6 ms·

Tangential rant. Has tablet computer really improved since the last Google Nexus 7 tablet, which was released in 2013? Seriously, I was in the market for an a

Tangential rant. Has tablet computer really improved since the last Google Nexus 7 tablet, which was released in 2013? Seriously, I was in the market for an affordable tablet, and quite bizarrely the tablet computers today have significantly underwhelming spec compared to a phone of the same price point. There is no budget tab from known manufacturers. Even at IPad level prices, the android counterpart is quite underwhelming. I don't how it happened by it seems like IPad is the only tablet computer to get. For people on a budget there is no other viable option then to get a used IPad and news like this makes me kinda mad. What the heck is even going on? Like in 2012-15 era there was bunch of variations of tablet computer of different price points. These days everyone from toddlers with their padded covers and graphics designers with an apple pencil is using an IPad.

freitzkriesler2 3y ago
It's because Google dropped the ball on Android smartphone app sizing for phones vs tablets. This IS changing now that Google has a pixel foldable smartphone.
- kccqzy 3y ago
  Couldn't you say the same thing for iOS/iPadOS though? It's up to the developers to manually support iPads. To date, very well known and popular apps like Instagram still run as iPhone-sized. Which is especially perplexing because there are seriously good photographers on Instagram whose work should be enjoyed on a bigger screen.
- Gigachad 3y ago
  Google picks up and drops tablets semi frequently. It wouldn’t surprise me if the manager who came up with the idea of doing tablets again gets promoted and then the idea gets abandoned shortly after.
dotnet00 3y ago
Not exactly a budget tab, but I've found the S8 Ultra (and the S7 FE before that) to be pretty great. The S8U managing to make having a laptop entirely unnecessary (since I'd only need a laptop away from home and I mainly WFH). With Android there has been a long period of stagnation with only Samsung doing custom stuff like DeX, multi-tasking stuff and striking deals with various productivity apps for Android ports to make Android viable for tablets, otherwise they're only very recently starting to come out of it with Google working on a Pixel Tab.
- kevin_thibedeau 3y ago
  > only Samsung doing custom stuff like DeX, Motorola has phones that do the same and without a proprietary dock.
  - dotnet00 3y ago
    You don't need a dock, proprietary or not for DeX on the tab at least, it's just a button there, and I've been able to just use a regular old random dock for external display, external keyboard etc. Haven't tried with phone though.
    - kevin_thibedeau 3y ago
      But you need a computer to receive Miracast for you. Motorola just has a DP video output to a dumb screen.
      - ThatPlayer 3y ago
        Samsung's works with DP over USB-C video output too. A computer to receive is just an additional option.
      - diffeomorphism 3y ago
        No? I have an older s7+ and it has a standard usb c port and you can just connect any screen. Nothing proprietary or complicated.
  - jlund-molfese 3y ago
    Huawei too! Just plug your phone into your TV. But behind the scenes it’s built on AOSP code (assuming DeX and Motorola are the same)
  - jlokier 3y ago
    No dock required. With Samsung DeX you just need a cheap USB-C to HDMI cable. Plug the phone into the monitor and you can switch to desktop mode. It only works on Samsung models that have USB-C video though. My mid-range Samsung phone doesn't have either feature.
neftaly 3y ago
Chromebooks seem to have replaced Android tablets, eg the Lenovo Duet.
LanternLight83 3y ago
> Has tablet computer really improved since the last Google Nexus 7 tablet, which was released in 2013? I wouldn't know, I'm still using my second N7 with Lineage OS.
jeffbee 3y ago
The pencil is the differentiator. I would not get an iPad today if I could not use it for art. And it is amazing for art. I did have a Nexus 7 and it was great. I used it to hold my cached maps on motorcycle adventures. But these days you can get a "phone" that's practically as large as a Nexus 7 was, has way more storage, better battery life, and better performance. A Pixel 7 Pro has a display 80% as large as the Nexus 7, but in 40% of the volume.
- reactordev 3y ago
  This is my assessment as well. iPad with Apple Pencil, mirrored screen for photoshop, and you have a seriously good and portable wacom centiq. Just, smaller, and can play games.
  - mikepurvis 3y ago
    How is the pressure sensitivity compared with a "real" drawing tablet?
    - 1123581321 3y ago
      It's as good in an app that lets you adjust the curve to fit your hand (like Procreate, which is an industry standard at this point.) A Cintiq's curve is a little better out of the box, in my opinion.
    - Gigachad 3y ago
      I’m not a pro artist but I do it as a hobby and own a Wacom and iPad. I can’t tell the difference in sensitivity. The iPad is a much more convenient and cheap package though.
    - gabereiser 3y ago
      Identical. Bluetooth introduces a little bit of lag 2-5ms but it’s only noticeable if you are working on really large canvases of 40MP or more.
- causality0 3y ago
treprinum 3y ago
One good development is that if you buy a Microsoft Surface Go 2/3, you can easily install Linux with Gnome, it works great and you can get rid of both Windows/iOS dependencies at the same time. It's also easy to glue a metal Linux sticker over the Windows logo so you won't even notice MS underneath. PineTab2 is impossible to use due to a missing WiFi driver (!?)
- wiseowise 3y ago
  > it works great How is performance? Mind recording a video of average browser/application speed?
  - treprinum 3y ago
    It's pretty snappy for a media consumption device (I use it mainly to watch videos from my NAS), don't expect great coding experience though. Here is a video about Surface Pro 7 but it's similar with Go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Jj0jWXyWo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Jj0jWXyWo
_ea1k 3y ago
I mostly blame the CPU manufacturers. There just aren't great, competitive options at price points that support good low end tablets. At the higher end, things like the Pixel tablet and Galaxy Tab are pretty good, but IMO they are hard to justify vs the ipad at the same price point.
lostlogin 3y ago
We have a stack of non iPad tablets for playing music to patients. I think there are 4 or 5 there now. They are so unresponsive that each has been abandoned, then Siemens buy us a new, higher spec one. They all behave the same. Laggy, unresponsive and actual junk.
jay_kyburz 3y ago
I've been very happy with my Nokia T10
cybwraith 3y ago
Biggest issue for me and why I stick with ipads is the 4:3(ish) aspect ratio. 16:10/16:9 is a terrible aspect ratio for tablets IMO.
- mixmastamyk 3y ago
  16:9 is a terrible ratio for a computer, but a good one for a movie tablet.
  - cybwraith 3y ago
    While I understand for many people that may be a positive, I spend very little time watching shows on such a small screen. Thats what my TV is for! A 16:10/16:9 ratio on a tablet makes the balance in the hands quiet bad in portrait mode.
acomjean 3y ago
I have a Samsung an android tablet with their pencil. Using Krita for drawing I think it’s pretty amazing. The UI is kinda desktop but the brushes are amazing.
cameldrv 3y ago
The budget tab from a known manufacturer is the Amazon Fire 7 for $59.
opan 3y ago
The tablet market is indeed very disappointing. I have somewhat high hopes for the PineTab 2 being good (eventually, as drivers improve). I don't see much appeal for Android or iOS tablets. I see the form factor as being a bit like a laptop without the crummy keyboard/mouse attached, but it gets treated more like a giant low quality smartphone in practice.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
blfr 3y ago
Samsung Galaxy Tabs have OLED screens and fresh Snapdragons. While I don't have a tablet (yet? let's see the S9) both my laptop and phone have OLED screens and I am never going back. So yeah, budget tablets are not great but there's certainly some improvement on the higher end.
Gigachad 3y ago
A used iPad is a really good deal. I bought an iPad Air 2 years ago for $200AUD. The thing is from 2014 and works flawlessly while still receiving security updates.

