8 inch tablet suggestions

I was going to buy one of the Lenovo Tab E8 8" 16GB Wi-Fi - Slate Black to use as a navigator for an upcoming USA road trip. My wife put her foot down and made me buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1" 32GB - Black so who was I to argue ;=))

In hind sight it was a good move as it is great to use. Only problem I can see is that I will not be able to leave it in the car while sightseeing.

Lenovo, Samsung etc all pretty good. I have a Lenovo which does not take a sim card {ie no 4g) However it does everything you want except for calls and the very rare times I need internet on it I hotspot with my phone. I think all the screens are pretty sensitive to glare. Either put it down low away from glare or as I do, use a hat to keep the glare off the screen. Works a treat. PS you can get a Lenovo that takes a sim card but they are a little more expensive (still cheaper than Samsung)

You haven’t mentioned how much you are willing to spend, so I’m assuming money is not an issue :) that being the case I would go with the ipad mini cellular , will do all you want and it has plenty of memory for all you maps etc.

Lenovo E8 16GB ~$110 wifi only ~$200 4G vers
128GBmicro SD card $40. So if you hot spot your phone you could set your self up with ExplorOz Traveller with maps for $250. All Android tablets come with a GPS BTW. My wifi only set up worked fine. Not great in direct sun but floor mounted with RAM mount finding an angle wasn't difficult.

Trevor & Verna
I had the Hema 7 & the later glass one both gave nothing but problems over heat, pad out of sync etc. etc. had them back & fourth many times in warranty & out of warranty.
So I went an IPad 10.5 pro & has been great not one problem & I use it as laptop, camera etc. as well, Yes on a cruiser/patrol etc. it would be too big I would think, mine is on a dash mount on my Isuzu NPS 300 4x4 truck/camper (big windscreen) it has never over heated or missed a beat so you may want to think of one of the smaller units, they will run most navigation packages
Good luck

Have a Samsung, excellent unit.

One thing though the Explore app uses a lot of power so you will need to have the tablet constantly powered if using as a GPS.

There are plenty of suggestions re brands, but on size, if you're running some detailed maps you may find the 7 inch screen a bit small. I certainly did.

I have had great success with a Samsung 9.7 inch tablet. I can run EO Traveller and OziExplorer simultaneously, either switching between them (full scsreen) or displaying both simultaneously in split screen mode.

It also doubles as a reasonable camera for Places pics (can upload straight from the device rather than transferring from other devices/cameras) , internet, email, etc.

Cheers

For my needs I required a cheap Chinese unit running Windows CE so I could use Oziexplorer with maps I had gathered over the years. I also needed a reversing camera input . I found not many suited the bill.
I ended up with one from digOptions for $160

7"HD 4x4 GPS OziExplorer 4WD Australian Maps
Portable GPS Nav Bundled with comprehensive street & off road maps. The included Off Road Map Data has plenty of info on most 4X4 tracks right across Australia. Simple and Intuitive Touch Screen Menu. with an 8GB flash internal memory with Street Maps.
https://www.digoptions.com.au/7-hd-4x4-gps-oziexplorer-4wd-australian-maps-topog

It was out of stock when I ordered it but came in stock a couple of weeks later

Trev, I'm a Samsung convert and am running a Galaxy Tab 8A as well as the 10"S3 unit. I have the Samsung Note 9 for a phone. I am running Oziexplorer for Android on them all and they have performed faultlessly across a wide range of travels. Even smashed the 8 in the door up at the cape. Worked well enough despite a shattered screen. Simply replaced that when I got back home.

These units have been strapped to the front of the quad on several expeditions now and are generally mounted up front in the Tojo. I'd recommend getting a solid external case for them. There are plenty of sub-$30 ones on ebay or spend up to $90 on an Otterbox or something similar.

Good performance on wifi and excellent on the GPS for those times you'r off the beaten track. Camera's are good quality. Good voice recognition programs for taking notes and journals as well. Saves typing. Also use it for engine diagnosis (Bluetooth) through Torque App and of course it is set to control GoPro cameras and the DJI drones.

Very reasonably priced as well (compared to some fruit derived products) particularly during a sale at Officeworks, JB hifi or similar.

Cheers

Mick

Samsung Tab8 here. Use it for work and for navigation. Have tried using cheap units but the lag is rediculous

Trevor & Verna
We use an 9.5" ipad with hema maps loaded and have 4G and GPS. We use to have it sitting on the dash, but found that too hot for it. We now attach it with a 3M product - Duralock- to the front of the radio, because we don't use it on our trips. We have travelled some very rough roads and it hasn't come off yet.

I have attached a couple of photos.

My android phone has a 6" inch screen and works great so I don't need two devices. The screen is quite nice, I watch movies on it at night as well. It takes 2 sims as well so I get Telstra and Optus reception which is handy in places like Oodnadatta that are Optus only cells. I want a sat sleeve for it next.

I've used a lot of different devices, but the 8" Samsung Tab S SM-T705Y has been the best. Having had 7", 8" and 10" tablets and laptops of various sizes, the 8" is the keeper.
I've had it for about 4-5 years - it has the super amoled screen that is visible even side on with polaroid sunnies. A bit light on for storage so i have to use a micro SD to store my maps for Oziexplorer. GPS works very well. It sucks the power, but the solution for me is a Jaycar adaptor that has 2 x 2.4A (4.8A). It uses the same microUSB connection as my sat phone, Tomtom, jumpstarter and a few other things!

Be Aware if it’s bumpy and hot these units can shut down, mate and i own similar Samsung units and have found we had the same issues out in The High Country, over all tho there a great way to go, just wait for them to kool down and reboot...

What’s the hurry out there right.