Android or Chrome OS tablet?

[Mpit52]

Hey guys,

I'm in the market for a Android, Chrome OS or even Windows tablet and am not sure what is the best bang for my buck or which direction I should go in. I believed I may have ruled out windows due to the price point below but could be wrong. I personally am not a fan of iOS so I will not be going the iPad route (sorry). General use tablet for web surfing, e-reading and some YouTube. I am not a fan of slow/sluggish but function. Quick and snappy please. I guess my price would be under $400? I'm fine with saying a few bucks for some compromise. 

 

Requirements:

-1080p or higher resolution

-decent/fast processor

-decent WIFI

-decent or expandable storage

--really just for some apps and ebooks. Nothing crazy. 

 

Suggested

-current os/future updates

[Firewrath9]

Surface Go, there is a micro usb port for moar storage.

[Commodus]

22 minutes ago, Mpit52 said:

Hey guys,

I'm in the market for a Android, Chrome OS or even Windows tablet and am not sure what is the best bang for my buck or which direction I should go in. I believed I may have ruled out windows due to the price point below but could be wrong. I personally am not a fan of iOS so I will not be going the iPad route (sorry). General use tablet for web surfing, e-reading and some YouTube. I am not a fan of slow/sluggish but function. Quick and snappy please. I guess my price would be under $400? I'm fine with saying a few bucks for some compromise. 

 

Requirements:

-1080p or higher resolution

-decent/fast processor

-decent WIFI

-decent or expandable storage

--really just for some apps and ebooks. Nothing crazy. 

 

Suggested

-current os/future updates

You're probably in for a bit of a rough ride here... the Android tablet market is currently split between basic-but-cheap and expensive-but-slightly-outdated.  Lots of tablets under $200, but go higher and your choices are pretty thin.  A Huawei MediaPad M5, maybe?  Samsung's Galaxy Tab S3 is too old, and the Tab S4 is beyond your budget.

 

I'd also pass on all Chrome OS tablets.  There aren't many to start with, and the experience is... bad.  Acer's is mediocre, and the Pixel Slate is both too expensive and very laggy.  The Surface Go is inside your budget, but I'm not sure that I'd get it for basic purposes like that.  It's more of an entry laptop that happens to be usable as a tablet.

 

It's a shame you ruled out the iPad, because that's honestly my pick for a tablet in this price range.  And that's not because of my OS preference -- it's because Apple is really the only company that takes tablets in this price class seriously in terms of both hardware and software.  iOS in general has much better tablet-native app support, and of course you get OS updates (and in a timely fashion, at that) for 4-5 years instead of 2.

[kelvinhall05]

There are many more options for Android tablets, but I'm a sucker for Chrome OS. I'd go for whichever has the feature you want or fits your budget best.

[AlTech]

As someone who owns a budget (ish) Android tablet, I have to say I am super happy with it.

 

I've ended up using it a lot more than I expected (currently using it almost daily) and having one around 10.1" is quite nifty.

 

I would advise against anything smaller than 10 inches unless you don't have a phone.

 

The most recent equivalent of what I have is the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 2018. (Mine is the 10.1 2016 LTE but updated to Android Oreo).

 

That being said, the Tab A 10.5 2018 is somewhat expensive for the performance you get. For a media consumption device and light productivity machine I would absolutely go for it.

 

For serious or demanding tasks I would stay away from it though.

[Mpit52]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Do you think I'd be better off with a used surface with full windows, say like a surface 3 rather than a surface go? 

[Commodus]

30 minutes ago, Mpit52 said:

Thanks for the replies everyone! Do you think I'd be better off with a used surface with full windows, say like a surface 3 rather than a surface go? 

That might be overkill, particularly given the size and weight.  1.8 pounds for a Surface Pro 3 is a lot for something you'll be using to read e-books and watch YouTube.  If you go Windows, the Surface Go might be the best pick even if it's not the fastest device out there.

[Mpit52]

Thanks for your input. I'll go check one out I the stores to see how it handles. Appreciate everyone's time and opinions.