Have been wanting to get a tablet for some time now, and the unfortunate death of my old iPod touch finally pushed me to check them out. I've been looking at the Nexus 7, the iPad mini and the Galaxy Note 8.0, mostly, and lacking any prior experience with tablets, thought it'd be nice to have opinions.


I had my eye on the Nexus 7, initially, but there doesn't seem to be any stock where I live and I'm not too keen on shipping one over, due to complications — warranty coverage, retailers not shipping to Singapore, etc. I also hear rumours of a Nexus successor due July, but it'll probably be closer to the end of the year before it's available in Singapore. A big advantage of it is it's relatively inexpensive price, even for the alleged successor. Not much to comment on the mini, other than rumours that they also have a Mini successor due Q3, but the prices for that might be out of my range. The Galaxy Note is an exception on the cost, as I can get a pretty big discount on it by renewing a mobile contract. Hardware-wise, the Note 8.0 seems to outshine the other two, but the successors for the other two tablets might render that advantage moot. Also, I've never been a fan of Samsung's product design. Should I wait?

It's unlikely that at this stage I would consider other tablet options, but feel free to suggest them anyway — Budget being about SGD 500; USD 400; €300; £260.


TL;DR : Nexus 7 vs iPad mini vs Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

inb4: everyone beats up apple
11 years ago*

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Buy a cat.

11 years ago
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+1 a cat is the best way to go may i suggest some breeds for you?

11 years ago
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What a wonderful idea! My cats have brought me plenty of furry happiness and the iPad not so much. Tablet is a fun toy for a week or two, but since I always have a phone with me I don't bother carrying the tablet. At home I just use a PC.

If you insist buying one I highly recommend iPad or waiting for the iPad mini retina. iPad is superior in hardware and content + with iOS getting remade this year and mobile flash being dead, Android doesn't have the edge in any area. This comes from my own experience having owned both android and iOS devices.

Also, if you're ever going to buy a mac or iPhone, the choice should be pretty obvious. If you're sticking with Windows and Nokia it doesn't really matter.

11 years ago
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Just wait for the iPad Mini 2. :)

11 years ago
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Apple is dying, get the Galaxy Note 8.0 or the Nexus 7.

11 years ago
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hmm, tablets? what do you prefer? vicodin or xanax? never know if you have lupus or not

but seriously, I have a kindle fire and my sis has an ipad mini, and I can say that ipad is good for its store and the branch name. I think you should get samsung since they're getting good rep recently

11 years ago
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I had my eye on the kindle fire HD a while back, but amazon's store is not available for Singapore, as far as I know. And I hear it's also locked into amazon store, so it's a bit of trouble to have to root it or something.

11 years ago
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Nexus 7

I'd wait for the new version, but prices will drop on the current one before release and it's still a great device.

11 years ago
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this

11 years ago
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It looks gorgeous, doesn't it? I hear the new one could be exactly the same price though, or even possibly cheaper, which is just crazy, really. Decisions, decisions.

11 years ago
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Yeah I reckon it'll be similar in price. Google Nexus devices tend to be pretty affordable compared to others out there.

11 years ago
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I think it depends on which platform you prefer. Is your phone an android or an apple? I'm attached to my apps and want my apps to be the same on phone and tablet without buying them twice.

I tried a Galaxy Tab last summer and it was great to study with. However, Nexus 7 came out after and IS better based on what I've heard about it. Honestly, I'd recommend waiting to hear if anything new is coming out due to both tablets being about a year old.

Unless you use an iPhone and plan on sticking with apple. In that case GET AN iPad Mini.

For the record, I am an android user and have 500 apps from Amazon Appstore
11 years ago
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I use a Nokia 6300. Hahahaha!
I'd like to say that I believe in android, but I mostly only saw android devices at the early stages of its inception, and it seemed pretty bad back then. It has probably improved vastly since then, but I probably need to experience it first-hand to change that ingrained misconception. Yea, the app integration with apple is really rad, but that seems to be all it has going for it, really. How's the android app market like?

11 years ago
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Android market (Google play) is awesome. I swear by Amazon Appstore and their free app of the day (nothing beats free.) I'd pick the device with a better battery and processor so it looks like the Nexus is your best choice.

I recommend going to a store and testing both for yourself.

11 years ago
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I'd wait for the nexus 7, I got one myself (32gb) and I'm pretty happy with it.

11 years ago
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Sounds great!

11 years ago
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If you want user friendliness in the UI, I recommend the Note 8.0. Else, get the Nexus 7. iPad mini's stupid to have unless you're wanting exclusive Apple apps or a fan.

