Hi! I’m looking for a privacy respecting Android tablet.
I ruled out the google tablet due to it being too expensive with an LCD screen
I would prefer a nice OLED screen if possible (or similar), and preferably cheap. Must be able to stream HEVC encoded videos (not 10 years old hardware), and preferably more (VP9, AV1, for future proofing)
The main use will be to watch content (movies, series, videos) from YouTube and Jellyfin, and sometimes some other apps if they’re not enforcing the Play Integrity API
So far I’ve searched some OS and I’m considering LineageOS or /e/OS, with /e/OS looking better in terms of privacy. Don’t want google to track everywhere I go and everything I do.
Any recommendations for good cheap hardware with bootloader unlocking, and recommendations for a good Android ROM?
A cheaper option is the Galaxy Tab 5e, a mid-range tablet from 2019. It has a very nice 1600p Super AMOLED panel and it is supported by both LineageOS and iodéOS. I own one myself and it can do HEVC fine, but I’m not sure about those other codecs as I haven’t tried them. I don’t know what the availability is like where you’re from, but here in Australia they are very easy to pick up secondhand in great condition for ~AU$200 which I think is a great price considering the quality of the display and their ongoing monthly updates.
Still using my old trusty Galaxy Tab S 5e but batteryis showing its age. Thinking of Tab S9 which has unofficial LineageOS at XDA, modern CPU and OLED. Cannot find anything else to replace S5e. Most new tablets eithet too big or LCD.
I was considering it but was afraid it would be slow
Does it still seem okay?
For video playback it’s more than fast enough. I don’t have any stutters or hangs in the UI either, iodéOS is a lot lighter than the One UI version it came with. To be honest, aside from the 60Hz refresh rate, I can’t really tell that it’s a 6-year-old tablet. It is very thin, even by today’s standards, which makes it feel quite modern.
If you wanted to use it for gaming I’m sure you would run into issues, but I’m guessing you’re like me and just want it for watching stuff on.
alright, thanks for the recommendation
How does it compare to /e/OS?
iodéOS is a fork of LineageOS, so visually it’s very similar. I’ve never used /e/OS, but from my understanding its UI tries to mimic iOS so it is quite different in that regard.
/e/OS is also a fork of LineageOS
Here’s a comparison chart with some more information, although it does have some inaccuracies so its always best to check anything important with the respective project.