Did anybody switch to MediaPad from Galaxy Tab S? - Huawei Mediapad M3 Questions & Answers

I've been using a Galaxy Tab S 8.4 for a couple of years and I've been mostly happy with it. My tab has developed hardware problems and now crashes a lot. I'm thinking of switching to a different 8" pad with more recent firmware. Did anybody switch from a Tab S to an M3? Can you tell me the pros and cons off the M3 compared to the Tab S?

The Galaxy Tab S is the best tablet I've ever had. The only cons that I had with it is that the Exynos chip, unless you got the better Snapdragon variant. What largely disappointed me with the M3 is how the screen was calibrated, this is a bit subjective but I prefer the look of the basic mode on the Galaxy Tab S. If you've been in the adaptive mode then I doubt you'll dislike how the display looks. The M3 has bit of heft on weight in comparison to the Galaxy Tab S. The OS is purely disappointing and the DPI isn't similar to a tablet, so the UI of the M3 looks like it's a big phone. GPU performance isn't that big of a leap. What's really great on the M3 is its speaker. It's an absolute bliss listening to it. Also, build quality is a lot premium than the Galaxy Tab S. In my opinion the only route you'll have is to purchase the expensive Galaxy Tab S3 or a cheaper 1080p tablet from Lenovo, the Lenovo Tab 4 8 plus which has a snapdragon 625. You probably have the same dilemma as mine, I was spoiled by the 16:10 aspect ratio of the Tab S that I couldn't purchase any tablet with a 4:3 aspect ratio or I could be wrong.

Thanks, that's just the kind of information I was looking for. You're right, I like the aspect ratio on the Tab S and I don't want to switch to a tablet with a 4:3 ratio. It's really a shame that tablets don't seem to get much attention and that there are so few to choose from. I couldn't get by without my tablet.
Guess I'll have to compromise one way or another.

I loved my Tab S and when it took a nose dive off the kitchen side I instantly went to buy the same model for two reasons. Firstly, tablets haven't evolved much in the past couple of years and I didn't like the ratio of the Tab S2 and S3. However, when I saw that the Tab S was still north of £200 and not far south for second hand I decided to research into something newer. Main requirement was the screen ratio of the Tab S
Agree with everything mentioned above but will also add that the bonus of the bulk is 3 days battery versus 1 day on the Tab S along with a premium feel.
Overall I am really happy with the M3. The Nougat update removes the over sized phone GUI and improves the feel of the tablet massively. That said if I'd bought the M3 as an upgrade to the Tab S if think I would have been disappointed as it's not a marked improvement but certainly didn't want to return it once I started playing. BTW if you leave it in phone mode Google Assistant apparently !!
Development is limited but the Firmware Finder app does a pretty good job of releasing beta firmware and providing tools to install them.
Got a decent screen protector, case (although, dodgy colour) and hard tip stylus if you need recommendations

Tough call. I'm still hoping I can get my Tab S working well again, but if I can't, I may give the M3 a try. Thanks for the suggestions. I may be back soon.

I never had a Tab S but i did and still have a Tab Pro 8.4. The M3 is a great replacement honestly. The screen is bright and responsive. The speakers are a huge upgrade. The new UI 5.0 is decent. I wish there was more development for linage or similar builds, but you can still root this tablet if you want. I currently don't have mine rooted, and only reason I would right now is to enable the 5mhz AC band in the US. Otherwise, the original build is fine. Compared to the Pro 8.4 the finger print access is huge and the overall speed of the tablet make it night and day. I was able to get the 64gb internal storage one on sale from Amazon for a little over $275 so feels like a huge value to me compared to similar samsungs. I would wish there was not only more development but more 3rd party cases and such. Otherwise it is an amazing tablet and the only real option in the 16:10 situation. The new tab pro 8 4 has been gimped for all us models with only 16gb and 2 gb of ram.

oh hey
I'm in a similar position - I've had my Tab S 8.4 since it launched 2014, and since the S2 came out as 4:3 I've been looking for a "better" tablet, and not been able to find one.
(Why do Samsung always do this - First Galaxy Note 16:10, everything else 16:9, first Galaxy Tab S 16:10, everything else 4:3, why, why, WHY)
Reading a lot of reviews and opinions on this M3 when the S3 came out, didn't leave me overly impressed. But it's nearly 2018 and there STILL isn't a better tablet (eye heart amoled), and this is the closest it comes if you want an 8.4 inch, 16:10 Tablet that takes SD cards. 32GB & 3GB RAM is starting to ware thin so I'm going to take the plunge. Wish me luck.
EDIT: Actually, scratch that. I'm used to (circa-2010) HTC and current Samsung forums full of roms and changes - there doesn't even seem to be any customs ROMs for this tablet? If we hit Jan 2019 and this is still the only option, then I'll go for this. I seriously hope not.

Samsung loads useless software you can't disable. Huawei is a much cleaner. I stay away from Samsung now. Had a galaxy tab pro, yes the big one. Samsung makes good hardware, just buy the package disabler on play store. I like the Huawei, I can hold in one hand & read easily.

I had and still have the Tab S, well my daughter and son-in-law use it now. Development on this tablet is the only negative that I see. That and I am not a fan of the UI, but I just load Nova and bam, best tablet ever. I used to Root and Rom all the time, but android mostly does everything I want now, and you can remove most of the programs you don't use anymore. I was waiting to see if Google was going to release and 7 or 8 inch tablet and they didn't so this is perfect for me. Powerful, good battery and fits in my back pocket when I head to Starbucks.

