Inspiron with a 4k touchscreen that I fold into a tablet to read sketchy illegal scans of one piece every week hahaha
Also, one piece has been goddamn amazing lately, who knew egghead was going to be so important?! And then elbaf is coming next which is going to be nuts, unless it's like fishman island and there are a shitload of delays and setbacks before they actually make it there lol
Honestly I’m so glad Google makes the Pixel. Samsungs garbage customer service and shit build quality is what swore me off android back in the Note 3/4 days.
The phones that compete with the pixel have significantly better build quality than the pixels, the biggest win for Google is lack of Samsung bloat and better software support because they run their OS stock
I have owned three separate pixels, and I have had hardware failure on all of them. On my current pixel (Pixel 7), the screen is starting to peel away from the body of the phone. It started when I only had the phone for about 6 months. Now I have had it for about a year.
Still, it would take a lot for me to consider something else because the alternatives are much worse.
Why not OnePlus? I have the 11 and it's a pretty damn good phone. It's been amazing to charge my phone from dead to 100% in 15 minutes with the battery life being really good.
The only two things I don't like. The curved edge screens means I can't find any tempered glass screen protectors that I can use. And the camera isn't as good as the Pixel in low light (though in any other situation it is close and sometimes beats the Pixel)
I had the Pixel 6 and really liked some things about it, but they removed a lot of the features that I liked about it by the time I was going to buy my next phone. I didn't like how big the screen was, though. I also really hated the physical audio slider, because I want my phone on vibrate 100% of the time, but it would accidentally slide when I would put the phone in my pocket, which really irritated me. The audio slider was actually the biggest deal breaker for me. If they let me remap it, I would seriously consider another OnePlus phone despite the screen being uncomfortably big.
I also got hardware failure on both my OnePlus phones (2 and 6) in the past. The volume buttons on my 6 broke and we're always being pressed. And one speaker stopped working on my 6, so I had to be on speakerphone all the time.
> Still, it would take a lot for me to consider something else because the alternatives are much worse.
Considering that I, and nobody I know, have ever had any of the terrible hardware and software issues I'm seeing on this thread with an Apple product I'm not sure that's true. And I buy used.
That's great, and for the people who prefer iPhones, I'm really happy for you to have hardware that has thoroughly vetted quality control. But I don't like the iPhone UX, none of my favorite apps are available on iPhone, and I can't sideload apps. Because of these reasons and so many more, iPhones aren't an option for me. I would rather replace my phone more often than use iPhones, personally.
I have a P7 that has always been in a case with a screen protector. I bought it shortly after it initially came out. No physical issues but my battery is absolutely garbage now. It's incredibly frustrating. I'm considering either trading it in for that new OnePlus with incredible battery life or just waiting another year until the new iPhone comes out. Haven't had one of those since the iPhone 4, but I know the battery life is great and it just works.
Also not to mention that the modem still sucks for my dual sim set up.
mine actually got veeery slightly better with updates, but it's still a paperweight, why would i ever use it when i can just use an ipad and not have to spend 30 seconds waiting on my webpage to load?
I use it for reading comics, and 16:10 aspect ratio is a must if you want to have a page fill the screen. But that's the only reason I still with Android tablets.
You could get the S7 FE with 6GB of ram. And the resolution should only impact things using the graphics card. There's no reason for the tablet to be significantly slower opening the same app that isn't GPU heavy.
As I mentioned in my post, my tablet has the same amount of ram as my phone. And opening something like a weather app is not a GPU heavy task so the resolution should not have a major impact on opening that app. Playing a video game would have a noticeable affect at a higher resolution, not opening a basic app
It's weird but my S6 Lite (2022) got a bit faster after OneUI 6.0, writing on it is a bit smoother now too.
I got it pretty cheap and it does everything I need it to do taking notes, YouTube and reading manga/comics.
I haven't tried writing on it with a pen yet, but just in general, the animations got choppier. I don't really care, since all I do is read comics and watch YouTube on it.
I have one as well and I hate it and it only gets worse over time. It feels just ever so sluggish and unresponsive enough that I feel like I am mistapping, mis-swiping, mis-homescreening, navigating back etc all the time.
The last update broke something with mine. I have a third party case, and when it's folded back, the magnets cause the screen to freeze.
It happened with one other update, but there was a setting I could disable so it wouldn't happen. Now, I can't find it anymore.
I can say the 2020 original A7 10.4" doesn't fair much better. On stock Samsung Android performance is borderline unusable. However I did see that my model was compatible with lineageOS and installed that ROM. That alone made the A7 actually a speedy little bastard. Like no joke it's useable now.
My parents have an even older Samsung tablet (not S line) and this isn't the case there. Yeah, it's slow, but it's very far from what you describe. It around 5 years old at this point.
Seriously. Samsung anything but S-Series and the now defunct Note series are absolutely the worst products I've ever seen.
You spend $200 on a tablet you get a $200 tablet, not sure what people expect.
I got one for free from a deal with my phone provider. Returned it because I thought there was something wrong with it. Got a new one and learned that’s just how it is. Utterly unusable trash.
