My work involves a lot of travelling and being away from home and I'm starting to think I'd enjoy watching Netflix etc. more on something larger than my phone screen. Not really bothered about the latest and greatest £1000+ tablet so I'm close to buying a Lenovo Idea Tab Pro. But before I do is there anything else out there worth looking at for sub-£300?
Peak STW!
But before I do is there anything else out there worth looking at for sub-£300?
Maybe last gen pixel ( I got one with a discount from buying a pixel phone and do like it). Leaving aside apple ****wittery I would go for a galaxy or one of the lenovas.
If it is just watching stuff its worth considering a portable monitor to plug into your phone which will be a lot cheaper. Obviously crap if you want to vent on here but for watching stuff it will work so just depends on the "etc".
I have one of the cheaper Lenovo Tab models (M11) and a Lenovo laptop. I can't fault either for their price.
Yeah MiniMonkey v1.0 has a Lenovo Tab (can't remember what model exactly, it's a biggish screen but fairly close to entry level) and for watching stuff it's grand. Streaming media isn't particularly taxing unless you're fussed about 4K HDR and the like. Can feel a bit stuttery in the interface compared to a more premium phone but once you're watching it's fine.
She's had it for a few years now and no issues. It's probably running an older version of Android if that bothers you.
You don't need an iPad to watch video, for gods' sakes.
If the only requirement is Netflix I'd be off down to CEX to find something sub-£100 with a nice screen.
I no longer work away as much as I did but I used to carry a HDMI cable that could link my PC to most televisions found in hotel rooms. Obviously this assumes that you have a laptop which can be used for that purpose.
I also used a Fire TV stick which also worked well but could be a bit of a faff to connect to hotel wifi.
I have had various tablets including iPads and Android models as well as a Blackberry Playbook - this was slagged off at the time but the OS was fantastic.
I now use a cheap Chromebook for travelling as I find it more usable than a tablet if I need to send emails or do other "life maintenance" tasks.
I would hesitate to drop £289 on the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro just for media consumption. It looks a decent device and the 12.7" screen would be great for watching Netflix etc. but reviews say only two Android upgrades will be made available and that the screen is not great in brighter light.
To be honest I would go with a base model 11th generation iPad which can be bought for £310 if you look around. It is a boring answer but the hardware is brilliant and there are far more apps for it than Android tablets.
Some may say that spending £300 just to watch media is overkill but an iPad will last you five'ish years whereas cheap options or second user things from CEX will probably need replacing after two.
Any Xiaomi offering?
I've been using a Mi pad 5 for nearly the last 2 years and it is good.
I'd consider a Redmi pad.
Around £300 for a decent amount of ram and storage.
I have a Samsung Tab S10 Lite. I use it for exactly the reasons you need one for. Does everything very well. Cheap and easy to use. Happy days 🙂
I have one of these for watching stuff when I'm away. It is excellent.
Buy Lenovo Idea Tab Plus 12.1 Inch 256GB Wi-Fi Tablet & Tab Pen | Tablets | Argos
I have a samsung galaxy tab s9. Been brilliant for last few years and hasn't slowed down yet. Mainly browse the web and stream Netflix and other streaming services, ebay etc.
It replaced an ipad air which did slow down after a few years with every update. It was in perfect condition but unfortunately the updates made it unusable.
And if you were after a replacement for an iPad mini with dodgy charge port and a knackered battery?
Used Lenovo Yoga ? Can flip 180 degrees to become a tablet. I picked up a 3 year old Yoga for about £350 a couple of years ago, I7 11th gen processor, 16GB ram. It's been great. Touchscreen and 'pen' if needed, flips to a tablet - so been useful camping - we were able to watch a couple of movies when the weather was terrible !
Another Lenovo Idea Tab happy owner here.
I'm reading this on an Idea Tab Pro which I bought for similar reasons. I'm very happy with it. The screen and speakers are good, performance is fine, and in general it works pretty well. The pen is a bonus. Mine has one issue in that every now and then the WiFi connection gets really slow, and I have to stop and restart wi-fi. A bit annoying but it only takes a few seconds.
For work travelling and the associated watching of Netflix/iPlayer on trains and in hotel rooms, I have a 10(?) year old Galaxy Tab S2. It's perfectly fine.
The idea that you need an iPad is hilarious.
there are far more apps for it than Android tablets.
Huh?
Quite simple - most developers create apps for both iPhone and iPad with the latter taking advantage of the extra screen estate. Many developers only create android apps for phones and not specifically for android tablets. This results in the apps appearing stretched on larger tablets such as the 12.7" Idea Tab Pro that the OP was considering.
Yeah, iPad is definitely not happening. The Mrs has one, and an iPhone, but after 15+ years of Android usage they are unfathomable to me. Where's the "swipe left to go back" for starters?
Looks like a Lenovo something-or-other fits the bill. Thanks 👍🏻
Quite simple - most developers create apps for both iPhone and iPad with the latter taking advantage of the extra screen estate. Many developers only create android apps for phones and not specifically for android tablets. This results in the apps appearing stretched on larger tablets such as the 12.7" Idea Tab Pro that the OP was considering.
That tablet (thanks, Google) has a resolution of 2944 x 1840 pixels. My mid-range phone from three years ago is 2400 x 1080. This isn't the problem it was 15 years ago.
In any case, you said there were "far more apps." Both stores are host to, depending on whose stats you believe, a couple of million apps. Even if it's true - and it probably isn't - who cares? OP wants to watch telly.
