Long term "Investment" tablet

[alifcsnajmi]

Hello, I'm a little bit confused to which I would buy :(

Should I break the bank by purchasing an iPad pro 11 (M1)
or should I just buy a Xiaomi pad 6 pro (not the normal pad 6) ? (I don't want a Samsung tab because I've been using one Ui for too long I want something fresh)

 

My main reasons I should break the bank is not that much. Basically because the m1 Chip may last a couple more years than the Xiaomi pad 6. Obviously, iPad OS has much longer software support of course. But It's still a big price gap between them. About RM1000 price gap (Ringgit Malaysia). The Xiaomi Pad 6 pro (new) for the 256gb model is about rm1800 and the iPad pro 11 (M1) is around rm2600. The iPad pro is also a used model because... Just why not I guess? even though there's the iPad air but damn the 60hz screen. My current iPhone 12 pro max is already 60hz screen I don't think I want another long-term use device to be 60hz again.

 

If we are talking about performance both should be good for this year and 2/3 years to come of course but surely the M1 will be more future proof, right?

 

So then I can't find any that compares their battery life side by side. There's different test which I don't think can be compared because the way the test is done is different. So Is there anybody can help on which tablet could last a "heavy?" usage for a day or two? or will both do? I've read both reviews about their battery life and both of them have people saying they are the best but also they are underwhelming and disappointing. Which should be the best if I want to take it to class, use it for class assignments. Taking notes too I guess? and watch how many youtube and scrolling through instagram and stuff and lastly gaming. Between these two which will be the better study device, which will have the better gaming experience (technicality such as touch responsiveness, device temperatures and of course battery drain).

 

So, which will be the best for long term investment? Because I might use it for 3 years or more because it isn't the most important thing for me to own especially when I already have a pc. But I still play mobile games and mainly watch YouTube on my bed, so I need at least a day of battery life. I can see that iPad OS can be a little restrictive so I hope sideloading is possible in the future but if it isn't I will just learn to cope with it because having a device that can run smooth as butter for the years to come is the more important part because I won't be buying a new one in a long long time.

[itsabearcannon]

So the iPad will get dramatically longer software support than any Xiaomi device. To get an idea for long-term support, let's look at the flagship tablets from both brands from 2015:

 

Apple's flagship tablet from 2015, the first-gen iPad Pro 12.9", launched with iOS 9.1 and is currently still getting active software updates, and just received iPadOS 16.6 in July. It will finally leave active support in September with the release of iPadOS 17. That's eight years and seven major versions of active software updates, security patches, all the stuff you want to keep a tablet safe and functional for a long time.

 

By contrast, Xiaomi's flagship tablet from 2015, the Mi Pad 2, launched with MIUI 5 (based on Android 5.1) in October 2015, and got its final update to MIUI 9 (still based on Android 5.1) in September 2018. That's only three years of software updates for their 2015 flagship tablet.

 

If long-term software support is a big priority for you, get an iPad. I had a 2017 iPad Pro up until this year when I finally traded it in on an M2 iPad Pro, and it was still very smooth for general usage apps like YouTube, web browsing, and productivity software. Your mileage may vary, of course, but the M1 chip is complete overkill for the iPad as it stands today, and will be able to keep up with any tablet workload easily for another five to seven years. By contrast, the processor in the Pad 6 Pro is the Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 - still a high-performing processor overall, but about 25% weaker in single-core workloads than the M1 and around 50% weaker in multi-core workloads.

 

That performance gap will only widen as the tablets age, especially once Qualcomm stops providing driver support for the processor after four years. They specifically announced that they will only support Snapdragon processors for four major Android updates / four years of security updates: https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2020/12/qualcomm-and-google-announce-collaboration-extend-android-os-support-and

 

You get what you pay for with tablets - the extra money for the iPad Pro comes with a proven track record of their Pro tablets being supported for significantly longer than Xiaomi's.

[alifcsnajmi]

Thanks for your great reply!

