Need advice - Xperia Z2 Tablet or iPad Air 2 64GB?

Cairnstorm · Nov 17, 2014

Hello everyone

I am putting together the money to buy a tablet for Christmas and I have narrowed down my choices to either the Xperia z2 tablet or the Ipad Air 2 64GB

I'm looking for a nice tablet for RPG use as I GM as well as play.

I have not bought a tablet before but I have had an iPhone (my current being an android phone). So I'm familiar with both android and iOS.

Could everyone please tell me what they use as a general tablet as well as what tablet they use at the game table.

I asked the folks on reddit and they seem to predominately advise android. One of them stating that PDF run better on android. Also given that the Xperia z2 tablet is 16:9 (or is it 16:10?) does that negatively affect pdf reading?

Many thanks

Deset Gled · Nov 19, 2014

Play with an (modern) iProduct in the store. It will work fine. Try things out; see if you like it. Everything you try in the future will work roughly as well as that, but the Apple experience will never get better than that

Play with a (modern) Android product in a store somewhere. Take a look at some of the setting and other customizable things. Make note of how far off it is from your "ideal" tablet experience. Think about how much work it will take to modify things to get them exactly how you want them.

If the amount of time it would take to modify the Android product is reasonable/enjoyable to you, get the Android. The versatility means you will eventually end up with a product much better tuned to your needs, and you will like it more. If the time cost is too great, or the tweaks you need are only minimally above the iExperience, go with the Apple product. It will work much better straight out of the box.

Cairnstorm · Nov 20, 2014

@Deset Gled

Thank you very much. That is the best response that I have been given from both people I know and from people online.

The shops are open late tomorrow evening and I will keep what you said in mind when browsing the Ipad and premium android tablets.

Again, thank you very much

dbm · Nov 20, 2014

I will be open and say I am a huge Apple fan, so take my opinions with a pinch of salt.

There are three great things about Apple products in my opinion / experience:

Longevity: Android is getting better on this, but you will still get a longer lifespan from your Apple device in terms of OS support. It's an aspect of the tight integration between hardware and software that Android generally can't benefit from (appart from Nexus devices, maybe)
Ecosystem: Again, Android is catching up significantly but Apple still edges on the ability of a range of devices to all work together seamlessly. I have Apple TV, AirPlay sound docks and printers, Mac computers, iPhones and iPads. They all work together to provide an overall digital ecosystem. You don't get that to the same degree with Android due to the multiple parties involved
Robust 3rd Party apps: The App Store is policed by Apple, which does limit choice slightly but significantly increases safety. The tight integration between hardware / software means that developers can have a higher confidence about what you will be running the device on and so design with that in mind

It's a bit like the difference between a PC and a games console. You can customise a PC easily and do more with it, but it requires effort and maintenance. A console does a smaller range of things but what it does it generally does very well without customisation and the vendor handles maintenance for you.

Both are good, pick which option fits your needs best.

For me, the iPad does everything I want and more. I use it all the time at the table and prefer PDF to books. Android devices must be incredible at rendering PDFs if they are better than what I already have! I also use my device extensively at work in meetings and for brainstorming. It's my primary web browser and games console.

Bottom line - all are good, best is a personal thing.

Janx · Nov 20, 2014

I have iOS stuff in my house. Can't stand my Android phone for work (past or present), I actually liked my BlackBerry better than the Android. So I have a bias, but now you know.

Generically, if I was buying an Android tablet, I'd get Google's product or Samsung's as those sound like the best of breed. Google's Nexus 7 was a pretty good machine, and straight from the cow, so you know the milk is good.

For iOS vs. Android, a key factor is what do you have already. I had iPhones before I had Android. Thus the Android had no synergy bonus in my house. Whereas my iPads do. That matters where there's like 5 iOS devices and 1 Android in the house, because I can share purchases/data inherently.

@OP: You have an android phone, that's 1 vote in favor of an Android tablet already.

The customization aspect of Android is over-rated, most users don't need or know how to do it. Consider how much customizing you do on your PC. If you have to get a nerd to fix your PC/OS, you don't need an Android.

The malware factor is another concern. The only iOS threat right now is if you jailbreak your iPhone, and go to Chinese app sites and connect it to PC over USB. What idiot does that (the Chinese part, let alone USB these days)? Android on the other hand, is a bit more wild west. Too many stores, too much malware, even on the Google store.

@OP: that's a vote for iOS. Preferences aside, your security is paramount and iOS is safer for you to get apps from its store and not get malware.

While there's likely an exclusive app you might want (like PS4 vs XbOne), generally, there's an app on either OS that fits the bill (spreadsheets, remote desktop, gaming, dice rollers, knitting, pick a topic, both have it). You may prefer one over the other, but the grass is always greener on the other side, and you'll always find a perfect app for A on one, and be stuck with perfect app for B on the other OS.

