What tablet should I get for watching movies/TV shows?
December 20, 2016 8:17 AM Subscribe
I haven't had an Apple product in years, but I'm thinking of buying a tablet for entertainment on some long flights I have coming up.
I mostly just want to be able to download some movies and TV shows. I'll probably also want some mindless games. Good battery life is important (the flights are 10-11 hours, but hopefully I'll sleep or read some). Will I regret getting an ipad if my phone is android? I just want it to get me through the flights for now, but once I get back, I imagine I might want to use it for more. If I should get an android, what's the best android tablet?
I mostly just want to be able to download some movies and TV shows. I'll probably also want some mindless games. Good battery life is important (the flights are 10-11 hours, but hopefully I'll sleep or read some). Will I regret getting an ipad if my phone is android? I just want it to get me through the flights for now, but once I get back, I imagine I might want to use it for more. If I should get an android, what's the best android tablet?
Best answer: Good battery life is important
You may want an external battery which can run $10-$50 depending on quality. You won't need to pull it out until/unless your tablet battery is getting low. Mine has a mini-USB port for charging the battery itself and a standard USB port to charge your tablet. Some are made for phones only and are not going to be powerful enough for a tablet, so make sure the one you get will provide enough power.
Also, using Airplane mode will stretch out your battery life. You don't usually have to turn off tablets for take-off, but when they make that announcement, that's your reminder to activate Airplane mode.
posted by soelo at 8:45 AM on December 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
You may want an external battery which can run $10-$50 depending on quality. You won't need to pull it out until/unless your tablet battery is getting low. Mine has a mini-USB port for charging the battery itself and a standard USB port to charge your tablet. Some are made for phones only and are not going to be powerful enough for a tablet, so make sure the one you get will provide enough power.
Also, using Airplane mode will stretch out your battery life. You don't usually have to turn off tablets for take-off, but when they make that announcement, that's your reminder to activate Airplane mode.
posted by soelo at 8:45 AM on December 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Also voting Kindle Fire: it's a fine casual-media device and the price can't be beat. Off-brand tablets in the same price range are quirky and have issues; Amazon has made sure the Fire works well. It may not be able to handle processor-intensive games or genuine 'work', but videos, music, and ebooks are what it was designed for.
Note that it must be attached to an Amazon account -- you can't just use it as a detached tablet -- and the cheap version has ads on the lock screen and elsewhere. If you have Prime, well, that just expands your media library.
Also, the Kindle can make it difficult to watch streaming stuff from TV channel websites, but there's ways around that, depending on your patience with third-party apps.
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:47 AM on December 20, 2016
Note that it must be attached to an Amazon account -- you can't just use it as a detached tablet -- and the cheap version has ads on the lock screen and elsewhere. If you have Prime, well, that just expands your media library.
Also, the Kindle can make it difficult to watch streaming stuff from TV channel websites, but there's ways around that, depending on your patience with third-party apps.
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:47 AM on December 20, 2016
Voting against the Kindle Fire. Resolution on those is terrible. The pixels on the screen are really far apart, which (for me) is incredibly distracting. A lot of the answer also depends on which size tablet you want. You could go anywhere from 7" screen size to 12" screen size. Tablets size ~8" and ~10" are most common. However, unless you're planning to also buy an iPhone, I'd stick with an Android tablet. Dealing with two different app/media stores seems like an unnecessary hassle.
For an 8" Android tablet where screen resolution matters, I would buy the nVidia Shield K1, either an 8" or 10" Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 or a Google Pixel C. The Pixel will be updated longest, but it's also double the price of anything else on the list.
If you don't care about screen resolution (and a lot of people don't) then go with a Kindle Fire.
posted by cnc at 9:28 AM on December 20, 2016
For an 8" Android tablet where screen resolution matters, I would buy the nVidia Shield K1, either an 8" or 10" Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 or a Google Pixel C. The Pixel will be updated longest, but it's also double the price of anything else on the list.
If you don't care about screen resolution (and a lot of people don't) then go with a Kindle Fire.
posted by cnc at 9:28 AM on December 20, 2016
If the rumored third generation Nexus 7 ever comes out, it would be my recommendation for an Android tablet. But it's been supposed to be announced any day now for a long time and may never be released.
The cheapest Amazon tablets don't have 720p displays so I'd pay a little extra and bump up to the slightly more expensive ones will play common videos without having to scale them. They're OK but are not compatible with the Play store (at least not without headaches) so anything you've bought for your phone you'd have to get again. Apps in the Amazon store often lag the Play store or are unavailable. They do take microSD cards so you can sling a bunch of movies onto them without having to worry about running out of space.