Yes I'm sure it is a big priority for me just because I'm not going to be changing a tablet like I do changing my phone. Especially like you said the M1 Chip is basically overkill today. Even if I did saved up a little bit by going for a pad 6 pro, I still won't be changing any less than 3 years. 

The four major android updates for the snapdragon may or may not be a problem but I understand the performance gap might be a dealbreaker in the future while it might not be now.

So thank you for your detailed opinion!  

[alifcsnajmi]

So then does anybody know about both battery life? is it similar? or is the Xiaomi pad 6 a little better because the M1 Chip consumes a lot of power?

I just want to know if the M1 Could last me for a day if it were to replace my current phone to being a media consumption device (Youtube,Instagram, etc)...

[Commodus]

5 hours ago, alifcsnajmi said:

So then does anybody know about both battery life? is it similar? or is the Xiaomi pad 6 a little better because the M1 Chip consumes a lot of power?

I just want to know if the M1 Could last me for a day if it were to replace my current phone to being a media consumption device (Youtube,Instagram, etc)...

The iPad will easily last a typical day on a charge for that kind of use. You'd only really have to worry if you were playing demanding games, running particularly intensive apps (like Final Cut Pro) or engaged in serious multitasking.

[alifcsnajmi]

4 hours ago, Commodus said:

The iPad will easily last a typical day on a charge for that kind of use. You'd only really have to worry if you were playing demanding games, running particularly intensive apps (like Final Cut Pro) or engaged in serious multitasking.

So it looks like the iPad is a compelling choice after all then! A day is what I mostly want because I can't really get a day right now with my Iphone 12 pro max

I just hope they would eventually introduce sideloading on iPad OS because it will make it a no brainer deal. 

Thanks for your reply

[OhioYJ]

7 hours ago, alifcsnajmi said:

I just hope they would eventually introduce sideloading on iPad OS because it will make it a no brainer deal. 

Not likely to happen. As you already know if you want the freedom to do what you want with your device, it's Android. Unfortunately in the tablet world choices are very limited if you wanted custom ROM support. This is especially important for those continued updates. 

 

I actually just sold two ten year old tablets that where still getting updates thanks to the open source community, and these that where eight years old still getting updates.  

 

Currently using have Tab S5E and Tab S6 Lites here in the house running Lineage. Unfortunately both those are getting to the point where you would have trouble finding new ones now. I don't think there are any new tablets officially supported by Lineage currently? 

 

* Edit - Forgot about the Pixel tablet. However I don't know much about it yet. it is officially supported by Lineage though.

[alifcsnajmi]

Looks like as long as it is a snapdragon device the support from the community seems to be supported after the end of it's life from your experience. There still kind of is tab s6 lites sold here, maybe not a new one probably but almost new. 

that's the part that makes me kind of heavy to go for another apple device. I just want to sideload youtube and spotify or something similar because yeah I am that guy. Not having customizations sucks of course but not the end of the world for me. If I were to buy a galaxy tab s8 it will be slightly more expensive than the ipad pro i'm currently targeting (because it's a used ipad pro but it's still an m1) so that's why I'm kind of watching for the Xiaomi pad 6 pro instead but like @itsabearcannon  said the processor itself will not be updated. So right now I'm really on a mixed opinion because of iPad reputation of still smooth like it's almost brand new after few years will satisfy my eyes that can't see frame drops even if it's not a big problem. I also know the 8+ gen 1 in the Xiaomi pad 6 pro is also more than good enough because it's still a flagship processor of last year and because it is a snapdragon the probability of it's also being supported by lineage is also high because the xiaomi pad 4 if i'm not mistaken is also now supported by either lineage or pixel experience. But still I think the iPad will be smoother for years to come but who knows if android in a couple of years also will become smoother like it did starting from android 11/12 days but iPad os is confirmed (for now) to be smoother for years to come. So it is a gamble for me because I want a long term tablet that could last for years and still be smooth, not just usable. If we were to talk about it's still usable the xiaomi pad 6 pro with just the MiUi experience itself will be more than enough because I did have a redmi note 5 pro and it's still usable but the animations is just.. something else (but also it's a budget phone after all) and also Miui is still not the most optimized and smoothest android skin ever. So is one ui compared to stock android for me. But wow just how feature rich is one ui. 


