Thoughts on a 10in Android tablet for a technophobe parent?

Johnmcl7

My technophobe Dad who generally avoids all technology has decided he would like a tablet having seen how others use them.  Well technically he wanted a new phone to replace his old Nokia but I thought a tablet made more sense as he's not reliant on it for anything whereas he needs his phone for calls and texts.

I'm split between going for a cheap entry level one or spending a bit more in case he does get into it and he's hitting storage/ram limits (unlikely).  The Lenovo Tab 3 10 16GB for £120 seems a good starting point with 16GB storage, 720p screen, 2GB ram and a 7800Mah battery.

When reading reviews on budget tablets, the Amazon Fire HD 10 seems to get a lot of recommendations and started looking at that with the 32GB version for £160.  I misread the specs though and it still only h as 2GB ram although a better display and more storage than the Lenovo.  I haven't used a Fire device as I don't like its restrictions but I'm wondering if it would be a better choice for someone like my Dad?  In my limited experience, Alexa does seem to work better with Scottish accents than Ok Google but I don't know how good Alexa is on the Fire devices (currently have an Echo Dot).  My Dad is not very precise with his hands which is a concern with the tablet so a voice assistant could be useful but then he's not very patient in learning how to use that sort of thing.  Also my Mum is not at all familiar with the Fire devices either as she currently uses a Galaxy S6 Edge and a Galaxy Tab S2 8in.

Beyond that I'm struggling to find much as it seems going up to £200 gets you a Full HD screen (not much of a priority) but not much else, a device with 32GB storage and 3GB ram for around £200 would seem perhaps worth spending a bit more but the prices for that sort of spec seem to really jump up.  I have looked at a refurbished Galaxy Tab S2 10in but they're not that cheap and they are getting on a bit now although the spec still seems good and my Mum would be able to help with it.

Getting a bit rambling now but just wondering if anyone has recommendations if they've been in a similar position.

Thanks,
John

Johnmcl7

Well answering my own question as I've bought a cheap Galaxy Tab S2 and will see how it goes, so far he's taken to it better than expected and the tablet seems great - quick and responsive plus a bright and very sharp screen.

John

Triggaaar

How much was cheap? I get the impression that prices dropped and have come back up and I'd like to get a feeling for how much they might drop again after Christmas.

Johnmcl7

I should have updated this topic as the Galaxy S2 didn't work out, I bought it second hand from Game for £210 when CEX were £230 for a Grade B one and new ones were over £300.  I checked it over and it was in great condition without a mark on it and took it home but quickly found the battery life on it was absolutely appalling, it was ok on standby but whenever it was in use even with just a handleful of apps installed the battery dropped very quickly to the degree it was only getting two to three hours before needing a recharge.

I decided it was too much money to risk and took it back for a full refund, by that point the black friday deals were on and a brand new S2 was cheapest I think from Samsung for £285 with other places selling it for around £300.  Also the Galaxy Tab A had been reduced from £230 to £150, I was split between that and the Tab S2 as the latter was double the price but it still has a great screen, more storage and more ram.  However I ended up buying the Tab A as it has a much larger battery at around 7200mah compared to just 5800mah on the S2.

So far the new tablet has been going fine although I was surprised my Dad noticed the difference in that he was finding the Tab A not as responsive.