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I hope this is of some use to someone as Ive been on a search for an ideal tablet for myself since the Xoom was released.
Ive had the Acer for about a month and love it for the most part.
Galxy Tab owner for about a day ((so why a review ??)) Its not.
Its a physical comparison as its difficult to track down an Acer without a huge magnet brick stuck to the back and the Tab releases country wide tomorrow.
Anyways...here goes any questions more than happy to answer.
HxW
This was a big surprise. Unlike the Asus Transformer with its mega wide bezel the Acer is actually pretty compact in that area. So much so that stacking the Tab on top produced negligible difference. As far as height and width theres about 'half a skinny straw' difference.
Weight
Well this is where the difference comes in. The Tab is simply much lighter. If you hold both in your hands it may seem like a "slight" difference. But after a short period you will quickly notice the acer is just plain heavy. After using the Tab for a bit then picking up the Acer the difference is huge.
Thickness
This IMO is the second biggest determining factor. Do you want the slimmness ? .......Or the Ports.
Holding the Tab it feels like a larger Kindle. Or just a truly "slate" computing device. Ive had several star trek moments holding it thus far.
Acer has always felt like a laptop cover ripped off the keyboard where the ports somehow magically transferred to the top. Yes its thick but I can connect this sucker to a monitor , a external drive , a card reader , and easily expand with a micro SD.
Look good or be efficient ?? Your choice IMO cant go wrong.
FYI:Tab will require at least 2 add ons , plus a case that can accommodate your extra accessories in order to match connectivity.
Microphone-
**SO FAR*** my biggest grip with the Acer has been the awful mic. It just sucks. Dont know if its the quality or the placement but the end result remains suckage. Far too often a phrase like "When can we meet ?"
results in "can we me".... or worse "w"..... WTF?!!?
Voice to text is my primary need/use for a tablet, this was a huge deal for me.
Galaxy Tab has been better. But frankly neither are up to snuff to my Nexus One. Im assuming phones in general will just have better mic quality.
Audio clip from Tab (using camcorder)
http://db.tt/XrcHGaK
Audio clip from Acer (using camcorder)
http://db.tt/eZ0rOIa
While not a tell all example the above differences in clarity were consistent with other apps as well.
Screen-
Thus far there really isnt a reason to side for one or the other outside of need or preference. Until this.
The screen on the Tab is gorgeous and is simply richer in color and after flicking through Picasa it seems to have gotten a more accurate representation of the pictures taken.
While I do feel the tab pushes colors a bit much ;almost like oled does. Ex: The YT still shot Rebecca Blacks red jacket is too saturated
However over a wide range of pictures and videos it just felt more vivid with better blacks.
This isnt a Ipads "cool" vs Tabs "warm" approach to color temp. The Tab is simply a better looking screen.
Software---
Not touching on this unless asked.
I will say I still have numerous videos FC on YT and the browser does NOT have any quick controls on the galaxy tab. Major bummer and worthy of return or sell if it cant be added as I find the controls are what make two handed Tablet browsing possible.
Wrap up-
In short Lebron James is overrated.
But seriously
Acer-8/10
Tab- 9/10
If you will make regular use of the ports , or weight isnt an issue the Acer is the choice.
If you care about aesthetics and or mobility is a bigger concern then the Tab is the way to go.
i stopped reading when u said the acer is heavy and teared up with laughter at the thought of u weight lifting
BrianDigital said:
i stopped reading when u said the acer is heavy and teared up with laughter at the thought of u weight lifting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, because "heavy" means "unable to lift" and not relative to the topic of tablets. Try harder next time.
Very detailed.connectivity is why my Acer rules
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
LIKE YOUR REVIEW, very truthful...
i bought the acer because it came first in my country.... but then loving it... usb port is the biggest difference among 2 tablets in favour of iconia, where weight is the biggest difference in favour to the tab
I was contemplating on whether to buy Galaxy Tab or Iconia A500, and I chose Iconia A500 because of USB host mode port, plus the fact that I don't need any proprietary adapters or cables. Those kinds of things are surprisingly hard to come by here, and they're a lot more expensive to replace should they break.
As for the weight: well, everyone has their own taste. I personally don't see enough of a difference for it to make matter to me.
I choose Acer because of non proprietary adapter and cables...
now
- galaxy tabs is really toooooo light... I feel like I was about to broke it just by holding it hahahah
I wanna buy it so deep... but after tested it... hu... no thanks, maybe the 8.9...
I'm amazed at the white color temperature difference between the two displays. Which is which in the pictures?
I guess samsung is the warmer one... you don't mess with samsung displays.
@xManMythLegend,
What video files will it support?... the only thing that bugs me is my Archos can support all my xvid divx out of the box... my samsung epic also supports divx... my acer doesn't know what divx is... bummer.
After the Captivate, Samsung is dead to me. Thanks for the review though. The Acer holds up better than I expected it to in the comparison.
What was wrong with captivate? i9000 is still awesome for me. Branded/carrier versions will always suck.
I'm pissed at samsung's tablet atitude, It's like they're trying to imitate Apple. I don't want a stupid adapter to be able to use usb!
Anyway, great review! I was actually waiting for the Galaxy tab but now I couldn't care less. Iconia's connectivity outweighs it's weight by far
Excellent review -- thank you! I'm sold on my A500 (primarily because of the USB port), but it's always good to know what else is out there and how it compares.
I don't understand why people rely on the stock software and configuration for images and/or video on any tablet. Even with a desktop PC monitor, you have to fine tune the settings to get your photos and videos to display properly. I wouldn't use the Samsung's default display settings because I think they're (for the most part) over-saturated. I use 3rd party gallery and video apps, both of which allow for rather customized display settings. I'm very happy with my A500's display the way I have these apps customized, and this was very important to me (right along with the USB port and memory expansion options) due to being an avid photography hobbyist.
I hope that doesn't sound too defensive, because I'm really not -- I knew the A500's display is "cooler" (more blue) than most when buying it. I just think they all need tweaking -- even the precious iPad, which everyone raves about the display out of the box.
Thanks again!
