If you’re thinking of buying an Android tablet , you might want to pause your purchase for a moment and check out this article.
The reason? Those who buy an Android tablet often believe they are getting a great deal , given the excellent user experience and a price usually lower than the competition. Moreover, thanks to smartwork and distance learning, tablets have returned to the center of people’s thoughts, but it is undeniable that in this world the absolute domination is of the iPad . Unfortunately, however, in a short time you could regret your purchase, causing the much desired portable device to collect dust.
In this short article we will list some reasons not to proceed with the purchase and other valid alternatives to consider.
1. Poor choice
One of the great selling points of Android phones is that it’s easy to find a device that matches your needs. Whether you like a small or large screen, prefer stock Android or tons of extra features, or want a headphone jack, there is a smartphone to suit your needs.
However, the Android tablet market is not like that. Google’s official page on Android tablets lists three tablets:
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S7
- Lenovo TAB M10 FHD Plus
- Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab
Of course, these aren’t the only Android tablets available. But it’s pathetic enough that this is Google’s best show. Most of the other Android tablets you’ll find on Amazon are cheap, nameless devices.
Google itself has also abandoned the tablet market. The company killed off the high-end Pixel Slate in 2019, and has announced that it has no plans to continue the tablet line in the future. This doesn’t bode well for the Android tablet market as a whole, as Google is the main force behind Android.
2. Insufficient software updates
Android ‘s fragmentation problem is one of its biggest drawbacks. Unless you buy a Pixel device, chances are you won’t get the latest Android update until months after its release. And in some cases, you’ll only get a major update, or none at all. This problem also affects Android tablets.
Of the devices mentioned earlier, the Lenovo Tab M10 and Yoga Tab both shipped with Android 9, which was released in August 2018. By checking Lenovo’s Android update page, we can see that both devices have since gotten a update to Android 10 (M10 in October 2020 and Yoga in January 2021). On that page, both devices are marked as Full, which means there are no more updates expected.
So if you bought a Yoga Smart Tab in October 2019 when it came out, it already had a year old operating system. Then you had to wait a year and three months for an Android update, and by the time you got Android 10, it had already been out for over a year. And the device will no longer receive updates afterwards.
The Galaxy Tab S7 arrived with Android 10. Samsung released the tablet a few weeks before the launch of Android 11, but Android 11 didn’t arrive on the Tab until January 2021. It’s not terrible, but it’s definitely not a pretty treat.
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In the meantime, you can forget about Android updates altogether if you buy a cheap device. Those will likely come with an older version of Android, and will rarely, if ever, see any updates beyond what is installed at the retail stage.
3. The iPad is better for gaming
Assuming you already have an Android phone, you are probably looking to get a tablet for secondary use. A common purpose for a tablet is to play mobile games. But if that’s why you want a tablet, it’s much better to get an iPad.
We’ve already seen why iPhones and iPads are better for mobile gaming. Games often launch first (or exclusively) on iOS, sometimes months before seeing an Android version. Since Apple makes only a few phones and tablets, compared to the thousands of Android devices available, game developers tend to focus on iOS for ease of development .
Often times, gaming performance is also better on the iPad. This is especially true when comparing a modern iPad to most of the cheap or outdated Android tablets available right now. The Play Store is also home to some fake / junk games, making it slightly more dangerous for children.
Another great advantage of an iPad is that you can take advantage of Apple Arcade. For $ 5 a month, the service grants you access to over 100 games that have no ads or in-app purchases. You can download them to play offline and even share the subscription with your family .
For Android tablets there is the Google Play Pass , but it all depends on what kinds of games you like.
In any case, it is clear that the tablets are not up to expectations and certainly the market has noticed it too.
