# What's your preferred size tablet?



## Hollis (May 31, 2020)

I have rather tragically had to give my top end iPad pro back to work 'cause I've left.  So, I'm on the lookout for another cheaper tablet - mainly for reading/browing.  I've a kindle for reading, but as often as not I prefer to use the kindle app on a tablet for reading and browing..

I've always had 10 inch tablets - I was wondering how people found the 8 inch screen on balance?


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## farmerbarleymow (May 31, 2020)

I've got a MS Surface which is 10.3" I think.  It's OK and better than the same sized work laptop as the screen is much better.  But I hook it up to an external monitor so rarely use it by itself.  That's not much help is it?


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## nogojones (May 31, 2020)

Double stacked triangular mitsubishi's were just perfect I found


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## editor (May 31, 2020)

Hollis said:


> I have rather tragically had to give my top end iPad pro back to work 'cause I've left.  So, I'm on the lookout for another cheaper tablet - mainly for reading/browing.  I've a kindle for reading, but as often as not I prefer to use the kindle app on a tablet for reading and browing..
> 
> I've always had 10 inch tablets - I was wondering how people found the 8 inch screen on balance?


Check out the  Lenovo Chromebook Duet - it's had rave reviews 



> With that in mind, this is the closest to perfection that I’ve ever seen from a $300 laptop-slash-tablet. If you’re looking for a fun device for kids that can also handle homeschooling work, or a portable 2-in-1 for watching Netflix and sending emails on the go, the Duet should do just fine. It’s a solid midrange 2-in-1 Chromebook that has no business being as cheap as it is











						Lenovo Chromebook Duet review: this has no business costing so little
					

Finally, a Chrome OS tablet you should actually buy




					www.theverge.com
				











						Lenovo Chromebook Duet Review: unreal value
					

Let's get this out of the way up front: Chrome OS on tablets has been pretty bad up to this point. Whether it was the lack of a proper tablet UI, the poorly considered first attempt at a new tablet UI on the Slate, or simply the fault of slow, cheap hardware, the overall experience...




					chromeunboxed.com
				











						Lenovo Chromebook Duet review: A surprisingly solid tablet experience | Engadget
					

To be perfectly honest, I did not expect much out of Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet.




					www.engadget.com


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## danski (May 31, 2020)

nogojones said:


> Double stacked triangular mitsubishi's were just perfect I found


WAs gonna say, "at least whole, possibly doubled."


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## Throbbing Angel (May 31, 2020)

Hollis said:


> I have rather tragically had to give my top end iPad pro back to work 'cause I've left.  So, I'm on the lookout for another cheaper tablet - mainly for reading/browing.  I've a kindle for reading, but as often as not I prefer to use the kindle app on a tablet for reading and browing..
> 
> I've always had 10 inch tablets - I was wondering how people found the 8 inch screen on balance?



8in seems the minimum in my experience of iPads and Kindle tablets.
I've had a 7in kindlemand have used similarly sized Samsung's at work and found them both a bit too small for my liking.

Standard iPad is 10.2in now and there is a 10in Kindle tablet and I think those would be my go to devices if I was in the market for one. 

Never used the larger iPads so can't comment on going large.


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## FridgeMagnet (May 31, 2020)

I can read fine on a smaller screen (I mean I read a lot on my phone, and a paperback is smaller than an ipad) but I'm not sure fiddly sites and apps work well on much smaller than ~10". It's all about the UI design - you're going to be on desktop versions of sites, and a lot of iPad apps are aimed at 10" screens. Even then some of them really need to sort themselves out, particularly lazy conversions of games.

I'm toying with the idea of getting an iPad but I'm not considering less than 10" atm, particularly as I have a pretty big phone now.


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## platinumsage (May 31, 2020)

I wouldn’t go more than 10 inches for reading and browsing around the house and garden. More than that it would be too cumbersome to comfortably hold with one hand while e.g. drinking tea etc


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## dessiato (May 31, 2020)

Last Christmas my wife and I bought ipads with 10" screens. Much better than the other sizes we've used in terms of usability and feel.


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## Me76 (May 31, 2020)

I had always been 7'' but recently wanted one that didn't crash every three seconds and the smallest I could get was an 8''.  I find it gives me an ache from holding it a bit more than the smaller one did. I use it for books and shit games, videos when travelling, works perfectly.  Anything bigger would be silly.


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## Chz (Jun 2, 2020)

I prefer an 8" 16:10, but since Amazon really gimps the 8" Fire I've got a 10" and it's not uncomfortably large.

