Tablets Android tablets are dead

[Technerd108]

The title of this thread is funny. I wonder how it will age? Fine wine or vinegar?

Seems at least for now with the Pixel Tablet, a couple Lenovo Android Tablets, a lot of Samsung tablets that Android tablets are far from dead.

The fact that Google is now selling an Android tablet means that development for tablets should at least while Google is still interested be in a good state. New features and optimization should continue to be released.

When compared to an iPad Android tablets offer a very similar experience and functionality. There are a few apps and features only on iPads. Procreate for animation is one. So for professionals who use an iPad Pro there is no substitute. But most people can use a Galaxy tab s9 just as easily as an iPad Pro. You also get the s-pen for free.

It seems that Samsung wanted to beat Apple to the gate with OLED tablets. Now the only thing better on the iPad is the m series processor. Unfortunately you really can't take full advantage of the m series processor on an iPad because of self imposed software limitations. While the Snapdragon 8 gen 2 paired with 12 gb ddr 5 ram is a perfect fit on the Galaxy tab.

Android on tablets still needs the promise of Honeycomb to be fulfilled. Google originally forked Android into phone and tablet much like iOS. Then a year or two later they stopped and merged Android. Google needs to fork Android again and develop Android for tablets specifically. They should have done it from the start.

Android tablets will NEVER die. Ever. Well until something replaces tablets altogether. There are too many users of Android that want to use a tablet that works like their phone. There are too many people who are cheap and just want a cheaper alternative to iPad. Then there are the people who have had Samsung Galaxy tablets for years and will continue to buy them. As long as you can buy an Android tablet for under $200 they will continue to sell.

 

[mrkapqa]

@sunking101 do you notice any issues with OLED display /flickering, eyestrain with prolonged use?
the specs look great, prices not so much alluring.

 

[Abazigal]

Android tablets will NEVER die. Ever. Well until something replaces tablets altogether. There are too many users of Android that want to use a tablet that works like their phone. There are too many people who are cheap and just want a cheaper alternative to iPad. Then there are the people who have had Samsung Galaxy tablets for years and will continue to buy them. As long as you can buy an Android tablet for under $200 they will continue to sell.

That's part of the main issue, no? Android tablets are mostly cheaper, larger screens that people get to watch content on, as evidenced by the 16:9 form factor that many of them come in. No one's really interested in pushing android tablets forward, in part because there doesn't seem to be any money to be made in this regard. You can give it better hardware, but even this can't incentivise developers to make better tablet apps for android.

Maybe you are right in that android tablets can't sink any lower, but it doesn't look like they will rise from it anything soon either.

 

[The Game 161]

The title of this thread is funny. I wonder how it will age? Fine wine or vinegar?

Seems at least for now with the Pixel Tablet, a couple Lenovo Android Tablets, a lot of Samsung tablets that Android tablets are far from dead.

The fact that Google is now selling an Android tablet means that development for tablets should at least while Google is still interested be in a good state. New features and optimization should continue to be released.

When compared to an iPad Android tablets offer a very similar experience and functionality. There are a few apps and features only on iPads. Procreate for animation is one. So for professionals who use an iPad Pro there is no substitute. But most people can use a Galaxy tab s9 just as easily as an iPad Pro. You also get the s-pen for free.

It seems that Samsung wanted to beat Apple to the gate with OLED tablets. Now the only thing better on the iPad is the m series processor. Unfortunately you really can't take full advantage of the m series processor on an iPad because of self imposed software limitations. While the Snapdragon 8 gen 2 paired with 12 gb ddr 5 ram is a perfect fit on the Galaxy tab.

Android on tablets still needs the promise of Honeycomb to be fulfilled. Google originally forked Android into phone and tablet much like iOS. Then a year or two later they stopped and merged Android. Google needs to fork Android again and develop Android for tablets specifically. They should have done it from the start.

Android tablets will NEVER die. Ever. Well until something replaces tablets altogether. There are too many users of Android that want to use a tablet that works like their phone. There are too many people who are cheap and just want a cheaper alternative to iPad. Then there are the people who have had Samsung Galaxy tablets for years and will continue to buy them. As long as you can buy an Android tablet for under $200 they will continue to sell.

Biggest problem with android tablets still remain the app optimisation which is rather huge for a tablet. you could argue when ipad pro does get OLED then the main advantage for android tablets will be gone. multitasking is better on s9 ultra but the gap is alot smaller than it was

 

[sunking101]

@sunking101 do you notice any issues with OLED display /flickering, eyestrain with prolonged use?
the specs look great, prices not so much alluring.

