Hello all,
I have a Fire HD 8 that is just too slow for my needs. I am looking at 8 and 10 inch variants and I keep coming back to the M5 family of devices. First off am I am making a quality decision in looking at the M5? Is the M5 8 radically different from the M5 10.8? I see the M5 just got upgraded to Android Pie but will we see Android Q for this?
Thanks,
Steve
Hi Steve, I had a Galaxy Tab S3 that got stolen along with my luggage so I bough what was avaliable and it was the M5 Pro. Very happy with it, even the screen the LCD screen is very good (so used to amoled by now, has been years since I had an LCD).
I mainly use it for for PDF textbook reading (big screen is a plus), streaming movies (very nice screen, exclent sspeakers, very good WiFi reception) and light office work - gmail, Word, etc (optional keyboard folio makes it a lot easier).
I would wait to see what the M6 looks like but very happy with the M5, would buy it again (soon to be updated to Android 9. 1)
I have it for two weeks now and it's a great tablet.
Fast, screen is beautiful and is well built.
I was going for a Xiaomi at first. But as I am going to use a lot for Netflix L1 widevine was a must.
Not many tablets has it.... I hate Samsung products so the choice was little.
I bought it for my daughter.
She is three years old now
I think the mobile phone screen is too small for children
I already used it for a few months
I am very satisfied with its performance
yes. it is good value. the newer Samsung s6 is much better, but at least twice expensive. the bad thing about every huawei tablet is lack of software support after 1st year. so you can expect a few more security updates in the next year and thats all.
It's a good tablet overall, however I would prefer the Samsung S5e wifi if no pen is required for four reasons:
Superior wifi speeds
Super Amoled screen (although the M5 led is excellent, Samsung tech is better).
Ability to pair the S5e with a recent Samsung phone and use the message and call continuity service.
Weight. On paper the difference is small, but in real life it is substantial. The S5e is a device that has the right weight for a handheld usage.
However price can be a factor in some markets. Personally I would easily pay 50 to 100 euros more for the Samsung, for the reasons listed above. But it is due to my usage patterns. I use it everyday, and one of the applications is as GPS in my truck, hence the importance for me of getting calls and messages from the phone on the tablet as well as the brightness of the superamoled in day light.
The M5 is still a very good device though. Largely enough for most applications, especially for occasional use.
My issue with Samsung tablets is they do not upgrade the Android software.. My wife has the S2 model and she is still two updates behind. She has constant issues with the battery also. This is her third and last Samsung.
SPetrillo said:
Hello all,
I have a Fire HD 8 that is just too slow for my needs. I am looking at 8 and 10 inch variants and I keep coming back to the M5 family of devices. First off am I am making a quality decision in looking at the M5? Is the M5 8 radically different from the M5 10.8? I see the M5 just got upgraded to Android Pie but will we see Android Q for this?
Thanks,
Steve
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the 10 inch LTE variant for more than half a year and I`m using it for house multimedia.
I wouldn`t buy it anymore for only 1 thing : the issue with bluetooth + wireless , both being connected and working in the same time, where the wireless transfer speed decreases significantly. Thank God that I have a SIM card with 50 Gb data and I don`t need to use wireless when listening to music or anything via bluetooth . Other than that, its a great gadget. Fast charging is one of the most important things for me since since I don`t have to wait a long time until it charges ( 1.5 hours from 10% to 100% without using it during charging). Also, the speakers are amazing, very clear and great bass coming from them. The screen is also very good, not perfect, but it does the job very well. Soon it will receive Android 9.1 and probably Android 10 to follow probably at the end of the year. If you didn`t bought any yet, I would say that this is the best option at this price. But if you have the money, I would advise you to go for the S Tab or iPad.
reubenray said:
My issue with Samsung tablets is they do not upgrade the Android software.. My wife has the S2 model and she is still two updates behind. She has constant issues with the battery also. This is her third and last Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huawei has so many models that they stop giving you uptades over a while, save maybe for flagship phones. And with Google cutting Huawei off, it remain to be seen how things will go.
I think they'll still update the M5 to 9.1 but I doubt they'll support it beyond that.
BTW, I've seen the S6 and it's just €100 more. I would still wait for the M6 and to check it out if I could wait.
After having it for 18 months now:
No. Not only due to the US ban on Huawei, but also some major things:
I had the official AMORK keyboard - way to fragile, was defectuous 5 times (the bar that holds the tab in place broke ...)
USB-c -> USB2-only, thus no HDMI-capability
"Mediapad" had no Widevine L1 at first (I know they fixed it, BUT it should not need fixing in a MEDIAPAD)
I was hoping for keeping it a little longer than my usual 2 years, after all I only read with it and take notes for my PhD thesis. I want to write parts of it on the tablet, using the keyboard ... so far I haven't been able to set it up in a productive way...
Probably going for a ChromeOS Tab next time ... *
Safe to say: Huawei - never again!
*productive use: external monitor displaying different stuff than tablet-screen. using with mouse and keyboard.
Yeah lack of widewine l1 is bad. I own too many Huawei things. If i change tablet i should change my phone and watch. They are part of their ecosystem, clous etc and works perfectly together. Same with Samsung tablets/phones.
reubenray said:
My issue with Samsung tablets is they do not upgrade the Android software.. My wife has the S2 model and she is still two updates behind. She has constant issues with the battery also. This is her third and last Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a tab s2 as well. It's a good product.