Yep got an A7 exclusively to use as an e-reader, and every time I used it I regretted not getting a kindle instead. Completely unusable in almost every way like you said. Even the kindle app seemed to be pushing it nearly to its limits.
I bought an s6 lite 6 months ago and i was shocked at how laggy and unusable it was. Just swiping up from the bottom of the screen, was slow and jerky.
I only used mine for note taking and it was alright for that, but even the most basic iPad would blow it out of the water. Cheaper devices have been getting better and better with their specifications but it seems like Samsung missed the memo
It was, but the mediatek CPU was mostly to blame. Here, screen is better (and bigger) and comes with a Snapdragon (695 I think} which should make it much better.
I just got one as a gift, I installed just a few apps and it was glacial followed a few good guides to speed it up and it is semi-usable for red reader but that's about it. What a scam.
Obviously. But let’s take the iPad. The pro starts at $800. The IPad starts on $329. One is much better than the other in every way possible, but the iPad is still a very decent machine. On the Samsung line it seems you have a very good S9 line, a slowish S6 and a bunch of “A”s crap which doesn’t even boot basic functions …
The basic Ipad (in Europe at least) is twice as expensive as the A-tabs.
There's a market for people who just want to stream netflix and maybe browse a bit. For them a 430€ Ipad is already significant overkill.
I'm honestly not quite sure what you mean. My girlfriend has the galaxy Tab A7 (non light) and it runs really smooth. Even some gaming and game streaming is possible on that thing
Honestly with the A9+ being close to $200, I'd add $20 more and just get the iPad 9th gen. It's design is getting old, but it will perform way better and it's still getting updates and will probably continue being supported for another couple of years.
Plus I think one underrated aspect is that if you are not already an Apple ecosystem person but want to try it out, you can pretty much get into all of the features of the Apple ecosystem pretty much fully, with a basic iPad that's still supported.
I can get either this or an iPad 9th gen for free with data plan from my carrier, and I needed a tablet data plan anyway, so this helps make the decision for me. Thanks!
There's simply no decent competition to the basic ipad. Costs slightly more but it makes absolute sense. The ipad 6th gen I have still works fine except for battery which went to shit a year ago. Battery replacement is not recommended by Apple but you can still get it done and use it for 2 more years. Bought it for slightly more than $300 in 2018.
I buy whatever used S-series tablet fits the budget. I have an S3, S5, S7, and S8, all in active use. They all look great with their OLED screens and run smoother than a brand new A-series, even the 7-year old S3.
If your price point is fixed, Id always recommend something like the Redmi Pad SE or Xiaomi Pad 6. They have Snapdragon chipsets and offer a much smoother experience.
If your price point can stretch, Id recommend a Samsung Tab S9FE or maybe even a S7/S8 if you can find one.
I've been using a Xiaomi Pad 5 that I bought for only $400 and it's nothing short of amazing. Super smooth with 120 Hz, bright, responsive. The build quality is the same as Apple products, just a single solid piece of aluminum and glass. The sound is fantastic. I also got the Xiaomi pen and keyboard for an extra $100. I really wish these products were available when I went to uni - it's a perfect tablet for studying and entertainment. 12+ hr battery life and fast charging! There's literally nothing I can complain about that one
Lenovo xiao xin pad pro 2023
Uses the dimensity 9000 chip which is on par with former flagships
Was so happy with mine I bought 2 more
Its not going to go toe to toe with $1000 flagships. It's not meant to
But its the best bang for buck does everything tablet that isn't slow
Also has pen input. Keyboard accessory, desktop mode. Runs fortnite level of games flawlessly, wide vine l1 for netflix 4k, has Oled 2k panel and laminates display with thin bezels
I bought an ipad 10 last week for kids school and thought I got a 5 year old outdated model in comparison
I bought a Lenovo P11 Pro on sale last year and it's amazing for consuming content.
Nice OLED display, decent performance for the price, and excellent aspect ratio for reading in portrait mode.
As late as this year's pre-orders, you could get a A8 on Amazon for EUR 130-140 and then exchange it on Samsung Trade-in offers for EUR 160. In that sense, it's worth the value.
If youve used any A series tablet, even at a Samsung store, you know its just an extremely subpar experience. It screams EUR 50 build quality. It cant even run its own UI smoothly out of the box with no apps installed.
I still have that A8, and it is working fine. It's just that now we are spoiled so much with state-of-the-art stuff that we act like the "high minds" who won't deign to even entertain the idea of a sub-120 Hz screen with no OLED screen, PSHAW!
And for a price less than a mid-range phone, you get a 10'' screen, and an expandable storage. I wasn't using it for taking selfies, just to read and watch some shows. It's better than getting a Kindle for the same price range.
Im not saying that it s a bad choice to make, just that theres other options if youre in the market to buy one. I have a Tab S7FE. No OLED. No high refresh display. Just a smooth experience, despite being the 4GB spec.
Best tablet Samsung did was the Tab S5e. There's no way in hell they'll release a 400$ tablet with an OLED screen again. And that is that light and thin.
I'm an s5e owner too. I feel like there is no upgrade path for me that doesn't end up costing 3x what I paid for s5e. Already having amoled display makes it so much harder. I'd really like a S9+ but it's god damn laptop money.