A little, the display has a very low refresh rate.

 

[Shanghaichica]

That's part of the main issue, no? Android tablets are mostly cheaper, larger screens that people get to watch content on, as evidenced by the 16:9 form factor that many of them come in. No one's really interested in pushing android tablets forward, in part because there doesn't seem to be any money to be made in this regard. You can give it better hardware, but even this can't incentivise developers to make better tablet apps for android.

Maybe you are right in that android tablets can't sink any lower, but it doesn't look like they will rise from it anything soon either.

I would agree. Samsung make great tablets hardware wise and the pixel tablet is also nice. However, there isn’t much of a market for premium android tablets. Just as there isn’t much of a market for premium android phones. I think the majority of android‘s market share comes from budget devices. These customers cannot purchase premium tablets. Many of them would struggle to justify buying multiple devices and would just buy a smartphone. However, I commend Samsung for continuing to make these tablets.

 

[Ludatyk]

I would agree. Samsung make great tablets hardware wise and the pixel tablet is also nice. However, there isn’t much of a market for premium android tablets. Just as there isn’t much of a market for premium android phones. I think the majority of android‘s market share comes from budget devices. These customers cannot purchase premium tablets. Many of them would struggle to justify buying multiple devices and would just buy a smartphone. However, I commend Samsung for continuing to make these tablets.

Well, I would argue the same principle applies with premium Apple devices, look at the top selling iPhones/iPads... they aren't the premium ones. They are the entry level ones or previous generation models (refurbished). It's not a situation where they struggle to sell them. With any premium hardware, not everyone is willing to pay the price for it.

Most settle on a more friendlier price or hold onto their current device until the price tag become reasonable. But if there isn't much a market for premium Android tablets, then Samsung wouldn't bother making them (imo).

 

[Shanghaichica]

Well, I would argue the same principle applies with premium Apple devices, look at the top selling iPhones/iPads... they aren't the premium ones. They are the entry level ones or previous generation models (refurbished). It's not a situation where they struggle to sell them. With any premium hardware, not everyone is willing to pay the price for it.

Most settle on a more friendlier price or hold onto their current device until the price tag become reasonable. But if there isn't much a market for premium Android tablets, then Samsung wouldn't bother making them (imo).

Well Apple’s premium tablets are ridiculously priced now. So not surprising that people are buying refurbished. I would say the cheaper android tablets are the ones that are selling in large volumes. Those that are $200 and below and even below $100.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Well, I would argue the same principle applies with premium Apple devices, look at the top selling iPhones/iPads... they aren't the premium ones. They are the entry level ones or previous generation models (refurbished). It's not a situation where they struggle to sell them. With any premium hardware, not everyone is willing to pay the price for it.

Most settle on a more friendlier price or hold onto their current device until the price tag become reasonable. But if there isn't much a market for premium Android tablets, then Samsung wouldn't bother making them (imo).

Indeed, most people I know hang onto phones and iPads for several years. I think cost puts people off but also there is the fact these devices aren’t suddenly out of date after a year or two. It’s not like it was 7 or so years ago when these devices were changing dramatically year on year and buying habits have certainly changed.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Well Apple’s premium tablets are ridiculously priced now. So not surprising that people are buying refurbished. I would say the cheaper android tablets are the ones that are selling in large volumes. Those that are $200 and below and even below $100.

Their iPhones are too, especially after the £150 price hikes of last year driving standard models towards £1k and Pro’s well over that amount. Apple not delivering an entry level iPad since the iPad 9th Gen is being noticed too. So many kids are asking for iPads these days and they are used so much in schools, yet parents are having to buy older models to avoid soaring costs which Apple seems to be promoting instead of supporting.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Indeed, most people I know hang onto phones and iPads for several years. I think cost puts people off but also there is the fact these devices aren’t suddenly out of date after a year or two. It’s not like it was 7 or so years ago when these devices were changing dramatically year on year and buying habits have certainly changed.

I miss those days. Everything seems to work too well now. 😅

 

[Technerd108]

The thing is no matter what the Apple is best crowd say the truth is that in terms of accomplishing a task there is pretty much parity between the platforms even with Android tablet development being left to the OEM's for the past several years.

People kept saying Android tablets are dead. They suck. And on and on. Just like the title of this thread but yet Android tablets like a zombie clawing it's way out of a grave and back into the real world can't be completely killed off.