I originally bought the Tab S to use as a light-weight alternative to a laptop while traveling, but then I found that with the long battery life, I was using it every day. I'm traveling now, but I'm going to take the plunge and get an M3 when I'm back home.

woody1 said:
I originally bought the Tab S to use as a light-weight alternative to a laptop while traveling, but then I found that with the long battery life, I was using it every day. I'm traveling now, but I'm going to take the plunge and get an M3 when I'm back home.
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Do it do it!! BTW I wanted the LTE version but Amazon only had it from 3rd party resellers in Spain. Amazon Germany have it sold by Amazon and will ship to the UK (providing that's where you are based)

telsims said:
Do it do it!! BTW I wanted the LTE version but Amazon only had it from 3rd party resellers in Spain. Amazon Germany have it sold by Amazon and will ship to the UK (providing that's where you are based)
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No, I'm in the US. I'll have to see where I can buy it here.

woody1 said:
Tough call. I'm still hoping I can get my Tab S working well again, but if I can't, I may give the M3 a try. Thanks for the suggestions. I may be back soon.
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Seriousle, the M3 is the best tablet that I had. I also have the Samsung Tab S3 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014. The M3 is much faster than the Tab S3, by a substantial margin. Both are excellent tablets, and the Tab S3 targets different uses and users but for sheer compatibility and speed, the MediaPad M3 cannot be beat.

I also have a Tab S 8.4 and I love it. But it's a 2 years old tablet and the battery capacity is not as good as the first times.
So my first choice is M3. But I also have a OnePlus 3. I don't want to carry 2 charger so I'm looking for a type-c tablet. M3's micro usb charging slot is the only negative thing for me.
I'm also looking for a tablet that will go for 2-3 years at least.

kamajikaciya said:
I also have a Tab S 8.4 and I love it. But it's a 2 years old tablet and the battery capacity is not as good as the first times.
So my first choice is M3. But I also have a OnePlus 3. I don't want to carry 2 charger so I'm looking for a type-c tablet. M3's micro usb charging slot is the only negative thing for me.
I'm also looking for a tablet that will go for 2-3 years at least.
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Can't you just use the same charger with a different cable? I use a dual USB charger that I use to charge multiple devices. I can charge either my Android devices or my wife's Apple stuff just using the appropriate cable.

Helllo !
My previous tablet was a tab S 8.4. Media pad M3 is much better but I only miss the amoled screen .

woody1 said:
Can't you just use the same charger with a different cable? I use a dual USB charger that I use to charge multiple devices. I can charge either my Android devices or my wife's Apple stuff just using the appropriate cable.
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I cannot use the Dash Charger (DS) with my Samsung TabS 8.4
I tried many different cables but DS do not charge it. I'm not sure if I'll be able to charge any other devices with DS bye th way.

My main reason for switching away from the Tab S 8.4 was the internal storage. Since it was upgraded to Marshmallow, updating apps became a pain because of the low space. Apart from the faster CPU, I thought the S2 & S3's were more of a downgrade. I've since switched to the Mediapad M3 64GB version and love it. I rarely travel with my laptop nowadays.
I like the fact that Huawei allows you to unlock the bootloader and rooting wasn't very hard. I haven't upgraded to nougat yet. I wasn't sure if the rooting procedure changed but mostly because Xposed wasn't available for Nougat yet. Now that Xposed is now available (https://www.xda-developers.com/official-xposed-framework-android-nougat/), I'll look into upgrading.
One caveat about the US version. For some reason, the 5GHz wifi radio was disabled. However, I was able to re-enable it via a tweak to a configuration file but it required root to do it. I'm not sure if it's still disabled with Nougat.

I made the jump and got the Mediapad a few days ago. One of the reasons I decided on the Mediapad was that I read that Huawei allowed the bootloader to be unlocked. As I've discussed in some other threads, I've been unable to get an unlock code from the Huawei website. Yesterday, I sent Huawei an email requesting an unlock code and I got a reply back saying that Hauwei US does not provide unlock codes and that unlocking would invalidate my warranty. WTF? They have a website to provide unlock codes, but they say that they won't allow it? Does anybody know what this means?

woody1 said:
I made the jump and got the Mediapad a few days ago. One of the reasons I decided on the Mediapad was that I read that Huawei allowed the bootloader to be unlocked. As I've discussed in some other threads, I've been unable to get an unlock code from the Huawei website. Yesterday, I sent Huawei an email requesting an unlock code and I got a reply back saying that Hauwei US does not provide unlock codes and that unlocking would invalidate my warranty. WTF? They have a website to provide unlock codes, but they say that they won't allow it? Does anybody know what this means?
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Solved?

