replacement tablet for Galaxy Note 10.1 for pdfs
 

The 10.1 screen is perfect for reading pdfs (for me). However, I HATE the physical keys (so much so, I don't even use the tablet any more). I usually read in portrait mode and no matter which side the keys are on, I end up accidentally hitting one when I turn the pages. Very frustrating.

What I'm looking for is around 10" screen.
No physical keys (i.e. home, back, etc) - volume is ok.
Not Apple or Amazon (I've ranted enough about them in other threads - suffice it to say, not them).
Finally, I'd really like a lighter weight tablet.

Any help would be most appreciated.

You might check out the Sony Xperia Z4 10.1 incher. Lighter than ipad air 2, "waterproof" (fresh water at 1.5 meter depth), no buttons, 299 PPI (2560x1600), 16:10 display. A bit of a heavy hitter on the wallet. At Amazon, US ver has warranty & keyboard at around $80 higher than international ver from 3rd party with lte (unlocked?).

Don't know how the LG G pad 2 10.1 with 264 PPI looks & haven't seen any pricing or availability or the Lenovo Tab 2 10.1. Both models are at 1960x1080 & much lower cost than Xperia Z4.

Don't know much about it, but there's the Pixel C.
https://store.google.com/product/pixel_c


Another 10 incher would be the Asus Zen Pad 10.
http://www.asus.com/us/Tablets/ASUS_ZenPad_10_Z300C/

Thanks crane3 - I thought the Xperia did have buttons, but I see you are right - and it is pricey.

Thank you, too, Xperia. I hadn't found the Asus and somehow discounted the C.

I'm going to do a comparison of all three of these.
Appreciate your help.

If you want the stylus function, go for the asus zenpad. I bought the zenpad s 8.0 version, the asus Z stylus works on both the s 8.0 (580CA) version as well as the Z300C and it works just as well (and I am not kidding you) as the S-pen.

I looked everywhere for a replacement for my Samsung Note 8.0, and the Zenpad is the best thing there at the moment. There are some offers for the Z300 with the keyboard, I almost got that one but needed the portability of the 8" badly.

The only thing I like about the Galaxy is the pen. My concern with the zenpad 10 is the display - it is only 800 x 1280 pixel resolution and I wonder if some of my pdf tables will be readable.

Forget that - my Note 10.1 is only 800 x 1280 and it reads just fine!

How do you like the stylus? Is it precise? Have you tried it for drawing?

yes, the display resolutions are the same on both (note 10.1 and z300). I really was tempted with the Z300 but I needed a 8" to take to class with me. I am very happy with my Z580CA and with the Z stylus. I managed to get a special edition with the stylus included, whcih is really good since the Stylus has been on back order almost everywhere for weeks. It appears at amazon but is sold out whithin hours each time.

I am very impressed with the stylus. It is much better than the Note stylus, dimensionwise too, and it writes on the display up to the display limits, not like the Wacom ones where there seems to be always a range at the borders that are unpennable. I have heard that the first customers were unhappy about the stylus integration on the Z580CA (not working properly, bad calibration and so on) but there was a system update (4.6.1) in January that resolved all these issues. I got mine last week and it immediately loaded the update, so I never used the tablet with the older SW and cannot confirm anything about bad stylus integration, on the contrary.

The stylus just does not slide into the device, it is way too big for that as it has a normal fountain pen size, but that is of no importance to me as my cover has a pen loop.

I don't draw, but I write a lot. It is super precise. I just write like a pig (or a doctor ;)) so it is still only readable to me, but I can basically write or draw or do what I want. My daughter uses it for drawing and colouring and she thinks it's way better than the Note 8 (which she received from me now, but which she really does not like using much).

I will try to do a screenshot of one of my notes pages for you and post it here.

Thanks for the follow up. I am interested in the 8" version too.

One thing that is confusing about the manufacturers is how they choose their tablet resolutions. For instance the 8" ( Z580CA which I believe supports the z stylus) has almost the double the resolution of the 10" model. Why would they do that? It makes no sense whatsoever. That resolution that they offer on the 10" tablet is so 2008. The text on it wont look sharp enough. THis is also true for Samsung. Their most recent tablets seem to offer almost similar resolutions even the ones with S pens.


One thing that caught my attention is that the Pen/stylus integration with Windows tablets iss more widespread than those with Android tablets which is sad. Because Android is a much better OS than Win in my view for mobile stuff.

So here a screenshot I just made for you (note the piggish writing and talentless drawing, you were warned!). As you can see, the stylus (I believe it is a Hanvon stylus but I am not sure) writes up till the edges of the display. The app I used is Squid (ex Papyrus) but there are tons of good apps with integrated Palm rejection when used with an active stylus on Android, which is the reason i keep coming back. I never warmed to OneNote sadly.

Edit : I think the reason why there are so few reviews on the use of the stylus is because they are sold separately (a nonsense imho), the stylus has been so difficult to get, and up till the last update the stylus integration seemmed subpar.
I ordered a second one @ amazon (for 28 eur, really cheap) which is on its way now because I have a tendency to lose my stuff, or at least displace it, so I want to make sure I have one at home too.
It is such a pleasure to use that I am thinking of getting the z300 with the keyboard in a few months from now if nothing better comes along.

I am thinking of getting a zenpad s 8.0, so this thread helps a lot.

I agree - I don't do much drawing, but note taking is great!

@aceflor

Thanks for the screenshot. That looks good to me too.


Are there other tablets with stylus that are as good as ZenPad (beside Samsung and Apple tablets) ?

I need a replacement for my Asus FHD 10 as it's busted up and malfunctioning. So far the Leonvo Tab 2 A 10 is my favorite. Android 5 Lollipop, full hd screen and decent sound at a really reasonable price. No stylus though.