Well i bought Acer Iconia A500 because of the ports i don't mind a difference of 0.00000033mm in thickness or 0.000000888 pound in weight but i do care a lot if my device has all the ports i can use without the worry of looking them here and there.
sanaell said:
I choose Acer because of non proprietary adapter and cables...
now
- galaxy tabs is really toooooo light... I feel like I was about to broke it just by holding it hahahah
I wanna buy it so deep... but after tested it... hu... no thanks, maybe the 8.9...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe 8.9 will be a very interesting form factor for many people especially if it does include an sd card slot.
silencer51 said:
I'm amazed at the white color temperature difference between the two displays. Which is which in the pictures?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Top Is the galaxy tab Bottom is the acer.
threedfreek said:
@xManMythLegend,
What video files will it support?... the only thing that bugs me is my Archos can support all my xvid divx out of the box... my samsung epic also supports divx... my acer doesn't know what divx is... bummer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I immediately installed mobo player. Plays everything but .mov thus far it also has terrific on screen controls.
internetpilot said:
Excellent review -- thank you! I'm sold on my A500 (primarily because of the USB port), but it's always good to know what else is out there and how it compares.
I don't understand why people rely on the stock software and configuration for images and/or video on any tablet. Even with a desktop PC monitor, you have to fine tune the settings to get your photos and videos to display properly. I wouldn't use the Samsung's default display settings because I think they're (for the most part) over-saturated. I use 3rd party gallery and video apps, both of which allow for rather customized display settings. I'm very happy with my A500's display the way I have these apps customized, and this was very important to me (right along with the USB port and memory expansion options) due to being an avid photography hobbyist.
I hope that doesn't sound too defensive, because I'm really not -- I knew the A500's display is "cooler" (more blue) than most when buying it. I just think they all need tweaking -- even the precious iPad, which everyone raves about the display out of the box.
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely agree! If these were hd tvs you could not even begin the discussion without calibration. I even cut out a portion on it. In short since there are no universal apps to do this and most devices require root access ;along with the fact most people simply would not bother. So unfortunately out of the box is what people will judge it by.
But you are 100 percent correct calibration can fix many many issues. I have yet to try on the tablet but fully intend to.
P.s apologies for any weird typos. voice to text is strangely capitalizing words that shouldn't be.
I had the Acer and returned it for the Galaxy Tab 10.1
I'm loving the GT much better. The main reason I wanted a tablet was for mobility and having something lightweight. The Acer was nice, but after surfing the net for a while I was inclined to place it either in my lap or on a solid surface. If I put it in my lap it would start sliding all over the place. The GT doesn't slide in my lap like the Acer did. It's also not as heavy, so I don't mind holding it if need be.
All tablets that come with a USB will be rather thick in size. There's no way that the GT could keep it's slimness with a USB port on the device itself. This was a concern for me in deciding if I wanted the device. Once I found out that they have a USB adapter, I was sold. The Acer had many ports, but I rarely used any of them when I had the device. It all boils down to how you're going to use a tablet. That will determine which one is the best fit.
cdf3 said:
I had the Acer and returned it for the Galaxy Tab 10.1
I'm loving the GT much better. The main reason I wanted a tablet was for mobility and having something lightweight. The Acer was nice, but after surfing the net for a while I was inclined to place it either in my lap or on a solid surface. If I put it in my lap it would start sliding all over the place. The GT doesn't slide in my lap like the Acer did. It's also not as heavy, so I don't mind holding it if need be.
All tablets that come with a USB will be rather thick in size. There's no way that the GT could keep it's slimness with a USB port on the device itself. This was a concern for me in deciding if I wanted the device. Once I found out that they have a USB adapter, I was sold. The Acer had many ports, but I rarely used any of them when I had the device. It all boils down to how you're going to use a tablet. That will determine which one is the best fit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the exact same thing today and share the same sentiments. I think the acer is very good at being a full featured unit out of the box. But it was not comfortable for me to use and my glove size is an 11. I picked up the GT10.1 and wow I didn't care what is was missing.
usman3206 said:
Well i bought Acer Iconia A500 because of the ports i don't mind a difference of 0.00000033mm in thickness or 0.000000888 pound in weight but i do care a lot if my device has all the ports i can use without the worry of looking them here and there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
The Acer wins for me based on connectivity and flexibility overall.
PLease tell us about the software. Tab is 3.1....is it smoother? The Acer is still driving me crazy with the scroll lag.
Actually the weight and size difference is dramatic. The photos and numbers paper really dont translate well to how well it feels in hand. Saying that I do miss the usb port on the a500 but the GT10.1 is more portable and hand friendly. Using it as an ereader is great as well because it balances in the hand without feeling top heavy.
Go play with one at BB and tell me what you think, just curious.
Another reason for my switch was I truly feel thus device will sell well and therefore have longer support. Acer already announced they were scaling back production due to slow sales. Which tells me Acer really needs to do better advertising because they have a winner.
I think noils down like this.......
If you want a light hand friendly device then get the GT10.1
If you want a device that has more media input/output accessiblity device and offers expandable storage then go with the a500.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk
I'm interested in the TPT and am curious in which apps the pen all works? I'm assuming that it would work as a regular finger touch in all apps, is this true?
Can I use the pen on a software 'keyboard' like WritePad which allows for handwriting input - meaning I could handwrite into any app that would allow the WritePad keyboard?
Wanting to know what to expect before I take the plunge.
Anywhere you can use wrtepad, you can use the pen.
I have not come across any drawing apps that have NOT let me use the pen either.
I have been able to use the pen to open and close apps, browse the web, respond to e-mails, and so on.
Sent from my ThinkPad Tablet using xda premium
The pen works everywhere on the tablet, Just like your finger. As for writing apps, there is no shortage: quill, writepad and lecturenotes all let you write with either your finger or pen.
I know this wasn't part of your question but to save you from regrets and headaches, let me add:
If you want a writing tablet, I strongly advise you to wait for a month or so, when the Samsung galaxy note 10.1 is released because the plunge you are considering taking is a very deep one, into lenovo's slow, buggy software, weak hardware (easily breaking usb port and hardware buttons), strange warranty service, etc.
Be aware that lenovo would have a backdoor into your tablet through their "mobility manager app" and can execute actions with root level permissions. and no, they wouldn't inform you. sneaky, right?
It is not possible to disable touch or pen input at OS level on lenovo's stock rom so there can be accidental contact when writing with pen or typing on keyboard dock. There is such a feature on the CM9 port being developed by the good fellows here on our xda forum. However, everything is tricky: from rooting, to installing CWM recovery and flashing the rom. Your device can get bricked anywhere in between.
the location of the cameras on the thinkpad is laughable, and by extension, hardly usable.
The thinkpad was the first android tablet with an n-trig digitizer (the htc flyer uses wacom or something) so its essentially a prototype and expect the numerous glitches that plague first type devices. Now samsung is getting into the game, I expect using an android tablet with a digitizer will become a better experience.
But it's your call, just read through this thinkpad xda forum and the www.thinkpadtabletforums.com to observe the issues with this tab before you take the plunge.
