Can a tablet replace an office laptop ? My journey.

[Bullit]

I will replicate the posts i made in Kojack own topic and will continue here to not hijack his topic.

 

I want to replace my office laptop (15.6" HP from 2018) with a android tablet - i have a Lenovo M10 Gen 3 Plus 10.6" and i can see using a better tablet with keyboard preferably with extended monitor capability.

 

Generic PC laptop problems for me:

Screen are crap for the price. Specially nits for outside use.

Weight

Battery

Screen touch make them too expensive.

I enjoy to take my tablet from backpack and start to work right away in a bus, outside a cafe , mall etc  If i want i attach a keyboard if not want i don't.

I want to start right away instead of waiting for windows to wake up.

 

These are the essential requisites that candidates need to fulfil:  

 

Size: 11.5 minimum, ideal 12-12.5".

Brightness : 900 nits minimum with gloss screen or a bit lower with matte screen. Should be able to read on cloudy day on street.

Screen quality: IPS or OLED but OLED cannot have low PWM.  Minimum 100% sRGB color quality.

Connection:  to a monitor , bonus points if software allows screen extended instead of only screen mirroring.

                       When i am home or office i want to work from a monitor not from tablet screen.

Keyboard and Pen : be available if i wish to buy

Storage: 256 GB minimum, bonus points if more

RAM:  8GB minimum, bonus points if more

Camera: good enough to photo documents

 

Desirable but not essential:

 

Extra storage, with a Micro SD card.

Screen format better than 16:9.  While in landscape more vertical space better.

 

 

Current Exclusions:

 

Samsung S9 series:  OLED with low PWM.

Samsung S9 FE series : only usb 2.0 cannot connect to a monitor. 

 

 

 

[Bullit]

Candidate:  Xiaomi Pad 6s Pro 12.4"

 

Reviews

 https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_pad_6s_pro_12_4-review-2707.php 

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Xiaomi-Pad-6S-Pro-review-Versatile-12-4-inch-tablet-with-outstanding-specs.839897.0.html

 

Don't does extended monitor only mirroring - maybe with Android 15  and also has no expanded storage, it is also a bit expensive at 715 euro with keyboard.

 

 

[Bullit]

Candidate: Huawei Matepad 11.5S Papermatte  499 euro with keyboard and pen.

 

 

 

 

[Bullit]

Candidate: Honor Magicpad 2  12.3" 

 

 

 

[ryan]

if I wasn't a 3d sucker I'd say the 900nit Xiaomi looks like a strong contender. I think when it comes to tablets in my experience having used mine for 10 hours a day for 3 weeks, the most important thing when you have a high end tablet is the charge time, if you can fill the proverbial cup in 35min it wouldn't be a bad idea to use the tablet with full performance mode and brightness for the 6-7hours and just get a cup of coffee and your good to start another session. I have a 3d TV and a VR headset and of course im biased but id look at the new leia lume pad 3 that will be coming out soon or the rebrand of that the ZTE nubia 3d gen 2. having what looks like a hologram in your hands is like seeing the ocean for the first time. its novelty and gimmicky in some aspects but it never fully wears off, the wow this is so neat. kinda like when computers first came out, we really didnt need what they were offering as we had pencils and pens and they were functional. imagine how gimmicky computers must have felt to the 20s-40s generation. now we have computers running our world and the next step is immersion and 3d is the only next logical step along with AI(love it or hate it) this thing has AI built in.

 

Honestly Bullit i'd wait another 6 months, there is going to be some pretty big improvements to tech in the next few months because of the AI Bear. If you can't wait I think you have already crossed the finish line with a medal. that xiaomi is looking like a good package. one thing ill add with my experience with tablets is storage is very crucial to be productive/entertained. I have a 128gb tablet and a 128gb micro sd and honestly im upgrading the micro sd to a 1tb in a few days, as for the on board storage 128gb just doesn't cut it. either get 512gb and a 1 tb card or expect to be let down. im sorry I cant be of more help but thats all I do...read the general C. its hard finding the perfect phone/tablet/computer and often times it doesn't exist. I found the perfect tablet for myself after about 1800 dollars and 2 returns and reading reviews. alot of compromises but in the end im thrilled with it. the tablet you posted looks incredible and if the LUME PAD 3d 2 didn't exist I would have bought that one after returning the super affordable oled p11 gen 2.

[Bullit]

Thanks, i had bad experience with SD cards and if i choose the Xiaomi it do not even have one.   Since this will be for office work it will have also to be backed up online. I also don't have 1800  to spend. I want overall budget less then 900 euro, preferably around 600.

 

I am still undecided in several things - do i need a 150/100 euro  Xiaomi(all other manufacturers seem to have similar prices) keyboard for the tablet for on the go or it is just enough a 30-40 euro bluetooth keyboard to be in the office. I don't feel the need of keyboard for my Lenovo Tab while on the go, but current use is not intensive.

I have a 50 euro Wacom pen tablet that i use as a mouse since i don't like to use mouse and the pen is much faster, but i already verified it is not compatible to Android so i will have to buy another pen tablet, i am considering this one: https://www.storexppen.pt/buy/deco-lw.html another option would be to buy the proper pen for the Xiaomi, and will die with Xiaomi, while my first Wacom pen tablet lasted 20 years... decisions decisions.

