Recommend Me a Tablet For Around $350?

Update: I updated the price in the title to $350, as my budget has changed. I use my tablet enough to justify it (use it way more than my laptop).

Original post follows:

I've been using a nexus 7 2013 since it came out, but I'm sending it away (had a product protection plan on it, and instead of fixing it and sending it back they're just gonna send me a giftcard).

So, Im in the market for a good, relatively cheap, tablet. Anything around $200 is good, my limit is probably $250.

What tablets do you duders use?

Thanks in advance!

Well I use an iPad mini which is light and pretty quick for what it is. I think it goes for around $230 on amazon :P

I just got a lenovo tab 2 a10-70 and have been liking it a decent amount. They have an 8 inch version of the tab 2 that is like $130. Both have great screens, SD card slots, run lollipop, and seem to have great battery life. I mostly use it for reading comics though so your milage may vary on gaming (seems to hold up well on everything but hearthstone).

I mean, I really like my Nexus 7...

Your best choices if you want something new and spec/feature comparable to a Nexus 7 are probably the Fire HDX 7 (all the more so if you catch it on sale, which it's been a couple times recently) or the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro if you're willing to go all the way to the bounds of your budget (though the Amazon page does seem to suggest you could also get a refurb from them for a few bills less.)

I have a Galaxy Tab S personally and am quite happy with it, though the hit on the battery to load the thing with an octacore processor and an extra gig of ram is not insubstantial.

I second that, these things are fantastic. I personally have both a Nexus 7 (the original) and a Nexus 10, they are both great tablets. The Nexus 7 has even been updated since it was originally launched and is even better now. Sadly, Google discontinued them recently. They should still be readily available though.

+1

I know you just got rid of it, but the 2013 Nexus 7 is probably the best choice right now. A new one is only $149. I would stay away from Samsung, TouchWiz is so slow, especially if you're used to stock android.

Sorry to revive this thread, but I never got a chance to look at any of the replies (actually thought no one had replied). And my circumstances have changed (I sold some stuff on ebay, so my budget is 350 bucks now).

The nexus 7 is great, but I want to get something new (I like the moment when you have a crisp, new device in hand). I was eyeing the Nvidia shield tablet, but it got recalled, so you can't get them anywhere (for a reasonable price). Samsung's tablet offering for 2015 seems sub-par. They're going after Apple by making Apple-like devices for Apple like prices, but with that choice in hand most people will go with Apple anyway (I probably would too). The nexus 9 is a year old, and I haven't heard terrific things about it, and the price is still too damn high. Also, the rumor mill seems to think google won't be announcing a new tablet this year...

So yeah, not many great choices at the moment. I reeeeeeeeeeaaaalllly hope Nvidia announces a new shield tablet for this year, or at least puts the old one back in stock at a lower price. It's like a nexus 7 on freaking steroids. Anyone have any experience with one? The tested guys seemed to like it when it came out.

I have been using an ipad mini since it's launch and it's awesome, the screen size is perfect and it's very portable, light and thin. I use it a lot, battery life is also great. If you can get a newer version, second or third gen, for 350, I think you won't be disappointed.

@rongalaxy:

Android: Back the $350 tier here, get the remix mini device later, and get the Remix Ultratablet (Basically an Android surface pro): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1123481999/remix-mini-the-worlds-first-true-android-pc/posts/1300426?ref=email

Windows: There's a few good ones out there, if you want to spend the money a bit past your range, I'd say the Asus Transformer Book 300 Chi, but only when on sale. Otherwise it's like, $800. For normally priced stuff:

Supposedly this HP is decent ($350): http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-pavilion-x2-10-1-intel-atom-64gb-with-keyboard-sunset-red/4206200.p?id=1219707306087&skuId=4206200

I just replaced this tablet, but had it for years, and it is a solid performer in both battery life and performance (<$300): http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-transformer-book-t100taf-10-1-intel-atom-32gb-with-keyboard-gray/4228803.p?id=1219709884797&skuId=4228803

Amazon has the Transformer Chi 100 for ~$300, not quite as powerful as the Chi 300, but still a great deal: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Transformer-Book-T100-CHI-C1-BK-2-/dp/B00VX4K8AY

If I were in the market I'd think about the Galaxy Tab S 8.4.
Quad-core 2.3GHz.
3 GB RAM.
Also has a microSD slot for expanded storage.
That or the Nexus 9 which people seem to like but no SD slot.

IPAD MINI DUDE. Seriously though, ios on that fucker is smooth and the retina screen is outstanding. Not to mention there is just a higher quality app market on it.

Well, I can't help but pledge my love for my iPad. I use it way too much and have become my default device for Internet and video-related activities.

Amazon is selling the 16 gb iPad Air for exactly $349 right now. It's the Wifi only model, so you can only use it over a wifi network. The main difference between the Air and Air 2 is the faster processor and anti-glare sorcery on the screen. The Mini 2 is pretty much a shrunk down Air as far as technical specs go, and the only difference of note between Mini 2 and 3 is the fingerprint scanner, which isn't really worth the price difference.

I'm very happy with my Air 2, which I bought in January and have, I've pretty much used it for 4-5 hours a day since then. It should be noted that I've only had experience with one other manufacturer, a mini Samsung Galaxy Tab 3, and greatly prefer my iPad, but I suppose it's a matter of taste. Go with the one that speaks to you. The iPad is an Apple product through and through, and someone might want a Nexus 9 instead.

I've had a Nexus 9 for about a month now and I like it quite a bit, though it is my first tablet and I greatly prefer the Android OS to iOS. I've used my girlfriend's Nexus 7 previously and the Nexus 9 is a nice size upgrade and it certainly handles recent games better. From what I read and the benchmarks I looked at, it's very similar to the Nvidia Shield in every respect and benchmarked slightly higher in most if not all categories. The one thing to note about it is that it has a 4:3 aspect ratio screen, so when you're watching video, you will usually have black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. Games mostly seem to fit the whole screen though.

You could get a 16gb Wifi model for less than $350, my 32gb Wifi/4G was just about $400.

I'd say get a used iPad. I bought a used wifi-only iPad Air (the one the above dude linked) and I use that thing every day. I'm actually typing this reply on it now - I got a cheap bluetooth keyboard on amazon and the thing is the perfect substitute for a laptop.

Shop around for deals to get something within your budget. I picked up mine from gamestop of all places as I had a shitload of their points after buying a used PS4 last winter. They had a coupon avaiable for 20% off hardware, which included their tablets. The coupon made this one a better deal than anyone of the older ones on craigslist. But yeah, don't be afraid to look for one there.