Samsung has a standard rule similar to other players, you get two major updates plus minor security changes, lately the pace of these has increased, albeit with smaller changes (monthly instead of quarterly) . Tab S2 is a pretty old product... at some point they have to stop issuing updates at the end of the advertised service life... I think this product was first released with Android 5 and went up to android 7.x....
The latest generation is the Tab S6...
SPetrillo said:
Hello all,
I have a Fire HD 8 that is just too slow for my needs. I am looking at 8 and 10 inch variants and I keep coming back to the M5 family of devices. First off am I am making a quality decision in looking at the M5? Is the M5 8 radically different from the M5 10.8? I see the M5 just got upgraded to Android Pie but will we see Android Q for this?
Thanks,
Steve
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if you still need advice, but I recently bought an 8" M5 to replace a Chuwi Hi9 Pro that I accidentally cracked the screen on. I also have a GalaxyTab S3 but really prefer the form factor of an 8".
I've been really pleased with my M5 and would recommend it, especially if you can catch a deal on it. I bought mine from Newegg as an open box for $180. It has Widevine level 1 for HD Netflix etc., gaming performance is pretty good (some of the more intensive games may lag a bit), wifi performance has been good, speakers are great, screen is great. Biggest annoyances for me are that I have occasional standby drain, I've disabled location services and I clear apps which seems to resolve (extremely good standby when it works), the DPI is set pretty large and I prefer smaller icons (can generally resolve with 3rd party launcher but not perfectly), and the worst, I'm in the US and will probably never get the Pie update.
If you want a cheaper option, especially if you can't find a great deal on the M5, I really liked my Chuwi Hi9 Pro. It's like 80% the tablet the M5 is. It's a little slower, speaker is not nearly as good, but it has global LTE, fantastic screen for the price, expandable storage, good build quality (though the screen glass is pretty fragile … and not terribly scratch resistant and screen protectors aren't great on it, so I'd recommend a folio case). $140 on Amazon.
Related
I just ordered the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 from amazon for $450. Originally I ordered the nexus 9 and amazon ****ed me, then the more I thought about it the more I realized the Nexus 9 4:3 form factor just didn't make sense for me. See I use my tablet 90% for youtube and watching hd videos (movies, f1 races, nfl games, etc). I realized I was going to end up with massively less actual viewing area for my videos going from my nexus 10. Not only is it 8.9in vs 10.1 in but with 4:3 I am going to have massive black bars.
So then I canceled my Nexus 9 order and decided to order the Tab S 10.5. It had been in my wishlist for several months mainly due to the screen. I am excited to receive it but then I went and checked out the benchmarks on the Tab S 10.5. I had thought this was a top performing tablet with the 8 core processor and 3gb of ram (yes I know only 4 cores at a time). Then I realized the GPU is weak and outdated, the NAND Is terribly slow, the cpu is OK, and the sun spider score is not very good (worse than the older ipad air?).
Then I started reading Samsung was likely to release a new Tab S 10.5 with a better upgraded processor and gpu in Nov/Dec. So now I am wondering if I should cancel this order and wait it out. I paid near full price so it's not like I paid $350 or even $399. I figure this refresh will launch at $499 and for massively better performance $50 more is no problem.
Anyone can offer some advice for my dilemia? I think I actually have 30 days to use the tablet before I must return it to amazon for a full refund, so maybe I could do that and then send it back if this new refresh launches in the next month, if it doesnt launch then just keep it? Thanks guys.
I had the Samsung Pro Tab 8.4 a close cousin it's a nice tablet.
I had been thinking of getting the Tab S but the $ got in the way Plus Samsung is famous for selling a device but never updating it.
The Crapware leaves a lot to be desired.
I recently sold the Pro tab and ordered the Nexus 9 then cancelled my order yesterday due to Amazon's order dalays.
This morning I've had a change of heart or common sense prevailed and so I reordered the Nexus 9 from Amazon and hopefully will get it next week.
Like you, It's a tough decision but I miss not having a tablet.
kdkinc said:
I had the Samsung Pro Tab 8.4 a close cousin it's a nice tablet.
I had been thinking of getting the Tab S but the $ got in the way Plus Samsung is famous for selling a device but never updating it.
The Crapware leaves a lot to be desired.
I recently sold the Pro tab and ordered the Nexus 9 then cancelled my order yesterday due to Amazon's order dalays.
This morning I've had a change of heart or common sense prevailed and so I reordered the Nexus 9 from Amazon and hopefully will get it next week.