 

Xiaomi Pad 6s Pro : 530 euro

 

Options:

Xiaomi keyboard with pad and backlight also protects the tablet 150 euro

Xiaomi pen 99 euro                                                                                                               Total 250 euro

 

 

Xiaomi Keyboard without pad no backlight 90 euro

Xiaomi pen 99 euro                                                                                                               Total 200 euro

 

 

Bluetooth keyboard to be in office/home 30-40 euro

XP Pen bluetooth pen tablet instead of Xiaomi pen 80 euro.                                            Total 120 euro

 

 

 

 

[ryan]

The backlit keyboard is a go, the pen...I use a 20 dollar stylus and its great, I would look at getting a generic chinese stylus not like they are an advanced piece of tech. also I looked it up on amazon to see if I could afford it as a backup and its 1300 cad...yikes thats zenbook 14 oled territory. but yes I think you will be very happy with a tablet like the xiaomi 6s pro. they are versatile devices and are more convenient and enjoyable to use over a laptop. I have like 5 laptops and only one is older and I rarely use them, first thing I do is load up my tablet on the couch and check emails. honestly i'd look at seeing if you can find deals or coupon codes, be vigilant and maybe you could shave off 50-100 euros. at any rate, keep us updated on it and maybe a mini first impressions. would be interesting to see what the battery life is vs what the reviewers claim.

 

it's a tough pill to swallow that I spent 750cad and it takes 2 hours to charge my tablet for 5-7 hours at max brightness. your new tablet in question will charge from 0-100 in 35min and last 11 hours.

[Bullit]

Yeah, the charge is one of great advantages of this xiaomi -as long as the battery lasts those powerful charges -

 

Ouch 1300 CAD to euro is 875 euro, it is quite expensive in Canada, you can buy it in Aliexpress, tradingshenzhen for 480 euro about 713 CAD. But probably you risk customs taxes.

 

Yes i am waiting for a couple things: see if Lenovo updates their line. What is the direction Xiaomi goes with HyperOS 2.0,  what support Honor have in my country, Black Friday and promos like you said. From France i can already bring the tablet and full keyboard for 670 euro (with 23.5% sales tax that i can recover) but i want that combo down to ~600 euro. Or the 12GB/512Gb for that price.

 

Here is Lenovo P11 Pro with extended display. The P11 Pro is far from affordable 500 euro here. so almost at Xiaomi level and couple years older.

 

[ryan]

I just owned a p11 pro gen 2 8gb ram 128gb oled 2.5k tablet. It's a great tablet I paid 300 for the tablet and 150 for the advanced 2 year warranty. Speakers were good to great. Screen was bright vibrant battery life was around 8 to 10 hours and one draw back was charge time. I will say this lume pad although same in benchmarks faster by a large margin and speakers are louder although not as refined. Lower quality sound but much louder. Both are great tablets and if you can get a p11 pro gen 2 for 160 euro it's impossible to beat the value and honestly it's built like a 600 dollar tablet. The xiaomi on the other hand is in another league. I was considering something like that to replace my p11 pro but honestly it felt good knowing I saved 500 bucks. Sometimes buyers remorse creeps in when you over spend on tech. If I could go back in time I'd just keep the p11 and save up for a oculus quest 3 for 3d movies. But now that I have it. I'll protect this thing like a child. The 3d effect is exaggerated and mind bending. Pure magic. 

 

Tldr.

 

Get a p11 for 200 euro or go all in with the xiaomi. Both are intelligent choices as they both offer features that are useful and with those two in particular you get what you pay for and then some

[Bullit]

Where you geta P11 pro (will prefer a P12 Pro screen size) for 200 euro?  i need receipt for business and while i can recover sales taxes, i can't recover customs taxes so i hesitate to buy from Chinese sites without euro store. P11 Pro here it is basically same price as the Xiaomi 500 euro, and our official Lenovo store don't sell it anymore neither P12 Pro which  leads me to believe something is coming.

[ryan]

I bought it directly from Lenovo in Canada. They pulled it but it might pop back up. At any rate if both are the same price the xiaomi is leagues above

[Bullit]

Yes, P11 Pro is already a bit old.

[ryan]

There's not a lot of options. For me 3d was a feature I wanted...but luck has it the tablet supports super fast charging..found out and hour ago..that's the last thread to make me decide to keep it. At 499.99 USD it's unbeatable with all-round performance in aspects like speakers.display.batterylife.charging speed.performance.and unique advantages like glasses free ai 3d. The xiaomi is similar with it super fast charging and long battery and fast performance. Nothing on speakers though. At first people don't care to much but they can be important on a tablet the same way cameras are on smartphones

 

Next purchase is a matte screen protector. So glossy shouldn't be in the mix when if your using a pen you will need a screen protector 

[Bullit]

New enticing competitor

 

OnePlus Pad 2  12.1"   900 nits HBM

 

500 euro pre order with 12GB/256GB  , including  80w charger, and at choice either for zero euro keyboard value 149 euro or pen value 99 euro.

