This is a bit of a break in the subject matter for this blog, but I’ve been obsessing over the purchase of a replacement for my classic 2013 Nexus 7. Great little device, but it’s time by now.

My use of a tablet has changed since I bought the 7. Back then, I was looking for a reader and something bigger than my phone. Phone got bigger, so having a small tablet is less important now. A more useful tablet would be one in the 10” range for movies and games and whatnot.

I’ll make my purchase sometime before mid February, so the tablet will have to be available by then. My considerations include: at least FHD screen resolution, reliable software support, price, battery, performance, and bonus goodies. Here are my current prospects for Android tablets in the midrange prices.

Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus

$299 - Amazon Specs

Our first competitor comes from Lenovo. This $300 tablet features the 10.1” screen at 2560x1600 and the best battery in the segment, possibly in all of tabletdom. Lenovo claims 18 hours and the previous model year proves that out with a 13 hour video playback time. It’s got a unique design for a tablet with a thicker edge hosting most of the battery and a clever, 4 mode kick stand. It stands out for sure.

It’s also got a solid Snapdragon 652 processor, octocore with a good clock speed. Of the tablets available today, there aren’t many that have a stronger processor and few that even have the 652. A bit on the heavy side, coming in at 1.4 lbs, but it’s not significantly out of line for the segment. Stats-wise, this should be an excellent tablet choice.

Buuuuuut there’s a downside to this tablet. A sad, disappointing fact of the matter is that Lenovo has shown an inability to actually publish software updates with any sort of haste. The Plus suffers from a significant audio sync issue and screen flickering in many games and apps. The Plus has been out in Europe for right around 2 months and there has been no sign of an update aside from vague promises and standard support speak since.

There is hope from the modding community as the device seems to take a custom boot loader fairly well and it’s a race at this point if the issues are fixed from Lenovo or from xda.

Current status: Wait and see.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A

$273 - Amazon $327 w/ pen - Amazon Specs

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A came out in mid 2016 and remains one of the top tablets in this segment. Reviews are fantastic and consistent through that whole time, and Samsung is known to be one of the few companies that provides software updates consistently. The Tab A got Android 6.0 some time ago and I would not be surprised to see Android 7.0 on Tab A sometime later.

It has a few drawbacks. It’s one of the older tablets that I am considering, and was launched back at a time when not everything came with a USB-c port. Crazy. It’s the only one under consideration that doesn’t have the USB-c. It also features the smallest on-device memory at 16 GB, and is one of the two devices to feature the “low” resolution 1920x1200 screen. It uses the Exynos 7870 SOC, still a capable chip, but not exactly a speed demon.

The 7300 mAh battery does pair with the lower clock chip well to deliver a claimed 13 hour battery life, above average for the segment. The S-Pen support may give this tablet a significant advantage over the others, depending on your use case. If you’re an artist, this may be the segment tablet for you.

Current status: I’ve seen it for $300 w/ pen, and at that price, it would probably be my choice right now.

LG GPad X II

$349 - LG Specs

LG was a bit quiet about their release of the GPad X II. This is a GSM/HSPA/LTE-capable device being offered unlocked or via US Cellular. Internationally it was released as the GPad III. LG is also known for providing solid software support. and I would not be surprised if this device received 7.0 OTA down the road.

This device very similar to the Samsung Tab A, featuring the same resolution, similarly performing processors, and the same memory. It’s actually a bit disappointing that LG decided to launch this device with the Snapdragon 617 in December of 2016, rather than the newer 625 (or just released 626). It is also lighter and slimmer than the Tab A. It also comes with a nifty kick stand, and that counts for something.

Unfortunately, it features the smallest battery of the devices I am considering at 6000 mAh. With the lower clock chip, it’s sometimes listed with a claimed 10 hours battery life, but no one’s giving exact values. Reviews are hard to find, so it’s hard to say if it lives up to its potential.

Current status: This device is a bit pricier than the other models and as nice as the design is, the battery and specs make it disappointing.

Asus Zenpad 3S 10 and Z10

Zenpad 3S 10

$299 - Amazon Specs

Zenpad Z10

$329 - Verizon Specs

Asus makes two very similar devices in the 3S 10 and the Z10. The 3S is a wifi-only device that was released in August 2016 and is difficult to find in stock anywhere. The Z10 is a Verizon-exclusive device that features LTE and was released in October of 2016.

Both devices have 9.7” screens at 2048x1536 at least 32 GB of storage, and very similar processors. Both are hex-core, but the 3S boosts to a much higher clock speed and has a massive (for Android) 4GB of RAM, while the Z10 has an acceptable 3GB.

The 3S is just a hair lighter, but that’s indicative of the biggest divergence between the two devices. The Z10 packs a chunky 7800 mAh battery (2nd in the segment only to the Lenovo) while the 3S has a wimpy 5900 mAh battery. 3S claims 10 hours while the Z10 claims a massive 20h.

Current status: The Z10 seems like a great tablet, especially if you’ve got Verizon data to use. The 3S has beefy specs, but suffers from a poor battery.

In conclusion

I’m still in wait-and-see mode. If nothing changes, I’ll look for the Galaxy Tab A on sale. It’s currently the best combination of price, power, availability, and bonus features. The Asus Zenpad Z10 is also a great device, but its Verizon exclusivity doesn’t do much for me as a non-Verizon user. The Lenovo is a compelling package, but the software support gives me pause. If they can prove me wrong, I’ll happily reconsider.

Have comments or suggestions? Post in this topic’s issue. Want to prove me wrong and prove that your brand’s tablet is the best by giving me one for review purposes? codepinions@dubo.se

I wound up purchasing the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus. It’s got the best combination of power/battery and screen size/resolution, and I found that was what was important to me. It’s also important to note that it powers via USB-C, leaving it compatible with the battery packs, should you need one.