the state of cheap tablets

Soldato
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so i'm finding myself in need of a portable tv tablet.

not really interested in anything apart from screen size (10" minimum)/resolution (it's 2020 none of this "hd ready" bs)

used to have a tabpro which was pretty damn good until it died.

having a quick look seems the huawei matepad looks like it fits the bill nicely but figured a quick check with folks who pay more attention to these things than i do might be worthwhile.
 
Soldato
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Honestly, I'd just grab a 10inch kindle fireHD, yeah the UI sucks (can be 'fixed', xda forums, if you're open to it) but it's pretty good for the money imo, especially if you get it while on offer at £90 like I did.

Remember Huawei has issues with getting software etc from google due to trump restrictions which are still in place last I checked
 
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Soldato
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just looking up the fire, so they really charge a tenner more to not have it randomly advertise on the homescreen!?

It's not the homescreen, it's the lock screen. So you only see book adverts when you wake it up to unlock.

If all you're after is a device to watch media on, then I'm not sure you'll find better for the price. It's not the quickest tablet on the market, so it really depends on your requirements.
 
Soldato
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It's not the homescreen, it's the lock screen. So you only see book adverts when you wake it up to unlock.

If all you're after is a device to watch media on, then I'm not sure you'll find better for the price. It's not the quickest tablet on the market, so it really depends on your requirements.

yeah, it's a good £40 less than the huawei for the ad free version.

given it's 2 requirements are youtube and prime then yeah looks like it'll do the job.
 
Soldato
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just looking up the fire, so they really charge a tenner more to not have it randomly advertise on the homescreen!?
XDA 'fixes' can remove the ads for free supposedly, haven't bothered with xda yet with mine but all seems to be pretty minimal on adverts but amazon stuff is front and centre on the homescreen.

If you're after prime and youtube you should be fine though.
 
Caporegime
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I'm rocking a samsung galaxy tab a from 2016 I think.

2gb ram, 1.6ghz octa core CPU.
1920x1200 10.1inch TFT screen

handles watching videos fine in 1080 or steaming media, battery lasts ages, literally watched movie after movie for 7+ hours travelling on airplanes/trains wtihout bothering to plug a battery pack in

you get whatever cheap tablet from a reliable brand name, seems watching movies even with the screen bright doesn't really drain a battery

EDIT:
More important to you might be the speaker placement BTW, some are front facing others shoot the sound off to the side which obviously is annoying for watching videos
 
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Soldato
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XDA 'fixes' can remove the ads for free supposedly, haven't bothered with xda yet with mine but all seems to be pretty minimal on adverts but amazon stuff is front and centre on the homescreen.

If you're after prime and youtube you should be fine though.

Dont really wanna be diving into the world of android tweaking, done it a few times over the years and its kind of a pain in the posterior.

I'm rocking a samsung galaxy tab a from 2016 I think.

2gb ram, 1.6ghz octa core CPU.
1920x1200 10.1inch TFT screen

Yeah the tabpro i had years ago was 1440p, oct core etc and after hitting it with cyanogen thing ran even the 60fps stuff on yt flawlessly. All for £220 too.

More important to you might be the speaker placement BTW, some are front facing others shoot the sound off to the side which obviously is annoying for watching videos

Not too worried there, its mostly gonna be headphones and i have a decent bluetooth speaker if needed.
 
Soldato
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I'm perfectly happy with the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 I got to replace an original iPad Air a couple of years ago. Only use it for web browsing and watching videos (YouTube, apps, etc) mind.

I did get it on offer though.
 
Soldato
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that teclast looks interesting.

some reviews complaining about lack of screen brightness/sheen but given the horrifically bad state of lighting in the room it's gonna be used in might not be so bad.
 
Soldato
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I've got a Teclast M30 so very similar, ~9 months old now.
All they seem to have done is to drop the screen res and change the chipset for the M40.

It's by no means a bad piece of kit. However, bear in mind the following limitations:
  • Assume no software updates whatsoever.
  • HD doesn't work in DRM encrusted apps, so Netflix etc. as they haven't paid to implement the DRM.
  • The UI is stock Android, but has a very slight lag to it. Nothing that bothers me as a pure media consumption device, but I wouldn't want to game on it.
  • Cameras are *useless*; If you want to video call or anything, I'd give it a wide berth. Random interference and glitches.
  • These are very heavy compared to the Samsung / Amazon equivilants.
  • Speakers are a little tinny.
  • Check whether you're ordering an EU or a Chinese FW model; The Chinese FW has no play store.
Plus points:
  • The screen is a really nice quality panel.
  • No bloat whatsoever.
  • XDA has rooted it.
  • Far more storage than the competitors. (Don't expect fast stuff, but it works just fine)
  • It works and feels very solid. I've got a 10" Windows tablet kicking around (random cheap tat), and this feels far better built.
 
Soldato
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  • Assume no software updates whatsoever.
  • HD doesn't work in DRM encrusted apps, so Netflix etc. as they haven't paid to implement the DRM.

So no hd on amazon prime then?

The rest of that i can deal with, but given this things sole purpose is gonna be a mini tv then hd is something i care about.

I mean its 2021 as far as i'm concerned "standard definition" should be 1920*1080 minimum.
 
Soldato
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I haven't got Amazon prime here, but I would assume so from a quick prod in Google.
They're all using the same embedded DRM.

(Likely to be the same issue for any of the Chinese cheap stuff)
 
Soldato
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It's a Chinese tablet , you use it in combination with torrents, then you can enjoy HD. That's why the storage is huge.

If it was my money though, I'd rather buy something a bit more premium. We've got a Samsung galaxy Tab A 10.1 and I find the UI laggy.
 
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