Hi all.
When this device was launched it was my dream device, but that's more than a year ago. I've been running with the XZU for some time, and am seriously considering making the jump to the Z3TC. As far as I can tell, there's no stronger actor in the same segment in today's market when I consider manufacturer, software, guarantees etc - even the dev scene has some small manner of activity.
After seeing that there was no Z5 Ultra at IFA, I think I need to get this device - but I'd like to hear from users and others if there's any reason not to get it at this point (q3 2015)?
I'll be using this as my main driver, meaning also as a phone. I know the latest Huawei MediaPad can do some of what this tab can, and I'm hearing the nes Sammy tab can make phones too. But Sony's waterproofing and form factor has got me hooked, what say you xda?
Most used tablet I have ever owned. LTE did it for me. No more hunting Wifi.
And I agree about the form factor. Battery life rocks too.
I've been a phablet user since the Note. I moved to the Nexus 6 earlier this year and in August traded it for the Z3TC.
My main use is reading and watching videos. I don't take a lot of pictures or make/receive phone calls. With the N6 and other smartphones there was still too much scrolling around webpages. So it was the right time to make the jump to a small and light tablet which could be carried around all day without worrying about battery life.
I tried the Tab S 8.4 earlier in the year (before the lollipop release) and returned it. The Chrome browser was too laggy, I didn't try or want to use another browser. I was a bit worried about the performance coming from a Nexus 6 but so far have been amazed at how smooth everything is. I'll be holding on to mine for a long time.
I had a Z3 last year and I missed the magnetic charging connector, now I have it back on the tablet. I can use it in a dock beside the bed and at work and with magnetic adapters in the car.
The display isn't as good as the Tab S amoled display, noticeable when watching videos in a dark room. But it feels a lot better in the hand and I prefer the on screen buttons and placement of the speakers.
I just bought mine a week ago. after 8 years of iPhone!!
It's a great size and really good looking!
If you plan to put a custom rom on it you should be careful! My camera does not focus with CM12.1/crDroid.
the sony software sucks but what can you do?.. hehe
It's still a great device and it is my only device now. It's not a real phone though but it works. Headset is recommended
Thanks for the answers, folks!
I dived in and bought myself one too. Have to upgrade my dataplan as soon as it arrives. I couldn't wait until march for the Z5 Ultra which is somewhere down the pipeline. A bit nervous about the rooting process but overall super excited.
I'm thinking about taking the plunge on this too. My second gen Nexus 7 is really starting to show it's age, but I love the seven inch form factor. What I don't understand is all the different variants of this device. I live in Asia, and probably won't get the 4G model, but do want root. My big question is I would like a travel case like my Nexae had...silicone with overleaf cover. It is my sofa device, so only leaves home when I travel. I hate those sloppy covers like everyone has on their iPads with a few cheap elastics in the corners...ugly, heavy, and just bad design. Does anyone do anything like this that for thiis for this device?
https://www.asus.com/Tablet-Accessory/Nexus_7_Travel_Cover
Related
I got my N7 in the mail yesterday and had about 24 hours to play with it. Just thought I'd share my experience thus far for anyone else in here thinking about upgrading from the Tablet S and getting it.
PROS:
-Loving the smaller size. I found quite a few games unplayable on the tablet s. Dual stick games being the main ones. Some buttons are just too hard/uncomfortable to reach.
-Micro USB charger. Plus the location of the charger makes it easier to use while charging.
-Ablity to play the Tegra 3 exclusive games.
-There will be MUCH better accessory support. Choice of add-ons for the tablet s was crazy bad! I never could find a better case for it than the sleeve it came with.
CONS:
- Not a significant performance jump (surprisingly! I found 4.1 was a fantastic jump over 4.0.4 on my galaxy nexus alone)
- Many games do not work on it (Ctulthu saves the world, machinarium, running fred so far)
- I noticed the touch screen seems to miss some of my touches every now and then. I checked online and it's apparently a known issue.
-The battery does not last as long. I always check the battery stats on nearly every charge to see what I get. The tablet S had about 6-7 hours of screen on time with loads of 3D gaming. The n7 is getting a bit less than that.