Flyer, and every other pen enabled HTC tablet are also using N-Trig, if it was Wacom, I am sure more people would be using it. As for the Galaxy 10.1 Note, I doubt it would be out next month, if anything it should be out mid summer, with maybe North America getting it a bit later than that, specially if it may come out on a carrier, and/or with LTE.
For what it is, and the price I paid it is a solid tablet actually. I like it better than my Touchpad with CM9 installed. Yeah my volume up button went out, but still not as bad as my Touchpad, which came back from HP with a gap in the screen after I sent it in for a battery issue. I am sure, once CM9 is more developed it would improve things even more. I know on my Droid 2 CM7 based rom I was on was much better than that bloated crap Motorola put on their I will though agree that that Mobility manger is pretty damn shady and wrong. I think you can remove it with root, but I am not fully sure.
Thanks for the insights. Dark, I'm afraid you're giving me advice I *don't* want to hear. I'm a very long time Palm user and really like a pen. Right now I've got a Captivate and an original Galaxy Tab 7 with Overcome ROM, rooted and overclocked to 1400mHz. I don't think I'm used to the lack of precision and it's been over a year for me with Android. I'm using them with a stylus, but those big fat "Crayola's" leave a lot to be desired. Recently I got a chance to spend some time on a 10" tablet and kind of liked the size.
I really don't understand how popular tablets (iPads) have got without a pen. It just feels too primitive to be clawing at the screen with my fingers.
I'm quite pleased with the pen. N-trig was a big disappointment early on but their reputation has improved as has the product. Wacom is better but N-trig is OK how. Have been using a Motion LE1700 (Windows tablet) for years with Wacom and it's great. The TPT pen input is a bit primitive compared to Windows but it's good enough.
My last laptop was an X61 tablet. I was quite tired of how dim the display was from having to look through the digitizer. Does the TPT have that same dim/gray cast to the screen? Is it noticeably darker than non-pen-digitizer tablets?
no its very bright, i find the automatic brightness adjustment to be a little much, but that's just me, i usually set it at about 50 percent and its more than adequate to use outdoors with our cloudy weather up here. you can see little "dots" on the screen when held at certain angles with the screen off, this is the only visible evidence of the digitizer but its pretty much invisible with the screen shining through.
I'm in the market for a tablet (or possibly a Chromebook). I'm an editor of a website and need to be able to use it to work on my Wordpress site effectively so strong browser support and keyboard input is crucial.
I like the idea of an Android tablet as I own a Galaxy S4 and have a large collection of Android apps already. Thus, it would also start out with a nice collection of apps.
I'm a bit unclear as to the differences between the Tab Pro 12.2 and the Note Pro 12.2. They seem very alike except for the stylus. Clearly I'm missing something as that's not much to account for the price difference.
I have an iPad 2 and it's nice but I can't really work on it at all. It's too small to enjoy movies on and, sorry, it's Apple so it's too limited.
I'm also wondering about keyboards. If I got this way, should I get the Samsung keyboard, Logitech keyboard or some other keyboard? I'd like to find a very responsive keyboard. It would be an additional boon if it were also pretty quiet. My GF gets disturbed by late night typing on my desktop gaming keyboard.
I'm older so larger is better for my eyes. I'm at a point where I often pretty much need reading glasses for my S4 now.
For ages I was thinking I wanted a Transformer of some design but Asus seems to have fallen behind. Samsung seems to give me lots of potential breathing room.
Any input greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I'm pretty sure the Note Pro and Tab Pro are identical except for the S-Pen and wacom digitizer that powers it. Absolutely if you don't need pen input for notes or drawing then get the Tab.
You can use just about any Bluetooth keyboard with the Pro 12.2. I've had no trouble with several Logitech and Microsoft BT keyboards. I haven't used any of the made-for Note 12.2 keyboards.
My personal fave keyboard is the Logitech K810. It feels excellent for typing, has backlit keys and can instantly switch between 3 different devices.Its very quiet too- keys feel really nice.
Honestly though, if you really want the best laptop style experience, personally I'd opt for a decent lightweight x86 laptop vs a tablet. I'm not crazy about chromebooks though. I'd personally take the Note 12.2 over a chromebook any day, but that's just me.
Thanks. I keep thinking about a laptop but wonder about battery life, weight and the lack of instant-on, etc. I have my desktop always on so x86 isn't a problem. I saw the Tab Pro 12.2 at Best Buy today (they didn't have the Note Pro 12.2) and the size was fine.
However, on your keyboard issue. My concern is that I would like it to be connected so that it can act as a solid laptop replacement. It sounds like you use yours, say, around the house? Not sure how comfortable I'd be transporting two devices like that.
Years ago I'd loathe the thought of converting to Mac but I gotta tell ya, the retina macbook pros are pretty sweet in regards to battery life and instant on . . .
Agree with Zaptoons. Mobile platforms are always a compromise. I have to wonder if you'll be able to do the Wordpress work on Android, though I do see that there are apps for it.
muzzy996 said:
Years ago I'd loathe the thought of converting to Mac but I gotta tell ya, the retina macbook pros are pretty sweet in regards to battery life and instant on . . .
Agree with Zaptoons. Mobile platforms are always a compromise. I have to wonder if you'll be able to do the Wordpress work on Android, though I do see that there are apps for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the Mac, that might be a bit out of the price range for this purchase. I also really despise Apple on too many fronts. I recommend them highly and readily -- just not for me so far, but I will continue to refresh the thinking.
On Wordpress work, it really comes down to the capability of the browser. As long as it supports a solid browser experience, I should be okay. I hit Best Buy today to see if the 12.2 would be "too big" and it wasn't. I loaded the browser and it seemed to be solid. I just wasn't comfortable logging into Wordpress though. No idea about stored accounts, etc.
I hear you on the mac.
Definition of solid performance is subjective, you realize that right?
Let's put it this way; unless there's a tablet specific application to do what you need to on wordpress then nothing other than screen size is going to differ between the Note Pro and your s4. The browsers are going to be about the same.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
Leading up to the launch of the Note Pro 12.2 I was eager to get one. Then I stopped by Best Buy and, on a whim, picked up the Acer C720P Chromebook. For a third the cost it doesn't have as big, high resolution or bright of a screen as the Note Pro but it has served me well for everything I need in a mobile device. I even stopped using my Note 10.1 OG. Notice I said mobile device. The Acer has typically given me a solid 7 hours of batter life which is amazing.
Having said that...if you are worried about needing reading glasses and want more screen real estate, the Note Pro might be your path. Though, with a higher resolution type is smaller at normal zoom. You can simply zoom in for bigger text.