Related

Replacement question

If you were going to replace your 8, what would you get and why? I ask because I am very disappointed with the 3 whole hours battery time I am now getting and looking to find something better.
I'd probably get the Shield tablet even though the stylus isn't nearly as good. The Shield tablet has pure Android, lots of gaming features (I play plenty of games on my Note 8), SD card slot, front facing speakers, and decent first party accessories. Those things are important to me on a tablet, and I think that's the one I'd get if I was to replace my Note 8.
A Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Because I prefer windows as OS
Enviado desde mi GT-N5100
Funny. I got my girlfriend a Note 10.1 which she uses to draw commissions and requests. She has found herself using the tablet only for drawing and her laptop only for browsing internet. So I suggested she get a surface pro or a similar windows 8 tablet with the stylus option. My only issue with the surface is that it is pricey but it does aim to eliminate the need of both a laptop and a tablet .
I know I will eventually want to replace the Note 8.0 and I almost did with an Asus Windows 8.1 Transformer tablet but I hesitated due to my history with my android transformer tablet being reaaaaallyyyy bad. Also, I prefer to have a full sized laptop on the go when I'm not near my desktop so I will probably keep the android tablet on me and bring a full laptop whenever I need to use one.
So what I'm trying to say is that if I were to upgrade my Note, I'd probably go with a Shield or another android tablet.
Black, if thats the case why not get the new think pad helix 2. Basically it's a surface pro 3 but done right. Something to think about.
Is nvidia shield tablet worth considering?
TheSuperSteve said:
I'd probably get the Shield tablet even though the stylus isn't nearly as good. The Shield tablet has pure Android, lots of gaming features (I play plenty of games on my Note 8), SD card slot, front facing speakers, and decent first party accessories. Those things are important to me on a tablet, and I think that's the one I'd get if I was to replace my Note 8.
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If anyone coming from a Galaxy Note 8 to a nvidia shield tablet could share its experience... I'd like to know about the pen. I mainly use MyScript stylus keyboard for taking notes. I'm considering the shield tablet 32g/LTE to replace both phone and note 8.0.
Regards
I'd want hands on, but I'd probably consider the LTE Shield or an LTE Note 10.1.
I am in the same boat. I really had high hopes for the Nexus nine to be the best tablet and have a good price but that obviously didn't happen
Good answers. I've been looking around and, frankly, can't find anything as good as the 8. And, of course, it's discontinued, so once mine is shot I'll need to go through this again. I like the stylus, the size is just right, fast, good screen quality, and (now that I have replaced the battery) good life on a charge. I carry mine in the small of my back (lots of things fit there!) so a 10-inch is out. I know something bigger-better-faster-red will come out in the future but, for now, I think I'll stick with my 8. Thanks for the perspective, folks! If you find something comparable, let me know!
I would'be gotten a venue pro 8.0 but could not pass up $200 new for the GT-N5110 over a year ago.
right now the Galaxy S note seems to be a good replacement.
gooberdude said:
I would'be gotten a venue pro 8.0 but could not pass up $200 new for the GT-N5110 over a year ago.
right now the Galaxy S note seems to be a good replacement.
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There will be Galaxy Note 8.4 in Spring next year (2015).
Raul^ said:
There will be Galaxy Note 8.4 in Spring next year (2015).
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That would be awesome! Do you have a source for that?

New Tablet

Just got my Note Pro and this thing is huge. Formerly, I have owned the Note 10.1 and Note 10.1 2014 edition. I also use a Note 4. I have looked at other tablet, but I'm kinda hooked on the multiwindow and and s-pan handwriting. It is a fast way for me to take notes. I'm a preacher and use my tablet for sermon prep and during sermons, so the additional screen real estate is a boost for me. Look forward to playing with this things. I have already rooted and installed a custom ROM (better speed and battery life). Look forward to everything I can learn on this forum.
Got mine on Friday. Rooted and attempted to debloat myself.
Loving the tablet even though it's not up to date (not even 4.4.4 lol). Nova launcher plus a few xposed mods filled the void though.
Kinda sucks the community isn't as active due to slow update rollout but I look forward to trying out some of the active developed ROMs for the P900.
I don't know if I'm allowed to mention the ROM, but a well-known and respected developer has a customer ROM for the Note Pro that I'm running now and finding that I gained some performance and battery life, as well as what seems like unlimited customization (especially when combined with xposed).
I love mine too. Give inkredible a try, I think its great. Also lecture notes might be useful for you.
Illusive Man said:
Just got my Note Pro and this thing is huge. Formerly, I have owned the Note 10.1 and Note 10.1 2014 edition. I also use a Note 4. I have looked at other tablet, but I'm kinda hooked on the multiwindow and and s-pan handwriting. It is a fast way for me to take notes. I'm a preacher and use my tablet for sermon prep and during sermons, so the additional screen real estate is a boost for me. Look forward to playing with this things. I have already rooted and installed a custom ROM (better speed and battery life). Look forward to everything I can learn on this forum.
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Noticed you're a preacher... might want to try out MySword, to which there are plenty of freebie commentaries and even a few extra bible versions floating about.