 

https://www.oneplus.com/pt/buy-oneplus-pad-2

 

 

 

[ryan]

Interesting price point.. screen is nice albeit not oled. For 500 the lume pad is the best bang for the buck and ticks all boxes except for storage and nits. May I ask why you need 256gb of app storage? That's like 400 apps!!. Brightness after 400 nits is minimal. Comparing 900nits to 450nits the latter won't be half as bright. The perceived difference will be extremely slight. I have a 1400 not display and when comparing to a 450nit tablet display it's looking brighter but not worth money brighter. The outside in the sun argument is moot because in my 39 years on earth I have only seen 1 person use a tablet outside. It's just not reasonable. Phones sure. I could have bought any tablet in the world nothing in ux is faster. Specs mean very little without proper execution.

[Bullit]

I use my tablet outside, in garden, balcony, restaurant, on the bus and when i go to the field.

 

I have a samsung A34 900+ nits and the Lenovo M10 Tab 3gn plus 480 nits and notice the difference.

 

I don't care about OLED if the IPS is good quality. And don't want it with low PWM like Samsung.

[ryan]

Then the pad 2 seems to be the better buy.free keyboard seals the deal. I'm not sensitive to brightness past 400 nits. It's bright enough. I personally use my tablet while swimming and showering. Also fun to play real racing while biking. But your use cases is 900 nits enough? If your gardening and using tablet then 900 nits? Can you even see the screen in direct sun light my s21 ultra 21 at 1200nits is horrible in sun light..

[Bullit]

I know at 900 nits it will not be directly in sunlight unless high contrast but it will be better than the Lenovo when i put myself against the sun.

 

I confess i am a bit on backfoot due to not have familiarity with OnePlus, their webpage also don't have an email support. I was told - not by a representative - it will have 3 OS updates which is not bad but neither good.  Also the Honor Magicpad 2 with 1600 nits... Xiaomi is currently not competitive but would have liked its 12.4 instead of 12.1. The good thing of this one is that will push prices down.

[ryan]

did you settle on a tablet?

[kojack]

Of course it can. Just get a surface.  even the go will do what you need.  

[ryan]

Based on our testing, the display achieves an average of 452.8 nits and hits 444 nits around the center of the screen. This is close to the peak 450 nits Microsoft advertises for the Surface Pro 8.

 

he need something that will work outdoors. more nits than the surface. hes not interested in the lume pad or surface.

[Bullit]

Not yet @ryan. Waiting for OnePlus  pad 2 reviews from reputed sites, Honor Matepad 2 if it ever comes out of China, what Lenovo is doing, they need to release a top tablet soon, they are just getting behind, Xiaomi will release the HyperOS 2.0 next month so i also want to check what are their path. I will probably wait for Black Friday or Christmas. But i can swoop in if i get some great deal. 

@kojack   besides what ryan already told you, it weights 895g without keybpard, Besides the price is 1229 euro the least version.

 

To make it worse they are taking a page from Apple. changing the SSD from 256 to 512 is +250 euros.  1479 euros. That is enough to not want anything with that product.

And i don't even know if windows can just wake up by just touching it. My Lenovo 199 euro tab with 480 nits screen i just take it from the bag and it is ready to work. Also have been working great with everything. I was going in a 300km car trip and i turned on my phone hotspot to give it wi-fi and my mom saw her TV series while on the go in the tablet. That is the modernity is was told about.

This one:

 

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-Tab-M10-Plus-2022-Gen-3-review-Affordable-tablet-with-2K-display-and-stylus-support.632955.0.html

 

[kojack]

Get the snapdragon base model surface.  It does all of that, it has an awesome screen which maxes out at 890 nits.  fine for daylight viewing, it has a user upgradable ssd with no tool access to the drive (magnetic door) and one screw to swap drives. and yes windows wakes up just by touching it.  either the fingerprint sensor, open the device and windows hello just opens your device for you.

 

I have owned a couple of surfii in the past and the weight is not noticeable in your backpack.  My ipad 10th gen with Logitech keyboard is way heavier. 

[Bullit]

Weight issue is not for backpack, it is for use as one hand tablet. My M10 weights 465g, the 12" above about more 100g, So 570 or so. That is quite a difference.

 

Then 1229 euros if that is with 890 nits , is that for HDR or SDR? what matters is SDR, if SDR  that is okay.

 

 

https://www.tomsguide.com/tablets/surface-pro-11

 

If this one it says 564 nits SDR 747 nits HDR

 

[ryan]

Haha..yeah that's an expensive tablet. You could buy three leia lume pads. I think it's a smart idea waiting till black Friday or boxing day. But that's just time with it lost. I still feel the xiaomi is the better buy even if it doesn't come with the keyboard, it checks all boxes. If I were to get any other tablet in the future and couldn't pick a leia lume pad 3 it would be the 6s pro. Nothing seems to match them, usually 1 or 2 major drawbacks. If you do go the cheaper route which is also smart the Lenovo p11 plus gen 2 is the best tablet on a budget, many reasons why.