If WordPress is your thing, the Chromebook will handle that with no issues. It is a browser afterall.
I'm still contemplating the Note Pro but it is not at the top of my wish list since I purchased the Chromebook. At first it was weird to get used to but it is second nature now and the added offline support for most of the Google apps has sealed the deal for me.
Just my two cents.
Again, great info from all. My thoughts:
1. I haven't had good luck with Android Wordpress apps. To me, they're all a kludge. However, that doesn't mean you can't be productive with Wordpress on Android. The limitation on my S4 is real estate. The browser seems to work fine but I can't be effective with the size of the screen or the keyboard. I suspect a larger screen would work. In part I was hoping I'd get lucky and find another Wordpress user who happened to have luck (or no luck) on this device or a similar one.
2. I have a bit of a klunky Chromebook. A while back I installed Chrome on a eePC -- an entry level Asus T100 or something like that. It's a horrible piece of HARDWARE. I have zero issues with the OS itself and it feels very natural to me. However, I have this haunting feeling that Chrome itself is becoming a dinosaur. As Android continues to prosper, it's dwarfing Chrome to such a point that, I suspect, Android will evolve into being an OS we can use on any device. Maybe I'm missing something entirely about its potential, but that's my thinking. There isn't much going on in the development world for it compared to Android where there's exponentially more options.
Right now, having seen it, I'm concerned about ease of keyboard use (physical). Given the top-heavy design of the tablet having most of the weight, using it on my lap looks pretty impossible. The right keyboard seems an issue too. Samsung's has those raised edges that, I suspect my wrists will want to sit on (ouch). Logitech's keyboard sounds great except for the fact that most of the reviews of it contain horror stories of the Note Pro falling out of its clasps. The other options are all poorly reviewed.
Asus has the combo Android/Windows device but its not all that impressive. Heck, I'd rather it was an Android/Chrome device. hehe
It also appears as if the hybrid options from Asus are cancelled due to pressure from both Google and Microsoft. hehe Neither their Duet or Trio looked all that impressive (lousy battery life, Android 4.2, low resolution, average screens).
Update please
Agrajag27 said:
I'm in the market for a tablet (or possibly a Chromebook). I'm an editor of a website and need to be able to use it to work on my Wordpress site effectively so strong browser support and keyboard input is crucial.
I like the idea of an Android tablet as I own a Galaxy S4 and have a large collection of Android apps already. Thus, it would also start out with a nice collection of apps.
I'm a bit unclear as to the differences between the Tab Pro 12.2 and the Note Pro 12.2. They seem very alike except for the stylus. Clearly I'm missing something as that's not much to account for the price difference.
I have an iPad 2 and it's nice but I can't really work on it at all. It's too small to enjoy movies on and, sorry, it's Apple so it's too limited.
I'm also wondering about keyboards. If I got this way, should I get the Samsung keyboard, Logitech keyboard or some other keyboard? I'd like to find a very responsive keyboard. It would be an additional boon if it were also pretty quiet. My GF gets disturbed by late night typing on my desktop gaming keyboard.
I'm older so larger is better for my eyes. I'm at a point where I often pretty much need reading glasses for my S4 now.
For ages I was thinking I wanted a Transformer of some design but Asus seems to have fallen behind. Samsung seems to give me lots of potential breathing room.
Any input greatly appreciated.
Which way did u decide to go? I'd love to know your thoughts!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only difference is the stylus really. If you plan to be taking this to meetings or digitize any part of your handwriting, then the NOTE pro is the device to get, as the TAB pro has no stylus and thus does not specialize itself in taking handwritten notes. I got the wifi version, im satisfied, although probably the LTE snapdragon version may be slightly snappier. If samsung decides to offer some decent customer support in terms of software then overall this will be a good buy. Other than thati find battery life great. I havent used keyboards yet, however if you plan to be using this at a desk u will find the extra screen size v v useful vs the 10 inches. If u plan to be holding it in bed a lot, it could get some time to get used to,but i did. Multi window is v useful in making the experience more windows like and enhances productivity. Browser support is good but not quite the pc levels yet.
You could not investigate surface pro 3 vs this one.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
nesx87 said:
The only difference is the stylus really. If you plan to be taking this to meetings or digitize any part of your handwriting, then the pro is the device to get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They both are called Pro. You meant to say Note Pro if using S pen for note taking. I think there is also difference in RAM, Note Pro has 3Gb, Tab Pro has 2.
ddavtian said:
They both are called Pro. You meant to say Note Pro if using S pen for note taking. I think there is also difference in RAM, Note Pro has 3Gb, Tab Pro has 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edited and clarified. Thanks
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Girl527 said:
I'm also wondering about keyboards. If I got this way, should I get the Samsung keyboard, Logitech keyboard or some other keyboard? I'd like to find a very responsive keyboard. It would be an additional boon if it were also pretty quiet. My GF gets disturbed by late night typing on my desktop gaming keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went with the Note Pro 12.2. I'm very glad I did. Here are same random observations:
1. It's not quite as "polished" as an iPad but it is more flexible in use. I'll take that any day.
2. The size is excellent. Very good for watching a film at the airport, etc.
3. Google seems to be the worst thing about the device. Limitations I find all lead to them at the end. For example, Chrome (the browser) is a cheap imitation of its cousins on PC and Chromebooks. It doesn't do spell checking well, it has odd bugs like opening tabs by using the keyboard. Hit CTRL-T and you'll have to sometimes do it twice to get a new tab and then you get two. Google also doesn't give devs a way to re-assign mouse buttons should you use a bluetooth mouse for a bit of laptop-replacement work. That gets a bit strange as the right mouse button doesn't bring up options (like you get when you hold a screen link or item on the touchscreen) but instead acts like the back button on the device. Doh.
4. The keyboards are all a mixed bag. The Zagg is okay but has annoying raised corners than your hands sit on when typing and its also a bit cheap feeling and not very responsive. The Samsung keyboard isn't really a case. It's more like a snap-on cover that's entirely unconnected when used as a keyboard It just lets the tablet sit at an angle in it which makes it tough to use in bed, for example. It also has the same terrible raised corners. The Logitech is the best of the lot. Quiet, well laid-out and robust. However, it too has its own had-banging issues. You can't reassign its macro keys so if you use a different mail app, tough. Hitting the Mail button will bring up Gmail. The Browser button has an annoying bug that forces you to ALWAYS select which browser you'd like to use no matter how many times you "set the default browser". It also lacks the keyboard app Logitech provides for ALL their other similar keyboards including one made for the Tab 10.1. Go figure. Their own support reps don't even understand this.
