New 2019 Walmart 8 inch Android 9.0 Tablet

[FulciLives]

Just heard about this and apparently, the news only broke a couple of days ago. So far I could only find one review video on YouTube. Early days still I guess.

It looks interesting and it's damn cheap. $64 US Dollars. According to the first YouTube video, this is basically the same hardware as the Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet but of course, you are getting Android 9.0 instead of Amazon's OS.

Walmart Link: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Onn-Andro...et-8/767511102

YouTube Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_Oh1_U7t30

[leebase]

I might pick one up just to have Android 9. I wonder if Walmart has a 32gig version. Even when you expand the memory, the internal memory can become full

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by leebase

Even when you expand the memory, the internal memory can become full

Unless you setup your SD as internal storage. A fast SD card should be a fine match for this device. The video reviewer tested it with 128gig card.

Looks like a buy.

[lumpynose]

At that price it's made by some Chinese company with minimal QA and note that the screen is 800 x 1280 resolution, which is low for an 8 inch tablet. I have an old Google Nexus 7 (7 inches) tablet and it's 1920x1200. One time I thought I was getting a steal when I bought a cheap Android phone but the screen resolution was so low that the jagged edges on everything drove me crazy; I learned my lesson. (Well, not really, I bought a Boox, also made in China and I really regret it.)

But it could be ok for a first tablet for your preschool kid.

[binaryhermit]

I'm vaguely interested, maybe. Maybe.

[FulciLives]

Originally Posted by lumpynose

At that price it's made by some Chinese company with minimal QA and note that the screen is 800 x 1280 resolution, which is low for an 8 inch tablet. I have an old Google Nexus 7 (7 inches) tablet and it's 1920x1200. One time I thought I was getting a steal when I bought a cheap Android phone but the screen resolution was so low that the jagged edges on everything drove me crazy; I learned my lesson. (Well, not really, I bought a Boox, also made in China and I really regret it.)

But it could be ok for a first tablet for your preschool kid.

1280x800 is pretty standard for this size (by the way that's 189 ppi which may not be great but it is higher than the 2019 base level Amazon Kindle). The Nexus 7 was an anomaly of sorts. I have a relative that bought one when it was new. No other Tablet at that time had that high a resolution at that screen size and that pretty much is the case now except for a few no-name Chinese brands and they aren't $64 US Dollars.

Also, the resolution and ppi are the same as the Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet but here you are getting Andorid 9.0 and the Google Play Store so I think there is a place for this Tablet in the market.

[fjtorres]

Battery life claims are typically inflated.
And they're only claiming 5 hours or so.

[barryem]

I watched a review of it yesterday comparing it to the Fire 8" tablet and to me it looked like the better device. I'd rather save my money and get something better but as cheap tablets go this looks fairly good.

Barry

[FulciLives]

Well, I found myself at Walmart on Memorial Day and I couldn't help myself... I ended up buying this Tablet. I can confirm that is was exactly $64.00 at my Walmart.

So far I only spent a lil bit of time with it. I should point out that my experience actually using Android, and Tablets, is very limited, as I've had a computer of some sort since the early '80s and just haven't been all-that-interested in Tablets.

Initial impressions? The screen looks fine, in terms of brightness and colors. However, and it is my understanding that just about all 8 inch Android Tablets use this 1280x800 resolution, but it looks "chunky" close up. My vision without glasses is very near sighted so I have to hold it fairly close or hold it a bit too far away with my glasses on in order for it to focus. It seems easier to just hold it close without my glasses. So one method is close and ugly. The other is too far to read the small text. Sigh.

I tried the Kindle app and Moon+ Reader. The text is just fuzzy up close. Well not sure fuzzy is a good description. You can see pixelation and then the fuzziness around the text that is trying to smooth it out. This could never be an e-reader for me based on this (but then I do have a 2nd gen Kindle Oasis so I'm good for that but I was hoping this Tablet might be a back-up or second device for e-reading).