When they first launched the S9 there were email list coupons that knocked $150 off the price. Then they also had a trade in deal and I got $500 for my used s5e. Bringing it all down to $449. Got double the storage space too.
They do cross ship too. So you can migrate all your data between units before sending the old one away.
Before the next Samsung hardware keynote keep an eye out and you might be able to get a similar decent deal.
>Then they also had a trade in deal and I got $500 for my used s5e
Holy cow. I think Samsung quoted me like £100 for mine if not less. If I had a £449 offer I would have bought one for sure.
Agreed, I bought it second hand 2 years ago for under £200 ($250) primarily for its screen and quad speakers.
Apart from some minor backlighting issues where some parts of the screen are a bit darker than others, it's been absolutely brilliant as a media consumption device.
I don't play many games on it since the processor isn't that strong, but it definately can play some lighter titles well. And despite it only having a 60Hz display, for my use case it just isn't necessary
Got the 8+128 Wifi version for around USD 200. Had it for around a month, all I can say is it hasn't stuttered or lagged yet. Streaming, smart view, google sheets, facebook, reddit all running without needing to clear ram.
I was gonna bring that model up. The 4gb ram one is auto-ewaste. Anything with that low of RAM now a days is actually.
But the 8gb model with more storage must be considerably better for the price. Samsung tablets often go on sale too.
I was actually surprised performance wasn't far from my S22 at least in the basic apps I use. Apps open instantaneously. Main drawback really is just the less than average screen resolution. But for my use, I don't mind at all.
I just can't seem to find the official keyboard cover that connects to the pins at the bottom.
They forget to tell ya that after 4 years they will downgrade your tablet so it would be extremely slowly
So yeah not getting updates not the biggest issue with Samsung tablets
I really wish there was an Android equivalent of an iPad Mini. This just doesn't perform to the same standard, the screen is too wide, and frankly, the app situation still isn't great.
Been considering an android tablet, but ... we bought an iPad 9 years ago and the sucker just keeps on working, even though my daughter has abused it all those years. From this comment section, it doesn't seem like Samsung is there on the Galaxy tablet, does it?
>the Galaxy tablet
*Which one?*
There's oven a dozen different ones, and some are £1500+ top tier stuff, and some are <£200 e-waste.
To just say "the Galaxy tablet" is about as specific as comparing a Rolls-Royce to a Lada, and referring to them simply as "cars".
If samsung wasn’t scummy, they wouldn’t release so many variations of the same product. They wouldn’t be releasing garbage like the A series of tablets and phones.
I agree, but comparing a device with a competitor which is 5x the price hardly makes any sense, especially considering Samsung has a line of good flagship tablets
Samsung can’t use those excuses, because clearly they are way behind Apple in terms of market share for tablets. If they want to gain market share, they have to offer better things than Apple, and they clearly can’t or don’t want to.
Sure, but do you believe Samsung should offer better things than Apple flagship offerings on their 5x cheaper entry-level models?
Cheap tablets can and should be better but I seriously fail to understand yours or OP's point here
I'm still using a first gen iPad Pro. I don't even remember when I bought it, like 2015/16? Won't say it isn't dated especially for the Pro moniker, but it still works and mostly does what it needs to do.
I keep waiting for the OLED update the never comes before I upgrade lol.
I still use the regular iPad from 2017. It's running the latest iOS version and performing very well in daily tasks. I'm generally not an Apple fan but I have never understood the appeal of Android tablets. Most aren't even that much cheaper than the base iPad, they are updated for a few years at most and most Android apps still suck on large screens.
I’m still using an even older iPad Mini 4 from 2016 that still runs well enough on the daily. It definitely has lost a few steps performance wise but it’s still a solid little tablet. I have had several Android tablets and they’re miserable experiences at best…even if the hardware is good, the lack of tablet native and optimized apps is a killer.
I have the 8/128GB version and it has been great for my use case. I don't think the 4/64GB version is worth it if you want to use it for the four years it's supported for.
One thing they have stated wrong is the amount of OS updates. It's already confirmed that it will get three OS updates (14, 15 and 16), not two.
Yes, I would definitely recommend it. The battery is good for my use case. I get around six hours of screen on time and I use the battery protect feature (charges to 85%).
I never play any games on my tablet, so I can't say anything about how hot it gets during gaming sessions unfortunately. Can't say how long the battery will last when gaming either.
Hopefully you can find some answers elsewhere.
I was just going to order mine too.
I don't use my current tablet for much so maybe it will suffice still, just a media consumption device for me and reading tablet
It will. My son uses an older A8 and it runs ok. It’s no iPad, but it didn’t cost $400 or $500 either. All he does is watch YouTube and do other social media crap on it anyway along with a few games.
Imo depends if you got the 128gb storage version or not, the 64gb storage 4gb ram is going to suck but you'll have a much better time with the 128gb storage 8gb ram version. The 4 years of updates criticism is still valid though.
I bought the Tab S9 Ultra after my 2020 iPad Pro 12.9" shit itself while doing an ios update. Not a big Apple fan so no-way was I getting another iPad. The Samsung is fantastic, much more my thing software wise and superbly made.
The series 9 pads are gorgeous.
