Android or iPad tablet for a gift?

[Catherine1]

I have a question for you guys. One of my sisters is having a birthday next month and she has never owned a tablet (she's a bit old fashioned) and I was thinking about getting her one for her birthday.

Which would you think would make a better first tablet for someone new to them, an Android or iPad tablet? I was thinking an Android because she has an Android phone, although she doesn't use it for anything other than calls for the most part.

Would an Android tablet or an iPad tablet be the best choice for someone new to them?

I'd appreciate any input since I really don't know which to get her.

 

[ProfMike]

Wow, that is a hard question because it is so subjective.

I started with Android tablets but eventually moved to the iPad. The reason being is that the apps available for the IOS (iPad) at the time I made the switch which were much more abundant. That is not really the case anymore as most all apps available for the iPad are also available for the Android OS.

I would base the decision more on what you think she will do with the tablet. If she is just going to use the tablet for email and web surfing, they are both about the same. Although I will say that the iPad is a LITTLE less suspect able to trojans, malware and viruses, not much, but a little. The IOS operating system, I know that is redundant for all your geeks, is a little better protected in the actual architecture, but the Android OS is catching up.

Does she have an Apple computer? If she does stay with the iPad, it makes the communication between the two a little easier. You will not need a third party app. If she is working with a Windows computer they are both about the same. You will need a third party app to do any real file work on wither of the systems.

It really comes down to personal choice. Which one do you think is better?

By the way if cost is a factor. You can get much more bang for your buck with an Android system. They usually have a faster processor, more memory and bigger screens for a much reduced cost. But stay with a reliable vendor.

The Google Pixel is really good, can be difficult to find, Sony is a really good one, and one of my favorites is the Samsung, but I really like their products in general. Samsung just makes some really good products with good support.

Stay away from the off the wall brands. They tend to be unreliable and you will have a hard time getting any support if something were to go wrong. Also check to make certain whichever one you buy has a recovery system. Most of the good ones do but many of the cheaper ones will not. That can be critical if you were to get a virus or a malware infection on the tablet.

I hope this helps.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Maria Marketing]

I started off with an ipad then about a year or so later I got an android because there were a lot more free apps that did what I was looking for.

Since this is for your sis then I would base the decision in part on if she has an apple computer or not like Mike said above. Other than that I think it's just preference. Android tablets have more features and ram than the ipads for the same amount of money, so that is something else to consider.

 

[Catherine1]

Wow, that is a hard question because it is so subjective.

I started with Android tablets but eventually moved to the iPad. The reason being is that the apps available for the IOS (iPad) at the time I made the switch which were much more abundant. That is not really the case anymore as most all apps available for the iPad are also available for the Android OS.

I would base the decision more on what you think she will do with the tablet. If she is just going to use the tablet for email and web surfing, they are both about the same. Although I will say that the iPad is a LITTLE less suspect able to trojans, malware and viruses, not much, but a little. The IOS operating system, I know that is redundant for all your geeks, is a little better protected in the actual architecture, but the Android OS is catching up.

Does she have an Apple computer? If she does stay with the iPad, it makes the communication between the two a little easier. You will not need a third party app. If she is working with a Windows computer they are both about the same. You will need a third party app to do any real file work on wither of the systems.

It really comes down to personal choice. Which one do you think is better?

By the way if cost is a factor. You can get much more bang for your buck with an Android system. They usually have a faster processor, more memory and bigger screens for a much reduced cost. But stay with a reliable vendor.

The Google Pixel is really good, can be difficult to find, Sony is a really good one, and one of my favorites is the Samsung, but I really like their products in general. Samsung just makes some really good products with good support.

Stay away from the off the wall brands. They tend to be unreliable and you will have a hard time getting any support if something were to go wrong. Also check to make certain whichever one you buy has a recovery system. Most of the good ones do but many of the cheaper ones will not. That can be critical if you were to get a virus or a malware infection on the tablet.

I hope this helps.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for the detailed answer. I know that she has a PC and not an Apple computer.

I honestly don't think that she will use it very much although she has expressed an interest in reading one it. Do you think that one is a lot better for that than the other?

I was looking around and saw some really nice big name android tablets that seem to have good specs and pretty light too. I haven't checked out the brands you mentioned but i'll try to check into those as well.

She might go online a little but I doubt she will that much. She's quite a bit older than me and very old fashioned and tech challenged. LOL

I think if I get her an android tablet that has a real good display and is light (for the reading) then she will probably like it. Does that sound like it makes sense?

Thanks again for the detailed answer, I really appreciate it.

 

[Catherine1]

I started off with an ipad then about a year or so later I got an android because there were a lot more free apps that did what I was looking for.

Since this is for your sis then I would base the decision in part on if she has an apple computer or not like Mike said above. Other than that I think it's just preference. Android tablets have more features and ram than the ipads for the same amount of money, so that is something else to consider.

Thanks for the input Maria. She has a PC for her computer but doesn't use it that much. I was thinking about getting her a nice lightweight android with a real nice display and she'll probably like that. She expressed an interest in reading on one so I think that will probably fit her uses.

Thanks again for the input.

 

[ProfMike]

I agree with that an Android tablet with a good display would be fine if she will mainly read and occasionally surf the web. There are some really good ones. Something that you may want to consider if her main interest is reading is the Kindle Fire. They have a variety of sizes and a varied price range but they were developed around the Kindle reader and they added some additional functionality.

