Best Mini Android Tablet

You are correct. There are pretty much no fast android tablet under 8" anymore. They are all extremely dated. the "fasted" one in this area that I know of is Xiaomi Mi Pad 4.
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JagStyles wrote: ↑ Seems many of them are outdated with old specs and/or old versions of Android OS. Any suggestions?

Chinese is about your only choice nowadays.
Samsung has their Galaxy Tab but I don't think you want to pay nearly a grand for the latest one.
Plus I'm starting to hate Samsung with all their crap they integrate. I just want AOSP.

I have a Mi Pad 4 and it's pretty meh despite the specs being decent.
I'm also bitter I had to wait a month to unlock the stupid thing so I could put a non stupid OS on it.
I wouldn't buy again.

death_hawk wrote: ↑ Chinese is about your only choice nowadays.
Samsung has their Galaxy Tab but I don't think you want to pay nearly a grand for the latest one.
Plus I'm starting to hate Samsung with all their crap they integrate. I just want AOSP.

I have a Mi Pad 4 and it's pretty meh despite the specs being decent.
I'm also bitter I had to wait a month to unlock the stupid thing so I could put a non stupid OS on it.
I wouldn't buy again.

It's a shame there aren't any quality options out there. I've avoided Samsung products like the plague, I hate companies that fill a device with their own crap. I just want stock android and I'll add the things I want. So based on your reply, I guess there's really nothing that fits that bill?

JagStyles wrote: ↑ It's a shame there aren't any quality options out there. I've avoided Samsung products like the plague, I hate companies that fill a device with their own crap.

Me too.

I just want stock android and I'll add the things I want. So based on your reply, I guess there's really nothing that fits that bill?

Luckily more and more manufacturers are embracing Treble so you can install a GSI on quite a few newer devices.
This is what I've done to a few of my things now.
There's very few "mainstream" manufacturers that are even putting out tablets so you're basically stuck with Chinese.

I've had fairly good luck so far with GSI. It's not all smooth sailing but it's been better than manufacturer crap.

That said, quality is sometimes left to be desired though. My Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 Plus is falling apart already and it's barely 6 months old.
I probably won't be buying them again.

Also when you say "mini" how big are we talking?

death_hawk wrote: ↑ Also when you say "mini" how big are we talking?

Looking for something along the same size as the iPad Mini. I have the larger iPad right now but find it's just too large for my needs.

Is there a reason why tablets are lagging behind? Is the market just not there for Android tablets? What do people use instead?

JagStyles wrote: ↑ Looking for something along the same size as the iPad Mini. I have the larger iPad right now but find it's just too large for my needs.

What exactly are your needs?

If you don't game intensively but just consume content like watch videos and movies, read emails, ebooks, news, etc. you really don't need a tablet with the fastest specs and all the other latest techie options that you likely wouldn't use. For such usage I have an Amazon Fire 8 that I bought for $50 at a recent Prime sale. Don't miss all that other techie things that the latest Android version offers because I only use a limited number of apps and it's fine for me.

If you need to have the latest and greatest there aren't a lot of options as manufacturers are finding demand for tablets are dwindling as people are happy with phablets.

It's bonkers that the only high-end Android tablets cost more than the iPad. When my Tab Pro kicks it, I'm switching. The Android tablet market is so sad.

Android tablets are dead. I don't think it's wise to spend money on them. iPad mini will be a good option. The 2018 version is nice, though you can buy older versions for cheap.
If you still wanna go with android, here are a few options:
Amazon Fire, Lenovo Tab 4, Huawei MediaPad M5 and T1

I am totally vested in Android

My last Android tablet was a Nexus 9 and it was garbage

The last functional Android tablet was the Nexus 7 (2013)

I’ve given up on Android tablets and now I only use iPads. If google ever decides to release a new Nexus or Pixel tablet, I will be the first in line to buy one

Gee wrote: ↑ I am totally vested in Android

My last Android tablet was a Nexus 9 and it was garbage

The last function Android tablet was the Nexus 7 (2013)

I’ve given up on Android tablets and now I only use iPads. If google ever decides to release a new Nexus or Pixel tablet, I will be the first in line to buy one

Same here. I missed my happy days with Nexus 7, I almost picked up a Nexus 9 but I changed my mind at the last second. We are in the iPad land these days.