Why virtually no 4:3 tablets in 2016?

[Katagiri]

I have no idea why…. yesterday I was reading an article about the new Samsung hybrid and it said that Android tablets market was declining. I remembered when that happened with desktops but they will never die, there are hardcore gamers and some professionals who maintain the market, but, how about the tablets? Who will maintain the market?

[Chris G]

Lucky for us all, Samsung has the Galaxy Tab S3 just announced. I also want to see some more which I why I’m reviewing the FNF iFive Mini 4S 7.9″ and Ifive Pro2 9.7″ 4:3 tablets that have just been released.

I might get the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 too, finally 4:3 tablet with SD820 power (Should have been done last year!)

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[Jamie Brahm]

I think its true Windows is on a growth path. I think they may even return to phones in a year or so. Windows 10 is making the windows store grow rapidly. And the new universal app platform is actually dope. I am using edge right now, its lightening, light weight. All the UWP apps are.

And to be fair, the android tablet market never took off. The iPad has always been the biggest selling tablet. Still is. Which is why Chinese makers copy their UI.

Its also true that hybrids is the biggest growth market.  Things have shifted a bit, and will continue to I think, not with bigger hybrids, but with new product catergories – like the crazy new gaming windows device, or dual screens etc. The phablet certainly wiped the floor with the once popular android 8 inch models! (too similar, go a little smaller, and it fits in your pocket. Well, ish, lol)

But high growth markets are where premium manufacturers reign, like right now people like Lenovo and Surface. If Chinese manufacturers think enterprise consumers want to buy the Cube over the Surface with their high end money, they have another thing coming.

And if you look at the sales for the top-selling tablet models of 2016, its still mostly 9.7 inch and 8 inch. They might not be the fasting growing, but they are still the highest selling. That the Chinese market made nearly none of these last year, and are trying to take on “new space” premium brands like Surface and Lenovo, has got to have lead to a loss or loss of profits last year. Someone with a calculator has to be stratching their head somewhere wondering why thjeir sales dipped so much in 2016. In fact I’ve heard it direct from suppliers, they sold less tablets last year….

And I know why. They got ahead of themselves. High growth market does not mean, biggest market.

And if windows does take over the tablet space (which they might, after all I am a fan of microsofts new direction)- who really thinks the average person wants a 13+ inch screen to lug around when they mostly use tablets as coffee table computers?

My teclast x98 plus II, came dual boot. I deleted android, and Windows runs great on the little beast. I even used it as a desktop for awhile, fully plugged in, and _played windows games_ and it coped! (It played “Tryanny” for example) Pretty groovy. But yeah the 4:3 ratio is way better for web pages, pdfs, magazines the sort of every day consuming every day people actually do. Even thinks like stylus drawing makes more sense on a 9.7 than a 10 or 12. Its the same shape as a bit of paper. For what most people use, most of the time, that makes sense. I read pdfs all the time on my little beast.

Not saying hybrids aren’t great for people who would already be laptop users, they are, and I’ve used plenty. But yeah, it is not a mainstream thing, never will be IMO.

[Jamie Brahm]

When I saw the Teclast x98 pro, I thought, yes this is finally going to happen, decent high spec 4;3s. And then it fizzled and the wave crashed, lol.

We didn’t even get to see ANY Chinese 8 inchers with 4gb or ram. SMH. Only real stand out was the Mi Pad 2, which is great but pricey-ish at release, and no microsd.

Glad to see actually the FNF is coming into the game. Their products seem very decent for the price, great quality to price ratio. Be very keen to see those reviews.

And yes Samsung too, long overdue an upgrade.

[Marcel]

2017 is going to be a good year. Other Chinese manufacturers will have to step up their game. Only $199 for good build quality and decent specs:

IdeaPad Miix 320
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/ideapad/miix/miix-320/

[Jamie Brahm]

I expect it will be a good year with Windows ARM emulation. Those at cheaper, have longer battery life, come with LTE standard. I imagine china will pump out dual boot hybrids, tablets and windows laptops.

There are a few features like stylus, fingerprint and usb-c, and wireless charging that have become standard on premium models, and we should hopefully see more of those….

 

Not sure the IdeaPad is that revolutionary.  The usb-c and LTE however are stand out for that price range.

[Marcel]

Jamie Brahm wrote:

Not sure the IdeaPad is that revolutionary. The usb-c and LTE however are stand out for that price range.

It also has dual band 802.11ac which is pretty good for that price 🙂 You are right about the Windows ARM emulation though. That’s going to be a game changer.

[Marcel]

In this video the Lenovo guy says that the 199 price includes the keyboard also. If that is the case then this thing is priced exceptionally well:

[murdic]

X5, though?  Onda oBook 10 pro is selling for less than a third of Surface 3’s cost right now, with similar specs (X7 Z8700, 4Gb RAM)  except for the small battery and 16:10 screen, single-band WiFi.  It has DC port and USB-C, though, which Surface didn’t, so a power bank should see it through a day.   I expect build and stylus performance to be unflattering in comparison, but it’s currently AUD 300, USD 225 with keyboard and stylus – the active stylus recharges via micro USB, too, no AAAA battery needed.  Lenovo’s own IdeaPad 10.1″ with Z8700 was Surface 3 price level, too.

[Author]

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