Tablet for kids

[Chicken Chaser]

I'm looking for a tablet/iPad for my 10 year old and 5 year old for their homework and a bit more.

We're a non apple family, we use Android primarily however I used to have Apple so I am aware of it's capabilities.

Both my children have to be online to access homework and will need a tablet and pen option with an additional keyboard. I don't want to go to a laptop because Id like to keep the tablet functionality. My eldest also is keen and good at drawing so would like to have that option for her.

I know an iPad is currently anything from about £479-550 for a 10.9 iPad plus pen and keyboard.

Android namely a Samsung 9FE is probably slightly cheaper as a package with pen at £399


On the face of it, the Android should be ideal however I generally don't keep Android phones longer than 2 years whereas with Apple, I've had iMacs last for 10 years and still run as they did on day. I was hoping we could get this and it would see the pair of them through primary (youngest is 5) Is this still the case for Apple stuff? Is it worth spending the extra on Apple, and can you use it with Google drive and productivity? (I don't want to go down the route of iCloud and iTunes as we don't use it elsewhere).

Anyone who has any mileage on Samsung tablets I'd be interested to hear from..

[MiniMan64]

Both my boys (10 and 6) have Amazon fire tablets with a decent cover on they’re going strong 4 or 5 years later. They were bought primarily to be able to watch movies on the go but now they are used 95% of the time for watching YouTube.

We’re an ‘Apple’ family but couldn’t justify the cost of iPads for them.

[Chicken Chaser]

MiniMan64 said:

Both my boys (10 and 6) have Amazon fire tablets with a decent cover on they’re going strong 4 or 5 years later. They were bought primarily to be able to watch movies on the go but now they are used 95% of the time for watching YouTube.

We’re an ‘Apple’ family but couldn’t justify the cost of iPads for them.

We've got a fire 8 which they still use for some stuff, and it'll be put to use for watching vids/netflix in the car etc but the move to a tablet with pen and keyboard is more towards the idea of homework (they get a fair amount and it's all online) because the fire screen is too small for the purpose.

[MiniMan64]

Chicken Chaser said:

MiniMan64 said:

Both my boys (10 and 6) have Amazon fire tablets with a decent cover on they’re going strong 4 or 5 years later. They were bought primarily to be able to watch movies on the go but now they are used 95% of the time for watching YouTube.

We’re an ‘Apple’ family but couldn’t justify the cost of iPads for them.

We've got a fire 8 which they still use for some stuff, and it'll be put to use for watching vids/netflix in the car etc but the move to a tablet with pen and keyboard is more towards the idea of homework (they get a fair amount and it's all online) because the fire screen is too small for the purpose.

That was part of our original plan too but as it’s turned out a tablet just wasn’t a realist option to use and if they have HW online now they use one of the two desktops in our office.

[donkmeister]

As I have got rid of my laptop, but find a smartphone screen too small to do much, I was worried I was being a bit antisocial with the Mrs in the evening by nipping off to my office to do all my internet/computer stuff.

So, I recently bought a Lenovo Tab M10 Plus 3rd gen for about £150 (it was a Black Friday deal but it looks like it's £140 from Lenovo direct now!), and a bluetooth keyboard for £20ish https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B7HG1BXV?psc=1&r... that has a tablet holder in it. I considered the Logitech one that has a little tablet/phone holder, but it had a membrane keyboard so didn't fancy it (only £40ish though)

So, for £170 I've got a decent Android tablet and the ability to have a keyboard with laptop-like form factor when I want it (e.g. I'm tapping away on it writing this post).

When looking at reviews of the tablet, note that the same name was used on a lesser-spec tablet in other markets. I was set to give it a good ignoring until I read the spec sheet and realised it was a visually-identical but electronically-different tablet to the ones that were being reviewed on YouTube etc.

[BoRED S2upid]

Reconditioned iPad £120 on eBay. Look and perform like new. No need to buy new there is very little difference between a new I anything and one that’s 2 or 3 years old. Sell your old one and it costs very little to upgrade every few years.

[Chicken Chaser]

Thanks I'll have a look at reconditioned iPads.