Like you, It's a tough decision but I miss not having a tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like i have my answer. Amazon says: Returnable until Jan 31, 2015
So I am going to use this and keep it and enjoy it and if a better Tab S 10.5 comes out before Jan 31 with upgraded processor/gpu then I will return this and get that.
mike240se said:
Looks like i have my answer. Amazon says: Returnable until Jan 31, 2015
So I am going to use this and keep it and enjoy it and if a better Tab S 10.5 comes out before Jan 31 with upgraded processor/gpu then I will return this and get that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a good plan. I was tempted to bite when the price dropped to $404 on the 3rd, but I decided to wait it out a bit longer. I have owned the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Player 4.0 in the past. While they were decent devices for their time, the lack of software updates bothered me to the point that I hesitate whenever considering Samsung products. The AMOLED screen does look appealing when backlight bleed is so common on tablet IPS panels. Depending on what Samsung brings to the table this coming month, or how low the price of the current S 10.5 drops on Black Friday, I might make the jump.
ongoing said:
Sounds like a good plan. I was tempted to bite when the price dropped to $404 on the 3rd, but I decided to wait it out a bit longer. I have owned the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Player 4.0 in the past. While they were decent devices for their time, the lack of software updates bothered me to the point that I hesitate whenever considering Samsung products. The AMOLED screen does look appealing when backlight bleed is so common on tablet IPS panels. Depending on what Samsung brings to the table this coming month, or how low the price of the current S 10.5 drops on Black Friday, I might make the jump.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The lack of updates bother me too, but I will most likely root and run a custom rom anyways to get rid of touchwiz.
kdkinc said:
I had the Samsung Pro Tab 8.4 a close cousin it's a nice tablet.
I had been thinking of getting the Tab S but the $ got in the way Plus Samsung is famous for selling a device but never updating it.
The Crapware leaves a lot to be desired.
I recently sold the Pro tab and ordered the Nexus 9 then cancelled my order yesterday due to Amazon's order delays.
This morning I've had a change of heart or common sense prevailed and so I reordered the Nexus 9 from Amazon and hopefully will get it next week.
Like you, It's a tough decision but I miss not having a tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cancelled my reorder again.
I just feel very uneasy with all the screen bleeds and button issues.
Don't these damn companies test their product?
I do NOT want to be their "Crash Dummy" !
The Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is back to $404.67 on Amazon, available in both colors.
ongoing said:
Sounds like a good plan. I was tempted to bite when the price dropped to $404 on the 3rd, but I decided to wait it out a bit longer. I have owned the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Player 4.0 in the past. While they were decent devices for their time, the lack of software updates bothered me to the point that I hesitate whenever considering Samsung products. The AMOLED screen does look appealing when backlight bleed is so common on tablet IPS panels. Depending on what Samsung brings to the table this coming month, or how low the price of the current S 10.5 drops on Black Friday, I might make the jump.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would this be the Samsung tab s (slate version)? Have you any links to new tablet
ongoing said:
The Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is back to $404.67 on Amazon, available in both colors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks much for posting, you just saved me $50. they gave me the difference.
mike240se said:
thanks much for posting, you just saved me $50. they gave me the difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad I could be of help Mike!
After one day of using the tablet I have a few observations and would welcome feedback.
1) Touchwiz is OK, not as terrible as what I have heard about it IMO, but I would prefer to go back to stock android or cyanogenmod. The issue is, its my understanding if you flash a custom ROM on this device it triggers something in the bootloader and you lose your warranty? If that is the case, more importantly it would risk my ability to return it to Amazon between now and Jan 31st. I doubt amazon checks for something like this but I am not sure I want to take the chance. I know rooting causes this bootloader flag to be tripped so I am guessing a custom rom would be no different.
2) The speakers on the device are pretty poor. I knew side spacing speakers wouldnt match up to my front facing nexus 10 speakers simply due to the direction but they also seem to be a lot less loud, less clear and less bass than my nexus 10. I dont really care about playing back music, the poor quality speakers are evident in simply playing back news stories on youtube.
3) There have been some odd lag/freezing issues. Most noticablely I was on sky's website reading an article and I kept trying to scroll down to read more and it just completely froze. after a few seconds it came back and was in copy/paste mode (my guess is from trying to scroll during it being frozen it picked it up as a long press, idk).
4) The screen is amazing, no complaints here, there have been some instances however that the digitizer didnt pick up my taps. perhaps this is related to the freezing/lag i mentioned above.
5) The wifi has been a little odd at times. At times it wants to connect to poor quality networks with low signal over the excellent signal wireless-ac networks.
All in all its a really nice tablet but I am not sure if I am going to keep it. It's not as fast as I expected compared to my nexus 10 (touchwiz likely to blame I guess?) and the biggest issue for me is the speakers. I use my tablet 90% of the time as a media consumption device to watch youtube and HD videos. This is a big reason I didnt get the NExus 9 with it's 4:3 ratio screen which kind of sucks for watching videos unless you are ok with half the screen being wasted with black bars. If the sound from the speakers suck (i never use ear buds, i only use the speakers on the device) then this is a pretty big drawback. I did get it for $399 now which helps but I just dont know.
Nexus 9=RMA
Buy this device at great risk. There's definitely a build quality issue with these early batches.
See my post here for my experience.
is that when it comes to android, always buy the goddamn flagship.
"OH YES 720p with that processor means this phone will be so smooth and battery life should be great" but here I am a couple months later with a phone that takes 10 seconds to open the recent apps menu. Samsung just does not have the time to regulate and quality control these lower range phones when they've got like 4 flagships to prioritise.
btw, I have 10gb of memory free, play no demanding games and have no more than 20 apps installed. Still a joke.