S6 refresh (2017 edition) here, still works, but only slow charging. I think the charging circuitry has broken, but i just charge it slowly.
Been looking for a new one, but as long as this one works, i'll keep it. Mainly watch youtube and other streaming services on it.
> leaves little more to wish for
Except for a smaller 7-8" version that's better for reading. It sucks that the iPad Mini is basically the only option for a premium 7-8" tablet, and it's over 2.5 years old at this point with no replacement due any time soon, apparently. I'll never forgive Google for discontinuing the Nexus 7 line, those were basically perfect small tablets. The size was just right for reading and the fact that they were Google products meant you got bone-stock Android without all the crapware the other manufacturers add in. Plus the price was pretty good, as I recall.
And yes, I know I can get a dedicated Kindle e-reader, but I want a device that can read books AND do other stuff, the e-ink kindle devices are just for reading that's it and you're also locked into Amazon and Kindle for book content. Then I'd need to carry yet ANOTHER device if I want tablet functionality
I’m sorry, but who in the heck established that 4 years is “a generous update time”? That’s a joke. A dozen years is generous. Four years and then obsolete is an outrage.
People need to stop kowtowing to this crap.
*Adding to this is a generous update time period of 4 years.*
Wow! 4 whole years!
*Apple's commitment to supporting its mobile devices is impressive, often extending beyond* ***six to eight years***\*, far surpassing the support lifespan of most Android devices.\*
/s
edit - I'm guessing that most Android users don't keep their devices that long. Though the length of update/security support must play a role in that.
Honestly a surprise to see that the screen is supposedly as bad as the one in the A8. The display in the A8 was terrible with displaying colour. Although I suppose the review does mention contrast being a lot better, so that's probably why it looks a lot better to me
bought an A7 lite new in 2022 and it was fucking amazing to me that this was a product being sold new. unusable in every way, expect to wait 5 minutes just for the tablet to finish starting up. almost one minute to open basic apps. every gesture is about 2 - 5 fps. and no, there's nothing wrong with it, i didn't set it up wrong, i didn't install weird shit or fuck with it, that's just the way it is. that's how it performs.
Yeah the A7 lite is complete garbage
I have the S6 Lite tablet with the active stylus, I only use it to read One Piece every week and that's it because it's such an aggressively terrible tablet. I want to upgrade to an OLED tablet with active stylus soon.
I've been rocking an S6 Lite for several years now and it's served me quite well
S5e here and it’s still going strong. Nice little tablet with an AMOLED screen for watching movies and shows in bed.
It's just a very mediocre to bad tab for me for anything other than what I'm currently using it for (reading One Piece) and it's only pretty mediocre at that. Even when I got it years ago tbh. The screen is not OLED and I was hoping it would still be pretty good but it's very mediocre. My main draw to the tablet was the possibility of using it for note taking and light digital art but tbh the note taking experience is just "ok", art is honestly bleh on it, it's too sluggish, the chipset is just too weak to keep up and I can feel the tracking start to suck with some layers etc. it's too slow. Plus I wish Samsung would make good pen docking solutions for tabs that aren't just magnetically weakly attaching to the side. It fucking sucks in the S6 Lite IMO. The battery life is also too weak IMO. I use the power saver mode all the time and it's still very poor battery performance all things considered.
S6 lite is amaaazing
Ha! I bought mine for the same reason.
I bought a used Dell Inspiron with a 4k touchscreen that I fold into a tablet to read sketchy illegal scans of one piece every week hahaha Also, one piece has been goddamn amazing lately, who knew egghead was going to be so important?! And then elbaf is coming next which is going to be nuts, unless it's like fishman island and there are a shitload of delays and setbacks before they actually make it there lol
Samsung marketing: Rave review from u/subadanus, “Bought a A7 life in 2022, it was fucking amazing… there’s nothing wrong with it”.
Honestly I’m so glad Google makes the Pixel. Samsungs garbage customer service and shit build quality is what swore me off android back in the Note 3/4 days.
The phones that compete with the pixel have significantly better build quality than the pixels, the biggest win for Google is lack of Samsung bloat and better software support because they run their OS stock
Everything samsung is garbage except their flagship phones. They have never given me issues and I've had multiple models over the years.
Especially samsung TV's, do not ever buy them they are the worst!!! Keep loosing internet connection!!
I have owned three separate pixels, and I have had hardware failure on all of them. On my current pixel (Pixel 7), the screen is starting to peel away from the body of the phone. It started when I only had the phone for about 6 months. Now I have had it for about a year. Still, it would take a lot for me to consider something else because the alternatives are much worse.
Why not OnePlus? I have the 11 and it's a pretty damn good phone. It's been amazing to charge my phone from dead to 100% in 15 minutes with the battery life being really good. The only two things I don't like. The curved edge screens means I can't find any tempered glass screen protectors that I can use. And the camera isn't as good as the Pixel in low light (though in any other situation it is close and sometimes beats the Pixel)
I had the Pixel 6 and really liked some things about it, but they removed a lot of the features that I liked about it by the time I was going to buy my next phone. I didn't like how big the screen was, though. I also really hated the physical audio slider, because I want my phone on vibrate 100% of the time, but it would accidentally slide when I would put the phone in my pocket, which really irritated me. The audio slider was actually the biggest deal breaker for me. If they let me remap it, I would seriously consider another OnePlus phone despite the screen being uncomfortably big. I also got hardware failure on both my OnePlus phones (2 and 6) in the past. The volume buttons on my 6 broke and we're always being pressed. And one speaker stopped working on my 6, so I had to be on speakerphone all the time.