ALL IN ALL
I really don't regret getting the N7. A 7 inch screen is definitely the way to go, especially if you play a lot of games. Also, concerning the smaller battery life: this matters less as it's much easier to be around a charger now. I can charge Micro USB in my car, more people readily have micro usb chargers in their houses OR I can just easily take a charger with me. The tablet S plug was pretty large to be carrying around.
I think that when some updates start rolling out, I'll be much happier with the N7...but it certainly isn't the massive leap I was expecting. New Tegra 3 games will definitely add to the value as well. I think I'd still have to recommend getting it....but no rush! Definitely still a couple kinks to get ironed out
****Oh, and one little interesting tidbit of info for the curious. I was wondering how the $25 Google play credit would get applied to your account. What happens is that when you go to make a purchase, it asks how will you pay for this? Then displays a box showing:
-Your Credit card ending in XXXX
-Your google play credit ($xx.xx remaining)
-Add a new credit card
It's actually pretty cool
Would you recommend buying it though, for £155?
NEXUS 7 worth the price..
sent from seXperia S
SWFlyerUK said:
Would you recommend buying it though, for £155?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It definitely comes down to this : 7 INCHES! lol There's a huge number of differences offered by that alone.
I think I can safely say that if you wanted a smaller device...it's the best thing we'll see in quite some time. Thus far my computer desk looks about 50% cleaner, I was able to play it for about 4 hours straight last night without being forced to put it away due to wrist pain, and I can easily take it to work tomorrow in my jacket's inside pocket (With the charger too if I needed it!). The size (and plug size) is a MASSIVE benefit to me.
In comparison to the Tablet S, the smaller size and Tegra 3 are the reasons to get it. If none of those items interest you, then do not buy! I find that all other functionality (web browsing, videos, most games) are pretty much the same as with Sony's tab.
(well, that is to say until we see updates. Google will probably roll out 20 updates within the next year for it.....whereas we'll be lucky to see one more update for the S. Depending on what software changes occur, the N7 may destroy the S hands down! We'll see what happens with that tho )
Prefer Nexus to Sony S tablet.....
MarkB709 said:
It definitely comes down to this : 7 INCHES! lol There's a huge number of differences offered by that alone.
I think I can safely say that if you wanted a smaller device...it's the best thing we'll see in quite some time. Thus far my computer desk looks about 50% cleaner, I was able to play it for about 4 hours straight last night without being forced to put it away due to wrist pain, and I can easily take it to work tomorrow in my jacket's inside pocket (With the charger too if I needed it!). The size (and plug size) is a MASSIVE benefit to me.
In comparison to the Tablet S, the smaller size and Tegra 3 are the reasons to get it. If none of those items interest you, then do not buy! I find that all other functionality (web browsing, videos, most games) are pretty much the same as with Sony's tab.
(well, that is to say until we see updates. Google will probably roll out 20 updates within the next year for it.....whereas we'll be lucky to see one more update for the S. Depending on what software changes occur, the N7 may destroy the S hands down! We'll see what happens with that tho )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have both devices too, I much prefer the Nexus, a whole better experience, anyone want to buy a mint Sony S?
Horse Trader said:
I have both devices too, I much prefer the Nexus, a whole better experience, anyone want to buy a mint Sony S?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh don't get me wrong! I definitely like the N7 better. I just expected everything to be 100x better and smoother than my Sony unit. You can't realistically say it's that much lol.
I really wanted to leave that review for others looking to get one. Some people are easily disappointed when things don't meet their expectations...I was just hoping to put a realistic Image in everyones minds
I know this is a Xperia Z Ultra forum, but with the Nexus 6 being around the corner, and heavily rumored to being a 5.9in phone I was wondering if anyone was going to make the switch? Since there isn't an announced true successor to the Ultra I find myself compelled to head back to the Nexus experience. I am a little bummed the phone isn't bigger, but I think I can do without half an inch of screen. What are everyone's thoughts on the Nexus 6?
Couldn't and WOULDN'T!
I was actually tempted to THINK about the possibility of making such a (IMHO) foolish thing too! But then I realized I could never give up my 6.44" screen! Sure it's going to be a killer device...faster, qHD, more memory, stock Android, the works. But I then realized this is all I'll ever need in a device anyway and it's as close to vanilla Android right out of the box.