Though the new Fire 8 seems to meet my minimum requirements now. The old one was total shite. Still not 1920x1200 though. Fuck's sake, we still use the old Tesco Hudl 2 on occasion because it's got such a great screen.


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## 19sixtysix (Jun 2, 2020)

I prefer traditional tablet



			Butter Tablet | Maw Broon's Kitchen


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## Winot (Jun 2, 2020)

I've got an iPad Air 2 (9.7 inch) and an iPad mini 4 (7.9 inch). Both are going strong but often disappear into the hands of the teenagers.

Partly for that reason and partly for work reasons I've just shelled out for a 12.9 inch iPad Pro. I suspect it's going to feel _huge_ but I deliberately went for the biggest screen possible as the switch to remote working means I've ditched the reams of paper in the office and I want something on which I can view and annotate pdfs.

Fuck me it's expensive though - over a grand for the minimum spec tablet and pencil (I shall charge it to work if it proves useful).


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## FridgeMagnet (Jun 2, 2020)




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## Throbbing Angel (Jun 2, 2020)

Winot said:


> I've got an iPad Air 2 (9.7 inch) and an iPad mini 4 (7.9 inch). Both are going strong but often disappear into the hands of the teenagers.
> 
> Partly for that reason and partly for work reasons I've just shelled out for a 12.9 inch iPad Pro. I suspect it's going to feel _huge_ but I deliberately went for the biggest screen possible as the switch to remote working means I've ditched the reams of paper in the office and I want something on which I can view and annotate pdfs.
> 
> Fuck me it's expensive though - over a grand for the minimum spec tablet and pencil (I shall charge it to work if it proves useful).



Charge it to work anyway


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## ska invita (Jun 2, 2020)

I dont really understand tablets - for why?
We just bought a £300 Lenovo laptop at work and its really great for the money
Keyboards are really useful!
If a tablet was £50 then maybe, otherwise I dont get it


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## Chz (Jun 2, 2020)

ska invita said:


> I dont really understand tablets - for why?
> We just bought a £300 Lenovo laptop at work and its really great for the money
> Keyboards are really useful!
> If a tablet was £50 then maybe, otherwise I dont get it


What about the £300 Lenovo tablet+keyboard?


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## Hollis (Jun 2, 2020)

ska invita said:


> I dont really understand tablets - for why?
> We just bought a £300 Lenovo laptop at work and its really great for the money
> Keyboards are really useful!
> If a tablet was £50 then maybe, otherwise I dont get it



I've used the 10" tablet for reading lots  - on tube or cafes.  The kindle app allows you to highlight more which is good for text books etc.

I've also found the other use for it is aimless surfing in bed..

Another factor is with increasing years and slightly worsening eyesight I find browsing on a telephone more of an effort now..

I did also use it for the mother of all excel spreadsheets - it's suprising how easy it is to do these things without a keyboard when you get into the right mindset with it..


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## Hollis (Jun 2, 2020)

Chz said:


> What about the £300 Lenovo tablet+keyboard?



It looks good -but maybe abit heavy for reading?!


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## nogojones (Jun 2, 2020)

ska invita said:


> I dont really understand tablets - for why?
> We just bought a £300 Lenovo laptop at work and its really great for the money
> Keyboards are really useful!
> If a tablet was £50 then maybe, otherwise I dont get it


I only really use mine for reading books, but it gets a lot of use from that. If mine died I'd get a new one, just because its become the main way I read books these days, But I'd not be looking to spend more than £80-100 on one.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Jun 3, 2020)

ska invita said:


> I dont really understand tablets - for why?
> We just bought a £300 Lenovo laptop at work and its really great for the money
> Keyboards are really useful!
> If a tablet was £50 then maybe, otherwise I dont get it



I don't really. I got one but found I didn't use it. Most things I do on my phone. If I can't I go to my desktop or Chromebook.


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## MickiQ (Jun 3, 2020)

I have 2 Samsung Tabs a 10.5" and a 7", the 7" is quite a few years old and whilst there is nothing wrong with it there are a lot of  apps it can't run and it barely gets used these days. Whenever I see them next it will most likely end up being given to one of my grandnephews/nieces.
I use the 10.5" a Tab S5e a lot since my PC is a desktop and I don't have a personal laptop only a works one which I can't use for personal stuff.
I use it for reading (I used to have a Kindle but it's bust), browsing, videos and music, mobile banking, email, word processing, in fact pretty much the same stuff I would do at my PC when I am sat in front of it. I prefer the PC but it's too big to lug around with me.
I have most of the apps I use also on my phone but use a small screen for more than a minute or two and I soon get frustrated with it.