The iPad Minis are much classier than the Nexus or Kindle Fires and have better battery life but are more expensive, not compatible with your current device/apps, and harder to get media onto.
posted by Candleman at 9:28 AM on December 20, 2016
The cheapest Amazon tablets don't have 720p displays so I'd pay a little extra and bump up to the slightly more expensive ones will play common videos without having to scale them. They're OK but are not compatible with the Play store (at least not without headaches) so anything you've bought for your phone you'd have to get again. Apps in the Amazon store often lag the Play store or are unavailable. They do take microSD cards so you can sling a bunch of movies onto them without having to worry about running out of space.
The iPad Minis are much classier than the Nexus or Kindle Fires and have better battery life but are more expensive, not compatible with your current device/apps, and harder to get media onto.
posted by Candleman at 9:28 AM on December 20, 2016
Best answer: I've got a Fire HD 6, which can display at 720p, and which I got the Play store on by following these directions. It was easy enough that even Android(ish)-n00b me had no trouble at all. I've been downloading netflix and Amazon videos for tomorrow's plane trip!
posted by rtha at 10:00 AM on December 20, 2016
posted by rtha at 10:00 AM on December 20, 2016
Best answer: I see @rtha beat me to letting you know that you can now download (some) Netflix and Amazon Prime titles -- you don't just have to stream them anymore.
Regarding battery life, make sure Bluetooth, WiFi, cellular (if you have it) and GPS/location services are all off -- that will extend your battery life considerably on an airplane.
Hope you have a good trip!
posted by elmay at 10:08 AM on December 20, 2016
Regarding battery life, make sure Bluetooth, WiFi, cellular (if you have it) and GPS/location services are all off -- that will extend your battery life considerably on an airplane.
Hope you have a good trip!
posted by elmay at 10:08 AM on December 20, 2016
We got the Nvidia Shield K1 after it was recommended to us in this AskMe. It's a $199 Android device that is rock solid, quick, and reasonably powerful. We've been delighted with it.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:16 AM on December 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:16 AM on December 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I have a kindle fire too. The resolution sucks for reading small text but it's fine for watching video. And the battery life has been quite good.
posted by fshgrl at 11:44 AM on December 20, 2016
posted by fshgrl at 11:44 AM on December 20, 2016
Best answer: You can get an 8" Fire HD tablet for $70 right now... that's with special offers, but they're only on the lock screen. I have two of the smaller Fires and I took the ads off on one and didn't bother on the other, they're not that big a deal.
I wouldn't get the Shield unless you want to game. I have one, and the battery life is terrible. You can play portal and half life on it, though, which is pretty awesome.
$199 vs. $70, and watching video is about the same on both.
posted by Huck500 at 12:16 PM on December 20, 2016
I wouldn't get the Shield unless you want to game. I have one, and the battery life is terrible. You can play portal and half life on it, though, which is pretty awesome.
$199 vs. $70, and watching video is about the same on both.
posted by Huck500 at 12:16 PM on December 20, 2016
Best answer: I love my 8" Kindle Fire. It plays games (Amazon offers a rotation of free games in their Underground section), handles Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon really well, and I have no problem with the resolution or sound quality.
Most Amazon videos can be downloaded if you rent or purchase them. And Netflix lets you download a certain amount with their updated app.
posted by tacodave at 1:47 PM on December 20, 2016
Most Amazon videos can be downloaded if you rent or purchase them. And Netflix lets you download a certain amount with their updated app.
posted by tacodave at 1:47 PM on December 20, 2016
I also have an nvidia Shield K1, and "rock solid, quick, and reasonably powerful" is a great and accurate description of it. I didn't consider an Apple tablet because it's not my preferred OS, and for me, keeping track of which app with which feature is on which device would drive me UP A WALL. I prioritize ease of use and value for money* in my gizmos, and the Shield has provided that for me. I think it would be a good choice for you, based on your criteria. I find it pleasant and easy to use, so you might be surprised to find yourself doing more with it than you expect.
*To me that means that I usually won't buy the cheapest thing because it will break, but I won't buy anything bleeding-edge or Apple-priced because I'm not a power user. Obviously everyone wants value in exchange for their money, right?!
posted by Snarl Furillo at 1:51 PM on December 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
*To me that means that I usually won't buy the cheapest thing because it will break, but I won't buy anything bleeding-edge or Apple-priced because I'm not a power user. Obviously everyone wants value in exchange for their money, right?!
posted by Snarl Furillo at 1:51 PM on December 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Nthing Kindle Fire. I run VLC as my non-streaming media player, and dump all sorts of videos and audio onto it. Battery life depends on the video resolution and formatting, but is fine for a movie or two, or hours of book reading + music. Bonus: all sorts of free app deals from Amazon's marketplace, if you like that sort of thing.