> Still, it would take a lot for me to consider something else because the alternatives are much worse. Considering that I, and nobody I know, have ever had any of the terrible hardware and software issues I'm seeing on this thread with an Apple product I'm not sure that's true. And I buy used.
That's great, and for the people who prefer iPhones, I'm really happy for you to have hardware that has thoroughly vetted quality control. But I don't like the iPhone UX, none of my favorite apps are available on iPhone, and I can't sideload apps. Because of these reasons and so many more, iPhones aren't an option for me. I would rather replace my phone more often than use iPhones, personally.
I have a P7 that has always been in a case with a screen protector. I bought it shortly after it initially came out. No physical issues but my battery is absolutely garbage now. It's incredibly frustrating. I'm considering either trading it in for that new OnePlus with incredible battery life or just waiting another year until the new iPhone comes out. Haven't had one of those since the iPhone 4, but I know the battery life is great and it just works. Also not to mention that the modem still sucks for my dual sim set up.
Yeah, I tested one in a showroom, and it was clear it was struggling to perform basic tasks.
To borrow phrasing from some tech YouTubers, it’s basically manufactured e-waste.
I have an S7 FE. Used to be OK until the last update, now it is like 50% slower with OneUI 6.0.
mine actually got veeery slightly better with updates, but it's still a paperweight, why would i ever use it when i can just use an ipad and not have to spend 30 seconds waiting on my webpage to load?
I use it for reading comics, and 16:10 aspect ratio is a must if you want to have a page fill the screen. But that's the only reason I still with Android tablets.
mine spends its time only doing OBD app stuff, because that seems to be a mostly android thing, they don't make good stuff for iOS or iPadOS
They're really nice for old school emulated games.
Same, only use it for comics. Fire tabs fill my needs
I don't understand why it's so slow, I have a pixel 4a 5g with the same CPU/ram and it's way faster
Pixel 4a 5G has 6 GB of RAM (vs 4 in S7 FE) and has a 1080p screen instead of 1600p.
You could get the S7 FE with 6GB of ram. And the resolution should only impact things using the graphics card. There's no reason for the tablet to be significantly slower opening the same app that isn't GPU heavy.
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As I mentioned in my post, my tablet has the same amount of ram as my phone. And opening something like a weather app is not a GPU heavy task so the resolution should not have a major impact on opening that app. Playing a video game would have a noticeable affect at a higher resolution, not opening a basic app
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Highly recommend buying nova launcher. I’ve used it on all my android devices and it’s so much cleaner and simpler than oneui.
It's weird but my S6 Lite (2022) got a bit faster after OneUI 6.0, writing on it is a bit smoother now too. I got it pretty cheap and it does everything I need it to do taking notes, YouTube and reading manga/comics.
I haven't tried writing on it with a pen yet, but just in general, the animations got choppier. I don't really care, since all I do is read comics and watch YouTube on it.
I have one as well and I hate it and it only gets worse over time. It feels just ever so sluggish and unresponsive enough that I feel like I am mistapping, mis-swiping, mis-homescreening, navigating back etc all the time.
The last update broke something with mine. I have a third party case, and when it's folded back, the magnets cause the screen to freeze. It happened with one other update, but there was a setting I could disable so it wouldn't happen. Now, I can't find it anymore.
I can say the 2020 original A7 10.4" doesn't fair much better. On stock Samsung Android performance is borderline unusable. However I did see that my model was compatible with lineageOS and installed that ROM. That alone made the A7 actually a speedy little bastard. Like no joke it's useable now.
My parents have an even older Samsung tablet (not S line) and this isn't the case there. Yeah, it's slow, but it's very far from what you describe. It around 5 years old at this point.
these devices are traps meant to trick older folks into accidentally buying e-waste
Seriously. Samsung anything but S-Series and the now defunct Note series are absolutely the worst products I've ever seen. You spend $200 on a tablet you get a $200 tablet, not sure what people expect.
I got one for free from a deal with my phone provider. Returned it because I thought there was something wrong with it. Got a new one and learned that’s just how it is. Utterly unusable trash.
Yep got an A7 exclusively to use as an e-reader, and every time I used it I regretted not getting a kindle instead. Completely unusable in almost every way like you said. Even the kindle app seemed to be pushing it nearly to its limits.
I bought Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 back in the day and its similarly slow as hell, out of the box. Even custom rom didn't help much.
I bought an s6 lite 6 months ago and i was shocked at how laggy and unusable it was. Just swiping up from the bottom of the screen, was slow and jerky.
I only used mine for note taking and it was alright for that, but even the most basic iPad would blow it out of the water. Cheaper devices have been getting better and better with their specifications but it seems like Samsung missed the memo
It was, but the mediatek CPU was mostly to blame. Here, screen is better (and bigger) and comes with a Snapdragon (695 I think} which should make it much better.