Note to self, when it comes to android phones, do not try and save money.
junaidmatlub1 said:
is that when it comes to android, always buy the goddamn flagship.
"OH YES 720p with that processor means this phone will be so smooth and battery life should be great" but here I am a couple months later with a phone that takes 10 seconds to open the recent apps menu. Samsung just does not have the time to regulate and quality control these lower range phones when they've got like 4 flagships to prioritise.
btw, I have 10gb of memory free, play no demanding games and have no more than 20 apps installed. Still a joke.
Note to self, when it comes to android phones, do not try and save money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which version do your have? I have the 850M rooted and it wheels great running KK. 850A running KK is also decent.
Well techinically this phone was a real flagship at its time, lauched a little after the galaxy s5 it was the first to use the 20nm exynos chipset, it have the ISOCELL camera, 4k recording, 32gb memory, the heart rate monitor. on efficiency is only superseded by the galaxy note 4 launched several months later using the armv8 architecture, that was a real jump
the real problem of our phone it is because it was REALLY expensive at time(why so expensive i dont know), and the price only dropped years after, so even being a flagship phone, it have low priority of updates now because not so much people have this phone, why kit kat is so stable? because it was new, and samsung was caring for the phone, make it real good.
i bought one for cheap this year, i have no complaints, phone have the absolutely perfect size, i am an avid android tweaker, even tough phone runs nice even on stock configurations, the only downsides are the recent apps bugged button, sometimes it does not work, some times it works, and always respondin slowly, i got used to not using it <_>
i am really sure we will receive the marshmallow update, including the new interface.
but is really sad, that people with the first gen moto g received marshmallow about a year ago, this just show how samsung only wants to sell phones, make it "old" after some time and make you buy a new one.
victoram said:
Well techinically this phone was a real flagship at its time, lauched a little after the galaxy s5 it was the first to use the 20nm exynos chipset, it have the ISOCELL camera, 4k recording, 32gb memory, the heart rate monitor. on efficiency is only superseded by the galaxy note 4 launched several months later using the armv8 architecture, that was a real jump
the real problem of our phone it is because it was REALLY expensive at time(why so expensive i dont know), and the price only dropped years after, so even being a flagship phone, it have low priority of updates now because not so much people have this phone, why kit kat is so stable? because it was new, and samsung was caring for the phone, make it real good.
i bought one for cheap this year, i have no complaints, phone have the absolutely perfect size, i am an avid android tweaker, even tough phone runs nice even on stock configurations, the only downsides are the recent apps bugged button, sometimes it does not work, some times it works, and always respondin slowly, i got used to not using it <_>
i am really sure we will receive the marshmallow update, including the new interface.
but is really sad, that people with the first gen moto g received marshmallow about a year ago, this just show how samsung only wants to sell phones, make it "old" after some time and make you buy a new one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What mods have you done with this phone?
The best part about this phone is the small size, light weight, and changeable battery. I can tolerate not getting MM for having these features.
cqdiep said:
What mods have you done with this phone?
The best part about this phone is the small size, light weight, and changeable battery. I can tolerate not getting MM for having these features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
victoram said:
Well techinically this phone was a real flagship at its time, lauched a little after the galaxy s5 it was the first to use the 20nm exynos chipset, it have the ISOCELL camera, 4k recording, 32gb memory, the heart rate monitor. on efficiency is only superseded by the galaxy note 4 launched several months later using the armv8 architecture, that was a real jump
the real problem of our phone it is because it was REALLY expensive at time(why so expensive i dont know), and the price only dropped years after, so even being a flagship phone, it have low priority of updates now because not so much people have this phone, why kit kat is so stable? because it was new, and samsung was caring for the phone, make it real good.
i bought one for cheap this year, i have no complaints, phone have the absolutely perfect size, i am an avid android tweaker, even tough phone runs nice even on stock configurations, the only downsides are the recent apps bugged button, sometimes it does not work, some times it works, and always respondin slowly, i got used to not using it <_>
i am really sure we will receive the marshmallow update, including the new interface.
but is really sad, that people with the first gen moto g received marshmallow about a year ago, this just show how samsung only wants to sell phones, make it "old" after some time and make you buy a new one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same feeling here, brother
No complains here (except for the too much expected MM update, which was one reason to choice this model).
More than 20 apps installed (G850F).
Battery drains very fast in mobile data mode (and also heats).
It cost 330€, which I found quite good in price/quality ratio.
Because of the fast evolution of technology, I never advise to buy immediately the high-end models. The prices on these will fall very fast within few months. The wait is quite compensatory...
(to give a lot of money for a smartphone its almost a steal...)
opinions if you have them, thx!
Note 10.1 2014 died a horrible death, have been looking for a replacement -- and of course, have been following threads in XDA and other sites in the meantime.
aware of various issues:
- wifi drain (though the latest update has some reporting it's been fixed?)
- non-Sammy magnet cases wreaking havoc
- still on Nougat, Oreo delivery date uncertain
- no backwards compatibility with .spd Note files
i can get the Tab S3 for $517 USD; or in bundle from B&H for $565 (no taxes on either order), which includes the keyboard cover.
thing is: the Galaxy Tab S4 will launch sometime this year (speculation is September), it will have Oreo out of the box (one would think), and it also looks to have a 16:10 ratio at 10.1"-- and maybe improved accessories. of course, the Tab S4 will be spensy AF.
thoughts?
