New Tablet

[pakora]

I would like to get a Tablet not too expensive - this rules out the Apple products. Main requirements are: web browsing watching Youtube videos the ability to read books would be good. I would be taking it on holiday with me so a good storage capacity to be able to download stuff. Will I need one with the capacity to accept a SIM card for browsing whilst roaming. Bluetooth for pairing headphones.
This would be my first tablet of any kind.
Does the Kindle offer these kind of features.
Budget about £250

[nvubu]

Both Lenovo & Blackview have a number of tablets of different sizes, plus Wifi & Sim card versions. I find that a size of 8" or 9" is plenty big enough - I can use them as a Sat Nav - any bigger and is too big for me.

I tend to use my phone as a hot spot - although I do have Sim card enabled tablets - used it last year in Zimbabwe with a local SIM Card

Try to get one with as much RAM as possible plus an SD card.

[CoolHands]

Although I hate amazon is a fire tablet (or whatever they’re called) suitable? I think they used be pretty cheap and good for that type of use.

[Bluevanman]

I've just bought a Xiaomi redmi pad pro, I've had a few tablets over the years and this is by far the best I've had.
Cost me £170 direct from Xiaomi in a 1 day flash sale with keyboard and cover included.
https://m.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_pad_pro-12922....

[stemll]

pakora said:

I would like to get a Tablet not too expensive - this rules out the Apple products. Main requirements are: web browsing watching Youtube videos the ability to read books would be good. I would be taking it on holiday with me so a good storage capacity to be able to download stuff. Will I need one with the capacity to accept a SIM card for browsing whilst roaming. Bluetooth for pairing headphones.
This would be my first tablet of any kind.
Does the Kindle offer these kind of features.
Budget about £250

Doesn't entirely rule out Apple with a refurb (12 month warranty, like new) iPad for £279 (£120 more for a GSM one - only you can answer whether you need that). Apple Books is great and there is a Kindle App too if you already have books from there. 10th Generation is the current model.

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/FCM74NF/A/re...

Kindle is fine for reading books, hopeless for anything else (unless you mean a Fire).

[therams]

Refurb iPad from Apple - latest generation model

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/refurbished/ipad

Tether your phone

Slight budget creep but does everything you need

Job done

[Turtle Shed]

In classic PH not answering the question in any way, how about a Chromebook and a Kindle?

The Kindle is far better for reading books because of the e-ink display and also because it is so light. Then the Chromebook for web browsing and Youtube.

Tablets often need a stand, Chromebooks sit on your lap. Chromebook have a proper keyboard and (usually) a bigger screen than tablets.

The Chromebook will have Bluetooth, and whilst you can get them with a SIM slot, I just tether my phone when there's no WiFI available.

FInally, wife has a top spec iPad, I have a £180 Acer Chromebook, and the only advantage that her iPad pro has is the gorgeous screen IMHO.

[Cotty]

nvubu said:

Both Lenovo & Blackview have a number of tablets of different sizes, plus Wifi & Sim card versions. I find that a size of 8" or 9" is plenty big enough - I can use them as a Sat Nav - any bigger and is too big for me.

I tend to use my phone as a hot spot - although I do have Sim card enabled tablets - used it last year in Zimbabwe with a local SIM Card

Try to get one with as much RAM as possible plus an SD card.

I have been looking at the Lenovo Tab M9
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D6YK213G/?coliid=I37...

Im looking to put a 512gb SD car in and rip all my DVDs onto it. They do a 3 Ram and 4 Ram version do I really need to 4 Ram version to mainly watch films and surf the net, Youtube, PH, etc

[dxg]

I bought a Lenovo Tab a few months ago.

It was awful. Just too underpowered and filled with customised junk bogging it down.

I only needed it for one specific purpose. And it couldn't even run one app consistently.

So, avoid Lenovo. Which is a shame as I assumed their tablets would be good because their Thinkpads are good.

[Griffith4ever]

We've got three Lenovo Tab 10s and they've all be faultless. Great vaue, fast, and I certainly don't remember removing lots of "boatware". Each to their own, but have a trawl here and you'll find most people recommend Lenovos.

I agree about tethering - no need to limit yourself to tabs with sim slots, just tether.

[Mont Blanc]

pakora said:

I would like to get a Tablet not too expensive - this rules out the Apple products. Main requirements are: web browsing watching Youtube videos the ability to read books would be good. I would be taking it on holiday with me so a good storage capacity to be able to download stuff. Will I need one with the capacity to accept a SIM card for browsing whilst roaming. Bluetooth for pairing headphones.
This would be my first tablet of any kind.
Does the Kindle offer these kind of features.
Budget about £250

Personally, I wouldn't touch anything except an iPad. I think you would have to be insane to buy anything else when, as others have pointed out, a refurb of the latest model iPad direct from Apple is £279.

Or just buy a new one from £329, which is £79 over your budget - Basically the price of having a meal in a pub, for something that will potentially last you the best part of 10 years (from my experience).