As for the resolution, I am fine with SD videos on my 8.9" Fire, which means I can keep quite a few videos on it, if it's not full of apps.
And mine is "ad-supported," which means I see static ads when I turn on the screen. Fun fact: keep it in airplane mode for a few days and you lose the ads, and instead see the "connect to the Internet to keep up to date" message screen.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:01 PM on December 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
As for the resolution, I am fine with SD videos on my 8.9" Fire, which means I can keep quite a few videos on it, if it's not full of apps.
And mine is "ad-supported," which means I see static ads when I turn on the screen. Fun fact: keep it in airplane mode for a few days and you lose the ads, and instead see the "connect to the Internet to keep up to date" message screen.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:01 PM on December 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
Just so you have lots of data points from people with different criteria, use patterns, etc: I decided against any of the Fire tablets because I didn't want to be that locked-in to the Amazon ecosystem (which is part of the reason Apple is not for me). I thought the ads would annoy me, too.
I wouldn't have described the battery on the K1 as "terrible," but I wouldn't have cited it as some amazing feature, either. It runs down maybe 15% faster than I would like. I carry a little kit of universal wall charger, mini power cords, and power bank in my purse (for all of my devices, not just the K1), and don't think of it as a trade-off, just extra security that I like to have in case of a Netflix emergency. Obviously reasonable people can differ!
posted by Snarl Furillo at 2:06 PM on December 20, 2016
I wouldn't have described the battery on the K1 as "terrible," but I wouldn't have cited it as some amazing feature, either. It runs down maybe 15% faster than I would like. I carry a little kit of universal wall charger, mini power cords, and power bank in my purse (for all of my devices, not just the K1), and don't think of it as a trade-off, just extra security that I like to have in case of a Netflix emergency. Obviously reasonable people can differ!
posted by Snarl Furillo at 2:06 PM on December 20, 2016
Vote against the Kindle Fire. Mine died just sitting on the shelf after 5 months of very light use. It has a 90 day limited warranty for a reason.
posted by veery at 6:33 PM on December 20, 2016
posted by veery at 6:33 PM on December 20, 2016
Best answer: The cheap Kindle Fire 7 is not great, but the only slightly more expensive Fire HD8 is a pretty decent deal right now, and I was able to get the Google Play store running on it using a similar process to what rtha linked to above.
Compared to my iPad mini, it's much lighter in the hand, making it nicer to hold up for longer periods. The wider screen aspect in landscape mode is better for media consumption too. The iPad has a superior screen quality and is better in a lot of other ways (I like it's squarer screen for everything other than video watching), but for watching things, the HD8 is more than fine. Plus you can add in an microSD card for a ton more storage.
posted by Pryde at 8:24 PM on December 20, 2016
Compared to my iPad mini, it's much lighter in the hand, making it nicer to hold up for longer periods. The wider screen aspect in landscape mode is better for media consumption too. The iPad has a superior screen quality and is better in a lot of other ways (I like it's squarer screen for everything other than video watching), but for watching things, the HD8 is more than fine. Plus you can add in an microSD card for a ton more storage.
posted by Pryde at 8:24 PM on December 20, 2016
We have an older Galaxy Tab and it's perfectly fine for all number of movies/streaming services/etc. (also note that Netflix now allows you to download files for storage offline, which is a new thing and might be helpful, but that would be on just about any device I think)
posted by getawaysticks at 5:37 AM on December 21, 2016
posted by getawaysticks at 5:37 AM on December 21, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks to everyone who suggested the Fire, which wasn't even on my radar for some reason. I decided to get it because I have Amazon Prime and it seems pretty idiot-proof, which is important to me at the moment.
posted by Mavri at 7:31 AM on December 24, 2016
posted by Mavri at 7:31 AM on December 24, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
Not to traveler-splain but if you haven't already, check SeatGuru for your intended flight and seat. On a flight that long there's a good chance you have power. If not (or even if so) I would consider getting a battery pack, there's nothing worse than running out midflight. Check The Wirecutter for reviews of batteries, tablets, and everything else.
posted by ftm at 8:32 AM on December 20, 2016 [2 favorites]