I don't have mine yet, but if your carrier is Verizon, you can get the Tab S3 (T827) for $299 w/2yr contract. I snapped it up, since I don't anticipate leaving them in that time period. Should arrive Monday. It's supposed to get Oreo this summer. Many find 4:3 the best ratio for a tablet.
I should add that there doesn't seem to be a root available for the T827 as of yet.
Yes it worth i got yesterday with 24 months contract it rocks!!! Its sexy fast and powerful! You can just sell the s3 for some money and buy the s5 in few years when will be released. In next few years 5G will arrived and probably s5 would support it.
I don't know about the 2nd one, but the other problems don't need to worry about.
The tablet, with newest update, can install S Note from apkmirror, and you can also open SPD file using Samsung Notes.
thanks for the answers so far!
the SPD issue being resolved is pretty huge for me ...
i'm on the fence: argh, do i buy now (B&H just dropped the price by $70 for the tablet itself), or do i wait for the Tab S4, though unannounced but which is rumoured to be due later this year?
I've had mine since Aug 2017 and am completely happy about it. And I have the "composition book" magnetic cover and it has not had any issues with the magnets in it. Definitely get S Notes off apkmirror as Samsung Notes is really watered down.
AM Radio said:
opinions if you have them, thx!
Note 10.1 2014 died a horrible death, have been looking for a replacement -- and of course, have been following threads in XDA and other sites in the meantime.
aware of various issues:
- wifi drain (though the latest update has some reporting it's been fixed?)
- non-Sammy magnet cases wreaking havoc
- still on Nougat, Oreo delivery date uncertain
- no backwards compatibility with .spd Note files
i can get the Tab S3 for $517 USD; or in bundle from B&H for $565 (no taxes on either order), which includes the keyboard cover.
thing is: the Galaxy Tab S4 will launch sometime this year (speculation is September), it will have Oreo out of the box (one would think), and it also looks to have a 16:10 ratio at 10.1"-- and maybe improved accessories. of course, the Tab S4 will be spensy AF.
thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had my Tab S3 tablet since release day. Here are my thoughts:
- wifi drain (though the latest update has some reporting it's been fixed?)
Even after numerous updates wifi battery drain is still there. Hoping Oreo would fix this.
- non-Sammy magnet cases wreaking havoc
I used to use a smart magnetic case bought off amazon. They work for the auto screen on and off. However, the magnets do interfere with the Spen. I suggest to not fold the case all the way to the back of the device when writing on it. Im now using the official keyboard cover. It does not offer side protection and has no screen auto on/off function. But I prefer this over the magnetic case.
- still on Nougat, Oreo delivery date uncertain
Oreo is confirmed in the works and is coming soon. How soon? Im thinking mid to end of 2nd Quarter.
- no backwards compatibility with .spd Note files
Cant comment on this.
$565 for the tablet and keyboard cover is a good deal. I got my Tablet for $599 and paid extra $150 for the keyboard. Cant comment on the Tab S4 as I have not even heard rumors about it.
S-note can be side loaded on the S3. I have it on mine. Can't remember where I got it but the reference came from somewhere on this board.. Samsung Notes is a cruddy downgrade from S-note . No idea what Samsung was thinking. The off screen writing though goes to Samsung Notes only.
So far I've not seen any problem with my off brand case other than cheaply built retainers cracking. It does provide a good holder for the S-pen.
Sent from my SM-T820 using Tapatalk
With the TabS3 being on the "quarterly update" path, that is something to think about.
I have my Wifi Tab S3 since about a month after release. I still like it and use it, but at times it feels laggy, and I need to turn off WiFi when sleeping to save battery. Battery life still isn't as good as my several year old iPad Air 2 Cellular (with T-Mobile SIM and service).
Would I buy one today? I'd have to think hard about it.
KidJoe said:
With the TabS3 being on the "quarterly update" path, that is something to think about.
I have my Wifi Tab S3 since about a month after release. I still like it and use it, but at times it feels laggy, and I need to turn off WiFi when sleeping to save battery. Battery life still isn't as good as my several year old iPad Air 2 Cellular (with T-Mobile SIM and service).
Would I buy one today? I'd have to think hard about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with KidJoe, although user experience is very depending on usage. I use the tab s3 mostly for watching Netflix and YouTube and some surfing the internet and therefore don't experience any lag. The screen is better than any other tablet I have seen (never looked at the iPads though). Battery life is fine. Easily one to two days on a charge. That's fine for me, I charge my smartphone every night so no big deal to plug in the tablet as well. Never really noticed the wifi drain (specially on latest update), only because everybody is complaining about it (conformation bias?).
Also never used the pen so can't comment on that. Still waiting for the google assistant coming to my country (the Netherlands). And that's also my only critique on the tab S3: damn Samsung software. I prefer the stock Android experience.
To summarize: because the lack of tab S4 and google pixel tablet with OLED screen, I would definitely buy this tablet again. I paid 485 Euro's on eglobal central. They now sell it for 430 Euro's which is a great deal imo.
my s3 is a hog.