11 years ago
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I have a Nexus 7 and I like it. I also ordered this as a backup tablet. Cost me $125 after the 8% off coupon on the main store page. It's better in some respects (spec-wise) than the Nexus 7 and worse in some. The problem with Chinese tablets and Chinese stores is that you don't know what you'll get. It's my second attempt ordering a Chinese tablet, and the first time I got a cheap GPS instead (from DealExtreme). This package is waiting for me at the post office but I didn't have an opportunity to pick it up yet, so can't comment on how good (or working, or the right product) it is. If you don't mind waiting a couple more days I could provide you with my opinion then.

By the way, looks like Expansys Singapore is selling the Nexus 7.

11 years ago
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Yeah, not too keen on chinese tablets in that respect. Hardly want to end up with this sort of thing. Their specs also seem too good to be true sometimes, and you know what they say about that. Still, I would like to know what you think of yours, let me know! :>
Thanks for the link, it looks pretty legit. They don't have a retail store over here though. So I'm not very confident about warranty issues and all. Any experience with them?

11 years ago
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I think I ordered from Expansys many years ago, but I no longer remember the details. In any case the US store seems to get great marks while the UK one gets terrible ones. Googling some more, looks like the Singapore one isn't that great, and part of the problem is that they say they have stuff in stock when they don't. So probably best to forget about them. Still, I'm sure some googling will find better Singapore stores (spider88 is okay from the little I've read, but they only have the 3G version of the Nexus 7).

As for Chinese tablets, I think that misleading specs are the norm but outright lies such as you linked to are an exception. A little research helps. If you don't mind waiting a couple of days I can tell you what I got and, assuming it's a working tablet, how it compares to the Nexus 7.

11 years ago
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Got the tablet. It's a tablet and it's working and looks pretty much as described, that's what I can tell you so far. I'll check it some more later.

11 years ago
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I went with a Nexus 7 simply because I like Android, and if I'm getting Android, I might as well get the "pure" version that is supported by Google. Plus I liked the build and design of the tablet, and I've never been let down by Asus so far (two laptops and one tablet).

11 years ago
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A couple pics for comparison purposes: one two hmm I see some wrong data and no VGA & HDMI info, which for me is important.
source google translated

11 years ago
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Interesting, but the rest of them just makes the nexus looks good :P
Thanks!

11 years ago
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I think that's the purpose of the article. All those companies have better and cheaper products and with better specs/price, they chose those on purpose. The blog is going dow¬¬
What about Archos 80 8' under 200€

11 years ago
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Go with Nexus 7, if you get tired of the Andoid OS at least you can put Ubuntu there ;) Plus it has good specs

11 years ago
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Nexus 7 !

11 years ago
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Forget the iPad Mini, it's the worse of the three

11 years ago
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After looking at the features of more recent android phones, I might have to agree.

11 years ago
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11 years ago
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I considered it as well, but it seems like the Nexus 7 has the best bang for buck. And if its successor really does release in July and the rumours are true, the specs will probably be on par with the Nexus 10, but at the price of a Nexus 7.

11 years ago
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11 years ago
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Nexus 7, but actually you should buy a phone like Samsung Galaxy Note or something. Just sain'

11 years ago
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Nah, I'm fine with an old phone, really. I just want a media device, and phones tend to be too small for that imo.

11 years ago
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I'd choose the nexus 7. I have a nexus 7 and it's a good tablet for its price. Nexus 7 and those google tablets get the android software updates right away when they're released. There's alot of good things you can say about it and being a really cheap tablet i'd choose it if i was you.

11 years ago
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None, they are a waste of time. Get a netbook or ultrabook instead.
Reference: Personal experience from having owned both several tablets and a netbook.

11 years ago
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for the same price range and size you can't really get as smooth experience from a netbook (Asus eee 10 inch netbook being the worst purchase I've ever made).

11 years ago
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Son, wait for the new Nexus... Better processor, better Screen, Same price! :P

11 years ago
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That's the idea. Is a real drag waiting, though.

11 years ago
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well, i wanted to get a tablet last christmas, but then i thought: "Wait, the market for tablets is growing so damn fast because every company releases better tablets for the same price so freaking fast...i will wait a year before buying it, then the prices will be firm for a while at least"

So better wait until this christmas, like me. a thrill of anticipation is the best feeling in the world =)

when i just think about my tablet in 6 months i am happy^^

11 years ago
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Closed 11 years ago by CallsignX.