freitzkriesler2 3y ago

It's because Google dropped the ball on Android smartphone app sizing for phones vs tablets. This IS changing now that Google has a pixel foldable smartphone.

kccqzy 3y ago
Couldn't you say the same thing for iOS/iPadOS though? It's up to the developers to manually support iPads. To date, very well known and popular apps like Instagram still run as iPhone-sized. Which is especially perplexing because there are seriously good photographers on Instagram whose work should be enjoyed on a bigger screen.
Gigachad 3y ago
Google picks up and drops tablets semi frequently. It wouldn’t surprise me if the manager who came up with the idea of doing tablets again gets promoted and then the idea gets abandoned shortly after.

dotnet00 3y ago

Not exactly a budget tab, but I've found the S8 Ultra (and the S7 FE before that) to be pretty great. The S8U managing to make having a laptop entirely unnecessary (since I'd only need a laptop away from home and I mainly WFH). With Android there has been a long period of stagnation with only Samsung doing custom stuff like DeX, multi-tasking stuff and striking deals with various productivity apps for Android ports to make Android viable for tablets, otherwise they're only very recently starting to come out of it with Google working on a Pixel Tab.

kevin_thibedeau 3y ago
> only Samsung doing custom stuff like DeX, Motorola has phones that do the same and without a proprietary dock.
- dotnet00 3y ago
  You don't need a dock, proprietary or not for DeX on the tab at least, it's just a button there, and I've been able to just use a regular old random dock for external display, external keyboard etc. Haven't tried with phone though.
  - kevin_thibedeau 3y ago
    But you need a computer to receive Miracast for you. Motorola just has a DP video output to a dumb screen.
    - ThatPlayer 3y ago
      Samsung's works with DP over USB-C video output too. A computer to receive is just an additional option.
    - diffeomorphism 3y ago
      No? I have an older s7+ and it has a standard usb c port and you can just connect any screen. Nothing proprietary or complicated.
- jlund-molfese 3y ago
  Huawei too! Just plug your phone into your TV. But behind the scenes it’s built on AOSP code (assuming DeX and Motorola are the same)
- jlokier 3y ago
  No dock required. With Samsung DeX you just need a cheap USB-C to HDMI cable. Plug the phone into the monitor and you can switch to desktop mode. It only works on Samsung models that have USB-C video though. My mid-range Samsung phone doesn't have either feature.

neftaly 3y ago

Chromebooks seem to have replaced Android tablets, eg the Lenovo Duet.