Android tablets get a lot of hate for reasons I don't understand. If Android tablets are your preference (as they are mine) then I don't know of a better "current" tablet than the S3. The Pixel C is still pretty awesome. I marginally prefer the S3 because of the haptic feedback and slightly better screen, but it's not a huge difference. I have no complaints about the S3.
badwiring said:
Android tablets get a lot of hate for reasons I don't understand. If Android tablets are your preference (as they are mine) then I don't know of a better "current" tablet than the S3. The Pixel C is still pretty awesome. I marginally prefer the S3 because of the haptic feedback and slightly better screen, but it's not a huge difference. I have no complaints about the S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I'm not into the Apple environment and came off an iPhone 3GS back in the day when I migrated to Android and been Android ever since. My Tab S3 is fantastic and does what I need it to do which is taking notes. I work in IT so it is a lot of diagrams and drawings so being able to quickly draw out an infrastructure diagram and have it posted to my laptop in a PDF or JPEG is just like magic. And when I need to I have the keyboard cover so I can quickly type out notes without needing my laptop. The only thing I lack is being able to VPN into work (because my employer won't support BYOD) but the bluetooth transfer of docs to my work laptop is what resolves that issue for me.
price drop on the Tab S3 across the board right now
B&H
Bestbuy
Amazon
all selling the tablet for $449.99
I just bought one of these from Verizon, on a 2-yr plan, for $299 . . . new Samsung Keyboard cover was $67 through Amazon . . . I'm thinking that this is a pretty good deal . . . maybe available at these prices because the Tab S4 is coming soon?
stonecoldtx said:
I just bought one of these from Verizon, on a 2-yr plan, for $299 . . . new Samsung Keyboard cover was $67 through Amazon . . . I'm thinking that this is a pretty good deal . . . maybe available at these prices because the Tab S4 is coming soon?
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Click to collapse
or maybe to fire a shot over the bow as Apple announces their new iPad?
if this is part of the strategy, i can see Samsung dropping the Tab S4 bomb in Q2 ...
I've read and watched a lot of reviews on the standard M5 10.8" and it's getting pretty good reviews across the board. I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 at the moment and am getting fed up with the ever decreasing battery life, so I'm about ready for a new tablet. I don't want to compromise on size, so the M5 looks to be the best around in its price range. I can get one new on ebay UK for £250 (I missed out on the 15% discount yesterday ffs).
One other thing - the 8.4" has a higher PPI than the 10.8". Is that purely down to the screen sizes?
So if any owners here can give me their personal views on the M5, it would go a long way to helping make my mind up.
10 in tablets are too big. I have a pixel c that is never used, it's too big.
I've recently purchased a M5 10.8. The only thing that made me hesitate was Huawei's decision to stop handing out bootloader unlock codes. It is possible to unlock anyway, but it was a crappy move... Other than that it's perfect for me. Perfect size and have so far been perfect for what I need it for (media consumption and keeping all my student literature and sheet music for easy access).
CrazyPeter said:
10 in tablets are too big. I have a pixel c that is never used, it's too big.
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Not really the kind of advice I was asking for. I use my Tab S 10.5 everyday for reading comics, books, flipboard, web browsing, email, ebay... I take it on holiday with me for watching TV shows and movies on the plane, radio for the hotel room, music for sunbathing. It has been invaluable.
Didgeridoohan said:
I've recently purchased a M5 10.8. The only thing that made me hesitate was Huawei's decision to stop handing out bootloader unlock codes. It is possible to unlock anyway, but it was a crappy move... Other than that it's perfect for me. Perfect size and have so far been perfect for what I need it for (media consumption and keeping all my student literature and sheet music for easy access).
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Okay, a bit more like it. How do you find the screen? I'll be moving from an oled to the M5's ips screen. And I agree about the bootloader issue with Huawei. I bought a P20 Pro a couple of weeks ago to replace my LG G6 H870DS because LG wouldn't make it unlockable, only to hit the same problem with my new phone. I'm hoping Huawei change their minds and start issuing unlock codes again.
mickrick said:
Okay, a bit more like it. How do you find the screen? I'll be moving from an oled to the M5's ips screen. And I agree about the bootloader issue with Huawei. I bought a P20 Pro a couple of weeks ago to replace my LG G6 H870DS because LG wouldn't make it unlockable, only to hit the same problem with my new phone. I'm hoping Huawei change their minds and start issuing unlock codes again.
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This is my first tablet since my Asus PadFone (released 2012 ), so I don't really have anything to compare with. It looks nice and crisp to me.
I made the same move, and I've been impressed with the performance boost and improved battery life. I miss the off screen buttons on the Tab S - I'm using gestures on the fingerprint sensor instead, but it's a bit more awkward. I've not noticed a difference in the screens, but I haven't really been looking for a difference.
The biggest problem for me is that the Huawei is basically using the interface from the 8.4 version, just making everything bigger. You can make the font size sensible, but all the non-text regions are very wasteful of space. For example, in my email app all the toolbars and controls take up far too much space. The worst is on websites, where the Huawei fits less on a page for anything other than very simple sites.
One example is with the YouTube app, on its home page - the Tab S shows 5 video thumbnails per row, but the Huawei only shows 4, despite having a larger screen.