I got my 12.2 the day before Lollipop was released. An adventure (not good) involving the Logitech keyboard ensued, but since I'd just bought that as well I was able to send it back and buy the less flashy but perhaps even better service-wise Samsung keyboard -- and for just a bit over 30 bucks on Ebay. Love this baby. Stuck a 128g microsd in it with over 10,000 books of mine -- tons of Christian teaching and theology of every variety along with an even bigger mystery book collection.
The word processor on this thing is perfect for my use. A laptop that's Android. A tablet that's... well, hugely Android. The samsung mouse I ordered should be here soon, and then I guess we're just about there. Hehehehe...
As a long-time believer in root, root, root, I have done that as well, which allowed me to ditch some of the sillier ad-ons but keep the basic Samsung s-pen and other niceties. Quite happy.
Blessngs.
Right now I"m using LOGOS Bible software (which I really like). I have the very basic package, but that includes a lot. While I was waiting for mine to arrive, I used a paper Bible at church and got laughed at because for years no one has seen me use one! All of my sermons and teaching notes are on my tablet. I don't use a keyboard. I have gotten very good using the handwriting (I use an app called Stylus Beta because it takes up less screen real estate than the Samsung keyboard). I also use a full sized stylus for comfort.
Illusive Man said:
Just got my Note Pro and this thing is huge. Formerly, I have owned the Note 10.1 and Note 10.1 2014 edition. I also use a Note 4. I have looked at other tablet, but I'm kinda hooked on the multi-window and and s-pan handwriting. It is a fast way for me to take notes. I'm a preacher and use my tablet for sermon prep and during sermons, so the additional screen real estate is a boost for me. Look forward to playing with this things. I have already rooted and installed a custom ROM (better speed and battery life). Look forward to everything I can learn on this forum.
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I've been a fan of the note series from the original, the s-pen and multi-windows have always added the functionality I've needed. I upgraded from the Note 10.1 about a year ago, and I've gotta say the increased pixel density and screen size make this the perfect tab for me. It is big, it is heavy, but that screen real estate makes it the perfect tab for professionals, or those wanting to get maximum productivity from their tab. I also have a Tab S 8.4, it's perfect for reading books or light gaming, but for anything else I find myself reaching for my Note Pro. I've never had a issue with performance, be it on a stock ROM or custom, the octa-core CPU and 3 GB of RAM still power through all the task I throw at it, the GPU is getting a little dated compared to some newer offerings, but runs everything I need it to at a smooth frame rate. Overall, best tab I've ever owned, keep it up Samsung! (and please give us some stock theme options, touchwiz is still damn ugly! albeit slightly improved in Lollipop)
Illusive Man said:
I don't know if I'm allowed to mention the ROM, but a well-known and respected developer has a customer ROM for the Note Pro that I'm running now and finding that I gained some performance and battery life, as well as what seems like unlimited customization (especially when combined with xposed).
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No problem you mentioning the ROM you run, especially if you point out the benefits and or bugs. I was running hyperdrive from the get-go, nice ROM, lots of customization options and performance tweaks. Could not help flashing a stock Lollipop ROM a month or so ago, very happy with it. Some have experienced battery drain issues, but I've not had this problem. Now if we could get a port of Remix OS, I could see great potential for the Note Pro as a surface replacement, especially now Microsoft have released Office for Android:good:
Hey... I have had my note pro stolen this evening from my car..... I really loved the tablet after having it for a year, I used it a massive amount... It is not insured I am afraid, I am replacing it with a pixel c but do feel I will be making the wrong choice.. The note series hasn't been improved upon over the last 18 months.. I never updated to 5.1.1 as the update on my note 3 did break things..
Any thoughts on my choices??
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Tricky103 said:
Hey... I have had my note pro stolen this evening from my car..... I really loved the tablet after having it for a year, I used it a massive amount... It is not insured I am afraid, I am replacing it with a pixel c but do feel I will be making the wrong choice.. The note series hasn't been improved upon over the last 18 months.. I never updated to 5.1.1 as the update on my note 3 did break things..
Any thoughts on my choices??
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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I wouldn't get a pixel C until multiwindow or split window shows up, and then still I am not sure I could scale down to a 10 inch device. I have seen the LTE models of the Note on Ebay for as low as 300.
Also hopefully you went into your google account under Sign-in and Security, then recently used devices and remove your account from the Note Pro you had stolen. That won't stop them from getting whats on the device but better than nothing. Bummer about the theft.
Tricky103 said:
Hey... I have had my note pro stolen this evening from my car..... I really loved the tablet after having it for a year, I used it a massive amount... It is not insured I am afraid, I am replacing it with a pixel c but do feel I will be making the wrong choice.. The note series hasn't been improved upon over the last 18 months.. I never updated to 5.1.1 as the update on my note 3 did break things..
Any thoughts on my choices??
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I do not suggest purchasing the Pixel C if your original Note's use case was for productivity. Considering the C lacks multi-window support and a native stylus
Also the Pixel-C has *no* micro-sd slot. Deal breaker for me. Nifty machine looks-wise, though. 2 to 3 times as expensive as buying another Samsung 12.2 Note from ebay or amazon....
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

