# Budget Android tablet that lets you update Android?



## vostok (Jul 22, 2017)

Hi all

I'm looking for a budget (<= £150) Android tablet for app development.

A key factor - and I'm having a hard time ascertaining this for various brands - is the ability to update versions of Android in future.

I know Lenovo, for example, don't allow this or at least force you into iffy root procedures (even then, there's very few reports of successful roots on their Tab3 range.) Which is a shame, as I'm quite drawn to their Tab3 7, but it seems rather undignified to buy something with, as one reviewer put it, a built-in obsolescence.

So, can anyone suggest anything to fit the bill given these criteria? I'm unconcerned by other features e.g. SIM, HDMI etc.

Thanks a lot in advance.


----------



## micropage7 (Jul 22, 2017)

have you considered your local brands stuff the usually tagged lower


----------



## vostok (Jul 22, 2017)

I hadn't, but I'll have a look. It's hard establishing whether you can upgrade Android as and when new versions come out. Is there any obvious way to ascertain this from a tablet's specs? e.g. Is it more likely if it's using stock Android, without a reseller layer?


----------



## P4-630 (Jul 22, 2017)

I don't think there is any tablet which you get "lifetime" android updates. (forced perhaps)


----------



## Frogger (Jul 22, 2017)

You might get more info over @ XDA. But it's a safe bet that any tablet you get will have to be rooted & you will need to make or find custom Roms later in it's life. 
 FYI this was posted using a 2011 Moto Zoom running 5.1


----------



## Ja.KooLit (Jul 22, 2017)

Like @Frogger mentioned, most if not all well known tablets will have custom roms available at xda forum. Like my old samsung note 10.1 (first one) i rooted it. But didnt install custom roms. But there are available roms. I only rooted because needed to remove bloatwares as my daughter is only using for watching while we are travelling. So only vlc installed and essential apps as i dont have to connect in internet anyway.


----------



## vostok (Jul 22, 2017)

Thanks, guys. Helpful info.


----------



## DeathtoGnomes (Jul 22, 2017)

I thought tablets were disposable, none of the ones I looked at had any options to update android OS itself.


----------



## vostok (Jul 22, 2017)

Let me assure you that, at ~£100, they are very much not disposable in my mindset.


----------



## silentbogo (Jul 22, 2017)

vostok said:


> Let me assure you that, at ~£100, they are very much not disposable in my mindset.


In that budget - yes they pretty much are. As soon as your 12-24mo warranty runs out, you won't see any updates.
With $150 budget you have two options:
1) Get a cheap chinese tablet with the latest factory-installed version of android, and hope that it won't die.
Like this cheap-looking PoS:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ori...-ROM-1920X1200-IPS-Unlock-4G/32814387902.html
2) Get a slightly more expensive used high-end tablet, like Xiaomi MiPad 3 or 1st gen Shield Tablet. It is used and more expensive, but in the long run you get a better product with greater performance, and a much more long-lasting lifespan.
There will also be a high probability of community updates, since there are more independent devs interested in brand devices, than a gazzilion of variations on PooPoo Tab 10 rev.2

Ideally, if you are really interested and invested into Android development, you should buy at least a mid-budget current gen tablet. Lenovo Tab 4 10+ fits the bill perfectly, because it's cheap ($180-190 retail for 2/16/WiFi version), runs Nougat out of the box, and generally has a nice build quality, at least until your first attempt to disassemble it 

Where are you from, BTW?


----------



## vostok (Jul 22, 2017)

Fair point re: should invest in a medium-level slate for serious app development.

I'll have a look at the ones you mentioned.

I'm from Nottingham, UK. (Though I used to live in Russia - спасибо за совет!)


----------



## OneMoar (Jul 23, 2017)

get a nvidia shield cheap,powerful, unlocked bootloader, active development

you aren't gonna do better for 200USD

buying a device strait out of china is a Minefield if you aren't a pro at minesweeper avoid or it might just blow up in your face


----------



## scoutingwraith (Jul 23, 2017)

Ill be honest i have the nVidia Shield K1 tablet. This is by far the best tablet for $200 US you can get. Almost next to Pure Android as well and so far have received a bunch of updates.