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## teuchter (Jun 3, 2020)

Winot said:


> I've got an iPad Air 2 (9.7 inch) and an iPad mini 4 (7.9 inch). Both are going strong but often disappear into the hands of the teenagers.
> 
> Partly for that reason and partly for work reasons I've just shelled out for a 12.9 inch iPad Pro. I suspect it's going to feel _huge_ but I deliberately went for the biggest screen possible as the switch to remote working means I've ditched the reams of paper in the office and I want something on which I can view and annotate pdfs.
> 
> Fuck me it's expensive though - over a grand for the minimum spec tablet and pencil (I shall charge it to work if it proves useful).


I'm a big fan of going paperless but find that a second (and third) monitor for my main computer does the job and is much cheaper than a tablet. Recently i got a pen display in place of one of my monitors and it's great for marking stuff up if you like doing that by hand.


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## Winot (Jun 3, 2020)

teuchter said:


> I'm a big fan of going paperless but find that a second (and third) monitor for my main computer does the job and is much cheaper than a tablet. Recently i got a pen display in place of one of my monitors and it's great for marking stuff up if you like doing that by hand.



Tell me more - what did you get? Can you use it to mark up pdfs on a Mac and save them/email them in marked up form?


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## teuchter (Jun 3, 2020)

Winot said:


> Tell me more - what did you get? Can you use it to mark up pdfs on a Mac and save them/email them in marked up form?


One of these






						XP-PEN Artist 22 Pro Pen Display Graphics Drawing Tablet Monitor | XP-Pen UK official store
					

this 21.5-inch. 78%~82% Adobe RGB Color Gamut. its Rechargeable stylus P02S has 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity. distance learning,e-learning, Microsoft Whiteboard



					www.storexppen.co.uk
				




It has a stand which you can quite easily adjust so it can sit near-vertical most of the time but you can pull it out and have it more horizontal if you want to do some extended work on it. I largely got it for drawing purposes but also for quickly marking up PDFs which in my case are more often drawings than text documents (I got fed up printing them, marking them up by hand, scanning them, etc). I've only had it for a couple of weeks so yet to see exactly how I end up using it but I have already used it for doing some marking-up, and it's certainly an improvement on the manual process.

I'm on mac and it works fine. It'll depend on you finding the right app for you, for doing the marking-up - I imagine there are quite a few out there.

One thing I'd say is that if your intention is to mark up text docs with a lot of handwritten notes - it might not be ideal for that, because there is a slight lag sometimes which you can get used to if you are mainly drawing, but I think it could be frustrating if you wanted to do a lot of rapid handwriting.

(I've worked with 3 monitors for quite some time though, and have found that this pretty much eliminates the need to print stuff out - can have my main screen for whatever I'm working on, and then if what I'm doing requires referring back and forth to one or two PDF documents, or any other type of document including web pages, they can simply sit on the 2nd and 3rd monitors instead of being printed out and sitting on the desk. It took a short time to resist the urge to have things on paper but I've now got used to it and wouldn't go back. Had to briefly work in an office recently on a machine with a single screen and found that quite frustrating. In my opinion, two slightly lower resolution screens are more useful than one high resolution one.)


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## Hollis (Jun 7, 2020)

Yeah - that's the other benefit of tablets over laptops and PCs - okay reading off a laptop/PC screen for work, but wouldn't want to read a 300 page novel on a laptop..


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## Chz (Jun 7, 2020)

Hollis said:


> Yeah - that's the other benefit of tablets over laptops and PCs - okay reading off a laptop/PC screen for work, but wouldn't want to read a 300 page novel on a laptop..


I wouldn't want to read one on a tablet, either. The eInk Kindle devices still exist for a reason. Useless for comics and whatnot though.


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## Hollis (Jun 7, 2020)

Depends - if you're reading 5 hours a day by a beach I agree your eyes will suffer after afew days... if you're reading say an hour a day then it doesn't make much difference.  I alternate between the two... there's also the 'blue light' factor in evenings..


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## Nicolaw (Jul 25, 2020)

I have a 10.1-inch tablet pc, it works great.
My wife has an 8 in tablet pc.
I get used to a 10in screen.
I bought them from imeshbean and wish, you can have a look.


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