tablets

Diane is looking to replace her tablet, which died. She'd like a 10" model. Had Samsung in the past. What's her best choice? Rich says that the iPad really is the best tablet out there, and it's the best value. It may cost a little more, but the ecosystem is more vast, the apps are better written, and the user base is exponentially larger. Since she needs one that works with spreadsheets, The iPad works great with Google Sheets. The screen size of the iPad is 9.4". So it's close If you want over 10", then the iPad Pro is going to be the way to go, but it is a little more expensive.

Nam wants to upgrade his tablet. What should he buy? Rich says that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is a good option, but at $650, it seems a bit pricey. And for that price, you're much better off with the iPad. They're better tablets. The Android tablet hasn't really taken off like the iPad has.

John has a Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 and it has an OLED screen. Leo says that's a great model. Is it better than an iPad? Leo says an iPad has True Tone, which helps calibrate the image to the ambient light. Leo's opinion is that nothing beats OLED. But then again, we haven't heard if the new iPads will have OLED yet. Apple's position is that the iPad screens are great. But then again, iPhone X screens are OLED. If they do use OLED, they will be made by Samsung. So it won't be any better.

Johnny picked up a Windows Surface Go tablet, which Leo calls the cutest computer ever. It's 9.7" with Keyboard and Pen, and USB charging. But Johnny got a charging adapter for it that bricked the computer. Leo says to never buy a third party charger unless he's sure it's a legitimate product. Amazon doesn't police their third party sellers very well, and a lot of them are either counterfeit or very cheaply made.

Don wants to know if buying a refurbished iPad is OK. Leo says if it's from the manufacturer, then yes. Especially with Apple, who won't sell something unless it's perfect. And odds are, the refurbished item is simply a model that has been returned. It'll also have a new warranty as well. But Leo says he may want to wait a few weeks because Apple is about to announce new iPads and iPhones for the fall holiday shopping season. That will mean the current models will drop in price. And 64GB is plenty for internal storage.

Chris is looking for a good tablet that won't break the bank. Is there a Chromebook tablet? Leo says there is, but he doesn't recommend it. The best Android tablets are made by Samsung, and the Galaxy Tab S3 is about $450. Leo says that Google had a great tablet called the Pixel C, but they don't make it anymore. If budget is an issue, then the Amazon Fire tablet is the best because they are heavily subsidized.

Pete has an Amazon Fire tablet and he wants to know how he can get Android apps from Google Play. Leo says that Amazon's fire tablets don't come with Google Play — he'll have to use Amazon's own app store. It's possible to install the Play Store on the Fire tablet, but he'll have to turn off "only download settings in the play store" or "don't allow apps from unknown sources" option. It's in "settings and security" in the carousel.

Lillian says that you can use your old Fire tablet as an Echo Show now thanks to a new Pogo dock by Amazon. Leo says it sounds like just a charging dock and with an software update, it would turn it into an Echo Show. But the dock doesn't have any speakers, and the screen isn't all that great. So it's an interesting device if you have a surplus Fire tablet lying around, and for $35 it's not too bad.

Sharon wants to get a new iPad mini but she hears they may get discontinued. Leo says nobody really knows, but since they haven't updated it in awhile, everyone thinks it may not be updated. Leo says it'll still be good if she wants to buy one now. The latest models, if they aren't discontinued, will be updated to have Face ID, but Leo says that's not really a big deal. So if she wants to buy one, she should go ahead.