Regardless, I'm an old quality assurance professional so I can be very opinionated and a perfectionist so this is a very short list of gripes from me. I still wouldn't own anything else given what I've tried and seen. Very happy customer so far. Having access to all my Android apps is great. I just wish Google would look at Android as a complete OS and stop limiting it to just a hand-held-type OS. Give it a FULL version of Chrome. In fact, just dump the fairly useless Chromium OS and put your efforts into this.
Great info!
Agrajag27 said:
I went with the Note Pro 12.2. I'm very glad I did. Here are same random observations:
1. It's not quite as "polished" as an iPad but it is more flexible in use. I'll take that any day.
2. The size is excellent. Very good for watching a film at the airport, etc.
3. Google seems to be the worst thing about the device. Limitation I find all find them at the end. For example, Chrome (the browser) is a cheap imitation of its cousins on nearly the PC and Chrome books. It doesn't do spell checking well, it has odd bugs like opening tabs by using the keyboard. Hit CTRL-T and you'll have to sometimes do it twice to get a new tab and then you get two. Google also doesn't give devs a way to re-assign mouse buttons should you use a bluetooth mouse for a bit of laptop-replacement work. That gets a bit strange as the right mouse button doesn't bring up options (like you get when you hold a screen link or item on the touchscreen) but instead acts like the back button on the device. Doh.
4. The keyboards are all a mixed bag. The Zagg is okay but has annoying raised corners than your hands sit on when typing and its also a bit cheap feeling and not very responsive. The Samsung keyboard isn't really a case. It's more like a snap-on cover that's entirely unconnected when used as a keyboard It just lets the tablet sit at an angle in it which makes it tough to use in bed, for example. It also has the same terrible raised corners. The Logitech is the best of the lot. Quiet, well laid-out and robust. However, it too has its own had-banging issues. You can't reassign its macro keys so if you use a different mail app, tough. Hitting the Mail button will bring up Gmail. The Browser button has an annoying bug that forces you to ALWAYS select which browser you'd like to use no matter how many times you "set the default browser". It also lacks the keyboard app Logitech provides for ALL their other similar keyboards including one made for the Tab 10.1. Go figure. Their own support reps don't even understand this.
Regardless, I'm an old quality assurance professional so I can be very opinionated and a perfectionist so this is a very short list of gripes from me. I still wouldn't own anything else given what I've tried and see. Very happy customer so far. Having access to all my Android apps is great. I just wish Google would look at Android as a complete OS and stop limiting it to just a hand-held-type OS. Give it a FULL version of Chrome. In fact, just dump the fairly useless Chromium OS and put your efforts into this.
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Click to collapse
Awesome information! Thanks for taking the time to share your impressions. I'm having a difficult time pulling the trigger on this purchase (why??) and your opinion helps a bunch! Thanks again!
Hi
Did anyone have a chance to compare these models in person? I am mostly concerned about drawing with it and drawing apps. Naturally the win version will have more natural media app options. I am more concerned about the feel of it, things like brush lag and the parallax stuff between the models are important to me. I already have Samsung Note so I am used to drawing on screen but also I am a Wacom user and I am much interested in a mobile drawing pad option if you will.
thanks
hajkan said:
Hi
Did anyone have a chance to compare these models in person? I am mostly concerned about drawing with it and drawing apps. Naturally the win version will have more natural media app options. I am more concerned about the feel of it, things like brush lag and the parallax stuff between the models are important to me. I already have Samsung Note so I am used to drawing on screen but also I am a Wacom user and I am much interested in a mobile drawing pad option if you will.
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey,
Thou I do not have direct comparison of Android and Windows 10 version of this device, I do have both Samsung Galagy Note 10 (2014) and Windows version of Yoga Book.
I do realize that this is not what you ask but, according to you post, we are in similar situation (I am also using Wacom tablet in the office) and as you wrote: “mobile drawing pad option” is the exact reason I bought this device. So I could make a comparison of these 2 devices if it helps. Let me know.
Talsi said:
Hey,
Thou I do not have direct comparison of Android and Windows 10 version of this device, I do have both Samsung Galagy Note 10 (2014) and Windows version of Yoga Book.
I do realize that this is not what you ask but, according to you post, we are in similar situation (I am also using Wacom tablet in the office) and as you wrote: “mobile drawing pad option” is the exact reason I bought this device. So I could make a comparison of these 2 devices if it helps. Let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey I am definetely interested in that comparison because I have a Samsung 10 2014 as well (which I like).
The Samsung Note is fine in generaly for drawing and painting but it is nothing like comparison to the actual Wacom experience on the desktop.
Also can you tell me if you can plug your wacom tablet to it? Maybe it does not make sense but it can be nice to work with a larger tablet here and there.
Hey,
so here are my thoughts. I had my Galaxy Note 10 (2014) [note from now on] for about 2 years. I tried various painting apps but for the most time I have used InfinitePainter – its very similar to Autodesk Sketch Book which I am now using on my Yoga Book [yoga from now on].
On the Yoga you basically have 2 drawing surfaces: screen and pad.
The Anypen technology is screen part of the tablet allows you to draw on screen event with basic pencil, which is cool but it does not have pressure sensitivity – its reasonably accurate thou – and it has scratch resistant glass. On note the glass screen had (for me) noticeable stylus drag but when drawing with stylus on yoga, included stylus/pencil feels like it glides and does not give you barely any resistance - my hand often “slips†ïŠ. It not very suitable for shading/coloring but if you pick small brush with low opacity you can very easily do quick sketches or trace image. The screen however does not have palm rejection so when drawing you need to hold your hand above screen – which gets tiresome after a while - or you have to have glove. Also, note used to get quite warm/hot during extended use, sometimes even to the point of discomfort. This is also case in yoga, but it is not as bad as in note.*
As for the “padâ€, the feeling is very, very similar to my Wacom tablet (I have Intuos Pen&Touch). Yoga’s pad feels a tincy bit smoother, but it might be just me. Since actual hardware seems to be in screen part of yoga, the pad is always nice and cool.* Included stylus is very basic. The tip is basically ink tube (without ink of course) with plastic tip. It jumps a bit (inside and out) line note’s stylus but it’s accurate and when used on pad section it has pressure sensitivity – it has no button and there are no extra tips in the package. You do have 3 ink “cartridges†for writing on paper (included with yoga) but that is basically ball point pen. On the bright side, on pad section you can also use note’s stylus – works fine, event button! If you are serious about drawing you might want to get original Wacom bamboo stylus – might be better but its hard to say, I am beginner in drawing/patting (in my work I use Inkscape (vector) and Gimp (photo editing) thou, but for that I use mainly mouse) so quality is just fine for me. Also, you can not use other side of stylus as an eraser.