Now with Google possibly back in the tablet game with their own device might signal a shift towards increased development of Android on tablets. This means that Google may add new features and optimization for tablets as time goes on. This will only improve the quality and usability and features of Android tablets. It is also possible that more apps may be optimized for Android tablets in the future.

However as an Android tablet like the tab s9 is right now it can do almost anything that an iPad can do and in some cases more and in some cases less.

There are a few killer iOS only apps and some Apple ecosystem services only available on iPad. For some people that is enough. However, you can't ignore the hardware on a Samsung tab s9 is pretty much as good and in some ways superior to iPad Pro.

Also some said that there isn't a market for high end Android tablets? Are you serious? Of course there are a lot of people who want a really good Android tablet to sync with their Android phone and PC. Just like Apple you have continuity features like file sharing between all devices. Samsung Galaxy series devices all talk with each other. My Tablet, phone, ear buds, and PC are all synced just like on Apple.

It is just the bubble ecochamber here. Android is trash, Android tablets are a joke, no security, blah, blah blah.

 

[ozaz]

Biggest problem with android tablets still remain the app optimisation which is rather huge for a tablet.

For picky users maybe (which probably includes many people who engage in internet tech forums).

But the majority of tablet users probably only really use their tablets for very casual tasks like browsing the web and watching movies. For this group, I think the inferior optimisation of large screen apps on Android is of no real consequence.

 

[Digitalguy]

Android tablets are not only not dead, but they are growing. I have been an iPad first person for the last 10 years.
But a Samsung phone user since I moved on from Nokia in 2011. And a Windows user.
I have plenty of iPads (see below), but more recently I am using Android tablets more and more (large ones mainly, Tab S8 ultra, Tab S7FE and Yoga Tab 13). I also use Surface devices, but the only one I use as a tablet is my Surface go 2 M3.

The app optimisation issue on Android is nowadays greatly exaggerated. When you ask people what apps are not optimized they often reply Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For all of which you can now install a PWA app which works as well or better (instagram) than on iPad.
Also Samsung has many OS workarounds for the non optimized apps.
And all Google and Microsoft apps are now optimized. The fact the Google is back in the Android tablet arena is the result of foldables, which are here to stay and are pushing Android tablets with them.

In my opinion, Samsung OneUI is clearly superior to iPadOS. Samsung has also brought a few key developers to Android in the videoediting, drawing and note taking segments.
At this point the main pro apps missing are in the music sector and some iPad only pro apps.
M-series iPads are faster, but SD 8 Gen 2 is so fast that it barely matters. Personally I am happily taking even and S8 or S7 with an older chip but 8GB RAM, or a Oneplus Pad, than a A14/A15 iPad with only 4 (constant reloads).

The market for premium android tablet (from $500 to over $1000) is clearly there, and the fact that Samsung managed to increase their prices this year and has a lot of preorders deals out of stock shows that their strategy is working (sure their great deals means their margins are thinner, but as consumers, who cares). There are plenty of people online talking about their new premium S9 tablets. And they are all ecstatic about them.

For someone in the Apple ecosystem it doesn't matter, but if you have an Android phone and a Windows PC, as the majority of people in the world, you are no longer making much of a compromise with an Android tablet, especially a premium one.

 

[Expos of 1969]

Seeing as Apple only has 54% of the global tablet market, those folks who scoff at Android really have no clue.

 

[jimimac71]

On the other side of the fence, my 2019 iPad is going strong.
Only issue is it's the last iPad with 32 Gigs and it's quite full.
My Nokia T20 is still running Android 12 and may not ever get the so-called promise of 2 OS updates.
Their 2 year promise has to do with when the product was released, not the actual age of any device.
My other Android tablets are older than the T20. All are 2019 and older and no longer receive any updates.
I just downloaded the Public Beta for iPad OS.
My iPad was purchased refurbished. It operates as if it were brand new.
The iPad is faster than my 2015 PC.
Could be just me, but everything slows down over time, except my trusty iPad.

 

[Digitalguy]

On the other side of the fence, my 2019 iPad is going strong.
Only issue is it's the last iPad with 32 Gigs and it's quite full.
My Nokia T20 is still running Android 12 and may not ever get the so-called promise of 2 OS updates.
Their 2 year promise has to do with when the product was released, not the actual age of any device.
My other Android tablets are older than the T20. All are 2019 and older and no longer receive any updates.
I just downloaded the Public Beta for iPad OS.
My iPad was purchased refurbished. It operates as if it were brand new.
The iPad is faster than my 2015 PC.
Could be just me, but everything slows down over time, except my trusty iPad.