So I actually ordered another XZU (not the GPe) from Expansys! They dropped the price again to a new record low of $314.99. I live in Indiana so I get it the next day for the fee of standard shipping and pay no tax. This puppy is STILL A BEAST and at $314.99 it'd be crazy to throw money at another device that'll be most likely obsolete in 2 to 3 weeks anyway. At the current rate manufacturers are releasing devices how can any device remain current more than a month???
When, if ever, they were to announce a true successor to this beast that's when I'd seriously think about upgrading. For right now...for the time being...this is still a perfect solution. People are snapping these up as fast as they get them in stock.
The kicker for me is my wife wants the older one! When the one I ordered gets here Wednesday afternoon I'll be rooting that bad boy by Wednesday night. I bought a lot of the Sony accessories anyway, so I'd most likely go with the closest thing to an XZU update as possible if and when that ever happens in the future.
Of course that's just my .02¢.
http://www.expansys-usa.com/sony-xperia-z-ultra-c6833-unlocked-lte-16gb-black-251963/
TheFamilyMan said:
I was actually tempted to THINK about the possibility of making such a (IMHO) foolish thing too! But then I realized I could never give up my 6.44" screen! Sure it's going to be a killer device...faster, qHD, more memory, stock Android, the works. But I then realized this is all I'll ever need in a device anyway and it's as close to vanilla Android right out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well said........
I'm afraid that I'm in the opposite camp.
While I love my Ultra when I'm using it, the sheer size means that it's a pain when I'm carrying it around (whether it's in trousers or coat pocket). Even finding somewhere in my cars to put it is a challenge.
So I've just agreed to buy a Nexus 6 - picking it up this evening. I'll hold on to the Ultra until I'm sure that the N6 meets my needs, but I think that I'm willing to give up that small amount of screen real estate for the convenience of having a smaller phone to carry around.
I hate Apple products with a vengeance, and would never own one, but I will admit that they often get it right on ergonomics, and the iPhone 6 Plus (which is about the same size as the Nexus 6) seems to hit the sweet spot as far as the size/screen convenience/functionality balance goes.
Plus the Nexus has better speakers than the Ultra (I make most of my calls on speakerphone and the Ultra is pretty poor in this respect) and supports Qi charging, which is nice.
I decided to go with the Alpha (Exynos) rather than the Nexus 6 for two reasons. First, having had a Note 2 and then a few phones later an LG3, I am tired of having a big phone, especially since I use a tablet to browse on the train. Second, I have always been jealous of the iPhone crowd having such nice looking phones.
The Alpha is the nicest Android phone to hold that I have ever had, and I have owned a few....
The pictures don't do it credit. The screen is simply beautiful. The metal feels fantastic. The whole feel is, to use a cliché, premium.
On the first day, I did a lot of remote desktop access and playing on the internet. It got very hot. Much hotter than the LG G3. Battery didn't last the day. What was worrying was that I if I used it for a short while, it got very hot very quickly.
On my second day, I turned battery saving on but only to limit the CPU (ie I left screen normal and location on). Totally different phone. Doesn't get hot at all and battery life much better ( I didn't have enough screen time to say I tested it properly - 83% from 9am to 9pm with minimal use).
Slowing the CPU made no difference to the ui. No lag and apps work fine.
As far as Touchwiz is concerned, it is OK. I have owned most of the Nexus phones and flashed many Cyanogen Roms and if I had a choice I would have preferred a GPE phone. However, once you get past the OCD about stopping all the Samsung bloatware draining the phone, you realize the ui is fine and you concentrate on the apps rather than the launcher. I switched off all the Samsung bells and whistles too....and there are a few!
I am waiting for the wireless charging back cover to arrive. Once I have that, I might disable the battery saving and see how it goes but on the other hand, I might just leave it on. I don't play games on my phone so I don't need a Ferrari engine to surf the internet or read my emails. And the heat it generated before can't be good for the phone or the battery.
All in all, very happy with the phone. I get a kick out of just holding it and looking at that screen... Sad! As a guy who changes phones every 3 to 4 months, I can give this phone a huge compliment: this is the first phone I really don't want to replace since my HTC HD2.
Update: After having used the phone for a few days, I am happy to report that the battery life is more than adequate. Starting at 7am, using 4G mobile hotspot for an hour, checking and responding to emails and making about three to four calls, I still have around 60 to 70% battery by 9pm.