Now the cool part of yoga is that you can have it completely flat on the desk (180°). I found that the most comfortable is to have yoga in “portrait†mode – drawing pad on the right and screen on the left. I can work with my right hand and use interface and move/scale/rotate canvas with my left hand – this is important because you must keep in mind that when you are using drawing pad, you cannot use keyboard. You can quite quickly and easily switch between drawing pad and keyboard via dedicated key, but honestly I did not have any need for it – but just to be sure I also have Bluetooth keyboard (bought it some time ago for my note). Sketch Book is therefore quite good software here because it has nice and large interface. I am using older version 6 Pro, but the newest one for windows 10 (directly in windows store) have nice touch interface – basically identical to Infinite Painter.
I do not have Photoshop but I have Krita and GIMP installed on yoga. Both programs runs fine but it takes some time to load and gets a bit slow when working with larger images or if I have few more programs running in background. Since the screen is fullhd 10inch, the interface is quite small, and therefore harder to use with fingers – does not work well in portrait mode either. Also, for pressure sensitivity to work in these programs, you need to install special driver package directly from Wacom.
Yoga’s build is quite sturdy. Hinges holds position, any position, very well but when used as laptop, touching screen causes little swaying. Surface of the body is nice, smooth and matte but fingerprint are quite visible. Because of very smooth body, tablet tends to move around – especially at 180° during drawing. I solved this with simple anti-slip mat from local hardware store. VS note, the yoga is bit heavier and slips easier – note had leather back which was nice to grab on, in yoga you have to more careful.
As for OS selection. I am quite happy with Windows 10. It is definitely not 100% touch friendly and probably a bit slowed than android (thou everything runs reasonably well) but I still like it and since you have small touchpad as well, it is just fine (got myself bluetooth mouse thou). On my note, I had to deal with root, bloatware, warranty and general android issues like SD card write issue, external display properties and system updates in general. Here with windows everything works as well as on my desktop PC and nothing from above mentioned worries me anymore. Thou, If you go for Win10 version, you might want to buy SD card as well, because windows is large OS and you have only 30-32GB of free space on internal storage.
If you are considering this device, I have to point out that there are some issues with it. Screen edge colour deformation – see here – and keyboard issue – see here.
For your question, I have tried to plug my Intuos tablet in and system recognised the device without issue. It did not work and I did not install the drivers - I am worried that it might mess with build in pad (had to do factory reset once already and I do not wish to repeat it) – but light indicators were on (and reacting to stylus/touch/button press) so in theory it should work without issues, its regular Windows 10 laptop after all.
That all I can think of right now, but if you have specific questions let me know and sorry for typos.
* - Edit: I seems I was wrong. The hardware (or at least something that gets warm/hot) is in the "pad" section of tablet. I haven't noticed because I did not used yoga for more than 30-45 minutes at time before. But yesterday, I went to a fried to play Armello and after 2 hours the pad (top center area) got quite hot. But keep in mind that this was after heavy use for prolonged time period. I never noticed any elevated temperature during regular use/sketching.
Hey thanks man, that is some awesome review.
Could you eloborate on the differences between the Note and the Yoga one as far as performance, drawing performance, stylus feel/lag etc? I know they are different platforms but from usability point of view we can bring some important points.
I am mainly interested in the brush/stylus performance. I am an artist/sketcher and I do alot of 3d sculpting on Win and Linux.
I ordered the android version because the win version takes a while to get. So I will have a chance to compare the Android version with my Note 2014 10.1. However I probably might end up exhanging with the Win version. Lets see how that goes. I might end up going for the Win version mainly because of Krita and Zbrush but like I said I want to give the Android version a try which is a bit cheaper also.
Hi, anyone Knows if is possible to haver te both system at the same time?
hajkan said:
Hey thanks man, that is some awesome review.
Could you eloborate on the differences between the Note and the Yoga one as far as performance, drawing performance, stylus feel/lag etc? I know they are different platforms but from usability point of view we can bring some important points.
I am mainly interested in the brush/stylus performance. I am an artist/sketcher and I do alot of 3d sculpting on Win and Linux.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The performance-wise and drawing specific, yoga is definitely slower but again it might be because of Windows. In note I never noticed any stylus lag and drawing was very smooth even in larger images. Here is a filler image (hand photo trace + quick shading) I made on note for one project. Made it in Infinite Painter, original is 2560x1600 image composed from 6 layers. Took me about an hour and I never noticed any performance issue. Unfortunately, so far I have only done few meaningless sketches on yoga so I do not have similar experience, but when I get some free time I plan to test it fully – possibly over Christmas vacation.
On yoga the best (fastest) software I have tried is definitely Sketch Book – except for 2 brushes (PaintBrush1 and PaintBrush2 – strangely thou PaintBrush [without number] works like a charm) everything is smooth and fast even on 1920x1200 large canvas. Krita is working fine when working on 1920x1200 canvas but the performance decreases on larger canvases and when using bigger size of brush – hardware stylus responsiveness is fine but sometimes brush lags behind or it takes few miliseconds for Krita to redraw your stroke afterwards. Most of the tools works fine, but there are some brushes that definitely lags. So again, on larger canvases/some brushes Krita has some issues, I would definitely not recommend high-res custom brushes but I would rate general performance as good/satisfactory.
Sadly, I am not at all good at 3D stuff – I tried using Blender few years back, but it seems that 3rd dimension is something my brain just can not grasp. I am therefore no good assessing this stuff
hajkan said:
I ordered the android version because the win version takes a while to get. So I will have a chance to compare the Android version with my Note 2014 10.1. However I probably might end up exhanging with the Win version. Lets see how that goes. I might end up going for the Win version mainly because of Krita and Zbrush but like I said I want to give the Android version a try which is a bit cheaper also.
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Grats. If I may have one small request. When your yoga arrives could you please test the keyboard issue I described here? I was hoping to get feedback on it, as I believe that it might be just a driver issue.
---------- Post added at 10:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:28 AM ----------
CardosoPedro said:
Hi, anyone Knows if is possible to haver te both system at the same time?
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Click to collapse
In Windows version you have option to boot from USB and I read somewhere that someone successfully booted (not in working state thou) linux from USB stick. However, the main issue here is custom lenovo driver from halo keyboard. Until someone makes official android distribution rom dump or extract drivers I highly doubt that fully functional dual boot is possible.