No brainer.

[grumbledoak]

Another vote for the refurb iPad. I'm no fanboi. I have a mix of "ecosystems" and one of each mobile phone. But the iPad just works.

[Griffith4ever]

Mont Blanc said:

Personally, I wouldn't touch anything except an iPad. I think you would have to be insane to buy anything else when, as others have pointed out, a refurb of the latest model iPad direct from Apple is £279.

Or just buy a new one from £329, which is £79 over your budget - Basically the price of having a meal in a pub, for something that will potentially last you the best part of 10 years (from my experience).

No brainer.

Unless you don't want to use iOS, and then your "insanity" is null ;-)

We don't have a single Apple product, because we don't like iOS / Apple.

"no brainer".... :-)

[Corso Marche]

dxg said:

I bought a Lenovo Tab a few months ago.

It was awful. Just too underpowered and filled with customised junk bogging it down.

I started with a new Lenovo M11 at Christmas. (TB330XU released in 2024 - 128GB storage, 4GB RAM etc)
I'd share your concerns. It's slow and I'm not sure Lenovo's fork of android is entirely stable to be honest, and there are a few design inconsistencies in the UI.
It's ok, but only for the most basic of stuff.
My nearly 8 year old Pixel 2XL phone outperforms it by a noticeable margin with less RAM and storage, and has zero issues with apps the M11 struggles or fails with.
I couldn't recommend the M11 to someone based on my experience.
I can't comment on the P range of tablets from Lenovo, which have beefier hardware and CPU's, but I wonder if I'd have been better off choosing one of the more expensive Pxx models.

[stemll]

Griffith4ever said:

Mont Blanc said:

Personally, I wouldn't touch anything except an iPad. I think you would have to be insane to buy anything else when, as others have pointed out, a refurb of the latest model iPad direct from Apple is £279.

Or just buy a new one from £329, which is £79 over your budget - Basically the price of having a meal in a pub, for something that will potentially last you the best part of 10 years (from my experience).

No brainer.

Unless you don't want to use iOS, and then your "insanity" is null ;-)

We don't have a single Apple product, because we don't like iOS / Apple.

"no brainer".... :-)

Your dislike of Apple (which is entirely your choice) doesn't change the fact that by almost every measure, the iPad is the best and most capable tablet on the market. I note that you didn't offer an alternative, just your opinion of Apple

BTW OP, I have an old Fire tablet that I acquired when my dad died two years ago. I have no idea what model it is or how old it is but, if you want it, it's yours in return for the postage cost. It has been factory reset and is linked to no Amazon account, not been used since I got it. If you don't like it, just bin it. Battery is completely empty, I will charge it up and update with the details once it will power on.

Edited by stemll on Monday 3rd March 23:11

[stemll]

You probably don't want it. 27GB storage, Fire HD10 7th gen. So, 8 years old and naff all storage. It so so crap that it can't even do a factory reset until it has 30% battery even though it is plugged in

[CorradoTDI]

iPad - Not overly expensive and it's actually the cheapest option when you consider how long these things last and how good the battery's are / resale value etc.

[Griffith4ever]

stemll said:

Your dislike of Apple (which is entirely your choice) doesn't change the fact that by almost every measure, the iPad is the best and most capable tablet on the market. I note that you didn't offer an alternative, just your opinion of Apple

BTW OP, I have an old Fire tablet that I acquired when my dad died two years ago. I have no idea what model it is or how old it is but, if you want it, it's yours in return for the postage cost. It has been factory reset and is linked to no Amazon account, not been used since I got it. If you don't like it, just bin it. Battery is completely empty, I will charge it up and update with the details once it will power on.

Edited by stemll on Monday 3rd March 23:11

I did. Lenovo. Got two of them. Both around £120. Perform flawlessly for what they do. Web browsing.

I dont contest that apples hardware is industry leading. I just cant get on with their software and the walled garden approach. They certainly make the best bang for buck laptops.

You call it a "no brainer" but you dont take the software into consideration, and the eco system in general (v expensive peripherals and software). If it were indeed a "no brainer" then we'd all be on iOS, but we aren't. The market share is currently about 50/50

Edited by Griffith4ever on Tuesday 4th March 08:16

[superpp]

Got my son this Honor Pad 9 for Xmas, seems excellent.
His came with a cover, keyboard and pencil, but the offer isn't as good now.
The screen looks excellent when he's streaming sport.

If you go for any Android tablet, I would ensure you get 8GB RAM.

https://www.honor.com/uk/tablets/honor-pad-9/buy/

Cheapest via this:
https://www.hotukdeals.com/share-deal/4542763?utm_...

Edited by superpp on Tuesday 4th March 08:31

[stemll]

Griffith4ever said:

I did. Lenovo. Got two of them.

So you did but not in the post I quoted

Griffith4ever said:

You call it a "no brainer"

Not my words.