Note 8 still worth getting after 2 years?

Hi,
I can get a brand new Note 8 for $200 CAD. Do you think it is still worth it to get? Is the $200 asking price reasonable for a two year old technology? Can $200 get a newer technology? I will mainly use it for web browsing, email, and stuff like that. I was planning to get the Tab S 8.5. Bestbuy has it on clearance for $329. What do you think?
I can tell you that I was surprised to find that there Isn't anything out there right now from Samsung worth replacing my Note 8 with. Although I've grown kinda restless with it the screen is better than some of the new offerings. The Tab A 9 inch tablet has a screen that's of way worse quality. The Note 8 is actually pretty stout. Check out some benchmarks on it, I'm sure it holds its own with some of the newer tablets. The screen is also nice, it's not killer by today's standard but still better than 70% of what's out there even now.
God no, this tablet is around 3 years old now, and is running 3 year old tech. Screen is not great (for today that is), battery life is poor (again for today), and it doesn't seem like you'll have any use for the pen, which is the only real purpose for this tablet, and what differentiates it from the rest. And with that, pen support is poor, S-Note is a worthless app, and 3rd party support for the pen is poor. Paying $200 for it is beyond insane.
Still rocks
My Note 8 3G on TouchWiz 4.4.4 still gives me 16+ hrs screen time (mostly book reading & writing) even after two years (obviously after de-bloating & tweaking). It's pretty solid with no issues whatsoever. This may not be the thing for those who always need the latest this or that, but I wouldn't change this tablet for anything yet -- is there any really worthy replacement?
I'm going to get right to what you want to hear. No, for $200 the Note 8 isn't worth it nowadays. You'd be better off taking that same $200 into a pawn shop and buying a decent laptop. You're just using it for browsing the web and checking email. Plus you can do so much more with a PC than you could on a tablet.
If you want web browsing, etc. Spend the $200 towards a Chromebook. Best browsing out there. Dell & HP ones are really great.
AkiOrpheus said:
My Note 8 3G on TouchWiz 4.4.4 still gives me 16+ hrs screen time (mostly book reading & writing) even after two years (obviously after de-bloating & tweaking). It's pretty solid with no issues whatsoever. This may not be the thing for those who always need the latest this or that, but I wouldn't change this tablet for anything yet -- is there any really worthy replacement?
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Well, you didn't answer his question. Would you, now, pay $200 for it. Forget tweaking, most people don't have the time, knowledge base, or desire for that, evaluate the stock device, as is. Is it worth $200? IMO, no way. I would rather pay $500 for a modern device that doesn't require any tweaking and debloating, to get acceptable battery life or performance, than spend days or weeks tweaking something. My time is more valuable than that. And I will argue that in real-world usage (browsing, videos, etc), your device will not come close to the 16 hours you claim. Book reading and writing is not typical usage, and any modern device will likely beat your battery life with zero time invested in modifying it. My 1+ year old iPad Mini Retina absolutely destroys my Note 8 in battery life. It's not even close. Not that it's without it's share of issues, but overall, it's a much better tablet than the Note 8. Of course, it's much newer, so that's expected.
sputnik767 said:
Well, you didn't answer his question. Would you, now, pay $200 for it. Forget tweaking, most people don't have the time, knowledge base, or desire for that, evaluate the stock device, as is. Is it worth $200? IMO, no way. I would rather pay $500 for a modern device that doesn't require any tweaking and debloating, to get acceptable battery life or performance, than spenda days or weeks tweaking something. My time is more valuable than that. And I will argue that in real-world usage (browsing, videos, etc), your device will not come close to the 16 hours you claim. Book reading and writing is not typical usage, and any modern device will likely beat your battery life with zero time invested in modifying it. My 1+ year old iPad Mini Retina absolutely destroys my Note 8 in battery life. It's not even close. Not that it's without it's share of issues, but overall, it's a much better tablet than the Note 8. Of course, it's much newer, so that's expected.
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I'm not at all an Apple fan -- no SD Card support & a Mini 4 (16GB Cellular) costs $529! Also, Apple is nothing compared to the Android customization. I wonder if we were to put all the 431 Samsung stock apks on iPad Mini, how it would be on battery.
Regarding Note 8: Compared to the initial $499 price, $200 is a good price for me personally. According to the reviews Samsung Tab 3 not that good, I'll surely buy a Note 8 for $200, if I need one again. Tweaking is very easy due to Boeffla kernel and it's own apk with pre-made profiles. The only thing taking an hour is deleting unnecessary stock apks with Titanium. Obviously my tweaking did not take days or weeks (people spend more time on unnecessary things ). Since, I'll be using tablets or smartphones till I die, knowledge base is very useful in the long run rather than be a noob always . I do some browsing on the tablet during my lectures but I prefer big screen laptop for that, and movies definitely on laptop, not on an 8".
This tablet never gave me errors (even a FC) except when I mistakenly erased certain partitions about a year ago due to my noobness.
Thanks for the reply. I have decided to get the Tab S 8.4. Now is $329 a good deal? I know I can wait til Black Friday. But that is 1.5 months away. By that time the Tab S will probably all gone. I like the Tab S for its screen. Should I go for it?
Haha thats funny, thats the exact tablet I was looking at to replace my note. The screen on it is gorgeous I just wish the back was that faux leather like the Pro 8.4 has. Also you may want to look at the pro which has the same ppi its just Super lcd not oled like the Tab S. Anthet thing to consider is at least on Android Central theres a few people complainiing of lagginess o the Tab S. Best Buy has Tab S's open box for about $280. I had one in my hand, just couldnt justify getting over my Note and losing the S Pen. Plus although the screen is nicer its not $280 nicer so I couldnt justify it for me.
Tab S 8.4
jtcb said:
Thanks for the reply. I have decided to get the Tab S 8.4. Now is $329 a good deal? I know I can wait til Black Friday. But that is 1.5 months away. By that time the Tab S will probably all gone. I like the Tab S for its screen. Should I go for it?
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If you go for Tab S 8.4, don't upgrade to stock Lollipop 5.0.2 -- friends told me it's pretty bad -- just keep the original KitKat. Especially, the Tab S battery is 300 mAh higher than Note 8, so does screen resolution (170 dpi more) -- almost double. Hence, the Tab S will use more battery. No proximity sensor in Tab S, which is very useful in Note 8 to wake the screen without using consuming HW buttons. No S Pen, which is bad if you like to use the tab as a handwriting notepad (Note 8 is pretty good at it). Also, Tab S 8.4 isn't a cellular tab.
However, in the end it's upto the person who spends the money!
