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8 inch tablets in 2021

shxwn_____

Lurker
Feb 6, 2021
1
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Good morning! I'm new to the forums and was looking for some guidance from people who know more than I.

I ditched my smartphone back in April and don't want to go back. I bought a "dumb phone" and had no devices aside from my MacBook for a few months. After a break, I decided to pick up an 8 inch tablet. I went with the Samsung Galaxy Tab A with S Pen, since I could use it for photo editing on the go, casual games with friends, social media, etc.. The S Pen is a huge help for photo editing, and I can pull shots straight from my DSLR to edit and upload on the go.

I like having the freedom to shut off my tablet and not have constant input from social media, news, email, etc..

Anyway, this brings me to my question. Does anyone know of any higher end 8 inch tablets, whether they're on the market now or upcoming? My current tablet is starting to show its age (it's an older processor, may not get Android updates in the coming years) But I just don't see as many on the market as we did years ago. Is that form factor dying out as phones become bigger and bigger?

Thank you for your thoughts!
 
Until very recently (i.e. last year) Samsung's tablets have all lagged behind phones in terms of processors, even the high-end ones, and the Tab A series as you say is not the high end. There are rumours of a 2021 refresh of the 8.4" Tab A, but I know nothing about its innards and whether it will be enough of a step up for you. But if new version of the same might work then chances are it's coming.

I'm assuming that you'd want to stay with Samsung because of the S-Pen, so the obvious question is how important is the 8" size to you? Because their better devices tend to be 10" (Tab S6 Lite) or 11" (Tab S7). That's not really the same bloat that phones have suffered because their high-end tablets were always that size (e.g. the Note tablets, the only ones that had an S Pen in 2013-14, were 10.1" devices). Their 8" devices have always been midrange or entry level. I don't find problems with the portability of 10-11" tablets myself, but your requirements may differ from mine.
 
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i agree with @Hadron there are not many high end 8" android tablets out on the market today. i have the tab s2 8" tablet that came out many years ago. i think it is the only one that i can remember that offered an 8" version of the top of the line tablet. i still use it, but they battery is terrible now. but it was a great tablet that is super thin and extremely light weight. kind of been eying the tab s7 myself......maybe when i get my stimulus check, i'll get one.
 
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