Anything better than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite for the price range?

Wonderstache on 22/08/2020 - 14:08

Hi there, I'm looking at Android Tablets that I can use for media consumption, reading and possibly use as a second display to my laptop.
For $497, is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite my best choice in this category? As something that has enough power to do most things but won't become obsolete in 12 months.
(I have already looked at the 'Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e' but it's out of stock everywhere)

$500 is my max budget so I'm wondering if anyone can recommend this tablet or suggest a better one for my money?

I was also looking at the 'Lenovo M10 Tab Plus 10.3" 64GB Gen2 Tablet' which is $329 at JB but I'm unsure if it's powerful enough.

Thanks!

Computing Tablet

Comments

  • CyberMurning on 22/08/2020 - 14:14

    second display to my laptop.

    Then you need tablet with Dex capability?
    S6lite maybe not. S5e yes.

    • Wonderstache on 22/08/2020 - 14:21

      Ahhh that's what Dex is. Thanks for clarifying.
      Do you happen to know anywhere online that currently stocks the S5e? I'm struggling.

      • CheapStuffIDontNeed on 22/08/2020 - 15:14

        I don't think the 5e got great reviews. My plan is to wait for the tab s7 to launch to hopefully get a better deal on the s6. The AMOLED screen on the s6 makes it a lot better than the s6 life's LCD

  • Fiximol on 22/08/2020 - 15:18

    Space desk works perfectly fine with my first gen Lenovo M10, at least for office work. So really, any Android tablet ought to work.

    If possible, get something with a snapdragon SoC. This might be personal bias but they seem to have the fewest compatibility and reliability issues (I no longer have any functional devices with Mediatek chips).

    S5e has been discontinued, so they are pretty hard to find (and unlikely to be at a good price since it was the cheapest Samsung AMOLED tablet available).

    If you can get someone with access to the Samsung EPP I believe the S6 lite can be had for as little as $388.20 (after their once off $50 sign up offer). Alternatively, look for a used tab S4.

  • Baebs on 22/08/2020 - 15:44

    Did a bit of research for the past few weeks and was lucky to have access to the $389 S6 lite on the EPP store as mentioned above (screen isn't great but definitely worthy at that price).

    If you can't get on the EPP, would be better to wait for the tab S6 to drop in price.

    • Wonderstache on 22/08/2020 - 17:51

      That's a really good price through EPP store! Any chance I could somehow use your EPP access to get one? :P

      • Baebs on 22/08/2020 - 22:47
        +1

        Won't be able to help you with that :) Past comments have mentioned certain online courses that will get you an edu email - may be worth a try.

  • Kangal on 22/08/2020 - 17:19

    Do you need Android specifically?
    I mean, iPad's are pretty good and hard to beat. But you gotta put up with that walled garden. And loads of them on gumtree/facebook/ebay, not to mention the excellent support for software, app, accessory, and customer support.

    Oh, and you can use iPad's as a second-display natively for Macs, or with an App for Windows.
    There's a free App you can try called SplashTop Wired XDisplay. But paying for the proper App is well worth it, and as other people have noted, the price of Used Apple Pens and Used Apple iPad Pro (1st-gen) has really come down to affordable levels this year.

    I mean, if I was in your scenario, that's probably the route I would go. Samsung is alone in the Android tablet market, so they're kinda half-assing it, whereas everyone else including Google has given up. I mean, not including all the cheap, low-cost, tablet options that have a very poor/mixed user experience. It's kind of a waste of time looking at high-end Android tablets unless you have a specific app/use scenario.

    • Wonderstache on 22/08/2020 - 20:33

      I've had an iPad in the past and used to use it for some screen mirroring, though unfortunately the OS doesn't allow me to customise it enough like the way I use my android phone so I'd prefer to share my customisation + purchased android apps with my tablet.

      • Kangal on 02/10/2020 - 17:53

        You could always jailbreak it, if you want Android-like customization. That's kinda what I'm planning to do in the future: setup a new Desk and PC, have one large Extra-Wide display, and mount the iPad Pro as a second display in portrait mode, use the Apple Pen as a digital stylus. However, I need to move to a larger house first.

        Sorry for late reply, didn't see it : (

        • Wonderstache on 02/10/2020 - 17:54
          +1

          All good mate, thanks for the suggestion. I ended up getting the galaxy and it works a treat!

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