You can work round it by enabling Developer mode then changing the dpi. I've gone from the default of ~700 to 915 and that makes things more like the Tab S (you'll need to adjust font size once it's done). The downsides are that it's reset every time you reboot, and that the tablet settings don't work at this dpi (so to change any other settings, I need to reboot to restore the original dpi)!
I used Tab s 8.4, Nexus 7 2013 and Nexus 10.
Current still still owns Mipad and Nexus 9.
I really love my M5 Pro, i think is winner is everyway.
But im still interested Ipad Pro 10.5 which is the only competitor to M5 pro for my usage.
The 8.4 has higher dpi because resolution divided by screen size.
My note 8 is the same resolution as my m5 pro but has much higher dpi, naturally.
Hey,
After an upgrade of my HTC U11+. A bit stuck to be honest on which one to go with as they all have big pluses and minuses. I think my ideal phone would be the mate 20 pro hardware with pixel software.
Will give my pro's and minuses below, please feel free to comment and advise as you see fit.
Mate 20 pro
++ Big battery
+ Not bad price wise (especially with the free watch)
+ cameras
+ nice colours
- Lack of updates??
Pixel 3 XL
++ best software
+ great camera
+ great update support
+ great speakers
-- average battery life
-expensive
Oneplus 6T (based on rumours
+price
+Smooth UI
+good support
- camera probably wont be as good as the other 2
-speakers wont be as good
+/- battery in the middle
Out of these three I'd definitely go with the Mate 20 Pro. the Pixel is boring and too ugly and no features at all (I wouldn't consider it at all unless I absolutely need their camera) , OP6 is just cheap price but is missing wireless charging, QHD display, IP68, stereo speakers, camera will be just average, AOD display, desktop mode, raise to wake, knuckle gestures, secure face unlock, etc. But if you don't care about those, the OP6 will be faster/smoother than Mate 20 pro and maybe their underdisplay implementation could be a little bit faster but we'll see
I'm going through the same motions so can't "convince" you, but here are some additional thoughts.
*Pixel QC is still sub par. Quite a few hardware inconsistencies popping up. You won't see this with Huawei
*Pixel 3 speakers and haptics are FAR better
*Huawei software is bad for reasons people don't extrapolate upon
Question marks behind software updates should be removed. This is definitely a negative mark against Huawei.
Lockscreen is abysmal. Unable to expand, reply, or interact with any notifications
Background app restrictions are seriously annoying. Google photos will randomly not backup like your using an iphone. Services like android messages for PC, Mightytext, or Pushbullet will randomly stop working, Dropbox background sync won't work consistently, etc.
Huawei still isn't a brand developers seem to pay attention to, so bugs (think odd aspect ratio bugs) will take longer to get fixed.
*6T should be immediately disregarded unless cost or ROM support are of concern. Imagine you know this already.
Huawei hardware is beautiful, but the software and updates is a serious downer. (not just because it's a skin - EMUI looks fine visually imo) Ultimately, I think the ugly 3XL is still the better device for most..
No bootloader unlock, no root, no mods, no roms vs oneplus and pixel unlimited development..
tsoureki said:
No bootloader unlock, no root, no mods, no roms vs oneplus and pixel unlimited development..
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I'm really hopeful that we'll at least get root...... I've preordered the Mate 20 Pro and will be selling my Pixel 2 xl, hope I don't live to regret it! Worst case scenario I'll sell it and switch...
Well Pixel XL 3 is trash. I returned mine after 2 days.
Oneplus 6T is a bang for buck type of phone
Mate 20 Pro I'm having issues getting one imported
Probably didn't help much but aye.
Goronok said:
I'm going through the same motions so can't "convince" you, but here are some additional thoughts.
*Pixel QC is still sub par. Quite a few hardware inconsistencies popping up. You won't see this with Huawei
*Pixel 3 speakers and haptics are FAR better
*Huawei software is bad for reasons people don't extrapolate upon
Question marks behind software updates should be removed. This is definitely a negative mark against Huawei.
Lockscreen is abysmal. Unable to expand, reply, or interact with any notifications
Background app restrictions are seriously annoying. Google photos will randomly not backup like your using an iphone. Services like android messages for PC, Mightytext, or Pushbullet will randomly stop working, Dropbox background sync won't work consistently, etc.
Huawei still isn't a brand developers seem to pay attention to, so bugs (think odd aspect ratio bugs) will take longer to get fixed.
*6T should be immediately disregarded unless cost or ROM support are of concern. Imagine you know this already.
Huawei hardware is beautiful, but the software and updates is a serious downer. (not just because it's a skin - EMUI looks fine visually imo) Ultimately, I think the ugly 3XL is still the better device for most..
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Click to collapse
Great post, and for these reasons Huawei don't deserve £899 for their phone as pretty as it is. when the honeymoon period wears off you'll be noticing that lack of software support. I'm still debating getting a M20P myself, it would be easier if Huawei stepped their game up with software support and allowed the users to bypass background closures.
mwatson said:
Great post, and for these reasons Huawei don't deserve £899 for their phone as pretty as it is. when the honeymoon period wears off you'll be noticing that lack of software support. I'm still debating getting a M20P myself, it would be easier if Huawei stepped their game up with software support and allowed the users to bypass background closures.