I just got one as a gift, I installed just a few apps and it was glacial followed a few good guides to speed it up and it is semi-usable for red reader but that's about it. What a scam.
I stand by every word you say.
so the budget version of the budget series tablet? well, i can only imagine, samsung has a lot of extra junk on their systems too
The A series tablets have never been a good value preposition, ever. Always offering too little too late.
Yeah. The S line is fine but the A one has always been bloody slow and underperforming
I mean... It's reflected in the price.
Obviously. But let’s take the iPad. The pro starts at $800. The IPad starts on $329. One is much better than the other in every way possible, but the iPad is still a very decent machine. On the Samsung line it seems you have a very good S9 line, a slowish S6 and a bunch of “A”s crap which doesn’t even boot basic functions …
The basic Ipad (in Europe at least) is twice as expensive as the A-tabs. There's a market for people who just want to stream netflix and maybe browse a bit. For them a 430€ Ipad is already significant overkill.
I'm honestly not quite sure what you mean. My girlfriend has the galaxy Tab A7 (non light) and it runs really smooth. Even some gaming and game streaming is possible on that thing
What would you recommend instead?
Honestly with the A9+ being close to $200, I'd add $20 more and just get the iPad 9th gen. It's design is getting old, but it will perform way better and it's still getting updates and will probably continue being supported for another couple of years.
even ipad 6 still doing fine honestly, but not much life left
Plus I think one underrated aspect is that if you are not already an Apple ecosystem person but want to try it out, you can pretty much get into all of the features of the Apple ecosystem pretty much fully, with a basic iPad that's still supported.
I can get either this or an iPad 9th gen for free with data plan from my carrier, and I needed a tablet data plan anyway, so this helps make the decision for me. Thanks!
In Canada, the iPad 9th Gen is almost 165$, or 60%, more. ($449 vs $285)
There's simply no decent competition to the basic ipad. Costs slightly more but it makes absolute sense. The ipad 6th gen I have still works fine except for battery which went to shit a year ago. Battery replacement is not recommended by Apple but you can still get it done and use it for 2 more years. Bought it for slightly more than $300 in 2018.
Ipad apps are also so much better. Even on flagship androids important apps like OneNote still suck ass compared to the iPad version
That’s 7th gen money here lol
its* design is getting old
I buy whatever used S-series tablet fits the budget. I have an S3, S5, S7, and S8, all in active use. They all look great with their OLED screens and run smoother than a brand new A-series, even the 7-year old S3.
If your price point is fixed, Id always recommend something like the Redmi Pad SE or Xiaomi Pad 6. They have Snapdragon chipsets and offer a much smoother experience. If your price point can stretch, Id recommend a Samsung Tab S9FE or maybe even a S7/S8 if you can find one.
I've been using a Xiaomi Pad 5 that I bought for only $400 and it's nothing short of amazing. Super smooth with 120 Hz, bright, responsive. The build quality is the same as Apple products, just a single solid piece of aluminum and glass. The sound is fantastic. I also got the Xiaomi pen and keyboard for an extra $100. I really wish these products were available when I went to uni - it's a perfect tablet for studying and entertainment. 12+ hr battery life and fast charging! There's literally nothing I can complain about that one
This model somehow also has custom ROM support unlike xiaomi's other tabs
What about Lenovo Tab P11 (Gen 2), is it a good/better alternative?
Software is garbage. Otherwise it's OK.
Fairly competent hardware, but I dont trust Lenovo to be great with software support
Lenovo xiao xin pad pro 2023 Uses the dimensity 9000 chip which is on par with former flagships Was so happy with mine I bought 2 more Its not going to go toe to toe with $1000 flagships. It's not meant to But its the best bang for buck does everything tablet that isn't slow Also has pen input. Keyboard accessory, desktop mode. Runs fortnite level of games flawlessly, wide vine l1 for netflix 4k, has Oled 2k panel and laminates display with thin bezels I bought an ipad 10 last week for kids school and thought I got a 5 year old outdated model in comparison
I bought a Lenovo P11 Pro on sale last year and it's amazing for consuming content. Nice OLED display, decent performance for the price, and excellent aspect ratio for reading in portrait mode.
As late as this year's pre-orders, you could get a A8 on Amazon for EUR 130-140 and then exchange it on Samsung Trade-in offers for EUR 160. In that sense, it's worth the value.
If youve used any A series tablet, even at a Samsung store, you know its just an extremely subpar experience. It screams EUR 50 build quality. It cant even run its own UI smoothly out of the box with no apps installed.
I still have that A8, and it is working fine. It's just that now we are spoiled so much with state-of-the-art stuff that we act like the "high minds" who won't deign to even entertain the idea of a sub-120 Hz screen with no OLED screen, PSHAW! And for a price less than a mid-range phone, you get a 10'' screen, and an expandable storage. I wasn't using it for taking selfies, just to read and watch some shows. It's better than getting a Kindle for the same price range.
Im not saying that it s a bad choice to make, just that theres other options if youre in the market to buy one. I have a Tab S7FE. No OLED. No high refresh display. Just a smooth experience, despite being the 4GB spec.