----------



## biffzinker (Jul 25, 2017)

Is the Google Android Emulator v2.0 part of Android Studio a option for your app development?
https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html


----------



## silentbogo (Jul 25, 2017)

biffzinker said:


> Is the Google Android Emulator v2.0 part of Android Studio a option for your app development?
> https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html


It is, but it sucks and takes up lots of resources. Also, no full graphics acceleration(at least it never worked for me).
The most I could manage on my old hexacore system w/ 24GB RAM was a seamless emulation of 1280x800 device w/ 1GB dedicated memory. Graphics still lagged a lot.
As bad as it was in ADK, it's even worse in QT Creator, because IDE takes up more resources than Android IDE. It's not noticeable during desktop development, but alongside Android Emulator it's gonna put to the knees even a decent PC.

Maybe Google managed to fix and optimize it in the past couple of years, but I doubt it was to the point where you can emulate today's average FHD quad-core phone w/ 3+GB DDR3L/4L
Using a physical device over ADB is much easier and less time consuming. Also cheaper, since you don't have to build a dev. rig.


----------



## Papahyooie (Jul 25, 2017)

The problem with ascertaining whether a tablet will get updated, is that the manufacturer has to customize each android release for their specific hardware. So eventually every tablet is going to be EOL'd, because the manufacturer can't be bothered with doing development for older tablets that they don't sell anymore. So there's really no way to get a tablet that will have more than one major android version update. 

Something with an unlocked bootloader will have limited support through third party mods, like the now-defunct cyanogenmod. Definitely get something with AOSP stock android and an unlocked bootloader, and chances are there will be someone out there that will port over the next update.


----------



## jboydgolfer (Jul 25, 2017)

I bought the Samsung galaxy tab 4, for my wife, and it was pretty reasonably priced. I know that it's rated pretty high or at least was when I bought it (for its class )


----------



## TheLostSwede (Jul 25, 2017)

The Nexus tablets used to be the ones to have for this, but they seem to be dead in the water. I have a Nexus 9 (which is a POS) that's still getting regular updates though. Best part about it is that it was a freebie.


----------



## silentbogo (Jul 25, 2017)

TheLostSwede said:


> The Nexus tablets used to be the ones to have for this, but they seem to be dead in the water. I have a Nexus 9 (which is a POS) that's still getting regular updates though. Best part about it is that it was a freebie.


Free Nexus 9? I wish I was that lucky. The best I got was a 2nd gen Nexus 7, which was not really free, but a contest prize on Instructables...


----------



## vostok (Jul 25, 2017)

Thanks for all the replies, guys. I ended up getting this (before I saw the suggestions for NVidia Shield):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M0JZ9RW/?tag=tec053-21


----------



## TheLostSwede (Jul 25, 2017)

silentbogo said:


> Free Nexus 9? I wish I was that lucky. The best I got was a 2nd gen Nexus 7, which was not really free, but a contest prize on Instructables...



Well, my SO used to work for HTC so...


----------



## silentbogo (Jul 25, 2017)

vostok said:


> Thanks for all the replies, guys. I ended up getting this (before I saw the suggestions for NVidia Shield):
> 
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M0JZ9RW/?tag=tec053-21


Seems OK-ish... The only problem I have with this one, is a measly 1280x800 screen and only 1GB RAM. Even with its powerful MT6737T SoC it will lag on anything higher than Android 5.0 over time, even if it's a clean AOSP build.
If it is new, you should probably do a return or exchange for 2nd gen. Neocore E1 with 2GB DDR3L. At least it won't bottleneck that powerful CPU.



TheLostSwede said:


> Well, my SO used to work for HTC so...


I guess it's a good time to create a profile on a dating website! 
"Young, smart and athletic male, looking for female HTC employee. Will provide comfort and love in exchange for free tablets, phones and VR headsets ))".


----------



## vostok (Jul 25, 2017)

Oops - apologies, I fished the wrong link out of my history. Meant this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XZTL338/?tag=tec053-21


----------



## OneMoar (Jul 25, 2017)

I am telling you do not buy a cheap no-brand tablet
you are in for a bad time
pony up for the nvidia shield when it comes back in stock
or buy a nexus device
you DO NOT WANT A CHEAP tablet I can not stress this enough they are all completely worthless


----------



## vostok (Jul 25, 2017)

Er, well other advice suggested exactly that, no-brand tablets. And this has a ton of decent reviews, hence.


----------



## silentbogo (Jul 25, 2017)

vostok said:


> Er, well other advice suggested exactly that, no-brand tablets. And this has a ton of decent reviews, hence.


That's better =)


----------



## OneMoar (Jul 25, 2017)

You DO NOT develop software on craptacular tablets

what you will end up with is a broken app that runs on nothing but what you wrote it on

I literally have a stack of these crappy off-brand tablets thats 3 foot thick in the junk pile NO


----------

