Hight End Android Tablet

I currently have a Lenovo M10 Tablet, and it stuggles when things get busy on Zwift and graphically it is not fantastic.

I was wondering if anybody could recommend a high end android tablet and have screen shots of it in action to see if it is worth upgrading?

Thanks in advance.

There aren’t any. As far as I’m aware the only tablets that get anything other than Basic profile are the M1-based iPads which are supposed to get High (but it’s been broken for over a year). Frame rate may* improve with faster Android tablets, but it won’t look any different.

*Last time I checked, there was a trade off with higher resolution screens.

Thanks Dave :+1:

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I think this question has two parts.

As Dave said the game won’t look any better graphically but in terms of performance you can get tablets that you will run the game much better than others.

My ageing Asus z300 now struggles but my Moto g 5g plus phone (far from high end and low mid range these days) runs it very smoothly.

Sorry I can’t help with suggestions on good tablets but something with a decent mobile processor and min 6gb ram should be better than your current tablet

The highest spec android tablet in the market right now is Samsung tab S8. You may want to try it. I’m also curious how it perform with Zwift

Real talk: I’m firmly in the Windows PC + Android smartphone camp but Apple won the tablet war.

I bought an iPad Pro (pre-M1) to run Zwift. (admittedly, I’ve switched to an AppleTV and a 32" TV for the sheer convenience of “20-seconds from cold & dark to riding in Watopia”.)

iPads even integrate well into a Windows/Android environment if you’re using it for anything other than Zwift. Best deals going are the refurbs directly from Apple.

Thanks guys, I will check the ipad out as all I will be doing on it is running Zwift.

Out of interest could you run Microsoft Surface just in tablet form detached from the keyboard? Or would the touch screen facility not work as it is running windows?

If it is solely for zwift you can probably get an apple TV and cheap TV for less than an iPad would cost and you’d have a better zwift experience.

I use a touchscreen windows tablet and the touchscreen works fine for zwift

He wants better graphics though…

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Fair point but I think the biggest issue he’ll have with his current tablet is the in game performance, terrible frame rate, riders appearing and disappearing, bikes without riders in big groups etc.

I’ve used low end android devices before and they really struggle. Having something that runs the game better will make a huge difference.

I don’t disagree, but if you’re going to change setup from a tablet to something static and dedicated with a TV (which some people can’t/won’t physically accomodate) and graphics/performance is a consideration, then Apple TV is very poor value for money.

I mean, it’s very poor value for money even for the same graphics/performance, but that’s a separate discussion.

Another good point.

I haven’t ever used an Apple TV (or any apple products for that matter) but have heard people say they are the easiest way to get something that just works for zwift without much tinkering needed.

I use a mini pc connected to a 24 inch TV up in the roof of my house. I think the total cost was probably ÂŁ200ish and is more than adequate for my needs.

So on second thoughts they should ignore my Apple TV suggestion haha :joy:

Easiest I would probably agree with, along with smallest and most self-contained/self-sufficient. It’s basically a powerful phone without a screen, so it’s very straightforward and intuitive for those who don’t want to mess about setting anything up to begin with. Buy, plug in and off you go. It definitely has its place and serves a purpose.

However it simply isn’t good value at all for what you actually get in terms of graphics (lowest profile, mediocre resolution), performance (barely better than the iGPU on a £5 processor from 2013) and inherent limitations to connectivity, input methods, customisation, upgrade path and a myriad of other tools. For the same spend you can absolutely obliterate it in every one of these aspects… if you’re willing to put a little effort in at the beginning.

It’s a tiny box that starts up very quickly and doesn’t do extensive software updates at the worst time (ie, windows updates). I have one but don’t use it that often now - I have a nice desktop which runs Zwift better.

Simplicity is in the favour of Apple TV.

None of the tablets will match the performance of my desktop, but the Apple ones are similar to Apple TV for ease of use (for me at least).

I have a Microsoft Surface (for work) which struggles just for general office type applications, I wouldn’t want to try Zwift with that.

Any PC with an SSD which isn’t full of crap starts Windows in under 15secs, that’s pretty quick too. Installation of Windows updates is fully controllable and if you keep on top of them (which requires precisely one click) then they never do anything at the worst time anyway, nor are they regularly extensive.

The Apple TV starts in a couple of seconds.

But the speed of startup of either doesn’t help the OP as far as better graphics on a tablet.

You could, but the surface isn’t that powerful unless you get a very expensive one. They also get hot. I have one supplied by work which struggles with basic stuff, so Zwift would be beyond what it could handle.

Unless you go for a very expensive tablet I guess you won’t get very detailed graphics. Apple TV also doesn’t look that great but it is quick to start and simple. I have an iPad which can run Zwift but not with much detail, but it’s not a very new iPad (not M1).

You obviously have ruled out desktop computers so we can’t suggest those.

They’re literally all the same, barring the M1 iPads that should look much better but don’t. The cost is irrelevant.

Edit: I’m wrong, there are some daft Surface Book things with Nvidia GPUs, which are laughably expensive. Not really what I would consider a tablet though.

Please post the build sheet for your $229 CDN Zwift PC as that is the price of an Apple TV 4K in Canada.

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