For the pixel tablet part.. the no stylus support might be a minus point from me. Might as well get the xiaomi pad 6 pro or the samsung tab s8 in my opinion. Both have snapdragon processor and will almost definitely be supported by the community yes? But we will see which os I will gamble for after all. Thanks for taking your time for reply and your experience with both galaxy tabs  . It is interesting to know how long the community can cling on to an old tab!

[Lurking]

2 hours ago, alifcsnajmi said:

Looks like as long as it is a snapdragon device the support from the community seems to be supported after the end of it's life from your experience. There still kind of is tab s6 lites sold here, maybe not a new one probably but almost new. 

that's the part that makes me kind of heavy to go for another apple device. I just want to sideload youtube and spotify or something similar because yeah I am that guy. Not having customizations sucks of course but not the end of the world for me. If I were to buy a galaxy tab s8 it will be slightly more expensive than the ipad pro i'm currently targeting (because it's a used ipad pro but it's still an m1) so that's why I'm kind of watching for the Xiaomi pad 6 pro instead but like @itsabearcannon  said the processor itself will not be updated. So right now I'm really on a mixed opinion because of iPad reputation of still smooth like it's almost brand new after few years will satisfy my eyes that can't see frame drops even if it's not a big problem. I also know the 8+ gen 1 in the Xiaomi pad 6 pro is also more than good enough because it's still a flagship processor of last year and because it is a snapdragon the probability of it's also being supported by lineage is also high because the xiaomi pad 4 if i'm not mistaken is also now supported by either lineage or pixel experience. But still I think the iPad will be smoother for years to come but who knows if android in a couple of years also will become smoother like it did starting from android 11/12 days but iPad os is confirmed (for now) to be smoother for years to come. So it is a gamble for me because I want a long term tablet that could last for years and still be smooth, not just usable. If we were to talk about it's still usable the xiaomi pad 6 pro with just the MiUi experience itself will be more than enough because I did have a redmi note 5 pro and it's still usable but the animations is just.. something else (but also it's a budget phone after all) and also Miui is still not the most optimized and smoothest android skin ever. So is one ui compared to stock android for me. But wow just how feature rich is one ui. 


For the pixel tablet part.. the no stylus support might be a minus point from me. Might as well get the xiaomi pad 6 pro or the samsung tab s8 in my opinion. Both have snapdragon processor and will almost definitely be supported by the community yes? But we will see which os I will gamble for after all. Thanks for taking your time for reply and your experience with both galaxy tabs  . It is interesting to know how long the community can cling on to an old tab!

I wouldn't consider 3rd party updates or OS to be valid support. You don't know if those have actual security patches and if they don't contain malware to begin with. For estimating the life, only assume what the manufacturer promises. 

 

As for what OS, Look at what apps you need to use and if they have an equivalent version on each OS 

 

There is no long term investment for a mobile device. After some years it needs a new battery, or you drop it in a cement mixer, or someone steals it. All that theoretical "investment" in an expensive device with a theoretical life of 8 years can be gone after a week. Or in 8 years you want something better anyway. Electronics is fast development. All depends on your use case, of course. YMMV.

 

Consider what you plan to do in the next 3 years and buy based on that. If you really know how the World looks like beyond that, go to the stock exchange and invest accordingly.

[alifcsnajmi]

Agree with you on the third-party thing. It just doesn't feel the same especially if you are replacing skin like One Ui and such with almost stock android because the features will be missing means the uniqueness of the device like say a Samsung tab won't be that unique anymore. I know customizations can be done especially if you rooted the device and such but some things that is an official feature from the manufacturer doesn't feel like it's as polished as it should be. It does work but might as well have a windows device at one point for all kind of things. 