For me another issue with older iPads is RAM... This has been a bottleneck regardless of the speed... 2GB RAM devices (until 2018) are pretty terrible and even 3GB ones (until 2021) reload a ton nowadays. My iPad mini 5 is capable of reloading a video I was watching in Safari just after putting it down for 10 minutes and doing nothing with it... It's such a shame to have this bottleneck with such a fast chip. Honestly the 2019 iPad with A10 is not particularly fast, definitely ok, but not fast. For me fast starts with A12. Of course compared to a $150 Nokia tablet anything is blazing fast, but personally I'd get a tablet with 6 or 8GB RAM which is a bit slower rather than a fast one with only 3. My Samsung S7 FE for instance has 8GB RAM, it's not the fastest (Snapdragon 778G), it's definitely slower than my A12 mini 5, but it's a much better experience.
As for getting updates, I am sticking now with the best in class, Samsung, which offers 4-5 years, but once updates are over Android tends to be much more usable than IOS. I can do way more with Android 5 from 2014 than with IOS 10 from 2016, which can't even run youtube... My S7FE should get updates for 1-2 more years but I plan to keep it for the next 5-10 years, and with 8GB RAM it should be absolutely fine and I expect all apps to work fine, just like they work on fine on my 10 year old tablet with Android 5.

 

[jimimac71]

My Nokia T20 was almost $200 out the door.
I refuse to spend money on a tablet that resembles that of a laptop.
My most expensive tablet so far is my refurbished iPad. ($209)
I do believe 4/64 is the minimum for any tablet.
My iPad is 3/32. In 2019, my Samsung Galaxy Tab A was 3/64.
Samsung is Android 11 and is EOL.
Getting only 2 good years from a tablet is really dumb, no matter how cheap.
My dirt cheap Amazon tablet from 2019 is still alive and might get another update. It is 2/64 and has the Play Store installed.

 

[Digitalguy]

My Nokia T20 was almost $200 out the door.
I refuse to spend money on a tablet that resembles that of a laptop.
My most expensive tablet so far is my refurbished iPad. ($209)
I do believe 4/64 is the minimum for any tablet.
My iPad is 3/32. In 2019, my Samsung Galaxy Tab A was 3/64.
Samsung is Android 11 and is EOL.
Getting only 2 good years from a tablet is really dumb, no matter how cheap.
My dirt cheap Amazon tablet from 2019 is still alive and might get another update. It is 2/64 and has the Play Store installed.

So what is your point, that buying a used/refurbished iPad is better than a low end but new Android tablet (that you can know find new for $150)?
Or that the 2019 iPad 7 was better than a much cheaper 2019 Samsung tablet?
Things have changed since then for Samsung tablets,
And you are free to throw away your tablets after end of updates. I don't. And probably most people don't either.
Not only that, I actually stop updating some iPads on purpose when I see that their limited amount of RAM will only make them worse with more updates.

 

[jimimac71]

So what is your point, that buying a used/refurbished iPad is better than a low end but new Android tablet (that you can know find new for $150)?
Or that the 2019 iPad 7 was better than a much cheaper 2019 Samsung tablet?
Things have changed since then for Samsung tablets,
And you are free to throw away your tablets after end of updates. I don't. And probably most people don't either.
Not only that, I actually stop updating some iPads on purpose when I see that their limited amount of RAM will only make them worse with more updates.

Why would I spend huge dollars on a tablet versus a real laptop?
When my PC dies (2015) I will not replace it.
I loathe W11. Don’t want Mac.
So Chromebook or tablet. Chromebook is costly like Windows laptops.
Been using a tablet since my skin cancer surgery, when I couldn’t use my PC.
So I love good tablets, just not those that cost $500+ or more!

 

[Digitalguy]

Why would I spend huge dollars on a tablet versus a real laptop?
When my PC dies (2015) I will not replace it.
I loathe W11. Don’t want Mac.
So Chromebook or tablet. Chromebook is costly like Windows laptops.
Been using a tablet since my skin cancer surgery, when I couldn’t use my PC.
So I love good tablets, just not those that cost $500+ or more!

