Tablet buying question

[cschex]

Hi all,

It looks like I'll soon be purchasing my first tablet for the family as a replacement for our antiquated 2nd laptop. The tablet will be primarily used by my wife for email/internet/videos/apps and my 8 yr old for the same thing (and me for mobile games and Hearthstone, but not as much). I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of tablets and dont really know what's considered things to look for or avoid in specs or OS's for example. I probably won't be going iPad because we aren't Apple users and it's more expensive. Does anyone have good experiences or recommendations? Thanks in advance!

[jbergey22]

Are you looking for a larger or smaller tablet? IMO nothing beats the Ipads but for a second option the Samsung Notes are a nice tablet. The LG Pads arent bad either as a cheaper option.

[ISiddiqui]

No tablet out there has a better screen than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S (the S at the end is impt). It is simply stunning and every professional analysis supports its amazingness (yes, it beats the pants off the iPad). Touchwiz isn't the best skin (though it's gotten better), but if I was getting a new tablet, that'd be my choice.

Nvidia's Shield is quite fantastic as well - but its not as thin as others due to Nvidia preferring to focus on performance over thinness.

[Grammaticus]

Depends on how much you want to spend, the Surface Pro3 is awesome!

[dolfin]

Depends on how much you want to spend, the Surface Pro3 is awesome!

I can attest to this, but they are pricey.

[ISiddiqui]

I'm quite jealous of my friend's Surface Pro 3 - but I am going to temper that jealous (somewhat), by waiting for the Surface Pro 4 (coming out this fall, I think).

[cschex]

I looked at the Surface Pro, but I would probably not spend that much on the first tablet. As for size, I'm debating between 7-8 in and 10in, don't really have a huge preference. I had read reviews of the NVIDIA Shield praising it for performance and that is probably the price range that would fit for me. Any thoughts on the plus/minuses of the different tablet operating systems?

[jeff061]

Why the Surface Pro. Just the standard Surface these days is pretty nice, runs full Windows version and all Windows apps at $499. Gets released in a couple weeks.

It doesn't run some cripple Windows version like the RT did.

[dolfin]

Why the Surface Pro. Just the standard Surface these days is pretty nice, runs full Windows version and all Windows apps at $499. Gets released in a couple weeks.

It doesn't run some cripple Windows version like the RT did.

I use mine for work so I wanted the more power and the bigger size. When I'm in the office, I'm connected to an external display (soon to be multiple) via docking station. I agree though, for non-work related uses, the Surface 3 looks like a great option, especially with LTE.

[jeff061]

Of course, Surface Pro can be a full blown laptop replacement, I don't really consider it a tablet(by my personal definition). Its an ultra small form factor laptop.

Surface is a "tablet" in style/price, but has laptop capabilities with the OS.

[ISiddiqui]

Any thoughts on the plus/minuses of the different tablet operating systems?

The Shield tends to be mostly plain Android and gets updates pretty quick. I always find that welcome. I find the skins that manufacturers put on them (whether Samsung's Touchwiz or HTC's Sense) have more negatives than positives and make it so they get the latest OS updates from Android later.

[Alf]

About the size, I would recommend 10" if possible as 7" is too close to standard smartphone size (4.5" to 5" seems the norm now) to make a real difference in usage compared to a smartphone.

[Lathum]

I'm not really an Apple person but the Ipad is great for my kids. It is so easy to use and has tons of options.

[ISiddiqui]

So I saw this fantastic deal on a Used-Like New iPad Air 2 from an Amazon vendor with 100% positive ratings, so I jumped on it. I should get it tomorrow - I'm already slightly fretting about the closed ecosystem and no real file system to get into, but it'll be a fun thing to play around with.

I figure that I'm like 99.9% going to get a Surface Pro 4 when it's released, so may as well get an Apple tablet to go with my aging 2013 Nexus 7.

[cschex]

Thanks for the discussion and tips in this thread- pulled the trigger on a really good deal for a refurbished 10.5 in Galaxy S that I saw on Slickdeals today that Best Buy had which put it firmly in my price range. Looking forward to seeing how it works.

[ISiddiqui]

Nice! Looks like a great tablet.

FTR, I had fun playing with the iPad Air 2 last evening, but I have a number of iOS frustrations, mostly involving the one button, just having the home page be an app drawer, and no ability to set a screen sleep time. It is a quick device though, but I wish the side bezels were bigger. I do hear that getting a case helps with that issue.