Edit: If you can afford $100 more, this latest Samsung Tablet is definitely a winner >>> Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7
Tab S2 review
I have a note 8. I wouldn't pay 200$ for one because of the screen and lack of support from Samsung. You'll have to use a customized rom to get newer version of Android. You lose most of the pen functionality when you do that. That said, I would not opt for the tab s at $330 either. Limited support from Samsung and from what I've read, not a stellar performer based on the software.
Couple questions - are you stuck on Samsung? And do you have to buy new? A better Samsung option might be the tab A that has stylus. Not as much ram as the Note 8, but newer OS and I "think" samsung even announced another update for it.
Best option IMO would be to find a used Nvidia Shield. Can be found for the same $200 and its gotten the latest updates for Android and when it does get them they're timely.
dr_pepper said:
I have a note 8. I wouldn't pay 200$ for one because of the screen and lack of support from Samsung. You'll have to use a customized rom to get newer version of Android. You lose most of the pen functionality when you do that. That said, I would not opt for the tab s at $330 either. Limited support from Samsung and from what I've read, not a stellar performer based on the software.
Couple questions - are you stuck on Samsung? And do you have to buy new? A better Samsung option might be the tab A that has stylus. Not as much ram as the Note 8, but newer OS and I "think" samsung even announced another update for it.
Best option IMO would be to find a used Nvidia Shield. Can be found for the same $200 and its gotten the latest updates for Android and when it does get them they're timely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always prefer new so yes I would buy new. I have considered Tab A but the screen resolution is the worst in all tablet I have seen. I like the stylus in the Note 8 and A. But I can always get a separate stylus. I also consider Nexus 9 just for the frequent update.
jtcb said:
I always prefer new so yes I would buy new. I have considered Tab A but the screen resolution is the worst in all tablet I have seen. I like the stylus in the Note 8 and A. But I can always get a separate stylus. I also consider Nexus 9 just for the frequent update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shield has a stylus as well
AkiOrpheus said:
I'm not at all an Apple fan -- no SD Card support & a Mini 4 (16GB Cellular) costs $529! Also, Apple is nothing compared to the Android customization. I wonder if we were to put all the 431 Samsung stock apks on iPad Mini, how it would be on battery.
Regarding Note 8: Compared to the initial $499 price, $200 is a good price for me personally. According to the reviews Samsung Tab 3 not that good, I'll surely buy a Note 8 for $200, if I need one again. Tweaking is very easy due to Boeffla kernel and it's own apk with pre-made profiles. The only thing taking an hour is deleting unnecessary stock apks with Titanium. Obviously my tweaking did not take days or weeks (people spend more time on unnecessary things ). Since, I'll be using tablets or smartphones till I die, knowledge base is very useful in the long run rather than be a noob always . I do some browsing on the tablet during my lectures but I prefer big screen laptop for that, and movies definitely on laptop, not on an 8".
This tablet never gave me errors (even a FC) except when I mistakenly erased certain partitions about a year ago due to my noobness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried that kernel, and all it's tweaking options. I have tried debloating, overclocking, undervolting, etc. Nothing gave me any appreciable improvement in battery life or performance, and many "tweaks" gave me stability issues. In regular usage, I would be lucky to get 7 hours on the Note 8, stock or otherwise. But like I said, that would be expected for a tablet that came out over 2 years ago.
The reason why I brought up my iPad was not because I am an Apple fan, but because it's a much more modern device with easily 3 hours more battery life in real-world use. Modern Samsung tabs get similar results, but my iPad was provided to me by my job, so that's what I have. This device's only selling point is the pen. If the OP needs one, this tab is for him, regardless of the price. If not, $200 is way too much to spend on almost 3 year old hardware. And I have a feeling that he is like 99% of people out there, in that he has no interest in investing (read: wasting) the amount of time necessary to learn tweaking, flashing, debloating, etc, and there are better choices than this one out of the box.
sputnik767 said:
I tried that kernel, and all it's tweaking options. I have tried debloating, overclocking, undervolting, etc. Nothing gave me any appreciable improvement in battery life or performance, and many "tweaks" gave me stability issues. In regular usage, I would be lucky to get 7 hours on the Note 8, stock or otherwise. But like I said, that would be expected for a tablet that came out over 2 years ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's strange sputnik767, because out of the box, Note 8 gave me minimum 12 hours with all the factory junk running. That time I knew nothing about tweaking or de-bloating. I heard some Note 8s had hardware issues since the factory; that may be your case.
sputnik767 said:
This device's only selling point is the pen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the reason I went for Note 8 + multi tasking, which are tremendously useful for me. However, judging a tablet just by specs is a difficult thing. Hidden hardware issues, OS issues, and battery issues only can be known after usage (sometimes user may never know ).
200... Yes yes and yes
Big screen... Yes
3g and calling ... Yes
Upgradeable to 5.1.1... Yes
And most important is the pen. Microsoft onenote is THEE industry leader to pen notes (sorry google keep).
Many people don't know what they want until they have it. And nothing on the market has this size screen with calling and a pen
FIN
Do you use the S-pen? I've used it for designing and drawing, including professional work, and then @$200 it's absolutely worth it. Which version is it the 4G LTE or the regular one? Could you link it here? I can say this is the best tech investment I've ever made. To me the size is perfect, and I use it as the GPS in the car, the kids watch movies on it, use it to draw manga and what have you, and it is still pocketable in a jacket, and I bring it with me everywhere. It's also the home modem hotspot for all computers. Too bad Samsung didn't sell enough of them, so there's no new version.
You can find one cheaper
I was able to get one for $75 a few months ago. Bought it off someone from a Facebook group. I am always looking at these groups in my city for all sorta deals form electronics to tools. If you really want something like the Note 8.0 take a look, there has to be someone out there selling one.
I recently switched from my Note 8.0, which I owned for about 2 years, to an Asus Zenpad 8.0 S (4Gbyte Ram, 64gb flash) and it works great with the z stylus from Asus. I can highly recommend it.
All together it cost 330 Dollar and you get a modern thin, light tablet. I use the tablet mainly for taking notes (LectureNotes), surfing and email. I also owned a Note 10.1 (2014 edition) for a few months, but that one was too heavy and big (and not cheap, otherwise a great tablet though).

