Inexpensive tablet with a 10" FHD display and decent reviews, but what kills this deal is that it will remain stuck at Android 12. In other words, it’s EOL or close to it. Might be OK as a backup media consumption device, though I’d worry about using it for Internet browsing once it stops getting security updates.
For an old but powerful-once-upon-a-time tablet, the price when it had that $15 rebate, for a total price tag of $55, sure worth a backup keeping device. At this price, there are far better options.
Pass.
Any suggestions for a good deal on a decent tablet? My daughters Fire Max 11 went out last night , barely a year old, and I’m wanting to find her something different/a different brand. Hoping to find one that’s decently zippy or fast but not crazy expensive if that makes sense …lol
One can get a decent previous generation Samsung tablet for $250. Or a somewhat lesser one as cheaply as just over $100, if one is willing to watch for a “it’s time to move this stuff out of the warehouse” sale. They tend to get four years of OS (±)upgrades with the possibility of an additional year of security updates, if I’m remembering correctly.
Or i suppose you could buy another Amazon tablet, and spend the fifteen dollars or so for an three-year warranty. That’ll still likely be less expensive than a cheap Samsung tablet. But it’ll have the mangled stepbrother of Android for an OS - and one that’s (more or less) based on a version of Android that is several years old and not even seeing new API support. With that having been stated, however, the Fire HD tablets are probably the best value… assuming the user does not actually require more than the devices have (in terms of both the hardware and the software).
On the other hand, one can generally find a number of actual laptops that are only two or there years old and that (generally speaking) were barely used. I’m referring to the ones that corporations and other large businesses purchase new for $1,500+ and then replace as soon as the OEM warranty expires, selling the now unwanted - but still very capable - ones for next to nothing to a refurbisher/reseller. Who then sells it with a one-year warranty. I bought one in December, 2022 that was originally sold new at some point after September, 2020. 16 gigs of RAM, 512-gig SSD, 4K display, etc. If the seller had presented it as being brand new, I wouldn’t have been able to tell they were lying - other than the fact that i paid $267 (delivered) instead of $1,852(!) and the battery testing I performed showed its battery to “only” have 94% of its original capacity. That’s probably the best sort of purchase, if one is looking for a computer (type) deal. To be fair, it’s a bit heavier than a tablet, and the battery won’t keep the device going for 10+ hours at a time. On the other hand, it’s also FAR more capable, has Microsoft Windows Pro (and I added my favorite linux disrro in a dual-boot configuration, so it’ll “receive support” in perpetuity), some of the hardware is upgradeable, it has both a substantially larger and substantially better display, it has superior (Bang & Olufsen) audio, more RAM, more onboard storage, a keyboard that actually physically exists, a CPU that could figuratively run rings around the average tablet’s while using the majority of its computing prowess to do other things, et cetera.
What should kill this “deal” is that it was manufactured (and its OS/etc. placed on it) by the same Chinese state-owned company that got caught selling televisions that came equipped with a back door. I wouldn’t even give one of their devices to someone I strongly disliked, unless the person happened to be far from any Internet access devices. In orbit around one of Saturn’s moons and with zero hope of ever being rescued, for example.
Sorry to break it to you, but pretty much all tech of any significance made in China has state-mandated backdoors in it. It’s part and parcel of any foreign company being allowed to do business there in any capacity. The only differences lie in how publicly-visible these backdoors are in terms of being exposed in the media.
This tablet, at ~$50, is a great deal considering its performance tier. I’m actually surprised it hasn’t sold out yet, considering it’s been popping off on various deal sites. And its somewhat-old OS isn’t going to be an issue for casual use, unless you really need those security updates to browse shady porn sites. I got one just so that I can watch YouTube while running on my treadmill. I might even try to get that $10 30GB T-Mobile data plan for it as a backup internet device.
@Wooter41682372
You make a great argument for considering a “proper” laptop that has been refurbished (esp. if it was barely used for a few years), instead of a refurbished tablet that is on an Android version that is or will soon be off support (i.e. no more updates, so basically near or even past EOL)! If one has the tech savvy to install a secure modern OS on said laptop, the cost of ownership per year could be much less as it could outlast the Android device, software-wise.
If the greater weight of the laptop is a problem, something with a detachable keyboard like a Microsoft Surface (or one of it’s clones) could work, though finding an inexpensive refurbished one is by no means a given. And if 10+ hours on a single charge is important, I suspect that in a few years some of the currently-in-the-rage ARM-based Windows laptops or tablets will show up in the refurb market, and those might do for that.
At present, I’m liking convertible (2-in-1) Chromebooks that still have more than a few years of guaranteed support as a viable, relatively easy (for a non techie), and reasonably affordable alternative to new Android tablets with 11" or larger screens. The Chromebooks can run Android (or Linux) apps inside Chrome OS, and can be had for less than Android tablets with big screens.
For example, Lenovo’s Duet 5 with an 13.3" display and 8 GB RAM lists for just under $500 new, but regularly goes on sale for under $350. And I’ve seen the 4 GB version go for $200 or so in the refurb market. By comparison, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ tablet sports a smaller 12.4" screen and is $600 list (for the 8 GB RAM version). For me, picking the Duet 5 over the S9 FE+ is an easy decision.