As for what apps I need to use on the device, I will probably feel like I regret the locked down nature of iPad os at some point and also appreciate the polished nature of iPad os too. I don't really know what apps I will be using for a lot of the times. Probably something like Kilonotes, notability and note taking apps. Others I will discover randomly in the future, I guess? Because I am mainly a Windows User since I ever existed. I just feel like the open nature of Windows and Android is a good thing when I need them for like sideloading and such for apps like Youtube ehem and other apps. But the smoothness and polish of IOS and iPad OS is also as important because It just make me feel satisfied to see it every time. Especially the 120hz ones. For now I will say iPad Os is the way to go for now. 

But yes that's why I put the investment in " " because who knows what will happen in the tech world or as you said a replacement battery that is needed which I can already see like it's true because my iPhone currently has 85% but I don't know it just feels like less than that because I can only perform video call with lowest brightness for 2 hours maximum from 80%-20% if I'm not mistaken. As for if it got in a tragedy hmm yes that may just be the worst that could ever happen because it could really happen like it's being stolen and such. So, I got your point there and agree with it 100%. If tech really just suddenly boosted on its modernity for example the Android platform suddenly catch up and actually being better than Apple offering, I might as well dump the iPad since it's probably inferior by then. So agree with you too there.

I just want a tablet that could work as a dumbed down laptop but just glides through every single task if we are talking about in the next 3 years. Which If iPad os were to improve a lot in say iPad os 18 the iPad is the hands down device to buy. Even now because I have read many people experience that iPad really does last for that long and still feels like it's brand new. Like the first reply to this thread. So, for now it's like 70% iPad 30% Samsung/Xiaomi. 

And also looking at Xiaomi MIUI it is just a multi-tasking tablet for now at least. Since it doesn't have PC mode or Dex or any similar thing such as that. which makes it less compelling from multi-tasking standpoints. 


Anyway, your reply has also been helpful, and I agree with you on all the points there! Thanks for taking your time to reply  

[E-waste]

On 8/2/2023 at 2:00 PM, alifcsnajmi said:

but damn the 60hz screen. My current iPhone 12 pro max is already 60hz screen I don't think I want another long-term use device to be 60hz again.

16.67ms (1000ms = 1 seconds) display update is too slow for you?  10 updates of the screen in 1/17 a second, is no longer acceptable?  Why?

 

My opinion, higher hertz just inreases motion blur, which makes animation appear snoother, where as, if there were a display delay enough to pull in the next frame and calculate motion blur, and add it to the first and next applicable frames, you'd never be able to tell the difference.

 

Also, movies are still 23.97 / 24Hz, youtube on lower 720p and below is (thankfully) still 30Hz and so the only possible exception is games.  Do you play lots of games, and do those games run at the native display refresh rate?

 

Have you just assumed all games and apps will always run at the display refresh rate?  You might be wasting your money and being misled:

 

https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/09/15/android-games-phones-high-frame-rates-90-120fps/

 

https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/galaxy-s20-series/s20-ultra-forces-60hz-even-on-games-which-support-90-120fps/td-p/1699275

 

https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/games-stuck-at-60hz.4145529/

 

So, I wouldn't get too caught up in the BS 90/120Hz marketing gimmick, it is not needed and for watching youtube 720p60 will do nothing more than any other 60Hz screen.

 

I recomnend looking into Sony tablets with their Triluminus display which increases color saturation and most Sony devices also have a guide on Sony developers page to unlock the bootloader.

 

So when Sony inevitably stops pushing updates, you can install LineageOS and get new android upgrades, which updates software support and fixes security bugs and CVEs.

 

If you buy an older sony tablet used:

 

Click this link to sony's unlock bootloader page and please, click on the drop down box for the list of devices supported.

 

The list of devices that it may be possible to unlock (newer devices are probably much more likely, like the Xperia Z and up) goes all the way back to 2012 or earlier!

 

https://developer.sony.com/open-source/aosp-on-xperia-open-devices/get-started/unlock-bootloader/

 

https://forum.xda-developers.com gives the same sony unlock guide and gives the impression that most of the time, unlocking is enabled in the software of the device.

 

So go have a look at the devices in the list.  Each item includes a picture of the device with Android loaded, so if you are well studied in android software, you can guess the android version just based on the icons and phone design.