anybody recommend this tablet

Hello guys im considering buying this tablet can i know the pros and cons of this tablet also i read that it has a touch screen delay/issue can you somebody confirm this.
Thanks
I have had mine for over a month now. No issues what so ever, its super fast no lag. Only con is the lack of protective cases ie. (Otter box)
I'd recommend it, a lot of performance for the price
Love mine. Only con I see is a major lack of development here
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
This is a very fast tablet with a great display. I really like it. Wish there was more development, but it's rooted with xposed so I can live with that quite well.
I like seidio or otterbox cases as well, but I picked up one of these - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N1QCS4N/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and have been pleasantly surprised by it. Until one of the big makers comes up with a case this will do fine.
Don't hesitate to pick one up.
Another con is that it displays applications in phone mode instead of tablet mode. Hardware wise its rock solid.
I had one from September last year to February this year. I sold it and switched to a Huawei Honor Note 8 6.6" phabletand a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7" tablet.
I found that I hardly used the Samsung tablet and that's why I bought another M3 to replace the Honor and the Samsung.
I will use the M3 again as a phone and still have a decent screen size to use as a tablet.
The only think I will probably miss is the gorgeous AMOLED screen from the Honor Note 8.
I have had mine a week and really like it. I came from a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5. I really like it. Its very fast and the screen quality and size is ideal. The only issue is that on EMUI 4.1 some off the apps (Chrome, Gmail) run in Phone mode and not tablet mode. This can be changed using ADB to reduce the DPI but this causes other minor issues. Hopefully this issue will be resolved when EMUI 5.1 is released.
Thanks guys I'm gonna buy it:highfive:
No no, don't buy it... it's pure crap!
I am considering this tablet or the Lenovo tab 4 8 plus. Any suggestions or pros or cons for both?
Bought one for my daughter's birthday. 11,700B (approx $330) with flip case, AKG earbuds, and screen protector.
It's quite hefty, and feels considerably thicker in the hand than my old Galaxy Tab S 8.4. Its a shame Samsung dropped the 16:9 ratio for their newer flagship tablets.
Initial impressions are good. Nice screen, runs smoothly. Hopefully Nougat isn't too far away.

Any other Nexus 9 owners considering an upgrade?