Most all eBooks are available on the Kindle and you can order both the readers and the books through Amazon. Which gives you the security of Amazon and the guarantee that you are dealing with a very reputable dealer. They can also be purchased at Barnes & Noble, and most good bookstores.

Just a thought

 

[Dean]

I also think that a good display is a great idea. If your sister is going to be reading on her tablet then having a good quality display can really be a help in both ease of reading and quality of the material displayed.

There can be a big difference between lower-end/quality tablets and the better brand tablets, especially with the display quality. Most of the lower-end or no-name tablets skimp on the display to lower prices at the expense of how nice things will look.

The display is something that can also make a good impression with your sister since you say she isn't really a tech person then seeing a great looking display might get her more into tech things.

Cheers, Dean.

 

[Maria Marketing]

Thanks for the input Maria. She has a PC for her computer but doesn't use it that much. I was thinking about getting her a nice lightweight android with a real nice display and she'll probably like that. She expressed an interest in reading on one so I think that will probably fit her uses.

Thanks again for the input.

You are welcome Catherine.

I think if she gets something that looks real nice she might decide she really likes it and she'll use it a lot. Whilst I understand that she isn't a technology person I do think that might change if she was to see how nice some things can look on a good tablet.

 

[Catherine1]

Thanks everyone for your help.

One last question. Is the resolution (XXXXxXXX for example) what I look for in a quality display or is there something else that determines the display quality?

 

[Maria Marketing]

Thanks everyone for your help.

One last question. Is the resolution (XXXXxXXX for example) what I look for in a quality display or is there something else that determines the display quality?

I am not sure if that's the only thing that determines the quality of a tablet display because I have done some side by side comparisons while shopping for them and have seen quite a difference in some models and brands with the exact same resolution.

So if you can see them in person that would probably be the easiest way to see how the screen quality is.

 

[Catherine1]

I am not sure if that's the only thing that determines the quality of a tablet display because I have done some side by side comparisons while shopping for them and have seen quite a difference in some models and brands with the exact same resolution.

So if you can see them in person that would probably be the easiest way to see how the screen quality is.

Thank Maria, I think I will just have to do some checking in person rather than shopping online I guess. I do want to get her one that will best suit her uses.

 

[Dean]

Thank Maria, I think I will just have to do some checking in person rather than shopping online I guess. I do want to get her one that will best suit her uses.

In person evaluations can really help Catherine. Sometimes there will be a tablet that by the specs, should have a better looking display but in reality it isn't. There are also big differences between the quality of how something looks on devices with identical display specs. What should look very similar can look very different in quality and also color.

Take a little time to check them in person and you'll see what I mean.

Cheers, Dean.

 

[Maria Marketing]

Thank Maria, I think I will just have to do some checking in person rather than shopping online I guess. I do want to get her one that will best suit her uses.

You can also do some looking in person just to see what the displays look like and if the prices are too high then just write down the model numbers and look online for a better price. That way you can see what they look like in person and still get the best price.

Food for thought.

 

[KeralMTG]

I always prefer an android because there is much more free apps and you can get a much better tablet than an ipad for the same amount of money.

I also think a good display will help make your sister like it more when she sees how nice things look on it. You can also show her some photo apps that can do some cool effects. She might like that because many people like nice images.

 

[Catherine1]

Thank for all the help everyone. I have been extra busy lately but will try to check some out within the next week. Her birthday is at the end of the month so I guess i will have to make a decision soon.

 

[Catherine1]

One last question for anyone who might be able to give me a recommendation. I have been looking at specs both in store and online and see that these vary in ram from one to the next.

How much ram should I look for?

I want to make sure it will be good for a few years at least and don't know what kind of minimum I should make sure to get.

 

[KeralMTG]

One last question for anyone who might be able to give me a recommendation. I have been looking at specs both in store and online and see that these vary in ram from one to the next.

How much ram should I look for?

I want to make sure it will be good for a few years at least and don't know what kind of minimum I should make sure to get.

Are you talking about the ram for memory or the storage? Sometimes those get confused. Try to get 2GB of ram or more if possible. If you are talking about the storage then you will probably want at least 32GB so she has room for lots of apps and books and some other things.

 

[ProfMike]

As inexpensive as RAM is getting now, and believe me it was not always like that, the more RAM the better, you can never have too much memory.

With videos, books, apps, and even games now available on the tablets the more memory the better.

 

[Catherine1]

Are you talking about the ram for memory or the storage? Sometimes those get confused. Try to get 2GB of ram or more if possible. If you are talking about the storage then you will probably want at least 32GB so she has room for lots of apps and books and some other things.

I was talking about the storage part. I just want to make sure she has enough room for everything she will put on it.

 

[Catherine1]

As inexpensive as RAM is getting now, and believe me it was not always like that, the more RAM the better, you can never have too much memory.

With videos, books, apps, and even games now available on the tablets the more memory the better.

Thanks Mike, I was getting confused about the RAM and the storage. I thought they were the same thing. I was looking and found the one on the link below. They have an 8" and 9.7" model. I was thinking about getting the 8" just because it will be a little less weight than the bigger model. They have real good looking displays. Do you know if the Samsung below is a good one? I was seeing lots of other models but this one looks the best as far as the picture.

www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/galaxy-tab-s2