Points taken, but the thread here is not if tablets over $200 are worth it or not, but if Android tablets were killed by iPads or not.
And for most people it's not tablet vs laptop, but laptop + tablet.
It's all a matter of priorities. Some people would not spend over $300 on a smartphone, others spend over $1000 or even over $1500 for foldables. And they have every right to spend their money as they wish.
Some people are minimalists, others like to have multiple laptops and tablets (including thousands dollars ones). To each their own...

So my points were about Android tablets vs iPads, and on that front:
- Android tablets cover more price points below the entry level iPads.
- If you can buy used/refurbished etc. you can find some great old flagships for great prices, just like with iPads.
- The update situation has much improved lately, especially for premium tablets getting 5 years of security updates (base iPads get 6, premium ones a couple more).
- Many people are perfectly fine with using their tablets after updates end, especially when their tablet is a secondary device to their phone/laptop. Some people, including in this forum, stop iPad updates earlier, in order to avoid the impact of updates in terms of increased RAM usage and battery life.
- Apple has had a very bad practice of giving low storage and RAM to their non pro iPads and no microsd card to expand it, making them less future proof because of this (I'd argue that's worse than (not) getting updates, which actually make the situation worse by requiring more RAM).

Are there bad Android tablets? Plenty. But there are also many great tablets on the Android side nowadays.

 

[jimimac71]

I'm not a minimalist, just low income.
Tablet and laptop is insane for me.
It makes no sense to me that Android tablets don't get updated like Apple devices.
I have to buy lower priced products or not at all.
I won't replace my older PC as that same dollar amount would buy something else.
I don't know much about higher priced Android tablets, but the current iPad Air sounds pretty hard to compete with.

 

[Digitalguy]

I'm not a minimalist, just low income.
Tablet and laptop is insane for me.
It makes no sense to me that Android tablets don't get updated like Apple devices.
I have to buy lower priced products or not at all.
I won't replace my older PC as that same dollar amount would buy something else.
I don't know much about higher priced Android tablets, but the current iPad Air sounds pretty hard to compete with.

the current iPad air is hard to compete with in terms of CPU/GPU power, but it's lacking in other areas compared to other tablets at that price or even cheaper.
One area is storage (only 64GB vs 128 for Android competitors, and sometimes a MicroSD card too).
And if you bump to 256GB you start competing with even more premium Android tablets.
Another is the 60hz screen vs higher refresh rate.
Another is the price of accessories, that is higher than the competition.
Speakers also don't compare favourably to some Android competitors.

Let me give a concrete example, Oneplus Pad:
$479 so quite a bit cheaper
Dimensity 9000 is pretty fast (roughly as a Galaxy tab S8 or better)
128GB storage and same 8GB RAM (256GB gets your 12GB RAM)
144hz display (similar aspect ratio)
keyboard with trackpad is $149
pen is $99
Speakers are vastly superior, as good or better than those on the 11" pro.
3 years of OS updates and 4 years of security

Of course it's all a matter of priorities but I'd take those features at that price any day over more years of updates since I continue using my tablets after updates end with no issue (and for some iPads I actually stop the updates earlier, my 2018 pro is still on iPadOS 15, my 9.7 pro stopped at 13.4).

 

[jimimac71]

I have read about the OnePlus Pad as superior to the new Pixel tablet.
I don't use the built-in speakers on my tablets. They are all terrible.
One reason I have the Nokia T20 is the back camera flash/flashlight.
FM radio, which has a terrible app but works.
The new T21 is about the same product but also has GPS.
I have fewer issues with app compatibility on iPad. Almost none.
I get how some apps are designed for phones and that's it.
That's the developer's fault as is the lack of compatibility.
While I realize using Google Play Store on an Amazon tablet is tricky, some apps refuse to work with my Galaxy Tab A and Nokia T20.
I feel Android is wonderful as a lower priced alternative to Apple.
Both my vision and hearing are bad, so having quality in that area doesn't matter.
I would not want to spend more than $300 on a single product.
So far, I've done that. As you know, that rules out any new iPad.
I briefly had a Lenovo 11 inch tablet. Returned it as the advertised FM radio chip did not exist.
It was 6/128 and was overkill for my needs.
I have the micro SD slot and don't use it.
I appreciate your insight.
I often believe a $300 Android tablet is superior to the same price for a Chromebook.

 

[sunking101]

I feel Android is wonderful as a lower priced alternative to Apple.

My Z Fold 4, S23 Ultra and Tab S9 are hardly lower priced alternatives to Apple...