But I am not an android developer so who knows.
Hey Everyone,
I recently purchased a brand new sealed 64GB Pixel C for $275. I have ALWAYS wanted one but never really needed a tablet until recently. My kindle crapped out, and I have been listening to some audiobooks and I wanted a way to combine the 2. I also plan on maybe watching some movies from my Plex server, some Netflix, and that's probably it...oh and some comics as well....
I had some general questions for those of you who have had a Pixel C for some time.
1. I know there are some screen issues, and I believe based on the serial (i'll confirm when it arrives in two days) mine seems to be made in 2016 sometime, and even though I am in the US, it's a EU version.... Do the problems seem to be on all C's or just a specific run of them?
2. If you were me, and only wanted a tablet for ebooks/audio books and of course some media, but no apps that are super intensive, would you just upgrade from the 6.0 to the 8.0 that's official (or 7.0 if it's good?) , or install a custom rom. If the latter, any recommendations from personal experience?
3. Since it's 2020 and this tablet is coming up on almost 5 years....do you feel I overpaid? This is a completely irrelevant question, I just REALLY REALLY wanted one, I hate Samsung and wanted something with as close to a pure google experience like my Pixel phone. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I have seen them selling used in good shape in the upper 100's range, and most are 32GB.....
4. Anything else I should know that I don't see jumping out at me in the forums that you would pass along to a new C owner?
Thanks everyone in advance!
Hank
Hank_Rearden said:
Hey Everyone,
I recently purchased a brand new sealed 64GB Pixel C for $275. I have ALWAYS wanted one but never really needed a tablet until recently. My kindle crapped out, and I have been listening to some audiobooks and I wanted a way to combine the 2. I also plan on maybe watching some movies from my Plex server, some Netflix, and that's probably it...oh and some comics as well....
I had some general questions for those of you who have had a Pixel C for some time.
1. I know there are some screen issues, and I believe based on the serial (i'll confirm when it arrives in two days) mine seems to be made in 2016 sometime, and even though I am in the US, it's a EU version.... Do the problems seem to be on all C's or just a specific run of them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not aware of better or worse serial numbers. I assume later is better? Mine has image retention / ghosting & a purple shift in white balance but I never got the half screen failure or other issues.
2. If you were me, and only wanted a tablet for ebooks/audio books and of course some media, but no apps that are super intensive, would you just upgrade from the 6.0 to the 8.0 that's official (or 7.0 if it's good?) , or install a custom rom. If the latter, any recommendations from personal experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recommend either Pixel Experience 10 or LineageOS 17 if you are at all comfortable with flashing. ROMs are little more work. But they offer the latest patches, some new features, some specific fixes for our aging hardware, and because you have to install TWRP first you have that safety net for when things go wrong. I also happen to really like Android 10 for what that's worth. You might have to use Magisk Hide to get some apps working, and you probably have to sideload Netflix from APKmirror but it should work just fine.
If you don't mind how it works out of the box, and you don't care for fiddling with it, and you aren't concerned with the screen lock bug, then stock is perfectly fine. Some people say 7 was better than 8 because of some video driver bug that broke a few Unity based games. I have zero idea if this was fixed in any of the ROMs.
3. Since it's 2020 and this tablet is coming up on almost 5 years....do you feel I overpaid? This is a completely irrelevant question, I just REALLY REALLY wanted one, I hate Samsung and wanted something with as close to a pure google experience like my Pixel phone. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I have seen them selling used in good shape in the upper 100's range, and most are 32GB.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am considering selling my Galaxy Tab S6, even though it is nicer in so many ways, because I just disagree with so many Samsung UX decisions. So I continue to use the Pixel C and I hope you like yours. I am a little envious you found a good condition 64GB one! There are countless little touches where the Pixel C does what I expect and my Samsung devices do not. Using an USB audio device? Pixel C can use it for music and also to make VoIP calls. Believe it or not many Samsungs cannot route 'phone' type audio over USB. Music only! Using a mouse? Open Chrome, right-click on a link. Notice that beautiful options menu that pops up? Try the same thing on a Samsung and notice it is just Android back function. Back to the Pixel C, try to middle-click on a link and notice it opens in a new tab in the background. Just like on desktop Chrome! Then, try with a Samsung and notice middle-click is the same as Android home function. Samsung just decided to break mousing and I hate it. Even things like display scaling work well on the Pixel C and badly on Samsung devices. Want everything to be very small? That's easy to do, and basically everything scales (except the nav bar, but there is a fix for that). On my Samsungs some parts of the UI scale and other parts don't. You end with comically unmatched icons and other elements like the notification shade. I really thought DeX could fix these issues for me and it didn't, but that is a different story. I like Samsung features but by golly they suck at the basics IMO.
4. Anything else I should know that I don't see jumping out at me in the forums that you would pass along to a new C owner?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not everything in Google-land is good. The Pixel C was never trouble free and still isn't with even the best ROMs. 3GB of RAM was too little for a 'productivity device' in 2015 and obviously still isn't enough (your use-case should be fine however). The storage speed is slow, it is prone to occassional jank (probably combination slow storage & low RAM), and if the battery isn't perfectly healthy you will experience bad CPU throttling (this is fixed in ROMs and in my case was a night and day difference). You are already aware of the screen problems. The headphone jack quality is not good, and the bluetooth range for headsets is about 5 ft (I am not joking, it's astonishingly bad!). There used to be many WiFi reception complaints but I think it was fixed long ago. Reception is on the weak end however. The touch screen is sensitive to interference and you can get ghost touches when using a low quality charger (YMMV on that one, my hardware might be faulty). Last thing that comes to mind is that occassionally, and seemingly randomly, your lock screen PIN will just... stop working. If you are on stock software with a locked bootloader then all you can do is factory reset!! This alone is a great reason to go with ROMs.
Thanks everyone in advance!
Hank
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck and welcome to the community!
locuturus said:
I am not aware of better or worse serial numbers. I assume later is better? Mine has image retention / ghosting & a purple shift in white balance but I never got the half screen failure or other issues.
I recommend either Pixel Experience 10 or LineageOS 17 if you are at all comfortable with flashing. ROMs are little more work. But they offer the latest patches, some new features, some specific fixes for our aging hardware, and because you have to install TWRP first you have that safety net for when things go wrong. I also happen to really like Android 10 for what that's worth. You might have to use Magisk Hide to get some apps working, and you probably have to sideload Netflix from APKmirror but it should work just fine.
