lepermessiah
Discoverer
TLDR:
Devices under consideration: Surface Go, iPad Mini, iPad Air
Budget: Upto INR 50K
Usage: Watching movies, streaming, reading comics, browsing, light word processing, if possible- mobile gaming
Accessories planned: Screen protector and 256 GB SD card if it's a Surface Go; Screen guard and protective case for iPad. Not buying a keyboard since I already have a Logitech K480 BT keyboard.
Background:
I was looking forward to replacing my 5 year old Xiaomi MiPad with something more modern. I was surprised to see the lack of options in the tablet market nowadays. The android camp is pretty sad- didn't want to spring for Mipad 4 since it was quite old already, Samsung Tab S5e was nice, but the processor is sluggish at that price and the Tab S6 is out of contention since it was too expensive. The rest of the android tablets are pretty sad and actually a downgrade from the MiPad.
The only options left for me was either the Surface lineup or the iPads. Ruled out Surface Pros since they were too large and expensive. Plus, I already had a pretty powerful laptop. The Surface Go was it then. But it's more or less in the same bracket as an iPad. I decided to check them out in person at the nearest mall. There was no Surface Go on display, but there was a Surface Pro 4. It was sluggish and Windows didn't seem to be pretty good on a touchscreen. Using the iPad Air after that was a different experience. Opening multiple tabs and scrolling on heavy websites barely slowed the iPad Air down whereas the Surface Pro 4 was choking badly with a simple web page loaded on Edge.
I thought I was never going to using an iOS device owing to the walled garden mentality the Cupertino company adopts. However, there is no denying that they have nailed the tablet concept. Since I am actually looking for a device to watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, do some light word processing and browsing, it appears that a tablet will fit my needs better than a small Windows laptop. I would not need the complete freedom or flexibility that Windows offers since I have a proper laptop for that.
It sucks that the iPad doesn't have expandable storage and that there are so many limitations in its OS, but there is no denying that its battery lasts a lot longer, runs cooler, offers a way smoother experience and nails the tablet experience aspect correctly. I am not an Apple fanboy by any means (I am in the Android & Windows camp), but as far as tablets are concerned, an iPad just works and lasts for a long time (since Apple provides updates for a very long time).
If it had a better chipset and if Windows 10 was more optimized for touch and if the battery lasted longer, I would have gone for Surface Go in a heartbeat since I love its hardware design and build quality. Price is also good for the 4GB, 64 GB EMMC version at 30K. Even if I spend 3.5K on a 256GB SD card, it'll max out at around 34K which is still lower than what an iPad Mini costs nowadays.
Currently on the fence waiting for the iPad Air or Mini prices to drop a bit before taking the plunge.
Would like to hear members views on whether I should go for the Surface Go or the iPad Air or Mini. Not considering the iPad 10.2 or 9.7 as I think the A10 Fusion chipset is a bit old hat now.
Devices under consideration: Surface Go, iPad Mini, iPad Air
Budget: Upto INR 50K
Usage: Watching movies, streaming, reading comics, browsing, light word processing, if possible- mobile gaming
Accessories planned: Screen protector and 256 GB SD card if it's a Surface Go; Screen guard and protective case for iPad. Not buying a keyboard since I already have a Logitech K480 BT keyboard.
Background:
I was looking forward to replacing my 5 year old Xiaomi MiPad with something more modern. I was surprised to see the lack of options in the tablet market nowadays. The android camp is pretty sad- didn't want to spring for Mipad 4 since it was quite old already, Samsung Tab S5e was nice, but the processor is sluggish at that price and the Tab S6 is out of contention since it was too expensive. The rest of the android tablets are pretty sad and actually a downgrade from the MiPad.
The only options left for me was either the Surface lineup or the iPads. Ruled out Surface Pros since they were too large and expensive. Plus, I already had a pretty powerful laptop. The Surface Go was it then. But it's more or less in the same bracket as an iPad. I decided to check them out in person at the nearest mall. There was no Surface Go on display, but there was a Surface Pro 4. It was sluggish and Windows didn't seem to be pretty good on a touchscreen. Using the iPad Air after that was a different experience. Opening multiple tabs and scrolling on heavy websites barely slowed the iPad Air down whereas the Surface Pro 4 was choking badly with a simple web page loaded on Edge.
I thought I was never going to using an iOS device owing to the walled garden mentality the Cupertino company adopts. However, there is no denying that they have nailed the tablet concept. Since I am actually looking for a device to watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, do some light word processing and browsing, it appears that a tablet will fit my needs better than a small Windows laptop. I would not need the complete freedom or flexibility that Windows offers since I have a proper laptop for that.
It sucks that the iPad doesn't have expandable storage and that there are so many limitations in its OS, but there is no denying that its battery lasts a lot longer, runs cooler, offers a way smoother experience and nails the tablet experience aspect correctly. I am not an Apple fanboy by any means (I am in the Android & Windows camp), but as far as tablets are concerned, an iPad just works and lasts for a long time (since Apple provides updates for a very long time).
If it had a better chipset and if Windows 10 was more optimized for touch and if the battery lasted longer, I would have gone for Surface Go in a heartbeat since I love its hardware design and build quality. Price is also good for the 4GB, 64 GB EMMC version at 30K. Even if I spend 3.5K on a 256GB SD card, it'll max out at around 34K which is still lower than what an iPad Mini costs nowadays.
Currently on the fence waiting for the iPad Air or Mini prices to drop a bit before taking the plunge.
Would like to hear members views on whether I should go for the Surface Go or the iPad Air or Mini. Not considering the iPad 10.2 or 9.7 as I think the A10 Fusion chipset is a bit old hat now.
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