I have the same situation and i pick alpha over any flagship fone for same reason Iike yours. Now Im waiting for spare batteries to be available in amazon or e abay, so I just swap the batteries if I run out... Instant 100% charge
you just say whats in my heart , i got many phones and they were awesome last one was the beast LG G3 and i was hating samsung phone due to many apps that included with UI touchwize but then when i saw galaxy alpha everything changed in my mind and i bring one as to be my long last phone to use each day , really smooth device even using battery saving mode and fits great in hand , you will love it more each day you will use it
I'm loving the look and feel of this phone I'll probably keep this one for awhile. I was upgrading from the nexus devices every year but the nexus 6 was a bit too big for me and I prefer the form factor of 4.7 inch phones.
It sems that we cant open ART in Developer option on Alpha,only Note 4 have this possability for now
And how is Your experience with galaxy Alfa and how it compare to Galaxy S5?
I just got an AT&T Alpha for $352.65 from eBay, which is supposed to be new but I think the seller lied (the home button has quite a number of scratches) but no big deal. I have to say I love this phone the most out of all the phones I've ever owned (iPhone 3G, 3GS, 5S, HTC EVO 4G, EVO 3D, S3, Note 2, Note 3, Note 4, Moto X). It's because of the look and build - very handsome and attractive, the size - I think it hits the perfect sweet spot of size for me, removable battery, and reasonably fast performance. I can now stop wanting to change my phone for a long while. Samsung should have continued with the Alpha and keep improving on it.
My first impressions :
1. Excellent design and feel
2. Powerful with 0 lag!!!
3. Very good screen ( super amoled in HD resolution is great for 4.7 inches )
4.Very good camera
5.Very good deep sleep of the battery
It's the first time i can't find something negative to tell about a smartphone. :good: Keep in mind that i don't play heavy games or surf the web a lot, so the small capacity of the battery is something that will not affect my opinion about Alpha.
Great work Samsung I was a hater all these years. Now i love you
Wow, sounds like a few of us are the same, I had the LG G3 but sold it. Probably the worst phone I've ever used, laggy, bad battery life and terrible camera. Planning on ordering an Alpha in the next few days, $300 brand new isn't bad. Can't wait!
Edit: its $260 new on eBay!
YOu know what I like about the ALpha is it square design, the ohter Galaxy devices are more rounded off and I think looks more childish instead this Samsung device looks more professional for my taste also it lays better in the hands wish it was a little bit smaller in the wide and it would have been perfect but then again I got woman hands ... I'm really happy with this phone except the finger scan kinda sucks, bcz it works half ass ...
But I'm on a big dillema now I received an email they gonna fix my Sony Z3 compact when I put in water but the sleeves werent closed off enough ... Anyway I don't know wich device I will keep now, I loved my Xperia bcz it fitted me better to the hand except it's little thicker and it's kinda plastic also the sound sucks ... Now the alpha dropped with 100 euros I can't ask as much as I wanted anymore don't know how much the Xperia dropped mean while ... I'm leaning more towards the Xperia bcz it's more compact to my woman hands But I love the design of the ALpha Really difficult choices to make also the price of selling the device will come in mind with this ...
Cheers all.
My tablet compact is very dear to me, but it's getting to the point where I have to consider my next move. Phablets won't cut it for me anymore, I can't go back to 6" phones. But apart from Samsung and Huawei, I don't see many quality devices in our range. Sony hit my sweet spot with the screen size, build quality, battery and waterproofing. Hard to move on.
What's your next device? Have you considered any?
I quite fancy the z4, yes it's bigger, but it's seriously good
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/test-centre/tablets/best-android-tablets-uk-2016-3265118/
Sent from my SGP621 using Tapatalk
Interesting thread as I just got the z3 tablet today. After last few months moving from one tablet to another I think I've found the right one.
The nexus 9. My second current and soon to be former is terrible! Can't believe I'm saying this about a nexus but it really is bad. Performance is terrible. Ram management so bad and makes true multitasking non existent really.
Prior to this I had a Samsung tab pro 10.1. It was almost as bad as the nexus. Can't decide really. Think it was worst. Lag after lag after lag.
Anyway, so I was looking for something that I could settle on performance wise as well as build quality... and a great display. So far so good. After just one day I can see huge differences. 3 gigs of ram for true multitasking. No lags. I think I will hold onto this one for quite some time.