Seems like currently (August 2018) the options are Huawei Mediapad M5 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4.
I still use my Nexus 9 a lot but the speed and deteriorating battery life is starting to become a daily frustration. I still like the tablet and always did, but it's time to upgrade. Four years is reasonable enough considering the price I bought it for in 2014. I really considered the Galaxy Tab S3 last year but decided to hold out.
The Tab S4 is clearly the best Android tablet right now but £600 for the lowest model feels obscene considering the Nexus 9 was half that.
So enter the Mediapad M5 (either the 8 or 10 size), which is a more realistic price but I'm not sure how good the community will be long term now given recent Huawei controversy. Also the Kirin 960 is slower than the Tab S4's Snapdragon 835 (which should have been 845 but whatever). Also no headphone jack.
Anyone else in a similar position?
I recently bought the xiaomi mi pad 4 to replace my Nexus 9. Nice little tablet and cheap as the same time.
I have tried many Android tablets and never considered an iPad. But now I have got an iPad 2017 since I need an iOS device for work. I must admit I was wrong about the iPad. Absolutely the best tablet I have tried. So smooth UI and web browsing. Google's apps work really good and other popular apps are more tablet optimized than on Android. Outstanding battery life. For it's price I think the iPad is hard to beat.
And I think it's amazing that the iPad Air that launched with iOS 7, soon five years ago, will get iOS 12.
dape16 said:
I have tried many Android tablets and never considered an iPad. But now I have got an iPad 2017 since I need an iOS device for work. I must admit I was wrong about the iPad. Absolutely the best tablet I have tried. So smooth UI and web browsing. Google's apps work really good and other popular apps are more tablet optimized than on Android. Outstanding battery life. For it's price I think the iPad is hard to beat.
And I think it's amazing that the iPad Air that launched with iOS 7, soon five years ago, will get iOS 12.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The iPad just won't do what I want a tablet for unfortunately. I usually throw a bunch of movies on a USB stick and watch on the road. But other than that, they are pretty nifty.
I'm planning on waiting for me Chromebook Tablets. Currently I'm eyeing the HP x2 .. but we will see what comes out. ChromeOs but able to run Android apps.
madbat99 said:
The iPad just won't do what I want a tablet for unfortunately. I usually throw a bunch of movies on a USB stick and watch on the road. But other than that, they are pretty nifty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ipad/iphone are able to use specific usb stick just like OTG.
Or did i get you wrong?
ronald_loulan said:
Ipad/iphone are able to use specific usb stick just like OTG.
Or did i get you wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right, I forgot about that. Expensive sticks though.
madbat99 said:
You're right, I forgot about that. Expensive sticks though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually is not that expensive, at least i got mine around 20usd.
It have micro sd/ sd card as storage so you can expand it up to 128GB if not mistaken.
Mine have Lightning,micro usb and usb port, quite good as it can be use for android and IOS too...
I am still trying to decide what to do.
I like the HP X2 Detachable chromebook, but felt it should have more than 32Gb of storage, and I'd also prefer a 10" screen rather than 12.3"
The S3 was ruled out last year due to no real development for it. Plus those backwards Samsung buttons.
S4 is really pricey and you have to deal with the samsung lock down on the bootloader.
Currently I've supported this on Indiegogo
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/...ntertainment-bluetooth-computers/x/19180545#/
It's not the best spec wise but it's got the same screen as the S4 and at $219 it's hard to beat Plus XDA say that they are working with Alldocube to ensure it's developer friendly.
https://www.xda-developers.com/alldocube-x-10-5-inch-android-8-1-oreo/
Of course I'm also waiting to see what happens with the upcoming ChromeOS tablets. Rumors point to 3 coming out in the fall.
I still use my N9 almost every day. I love the form factor of it and the 4:3 ratio screen is great for ebooks or magazines.
And if you don't mind not having youtube the latest 8.1 builds are pretty nice for it. I'm using AICP at the moment.
NaterTots said:
I am still trying to decide what to do.
I like the HP X2 Detachable chromebook, but felt it should have more than 32Gb of storage, and I'd also prefer a 10" screen rather than 12.3"
The S3 was ruled out last year due to no real development for it.
S4 is really pricey and you have to deal with the samsung lock down on the bootloader.
Currently I've supported this on Indiegogo
alldocube-x-tablet-for-high-quality-entertainment-bluetooth-computers
I still use my N9 almost every day. I love the form factor of it and the 4:3 ratio screen is great for ebooks or magazines.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear ya, I've looked into the Alldocube as well, but the CPU is too inferior to consider. Plus the battery life may not be very good with that CPU. They only claim 8 hours [so realistically looking at 5-6]. Everything else sounds good.
Mi Pad 4 Plus was just released last week. It is looking pretty good. Has a fingerprint reader which the non-plus didn't have. Xiaomi has good software support, I owned a Redmi Note 4 and really enjoyed it.
10" screen, at 1920x1200. But the battery has been tested for 19+ hours, which is pretty spectacular. CPU is decent.
Right now the price is a bit higher than it should be, retails for $279USD in china, china dealers are at $359USD right now, but I expect it to drop in the coming months. At MSRP price I would buy it.
I picked up a refurbished HP Pro Slate 8 a few months ago. At this point I only care for 4:3 or 3:2 screens and I want them to be pocketable. 8" 4:3 fits in my back pocket. And I like buying second hand so they are cheap and essentially disposable. Because lets not kid ourselves - these things are worthless / failing in a few years no matter what.
Otherwise for anything bigger I would strongly suggest a second hand Surface Pro 4/5. You can get real work done on those and they are super fast.
heywtf said:
Seems like currently (August 2018) the options are Huawei Mediapad M5 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4.
I still use my Nexus 9 a lot but the speed and deteriorating battery life is starting to become a daily frustration. I still like the tablet and always did, but it's time to upgrade. Four years is reasonable enough considering the price I bought it for in 2014. I really considered the Galaxy Tab S3 last year but decided to hold out.
The Tab S4 is clearly the best Android tablet right now but £600 for the lowest model feels obscene considering the Nexus 9 was half that.
So enter the Mediapad M5 (either the 8 or 10 size), which is a more realistic price but I'm not sure how good the community will be long term now given recent Huawei controversy. Also the Kirin 960 is slower than the Tab S4's Snapdragon 835 (which should have been 845 but whatever). Also no headphone jack.
Anyone else in a similar position?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I replaced my battery and its good as new.
Bought recently Huawei M5 10.8 for about 300€ - nice new tab, not sure what to do with my N9 now but I feel your pain, its slow and sluggish.
I went ahead and purchased a Mi Pad 4 Plus. It is pretty darn good!
Took a little bit to get everything setup [this being XDA, installing the google services shouldn't be hard at all].
Screen is great, performance is great. Battery life is outstanding. Having a fingerprint reader is essential for me, have read lots of complaints how face ID unlock is terrible for tablets. Fingerprint works flawlessly on this.
The speakers are a bit tinny, but they are very loud.
Overall, 2 days in and I have nothing bad to say about it. Oh, and it cost less than half the price of a Samsung Tab S4! MSRP is $279 USD. Is still selling above that right now, but it is still worth it!
Lumberjack_Plaid said:
I went ahead and purchased a Mi Pad 4 Plus. It is pretty darn good!
Took a little bit to get everything setup [this being XDA, installing the google services shouldn't be hard at all].
Screen is great, performance is great. Battery life is outstanding. Having a fingerprint reader is essential for me, have read lots of complaints how face ID unlock is terrible for tablets. Fingerprint works flawlessly on this.
The speakers are a bit tinny, but they are very loud.
Overall, 2 days in and I have nothing bad to say about it. Oh, and it cost less than half the price of a Samsung Tab S4! MSRP is $279 USD. Is still selling above that right now, but it is still worth it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mipad4 outstanding tablet but the biggest drawback is sound speakers. It's bottom of the tablet not front Like Lenovo Tab 4 or Huawie Media Pad 5 or Samsung A 10.1(2018).
Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk
sheenswizner said:
Mipad4 outstanding tablet but the biggest drawback is sound speakers. It's bottom of the tablet not front Like Lenovo Tab 4 or Huawie Media Pad 5 or Samsung A 10.1(2018).
Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If one were to buy mipad4 plus or m5, i would strongly recommend m5 pro with comes with 4 speakers, bigger battery, mpen and desktop mode..
been nagging oneplus to make something to replace my N9 every time I catch em posting on twitter
Just got a Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4 yesterday. Unlocked the bootloader but will stay on stock until they stop OTA's. Overall size much more akin to my Nexus 7 which I had replaced with the Nexus 9. Sadly never did think the 9 lived up to expectations.
M5 has great build quality and while I have not had it for very long it leaves the N9.......in....the.....dust.
N9 will be heading over to SWAPPA once I am sure M5 rocks.
I picked up an Amazon Fire 10" (current model) a year ago when they were on sale for $100. After enabling Google Play Store on it, I ended up using it and ignoring my Nexus 9 for a year. The Fire was inexpensive and therefore not as big a risk at the gym, and it did everything I needed. I even stuck with the Fire launcher and found it usable. Recently I picked up the Nexus 9 again and found the two reasons I had set it aside -- reduced but still reasonable battery life, and inexplicable "lockups" where the tablet stopped responding despite the screen still being on, requiring a long power button press reboot. I like the slightly smaller size factor (fits my man bag, the Fire doesn't). Thinking about rooting and putting a new ROM on board. But the Fire 10" is surprisingly usable and not much of a compromise for me.
This thread is literally my thoughts. I've been looking to upgrade for a while.
As echoed above though, replacing the battery the other day has vastly improved it and given me another year out of this old knockabout
It's an easy swap too.
I was on here looking for a new ROM.

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