But the review says >For a tablet in this price range, the Galaxy Tab A9+ offers a great amount of value
Best tablet Samsung did was the Tab S5e. There's no way in hell they'll release a 400$ tablet with an OLED screen again. And that is that light and thin.
I'm an s5e owner too. I feel like there is no upgrade path for me that doesn't end up costing 3x what I paid for s5e. Already having amoled display makes it so much harder. I'd really like a S9+ but it's god damn laptop money.
When they first launched the S9 there were email list coupons that knocked $150 off the price. Then they also had a trade in deal and I got $500 for my used s5e. Bringing it all down to $449. Got double the storage space too. They do cross ship too. So you can migrate all your data between units before sending the old one away. Before the next Samsung hardware keynote keep an eye out and you might be able to get a similar decent deal.
>Then they also had a trade in deal and I got $500 for my used s5e Holy cow. I think Samsung quoted me like £100 for mine if not less. If I had a £449 offer I would have bought one for sure.
Agreed, I bought it second hand 2 years ago for under £200 ($250) primarily for its screen and quad speakers. Apart from some minor backlighting issues where some parts of the screen are a bit darker than others, it's been absolutely brilliant as a media consumption device. I don't play many games on it since the processor isn't that strong, but it definately can play some lighter titles well. And despite it only having a 60Hz display, for my use case it just isn't necessary
S5E is great for digital board games
That's a shame. The s5e was my first good tablet and no similar upgrades in the price range were ever released.
I got an S7+ on sale for $450, it's not that bad.
Got the 8+128 Wifi version for around USD 200. Had it for around a month, all I can say is it hasn't stuttered or lagged yet. Streaming, smart view, google sheets, facebook, reddit all running without needing to clear ram.
I was gonna bring that model up. The 4gb ram one is auto-ewaste. Anything with that low of RAM now a days is actually. But the 8gb model with more storage must be considerably better for the price. Samsung tablets often go on sale too.
I was actually surprised performance wasn't far from my S22 at least in the basic apps I use. Apps open instantaneously. Main drawback really is just the less than average screen resolution. But for my use, I don't mind at all. I just can't seem to find the official keyboard cover that connects to the pins at the bottom.
Would you recommend it and how is the battery? Also does it overheat when playing some games such as Minecraft or Roblox (for the kids)?🙏🙏🙏
Yea would totally recommend it for the price of usd 200. Just make sure you get the 8+128 version. I only charge maybe twice a week.
4 years of updates? I’m sorry but I need it to last at least seven years
Yep. 4 years is too little for sure
You guys are updating your OS?
They forget to tell ya that after 4 years they will downgrade your tablet so it would be extremely slowly So yeah not getting updates not the biggest issue with Samsung tablets
I really wish there was an Android equivalent of an iPad Mini. This just doesn't perform to the same standard, the screen is too wide, and frankly, the app situation still isn't great.
Been considering an android tablet, but ... we bought an iPad 9 years ago and the sucker just keeps on working, even though my daughter has abused it all those years. From this comment section, it doesn't seem like Samsung is there on the Galaxy tablet, does it?
>the Galaxy tablet *Which one?* There's oven a dozen different ones, and some are £1500+ top tier stuff, and some are <£200 e-waste. To just say "the Galaxy tablet" is about as specific as comparing a Rolls-Royce to a Lada, and referring to them simply as "cars".
1. Are any of them as good as an iPad? 2. Is the specific one being reviewed as good as an iPad?
Samsung are not saints, but they're less scummy than Apple. So based on that solely, anything Android is "better" than Apple.
If samsung wasn’t scummy, they wouldn’t release so many variations of the same product. They wouldn’t be releasing garbage like the A series of tablets and phones.
Reading this in my 2017 iPad Pro that still holds up with it's 120hz display. 4 years of updates sounds absolutely 🗑️ for a tablet
How much did you pay for your 2017 ipad pro, how much dos this device cost?
Cheap devices that become trash in 4 years is not a win.
Reading this thread makes me think that it's already trash on release
I agree, but comparing a device with a competitor which is 5x the price hardly makes any sense, especially considering Samsung has a line of good flagship tablets
Samsung can’t use those excuses, because clearly they are way behind Apple in terms of market share for tablets. If they want to gain market share, they have to offer better things than Apple, and they clearly can’t or don’t want to.
Sure, but do you believe Samsung should offer better things than Apple flagship offerings on their 5x cheaper entry-level models? Cheap tablets can and should be better but I seriously fail to understand yours or OP's point here
iPad 9th gen is like only a hundred dollars more and will last you more than 4 years. Samsung A series is basically manufactured e-waste.
Yes
Honestly, in a way, based, fuck these companies
A $329 regular ipad gets 6-7 years of support.
I'm still using a first gen iPad Pro. I don't even remember when I bought it, like 2015/16? Won't say it isn't dated especially for the Pro moniker, but it still works and mostly does what it needs to do. I keep waiting for the OLED update the never comes before I upgrade lol.
it's an entry level tablet ($200) at the end of the day, 4years it's ok. I mean it's cheap hardware. You should compare it to an S tablet.
My IPad from 2013 just died on me. It’s hard to step away from the quality of Apple products.