If you don't mind how it works out of the box, and you don't care for fiddling with it, and you aren't concerned with the screen lock bug, then stock is perfectly fine. Some people say 7 was better than 8 because of some video driver bug that broke a few Unity based games. I have zero idea if this was fixed in any of the ROMs.
I am considering selling my Galaxy Tab S6, even though it is nicer in so many ways, because I just disagree with so many Samsung UX decisions. So I continue to use the Pixel C and I hope you like yours. I am a little envious you found a good condition 64GB one! There are countless little touches where the Pixel C does what I expect and my Samsung devices do not. Using an USB audio device? Pixel C can use it for music and also to make VoIP calls. Believe it or not many Samsungs cannot route 'phone' type audio over USB. Music only! Using a mouse? Open Chrome, right-click on a link. Notice that beautiful options menu that pops up? Try the same thing on a Samsung and notice it is just Android back function. Back to the Pixel C, try to middle-click on a link and notice it opens in a new tab in the background. Just like on desktop Chrome! Then, try with a Samsung and notice middle-click is the same as Android home function. Samsung just decided to break mousing and I hate it. Even things like display scaling work well on the Pixel C and badly on Samsung devices. Want everything to be very small? That's easy to do, and basically everything scales (except the nav bar, but there is a fix for that). On my Samsungs some parts of the UI scale and other parts don't. You end with comically unmatched icons and other elements like the notification shade. I really thought DeX could fix these issues for me and it didn't, but that is a different story. I like Samsung features but by golly they suck at the basics IMO.
Not everything in Google-land is good. The Pixel C was never trouble free and still isn't with even the best ROMs. 3GB of RAM was too little for a 'productivity device' in 2015 and obviously still isn't enough (your use-case should be fine however). The storage speed is slow, it is prone to occassional jank (probably combination slow storage & low RAM), and if the battery isn't perfectly healthy you will experience bad CPU throttling (this is fixed in ROMs and in my case was a night and day difference). You are already aware of the screen problems. The headphone jack quality is not good, and the bluetooth range for headsets is about 5 ft (I am not joking, it's astonishingly bad!). There used to be many WiFi reception complaints but I think it was fixed long ago. Reception is on the weak end however. The touch screen is sensitive to interference and you can get ghost touches when using a low quality charger (YMMV on that one, my hardware might be faulty). Last thing that comes to mind is that occassionally, and seemingly randomly, your lock screen PIN will just... stop working. If you are on stock software with a locked bootloader then all you can do is factory reset!! This alone is a great reason to go with ROMs.
Good luck and welcome to the community!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for the detailed response. I am glad I am not the only one who feels that way about the Samsung tablets. I ALMOST bought an S4, then I ALMOST bought an S5E, but just don't like the way they do Android. I checked my tracking and the tablet comes today! So I think what I will do is just upgrade to the most recent official, leave the device lock off for now as I don't plan on going anywhere with the C, and see how it goes. I have dabbled in ROMS in the past for a lot of phones I have had through the years, so I assume this is not too far different as far as the process. The Lineage ROM seems to be a little better for the C from reading some of the known issues, but I will take a look at them after I assess the performance of the C. I really don't want to have the unit hit 70% then completely crap the bed on the performance side....
The Bluetooth range is sad to hear considering i JUST ordered the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones. They will be here either Friday or Saturday. If i need to hear something beyond the range of it sitting close to me I'll just use my phone.
I'll report how things are going once I receive it, and thanks again for the detailed response. It has put me at ease!
Cheers
Hank
It came and was exactly as described. Did the update and now it's charging. Updated some apps and it's moving pretty well. We shall see what happens when I get more stuff loaded on there, but I will say it's better than I expected. Such beautiful hardware.....
1. I know there are some screen issues, and I believe based on the serial (i'll confirm when it arrives in two days) mine seems to be made in 2016 sometime, and even though I am in the US, it's a EU version.... Do the problems seem to be on all C's or just a specific run of them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought an used Pixel C with its keyboard and a pouch and its screen seems still fine. A Youtube video pointed the issue for its cable in the middle behind the screen panel being pressed so I thought keyboard&pouch may have prevented it.
2. If you were me, and only wanted a tablet for ebooks/audio books and of course some media, but no apps that are super intensive, would you just upgrade from the 6.0 to the 8.0 that's official (or 7.0 if it's good?) , or install a custom rom. If the latter, any recommendations from personal experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine was on stock 8..1 and now is LineageOS 17 based on Android 10. Stock 8.1 seemed to work fine. I preferred some Android 10's swiping features such as swiping from left or right to go back and swiping up to go to homescreen or other running apps to buttons and black bottom bar previous versions. Netflix HD still works.
On the other hand, unlocking bootloader caused additional 30 seconds to boot with caution message and weird beep noise in boot sequence. As you might know, even when locked in setting, in recovery mode, someone could physically connect your device to another and steal files in the device. Some error messages with security warning pops up in notification so the rom might not fully support Android security features. (I have little knowledge on this.)
When its brightness set close to lowest level, screen seemed to be turned off or brightness seems a bit unstable. (Being able to set close to the mininum is still good.) BTW some of gamepad buttons mapped incorrectly (not sure it was due to LineageOS).
3. Since it's 2020 and this tablet is coming up on almost 5 years....do you feel I overpaid? This is a completely irrelevant question, I just REALLY REALLY wanted one, I hate Samsung and wanted something with as close to a pure google experience like my Pixel phone. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I have seen them selling used in good shape in the upper 100's range, and most are 32GB.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's display ratio is better than 16:10 from other android tablets for e-books, pdf files, comics. Someone wrote its ratio fits for two pages side by side. Among Android tablets as far as I know, there are not many with 3:2 or 4:3. Nexus 9's screen could be great but it has only 2GB ram and other flaws. Xiaomi MiPad doesn't support Netflix HD. iPads would match the need but it seems you didn't want one. What I looked for was an Android tablet which is not Samsung or Huawei and supports Netflix HD. Of course, newer APs have advantages in power consumption, better game support, weight etc. Galaxy Tab S6 lite supports S-pen which is good for pdf notetaking. I tried to write in pdf files with Xodo PDF app and Bamboo Tip stylus and it wasn't so successful. Still, I like mine.
4. Anything else I should know that I don't see jumping out at me in the forums that you would pass along to a new C owner?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its PCB is on the left side so it gets hot when running intensive apps or charging. (The bottom of the display turned a bit yellowish. Because of keyboard attached?)
USB PD laptop chargers works but the left side feels hotter compared to charging with 5V 3A chargers.
With its keyboard is good to use on lap or as a stand but it would be pricey to buy a new one.