For other factors: You could consider price vs. quality. iPads are well made metal, glass and $$. Androids are plastic and cheaper. This is hard to score as it depends on your budget more than anything. Though you mention "premium android" so this might wash itself out as you spend equivalent money.

iOS devices are actively supported for at least 3 years with updates. Android devices, tend to not be updated beyond their launch OS's patches. For me, iOS wins on that, but a comparative argument is that putting iOS7 on an iPhone 4s is a bad idea because it taxes the CPU/battery too much. aka, not all updates are good for you.

For a 3rd opinion, go look at a Surface tablet. It's Windows.

Cairnstorm · Nov 20, 2014

[MENTION=8014]dbm[/MENTION]

thank you for your response. My day to day job is a video editor and the Ipad has tight integration with the adobe creative cloud (apparently the android app is a joke).

The Ipad is looking to be the most practical option.

Cairnstorm · Nov 20, 2014

[MENTION=8835]Janx[/MENTION]

thank you for your indepth reply.

"@OP: You have an android phone, that's 1 vote in favor of an Android tablet already."

i have not purchased any apps on android so the fact i have an android phone is not a major concern for me. I do like my android phone but its serves a different purpose in my life than the tablet will.

"@OP: that's a vote for iOS. Preferences aside, your security is paramount and iOS is safer for you to get apps from its store and not get malware.

Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?382059-Need-advice-Xperia-Z2-Tablet-or-iPad-Air-2-64GB#ixzz3Jd3YV100"

agreed. viruses are a pain on a pc. i do not want to imagine the hassle it would be on a phone or tablet.

I am no thinking that Ipad is the product to go for. thank you for all your help

Janx · Nov 20, 2014

Cairnstorm said:
[MENTION=8835]Janx[/MENTION]

thank you for your indepth reply.

"@OP: You have an android phone, that's 1 vote in favor of an Android tablet already."

i have not purchased any apps on android so the fact i have an android phone is not a major concern for me. I do like my android phone but its serves a different purpose in my life than the tablet will.

"@OP: that's a vote for iOS. Preferences aside, your security is paramount and iOS is safer for you to get apps from its store and not get malware.

Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?382059-Need-advice-Xperia-Z2-Tablet-or-iPad-Air-2-64GB#ixzz3Jd3YV100"

agreed. viruses are a pain on a pc. i do not want to imagine the hassle it would be on a phone or tablet.

I am no thinking that Ipad is the product to go for. thank you for all your help

I think you'll be fine. Like the old adage, nobody ever got fired for buying IBM. iOS devices are kind of the same thing (barring certain situations).

Mallus · Nov 20, 2014

I've got a 3rd generation iPad (1st Retina). It's great. The only reason I'm toying with the idea of upgrading is I can still get around $200 US if I trade it in now.

Desert Gled has it right. The value of Android customization is directly proportional to how much you enjoy the act of customization -- not necessarily the results. For a device like a tablet, my level of customization-enjoyment is nil, and my iPad does everything I want it to do without mucking around.

My one group usually sports 4 iPads at the gaming table; 1 4th gen, 2 3rd, and 1 lone 1st-gen that still works fine (the only thing it can't do is play some more current games -- but I've heard most app development still targets the _iPad 2_).

We've found iPads to be great for gaming. The aspect ratio is ideal for PDFs. It's true big image-heavy PDFs could render faster on mine, but it's not a big deal.

If you're looking to future-proof, or do more work-related things, the new middle-tier Air 2 would be a good choice. 64GB of storage & 2 GB of RAM makes for a powerful tablet. Keep in mind, there aren't any current apps that need 2GB of RAM. iOS does a great job at memory management. Quite a few Android tablets have better on-paper specs & noticeably worse real-world performance.

All this said, I don't think you can wrong with a higher-end Android tablet. I just don't see any with a real advantages over Apple, particularly when you consider Apple's lead in app selection/market share and iOS being the primary target platform for 3rd-party app development.

Of course, if you're looking to save money, there are some great inexpensive Android tablets available. If you mainly want something to read PDFs on, it's harder to justify anything in the iPad product line.

Cairnstorm · Nov 20, 2014

[MENTION=3887]Mallus[/MENTION]

cheers for your input.

"Of course, if you're looking to save money, there are some great inexpensive Android tablets available."

there are however i have learned painfully in the past that i get what i pay for. However that belief is difficult to accept when i saw that in the apple store a protective case for the ipad air 2 was £60.00 and a cover was £30.00.

good grief!

I know i need one though as the ipad from using the display model looks like it could get scratched to hell and back very easily.

thanks for your help