Is this a good tablet deal?

MyRealNameToo

Grumpy_chap said:

MyRealNameToo said:

Apple doesn't force you to use Apple however for some things Apple products are more deeply integrated than others. 

One very specific thing I have found annoying is the Apple HEIC photos which cannot be viewed on a non-Apple device. 

I am not that fussed about the accessories in general, headphones and the like, as I don't expect to use those.  With regard to the pencil, the squishy nib type seems to be a backward step.

I think it is £209 (plus broken iron) for the Samsung (including the pen) versus £380 for the iPAD plus pencil.  That extra £80 for the Apple Pencil seems to kill the iPAD option really.

The windows store has a Microsoft provided codec for HEIF for images, Android supports them natively and its also the default mode for the latest version of Android.

HEIC images are about 50% the size of JPG to achieve the same image quality so it's really a question why others are sticking to the more inefficient options. You can go into Settings > Camera > Formats and change it from High Efficiency to Most Compatible to get it to save as JPG by default.


The Logitech Crayon is a bit cheaper, much cheaper if bought secondhand. 

If you are buying on price the choice will never be Apple. 

poseidon1

OP returning to your  S10 Lite/ FE deliberations.

I own an old Samsung Tab S7 , no security support, legacy version of android and a failing battery.  It has been an excellent piece of kit for me ( especially the supplied stylus for signing pdf documents), resulting in putting my windows 10 laptop into semi retirement, so returning to Samsung for an upgrade was a no brainer for me.

Decision fortunately coincided with Black Friday promotions and after watching You tube reviews on the merits of S10 lite v S10 FE, I jumped on a John Lewis deal for the 256gb/12 gb ram 10 inch S10 FE priced at  £349 with JL's 2 year gurantee.  Used click and collect for delivery, and also used PayPal 4 month interest credit option, so pretty much a win win all round.

In passing Curry's had offered the same tablet at that time at the  same sale price, but sold out UK wide, so a very popular deal.

Currently using the tablet ( with a cheap £13.99 Amazon cover) for this post, and appreciate the upgrade in speed, and Android 16 functionality not to mention Samsungs 7 year security support commitment.

Sadly you have missed the John Lewis offer , and this higher specced tablet has jumped back to £599 on their site.

I see the lower spec 128gb is available with  Laptops direct at £349 - see link below, but I would be inclined to wait for the xmas/new year sales to see if a decent deal on the 256gb variant re-emerges

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/samsung-galaxy-tab-s10-fe-10.9-grey-128-wi-fi-tablet-sm-x520nzareub/version.asp?refsource=ldadwords&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_id=22079410293&cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=22079410293&cq_con=&cq_term=&cq_med=pla&cq_plac=&cq_net=x&cq_pos=&cq_plt=gp&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22089331351&gbraid=0AAAAAD-PMBojnXkKoeT9niLAkyz11kgJ0&gclid=Cj0KCQiA9OnJBhD-ARIsAPV51xPloxz_DZ67xm-Q6knnlWuR5WDWfPTvAfXazXWvwQMAimb3s2hVfk0aApOJEALw_wcB

Hope this helps.

Grumpy_chap

Thanks,

I see that Laptops Direct have the Galaxy Tab S10 FE 256GB / 12GB at £400, as do Curry's (if they have my old iron) or, as you linked, the 128 GB / 8GB at £350.

I kind of think, if I was going up to that price point, I probably would take the plunge and go for the iPAD that I linked up thread at £300 and then add the pencil (either the genuine item at £80 or try a "compatible") but given the Samsung comes complete with the genuine item, the fair price comparison would be £350 (or £400) against £380.  That, actually, starts to make the Apple product look fair value.  I began this process with a belief that the Apple products were all outrageously over-priced.

Out of the Android tablet options, I think the Samsung range is the market leader.  Maybe I am out of date.

Exodi said:

Potentially thinking of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite released in 2020, instead of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Lite released in 2025 - the former being a phone.

The naming team needs firing.

Indeed, I can't make any sense of the product naming and I think you are probably correct that the references to the Galaxy S10 that I saw suggesting it was an end-of-life product were the phone rather than the Galaxy Tab S10 which is a tablet.

Within the Samsung tablets, I think:

• S is better than A
• "+" means bigger screen
• Suffix "Lite" is the entry model
• Suffix "FE" (Fan Edition) is the mid-range but lower than "default"
• Just S with no suffix is the default model
• Suffix "ultra" is the top-end

I think that is correct.  What I can't make any understanding of is the actual model number S9, S10, S11.  It would make sense if the number referred to the incarnation / order of launch but the pricing does not seem to support that.  Nor does the pricing support 11 better than 10 better than 9.

twopenny

Grumpy, you know a public library will loan you an iPad for a month free of charge.
It's a good way to explore.

Grumpy_chap

twopenny said:

Grumpy, you know a public library will loan you an iPad for a month free of charge.
It's a good way to explore.

I think our local library still allows us to access the internet via a BBC "B" on dial up

poseidon1

twopenny said:

Grumpy, you know a public library will loan you an iPad for a month free of charge.
It's a good way to explore.

Yes I took advantage of this back in 2019, but being a died in wool android user I found I  could not get on with it and returned it after a week. 

Nonetheless a good way to test the Apple ecosphere before committing your hard earned cash.