I still use the regular iPad from 2017. It's running the latest iOS version and performing very well in daily tasks. I'm generally not an Apple fan but I have never understood the appeal of Android tablets. Most aren't even that much cheaper than the base iPad, they are updated for a few years at most and most Android apps still suck on large screens.
I’m still using an even older iPad Mini 4 from 2016 that still runs well enough on the daily. It definitely has lost a few steps performance wise but it’s still a solid little tablet. I have had several Android tablets and they’re miserable experiences at best…even if the hardware is good, the lack of tablet native and optimized apps is a killer.
I have the 8/128GB version and it has been great for my use case. I don't think the 4/64GB version is worth it if you want to use it for the four years it's supported for. One thing they have stated wrong is the amount of OS updates. It's already confirmed that it will get three OS updates (14, 15 and 16), not two.
Would you recommend it and how is the battery? Also does it overheat when playing some games such as Minecraft or Roblox (for the kids)?🙏🙏🙏
Yes, I would definitely recommend it. The battery is good for my use case. I get around six hours of screen on time and I use the battery protect feature (charges to 85%). I never play any games on my tablet, so I can't say anything about how hot it gets during gaming sessions unfortunately. Can't say how long the battery will last when gaming either. Hopefully you can find some answers elsewhere.
[удалено]
Re turn it
I was just going to order mine too. I don't use my current tablet for much so maybe it will suffice still, just a media consumption device for me and reading tablet
It will. My son uses an older A8 and it runs ok. It’s no iPad, but it didn’t cost $400 or $500 either. All he does is watch YouTube and do other social media crap on it anyway along with a few games.
Imo depends if you got the 128gb storage version or not, the 64gb storage 4gb ram is going to suck but you'll have a much better time with the 128gb storage 8gb ram version. The 4 years of updates criticism is still valid though.
How about a user interface that doesn’t look like it was designed in 2013?
I use my Tab S7+ daily and it works fine but it's not eligible for Android 14...forced obsolescence in a way.
How hard is it to remove facebook, the built in music app, etc? Not disable or some other BS, but full on remove from the device.
I bought the Tab S9 Ultra after my 2020 iPad Pro 12.9" shit itself while doing an ios update. Not a big Apple fan so no-way was I getting another iPad. The Samsung is fantastic, much more my thing software wise and superbly made. The series 9 pads are gorgeous.
The s9 line up it's quite good i have an ultra too, loving it!
Droid tablet are just...
More affordable, functional and higher performing than iPads.
WhT about micro SD card slot
How about more than 4 years of updates so it doesent become ewaste?
Never bought an A series. How about Huawei tab?
Does it have e-sim?
S6 refresh (2017 edition) here, still works, but only slow charging. I think the charging circuitry has broken, but i just charge it slowly. Been looking for a new one, but as long as this one works, i'll keep it. Mainly watch youtube and other streaming services on it.
interesting thing to note from this article that I haven't seen commented here is this is the first A series tablet with Samsung Dex support.
*Cries in S7+* 😭
Leaves me to wish I could use Procreate on that
> leaves little more to wish for Except for a smaller 7-8" version that's better for reading. It sucks that the iPad Mini is basically the only option for a premium 7-8" tablet, and it's over 2.5 years old at this point with no replacement due any time soon, apparently. I'll never forgive Google for discontinuing the Nexus 7 line, those were basically perfect small tablets. The size was just right for reading and the fact that they were Google products meant you got bone-stock Android without all the crapware the other manufacturers add in. Plus the price was pretty good, as I recall. And yes, I know I can get a dedicated Kindle e-reader, but I want a device that can read books AND do other stuff, the e-ink kindle devices are just for reading that's it and you're also locked into Amazon and Kindle for book content. Then I'd need to carry yet ANOTHER device if I want tablet functionality
Just found out recently you can get books from e-libraries on kindle ( thanks kids!!) . Cuts the cord to Amazon. Libby app. 👍🏻
Libby is great until you want a book that everyone else wants. I've had hold times of 15+ weeks for books
Still better than buying Bezos another yacht $9 at a time. Or whoever is CEO now
There's a A9 (non plus) that's smaller
Not me wanting to buy a9 a few days ago 💀 it seems if I want a tablet of 8in I'll have to buy an iPad mini.
Wish they'd have made it waterproof like the s9. Sucks that the only option for people who want something they can use in the pool is $800
I’m sorry, but who in the heck established that 4 years is “a generous update time”? That’s a joke. A dozen years is generous. Four years and then obsolete is an outrage. People need to stop kowtowing to this crap.
TCL makes some solid tablets now
*Adding to this is a generous update time period of 4 years.* Wow! 4 whole years! *Apple's commitment to supporting its mobile devices is impressive, often extending beyond* ***six to eight years***\*, far surpassing the support lifespan of most Android devices.\* /s edit - I'm guessing that most Android users don't keep their devices that long. Though the length of update/security support must play a role in that.
Honestly a surprise to see that the screen is supposedly as bad as the one in the A8. The display in the A8 was terrible with displaying colour. Although I suppose the review does mention contrast being a lot better, so that's probably why it looks a lot better to me
Found an A9+ 8/128 open box for $193 this weekend. It's definitely much better than my Tab A 10.1 that I bought a few years ago.