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I think you hit the nail on the head regarding honeymoon period. I had (2) P20 Pro's and I loved the hardware/camera, but quickly became annoyed with the fact that EMUI just doesn't "work" as an android phone should. After using MIUI 10 on a Mix 2s for a few weeks, I would say that Xiaomi's derivative feels more natural to use. /sad
Goronok said:
*Huawei software is bad for reasons people don't extrapolate upon
Lockscreen is abysmal. Unable to expand, reply, or interact with any notifications
Background app restrictions are seriously annoying. Google photos will randomly not backup like your using an iphone. Services like android messages for PC, Mightytext, or Pushbullet will randomly stop working, Dropbox background sync won't work consistently, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know if these issues are still there in the Mate 20 Pro? That and Android Auto (connecting to a head unit) are very important to me. I don't believe that worked correctly on previous Huawei devices either.
arghness said:
Do you know if these issues are still there in the Mate 20 Pro? That and Android Auto (connecting to a head unit) are very important to me. I don't believe that worked correctly on previous Huawei devices either.
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Had someone on Reddit confirm that the lockscreen is still the same. Some have said it is a bug, but seems working as intended to me. (Been a "bug" since EMUI 8.1)
I haven't inquired about backgrounding issues. Not much point. This has been a thing with EMUI since day 1. (And other China OEMs too)
Thanks for the replies very helpful. I know the mate 20 pro is the best out of the bunch its whether i can live with EMUI. I had this in the past with samsung s6 edge, loved the phone but hated the software and ended up getting rid of it very quickly. I think if the pixel was £100 cheaper or had a bigger battery i would 100% go with that for the software experience.
The decision would be so much easier if they allowed bootloader unlock and custom roms would solve half the issues! Still no closer to the decision.
A couple of extra points
Mate 20 curved screen will be a pain for glass screen protectors so thats a -
Still cant work out if the UK model is single sim or dual sim! (says its micro sd expandable so is that where the extra sim goes)
I think the camera will be just as good as the pixel...in some ways better because of the wide angle lens etc. The pixel 3 probably will be the best point and shoot but I don't think either will dissapoint you
I've bite the bullet and pre ordered the mate 20 pro.
What really turned the tide for me is 2 videos on youtube, 1 a speed comparison against the note 9 and it smashed it, which proved to me it wont be a laggy crappy software (mostly)
and 2nd a battery drain test which it got nearly 7 hours of SOT which was 2 hours better than the note 9 and 3 hours more than most of the others.
Phil750123 said:
I've bite the bullet and pre ordered the mate 20 pro.
What really turned the tide for me is 2 videos on youtube, 1 a speed comparison against the note 9 and it smashed it, which proved to me it wont be a laggy crappy software (mostly)
and 2nd a battery drain test which it got nearly 7 hours of SOT which was 2 hours better than the note 9 and 3 hours more than most of the others.
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Hehe same thinking bud, yeah also saw some videos and pic comparisons on YouTube especially the mrwhosetheboss and i believe we should give the Huawei a go, like u said it's definitely blowin the note in most aspects and free watch is definitely a good bonus
misiokicio said:
Hehe same thinking bud, yeah also saw some videos and pic comparisons on YouTube especially the mrwhosetheboss and i believe we should give the Huawei a go, like u said it's definitely blowin the note in most aspects and free watch is definitely a good bonus
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yer the watch did help me decide.
What i dont get in the UK is its 899 sim free, the pixel 3 xl 64gb is around 850 yet all the contracts for the huwaei are coming out about £5 a month less, also helped me decide.
Phil750123 said:
yer the watch did help me decide.
What i dont get in the UK is its 899 sim free, the pixel 3 xl 64gb is around 850 yet all the contracts for the huwaei are coming out about £5 a month less, also helped me decide.
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See i went with sim free but what got me here is 50 quid more for mate, and free watch and charger is 250, so basically mate is working out 200 quid cheaper and 6gb ram vs the 4 and this massive battey, when pixie 3 battery is sitting at 3400 compared to my pixel 2 xl 3500 with a smaller screen? Impulse buy but hey, if we somehow hate it, or cant get used to it... Swap or sell after few months right? It aint a new car xd
It's very easy : get the pixel 3 and then youll want to get the mate 20 Pro for sure!
Preorderd mine today. Can't wait to finish a day without worrying at all about the battery. That's the feature I'm most excited about, since every phone, at this price, seems to have a great camera and screen. Really not that excited that I'll get to open youtube a half a second faster than other phones. Also, EMUI can be improved with apps and themes.
xtrocata said:
Preorderd mine today. Can't wait to finish a day without worrying at all about the battery. That's the feature I'm most excited about, since every phone, at this price, seems to have a great camera and screen. Really not that excited that I'll get to open youtube a half a second faster than other phones. Also, EMUI can be improved with apps and themes.
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Pretty excited about this as well, I'm pretty sure I will still average about 6000 mah a day, I almost always charge from like 50 to 90% using wireless charging while at work but for the days I forgot to wireless charge, the fact that even if I get home with less than 5% and just plugging it in for like 15 minutes (instead of like 40 minutes like my note 9) and being back to like 40% to finish the day is amazing.
I agree