And the design and build quality is superb.
voyager_s said:
Interesting thread as I just got the z3 tablet today. After last few months moving from one tablet to another I think I've found the right one.
The nexus 9. My second current and soon to be former is terrible! Can't believe I'm saying this about a nexus but it really is bad. Performance is terrible. Ram management so bad and makes true multitasking non existent really.
Prior to this I had a Samsung tab pro 10.1. It was almost as bad as the nexus. Can't decide really. Think it was worst. Lag after lag after lag.
Anyway, so I was looking for something that I could settle on performance wise as well as build quality... and a great display. So far so good. After just one day I can see huge differences. 3 gigs of ram for true multitasking. No lags. I think I will hold onto this one for quite some time.
And the design and build quality is superb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you'll be happy with your purchase. The XZ3TC is the finest tablet I've owned and I'm surprised it wasn't better received. I suppose Sony need to reprimand the marketing department. The worst thing about the XZ3TC is the camera, and that's saying a lot IMO.
Interesting to hear that about the nexus, as I understand it is widely praised. Will stay away then.
If I can't find a suitable replacement for my XZ3TC, I'll simply by another and use that while waiting for the next one
Chima2 said:
I think you'll be happy with your purchase. The XZ3TC is the finest tablet I've owned and I'm surprised it wasn't better received. I suppose Sony need to reprimand the marketing department. The worst thing about the XZ3TC is the camera, and that's saying a lot IMO.
Interesting to hear that about the nexus, as I understand it is widely praised. Will stay away then.
If I can't find a suitable replacement for my XZ3TC, I'll simply by another and use that while waiting for the next one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well after three days it's all good i can say. Leagues ahead of my previous devices in terms of performance, build and battery life. Over 7 hours screen on time and counting with half brightness. Wow!
The camera seems OK. I don't really use cameras on tablets so it's never an issue.
I'm also surprised by the Nexus 9. I had such high hopes as I've had many Nexus devices previously. The Nexus 7 (2013) was the best tablet I had to date, so I was expecting a lot. I would say the most disappointing purchase I've ever made with the Nexus 9. That's how bad it turned out to be.
Screen and front speakers are both great. build is OK. But performance (where Nexus devices traditionally shine) is terrible. Battery life is also not very good.
I think it's fundamental to a few things.
A. 64 bit android needs more memory.
B. A quad HD display needs more capable hardware (again it comes down to ram)
C. 2 gigs of ram is not enough./
It is literally not possible to have any decent amount of apps in memory on the Nexus 9. Almost every app needs to be reloaded once you navigate away from it. Multitasking is terrible.
There are also lots of slowdowns, freezes and lags throughout the user experience. I've done factory resets, rooted and gone back to stock, you name it. Terrible.
Add to that, I stopped rooting nexus devices years ago. Precisely because they are so good out the box nowadays. Nexus 9 excluding that is.
But anyway. I am very happy with the xperia z3 tablet.
simple DONT change it.Wait till something better with new technology will come out!Don't waste your money dude to take something similar...This tablet is the most perfect piece of art till now! ?
I wouldn't replace my xz3tc for long.
There is no real alternative and the performance is more than enough.
zuz mobile / edge
I just shattered my screen at Ikea, bummed out. But ordered a screen via eBay from the UK. Taking it to a fixer shop this week. Hopefully the glass isn't crap, will post here when the glass is replaced. LCD is luckily just fine!
Been looking for a replacement for this device, but even with a shattered glass screen there is none. Sony did a damn fine job here.
Yes, I love my tablet - it is the right combination of everything and since the market is racing to the bottom to get sales I'm glad to see it is still well regarded two years down the line.
I haven't been able to find any descriptions of the Sand variants color materials. For instance, the Indigo Black has a matte finish that's coated with a rubberized substance. Apparently, this coating does wear off due to wear and tear or heavy usage. The White variant is a smoother "non-rubberized coated" finish. What about the Sand?
I'm thinking about getting the Sand variant but won't if it'll suffer the peeling that the Indigo Black variant does over time.