I can even see the lack of resolution, that chunky look, in YouTube videos although I copied over a 720p MKV video (made from a BluRay) and it looked decent. I also played good 'ol Angry Birds and that seemed to look OK to me.

It's funny. 1080p on a 32 inch monitor looks fine, including text. But what is essentially 720p on this 8 inch Tablet looks like crap. I guess it is because you have to get so damn close to the screen of the Tablet in order to make out the small text?

Not sure if I am going to keep it or not but I do not have a smartphone so I can see some benefit of having an Android Tablet (even if e-reading is a bust on it to me) so without money to upgrade to anything better, but with enough money that $64 ain't gonna kill me ... I might as well keep it. I guess.

I'll be playing around with it more in the coming days. I might make another post with more observations (or not). However, I'm happy to answer any questions anyone might have. Just ask.

[leebase]

I have been trying to NOT buy this tablet. I have Kindle fire tabs laying around the house. I can see the pixels on them if I look close enough. For my eyes (corrected with glasses) it's acceptable.

For video, I find that the sense of lack of sharpness goes away. I don't know if your yourtube experience was due to network bandwidth.

I've tried Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Now, Vudu, Hulu, and video files copied over and all perform nicely.

It helps, I guess, that I temper my expectations with the price. My $500 iPad mini has an absolutely amazing screen. I'd never do any photo editing on my cheap android/Amazon tablets. I trust my iPads to have color corrected screens.

Reading, if the screen is good enough for your eyes, is a use case handle very well by these cheap tablets. I use Kindle app (of course) and also FB Reader. Both apps sync with iOS and other Android devices. FB Reader works with google drive and has a nice web uploader for books. I use to load up books to my mom's google drive account and then she could download them onto her Kindle Fire via the FB Reader app.

I'm not as happy with the web browsing aspect. Not fluid, typing on the keyboard is janky. 16:9 not a great landscape web reading experience. I'm also not happy with the battery performance. You actually have to turn the device off when not using or the battery will run down. Means every time I want to use the tablet I have to first boot it up.

Still, it's 15% or so the cost of an iPad. So there's that

[lumpynose]

Originally Posted by FulciLives

My vision without glasses is very near sighted so I have to hold it fairly close or hold it a bit too far away with my glasses on in order for it to focus. It seems easier to just hold it close without my glasses. So one method is close and ugly. The other is too far to read the small text. Sigh.

How old are you? It sounds like it could be time for reading glasses and bifocals (aka presbyopia). It never occurred to me when it started and I went to get my eyes checked and they explained it. Don't get just bifocals because then you'll be tipping your head back for the reading part of the bifocals when you're looking at the computer monitor and that's no fun. I started with bifocals and reading glasses and then graduated to a 3rd pair for the computer. The reading glasses are for about a foot away and the computer glasses are for about arms length away. And now I'm a happy camper.

[lumpynose]

Originally Posted by FulciLives

But what is essentially 720p on this 8 inch Tablet looks like crap. I guess it is because you have to get so damn close to the screen of the Tablet in order to make out the small text?

This is where I could say, "I told you so."

[FulciLives]

I actually have progressive bifocals but I hate them (I'm 47 and this is my first pair). I feel like I have tunnel vision when using the bottoms and I have to hold stuff too far away to hit the focus point, which I guess was my fault, because when I got tested for them they said, "hold a book like you are reading it" and I guess they adjust for that. I obviously held too far away.

Good news is I've had them long enough that it is time for a new pair. I think I will go with two pairs, one being dedicated reading glasses, hopefully, better tuned for distance.

[FulciLives]

Originally Posted by lumpynose

This is where I could say, "I told you so."

Yeah well, tell that to the manufacturers. Even Samsung 8 inch Tablets use 1280x800

[lumpynose]

Originally Posted by FulciLives

Yeah well, tell that to the manufacturers. Even Samsung 8 inch Tablets use 1280x800

I'd guess that it's something to do with the cheap Chinese tablets. The Samsung tablet you're referencing could be using some anti-aliasing.