LanternLight83 3y ago

> Has tablet computer really improved since the last Google Nexus 7 tablet, which was released in 2013? I wouldn't know, I'm still using my second N7 with Lineage OS.

jeffbee 3y ago

The pencil is the differentiator. I would not get an iPad today if I could not use it for art. And it is amazing for art. I did have a Nexus 7 and it was great. I used it to hold my cached maps on motorcycle adventures. But these days you can get a "phone" that's practically as large as a Nexus 7 was, has way more storage, better battery life, and better performance. A Pixel 7 Pro has a display 80% as large as the Nexus 7, but in 40% of the volume.

reactordev 3y ago
This is my assessment as well. iPad with Apple Pencil, mirrored screen for photoshop, and you have a seriously good and portable wacom centiq. Just, smaller, and can play games.
- mikepurvis 3y ago
  How is the pressure sensitivity compared with a "real" drawing tablet?
  - 1123581321 3y ago
    It's as good in an app that lets you adjust the curve to fit your hand (like Procreate, which is an industry standard at this point.) A Cintiq's curve is a little better out of the box, in my opinion.
  - Gigachad 3y ago
    I’m not a pro artist but I do it as a hobby and own a Wacom and iPad. I can’t tell the difference in sensitivity. The iPad is a much more convenient and cheap package though.
  - gabereiser 3y ago
    Identical. Bluetooth introduces a little bit of lag 2-5ms but it’s only noticeable if you are working on really large canvases of 40MP or more.
causality0 3y ago

treprinum 3y ago

One good development is that if you buy a Microsoft Surface Go 2/3, you can easily install Linux with Gnome, it works great and you can get rid of both Windows/iOS dependencies at the same time. It's also easy to glue a metal Linux sticker over the Windows logo so you won't even notice MS underneath. PineTab2 is impossible to use due to a missing WiFi driver (!?)

wiseowise 3y ago
> it works great How is performance? Mind recording a video of average browser/application speed?
- treprinum 3y ago
  It's pretty snappy for a media consumption device (I use it mainly to watch videos from my NAS), don't expect great coding experience though. Here is a video about Surface Pro 7 but it's similar with Go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Jj0jWXyWo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Jj0jWXyWo

_ea1k 3y ago

I mostly blame the CPU manufacturers. There just aren't great, competitive options at price points that support good low end tablets. At the higher end, things like the Pixel tablet and Galaxy Tab are pretty good, but IMO they are hard to justify vs the ipad at the same price point.

lostlogin 3y ago

We have a stack of non iPad tablets for playing music to patients. I think there are 4 or 5 there now. They are so unresponsive that each has been abandoned, then Siemens buy us a new, higher spec one. They all behave the same. Laggy, unresponsive and actual junk.

jay_kyburz 3y ago

I've been very happy with my Nokia T10

cybwraith 3y ago

Biggest issue for me and why I stick with ipads is the 4:3(ish) aspect ratio. 16:10/16:9 is a terrible aspect ratio for tablets IMO.

mixmastamyk 3y ago
16:9 is a terrible ratio for a computer, but a good one for a movie tablet.
- cybwraith 3y ago
  While I understand for many people that may be a positive, I spend very little time watching shows on such a small screen. Thats what my TV is for! A 16:10/16:9 ratio on a tablet makes the balance in the hands quiet bad in portrait mode.

acomjean 3y ago

I have a Samsung an android tablet with their pencil. Using Krita for drawing I think it’s pretty amazing. The UI is kinda desktop but the brushes are amazing.

cameldrv 3y ago

The budget tab from a known manufacturer is the Amazon Fire 7 for $59.

opan 3y ago

The tablet market is indeed very disappointing. I have somewhat high hopes for the PineTab 2 being good (eventually, as drivers improve). I don't see much appeal for Android or iOS tablets. I see the form factor as being a bit like a laptop without the crummy keyboard/mouse attached, but it gets treated more like a giant low quality smartphone in practice.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

blfr 3y ago

Samsung Galaxy Tabs have OLED screens and fresh Snapdragons. While I don't have a tablet (yet? let's see the S9) both my laptop and phone have OLED screens and I am never going back. So yeah, budget tablets are not great but there's certainly some improvement on the higher end.

Gigachad 3y ago

A used iPad is a really good deal. I bought an iPad Air 2 years ago for $200AUD. The thing is from 2014 and works flawlessly while still receiving security updates.