Going from a Fire HD tablet to Galaxy Tab?
May 27, 2020, 4:03 pm
#1
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Going from a Fire HD tablet to Galaxy Tab?
I've had the 2017-vintage 10" Fire HD for a couple years, and Amazon just popped up with their trade-in/discount offer for the new 2019-vintage Fire tablet. The deal is solid enough, but I figured I would kick the tires on Android tablets to take advantage of the wider Google ecosystem as well.
I noticed that the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 can be had for a little over $200 depending on configuration, which puts it not too far above the Fire HD when I factor in that it's a native Android tablet and seemingly has better overall performance and multitasking. If it matters, I did do the Google APK sideload on my Fire to turn it into an "Android" tablet for the Google Play Store, so I have become used to the Android Tablet ecosystem, but I also would allow that it REALLY drags down the performance of the Fire HD.
That brings me to where I'm at shopping: The use case for the Fire HD is pretty much where my usage is, where it's mostly watching Netflix/Prime Video/whatever, and some web browsing/Outlook/messaging. I don't do any heavy-duty gaming or such, and in truth anything heavy duty I do on my Galaxy phone anyways. So again the performance isn't absolutely critical. But I do appreciate ease of use/switching apps and all that. Given that, I was previously in the mode of getting a "real" Android tablet for the increased performance and everything. But I'm definitely more in Tab A territory than I am in Tab S/S Lite/iPad Pro.
However, the new 2019 Fire HD 10" with it's increased horsepower got my attention. Does that close the gap enough performance-wise to make spending more on the Tab A no longer viable, or is the Tab A still just enough better? Also, would the 3GB/128GB Tab A be itself enough of a jump vs. the 2GB RAM models if I choose between those?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts here!
I noticed that the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 can be had for a little over $200 depending on configuration, which puts it not too far above the Fire HD when I factor in that it's a native Android tablet and seemingly has better overall performance and multitasking. If it matters, I did do the Google APK sideload on my Fire to turn it into an "Android" tablet for the Google Play Store, so I have become used to the Android Tablet ecosystem, but I also would allow that it REALLY drags down the performance of the Fire HD.
That brings me to where I'm at shopping: The use case for the Fire HD is pretty much where my usage is, where it's mostly watching Netflix/Prime Video/whatever, and some web browsing/Outlook/messaging. I don't do any heavy-duty gaming or such, and in truth anything heavy duty I do on my Galaxy phone anyways. So again the performance isn't absolutely critical. But I do appreciate ease of use/switching apps and all that. Given that, I was previously in the mode of getting a "real" Android tablet for the increased performance and everything. But I'm definitely more in Tab A territory than I am in Tab S/S Lite/iPad Pro.
However, the new 2019 Fire HD 10" with it's increased horsepower got my attention. Does that close the gap enough performance-wise to make spending more on the Tab A no longer viable, or is the Tab A still just enough better? Also, would the 3GB/128GB Tab A be itself enough of a jump vs. the 2GB RAM models if I choose between those?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts here!
May 27, 2020, 6:49 pm
#2
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Cambridge
Posts: 63,602
The higher the memory the better. I personally went for the S5e - lightest large-format tablet and it's a lot more comfortable long-term. It's a splurge, but if you use them for 2-3 years for multiple hours a week - it might be worth it.
400g (S5e) vs. 529g (A 10.5) might not seem like much, but those 129g matters a lot if you hold it for a couple of hours.
400g (S5e) vs. 529g (A 10.5) might not seem like much, but those 129g matters a lot if you hold it for a couple of hours.
Last edited by Plato90s; May 27, 2020 at 6:54 pm
May 27, 2020, 8:43 pm
#3
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Join Date: Nov 2009
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Agree with all of your points...when can never have too much RAM! The S5E had caught my eye as well, though I will admit I wasn't factoring weight given my use, but that is a nice plus all else equal.
It was probably implicit from my post, but the more I look at it, the more I'm leaning the full-on Android tablet (whichever I choose) will end up being the better choice. Even though I mostly use it for "Fire activities" (streaming, TV, etc.), all of those will still be as good or better on an Android tablet (I would assume), and I have the headroom performance-wise that helps the experience.
But given how much I use it, the max I can justify spending is in that $200-$250 range max (being a convenient extra with some nice usage benefits to my daily life, but not a daily essential piece of kit). So for me, that's pretty much Fire, Tab, or an older Android performance tablet (but I am not as familiar there so that would require research for me to qualify whether it would be useful).
It was probably implicit from my post, but the more I look at it, the more I'm leaning the full-on Android tablet (whichever I choose) will end up being the better choice. Even though I mostly use it for "Fire activities" (streaming, TV, etc.), all of those will still be as good or better on an Android tablet (I would assume), and I have the headroom performance-wise that helps the experience.
But given how much I use it, the max I can justify spending is in that $200-$250 range max (being a convenient extra with some nice usage benefits to my daily life, but not a daily essential piece of kit). So for me, that's pretty much Fire, Tab, or an older Android performance tablet (but I am not as familiar there so that would require research for me to qualify whether it would be useful).