Thanks in advance for whoever can provide firsthand accounts of the Sand color materials.
biggietm said:
I haven't been able to find any descriptions of the Sand variants color materials. For instance, the Indigo Black has a matte finish that's coated with a rubberized substance. Apparently, this coating does wear off due to wear and tear or heavy usage. The White variant is a smoother "non-rubberized coated" finish. What about the Sand?
I'm thinking about getting the Sand variant but won't if it'll suffer the peeling that the Indigo Black variant does over time.
Thanks in advance for whoever can provide firsthand accounts of the Sand color materials.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Over time, lol. It's pretty old already bud. Years. Its considered EOL. Get the one you like. It will suffer hardware failure long before the outside wears
madbat99 said:
Over time, lol. It's pretty old already bud. Years. Its considered EOL. Get the one you like. It will suffer hardware failure long before the outside wears
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. Yeah, I've just been frustrated with the lack of budget friendly Android tablets. N9 looked good. Researched some more and saw that the Indigo Black variant has that peeling problem, so I thought I'd get the white and then came across the sweet looking Sand color. But, I bit the bullet on a used Galaxy Tab S2 8", instead. Good thing I checked LineageOS support before pulling the trigger on an N9 (it lost support). I'm just in the market for a smallish tablet to consumer media on my long commutes to and from work.
And yeah, I was well aware of the hardware problems/sluggish performance of the N9, but I wanted to see for myself if I could ROM it and just use it lightly. Again, I'm fortunate I saw that N9 is mostly EOL also in the "official (not unofficial) ROMs" community.
Thanks again.
biggietm said:
Thanks for the response. Yeah, I've just been frustrated with the lack of budget friendly Android tablets. N9 looked good. Researched some more and saw that the Indigo Black variant has that peeling problem, so I thought I'd get the white and then came across the sweet looking Sand color. But, I bit the bullet on a used Galaxy Tab S2 8", instead. Good thing I checked LineageOS support before pulling the trigger on an N9 (it lost support). I'm just in the market for a smallish tablet to consumer media on my long commutes to and from work.
And yeah, I was well aware of the hardware problems/sluggish performance of the N9, but I wanted to see for myself if I could ROM it and just use it lightly. Again, I'm fortunate I saw that N9 is mostly EOL also in the "official (not unofficial) ROMs" community.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right about lineage ending being a bummer. The unofficial builds are being made by the original lineage rom maintainer for n9 (I believe). So that's a plus.
I have a black one, and now a white one.
The black one was first, I got it used. Dirty unicorns was a lifesaver for it back in the lollipop days. I never really had too much performance complaints because I really only used it for media. Either movies I already had downloaded or streaming from my home cable TV (dish Network).
I did, however, start to get the bubbles in the corners of the screen. And the wierd white parts of the display along the edges. Both very common complaints on n9. Also, since I used an otg adapter to play movies from (some movies are big files), the USB port stopped working reliably. Wouldn't charge most of the time. Luckily, the USB daughterboard can usually be found online for 10 - 15 dollars u.s. and only took about 15-20 minutes to replace. But it happened again over time (my fault).
Then an XDA member offered theirs to the first taker for only the cost of shipping. About $15. That's my white one. This one has the issue of the load noise and distorted screen when the battery gets below 40%. Not every time, and hasn't done it since I thoroughly cleaned the battery connection. I expected it to have one of the common issues, and have no complaints at all for that price. Especially since cleaning it seems to have fixed it for now. It's been a few months and it's been fine.
I still use it almost daily. And since the tv in my bedroom is acting up, my wife uses it to watch TV in bed sometimes.
So I have really enjoyed my n9 experience, even though I got a couple of the more common hardware issues.
I'm probably going to order another USB daughterboard for my black one and give it to my wife. Or, since I gave her my Nexus 7 (2013) when I got the 9, and it sits on a shelf now, maybe pass it to an XDA member the way I got my white one.
Anyways, sorry to babble on like that. Glad you got a tablet that suites your needs. It is getting harder to find a decent Android tablet these days. I couldn't bring myself to get one of those Amazon fire tabs, no matter how cheap they get. Almost got one once. But... Naaahhh.
Later
madbat99 said:
You're right about lineage ending being a bummer. The unofficial builds are being made by the original lineage rom maintainer for n9 (I believe). So that's a plus.
I have a black one, and now a white one.
The black one was first, I got it used. Dirty unicorns was a lifesaver for it back in the lollipop days. I never really had too much performance complaints because I really only used it for media. Either movies I already had downloaded or streaming from my home cable TV (dish Network).
I did, however, start to get the bubbles in the corners of the screen. And the wierd white parts of the display along the edges. Both very common complaints on n9. Also, since I used an otg adapter to play movies from (some movies are big files), the USB port stopped working reliably. Wouldn't charge most of the time. Luckily, the USB daughterboard can usually be found online for 10 - 15 dollars u.s. and only took about 15-20 minutes to replace. But it happened again over time (my fault).
Then an XDA member offered theirs to the first taker for only the cost of shipping. About $15. That's my white one. This one has the issue of the load noise and distorted screen when the battery gets below 40%. Not every time, and hasn't done it since I thoroughly cleaned the battery connection. I expected it to have one of the common issues, and have no complaints at all for that price. Especially since cleaning it seems to have fixed it for now. It's been a few months and it's been fine.
I still use it almost daily. And since the tv in my bedroom is acting up, my wife uses it to watch TV in bed sometimes.
So I have really enjoyed my n9 experience, even though I got a couple of the more common hardware issues.
I'm probably going to order another USB daughterboard for my black one and give it to my wife. Or, since I gave her my Nexus 7 (2013) when I got the 9, and it sits on a shelf now, maybe pass it to an XDA member the way I got my white one.
Anyways, sorry to babble on like that. Glad you got a tablet that suites your needs. It is getting harder to find a decent Android tablet these days. I couldn't bring myself to get one of those Amazon fire tabs, no matter how cheap they get. Almost got one once. But... Naaahhh.
Later
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for taking the time to provide quality responses! You're not babbling at all. In fact, had I not researched all the issues I was anticipating, your post summed up a lot of it. I was mostly aware of the slow performance and battery issues (e.g. drain, slow charging, popping the speakers, etc.).
Like yourself, I was mainly looking for a light media consumption device. Last month, I was lucky to have found an open-box "like new" Nexus 7 (2013) at a store. One that time (and the employees) forgot about and somehow ended back up on display. I scooped it up since I was always attracted to it (i.e. size, ROM-ability, Nexus purist - lol). I wanted something for my baby daughter to use; it's been great for her mealtimes and car travel times. Anyway, the battery on that was shot (read: Five Blinks Of Death). Luckily, I was able to get ASUS to honor a 90 day warranty on it. Imagine that, a limited warranty on a 2013 device as if it was new. It took some going back and forth, mostly a pleasant experience. So, thanks ASUS for helping a dad out. Going forward, I'm just wirelessly charging it so I don't wear out the micro USB port like you've mentioned on your N9. Now, I'm onto looking for something more for myself and my wife.
I settled on a Galaxy Tab S2 8.0" for it's ROM-ability and size (and at a good bargain). I like that it's got an extra bit of RAM over the N7 and N9, so it's hopefully better at handling my use cases. Nothing major, just watching some movies, streams, and using it as an e-Reader (Kindle app). But the itch to actually owning an N9 is still strong, lol. I might want to try and check fleabay every so often to see if I can pick up a steal of a bargain and just tinker with it. But I know I shouldn't, lol. I think the sluggish performance would really drive me bonkers. The N7 stutters a bit and I know if I used that as my daily driver, I'd probably yearn for something more.
Anyway, now, I'm babbling on, haha. Yeah, from the sounds of it and the landscape of Android tablets, it looks like Google's giving up the Android tablet game. They'll move towards chromebooks or chromeOS tablets. Until everyone re-focuses on webApps, I can't give up Android or iOS yet. Things like Verizon FiOs TV doesn't fully stream on a browser (yet?). I'm just glad there's the XDA/ROM community that's keeping most of these older tablets alive. The new ones have gotten very expensive for what they do. I almost went with an iPad since they're on some sales (read: clearing out older stock) now. But, I'm a sucker for pure Android if not their ROM counterparts.
And yeah, I feel you on that Amazon tablets. It's just not the same. But I've also been tempted to just get the kids' versions for my daughter. Pretty enticing with their 2-year worry-free warranty and freetime app for kids. I guess until this market is fully dry and big time communities like LineageOS fades, then I'll re-assess my family's tablet life, lol.
Thanks for the chat.