Which Samsung Galaxy?

[Seevee]

Shopping for a Samsung Galaxy. Only use will be for boat apps, especially the Navionics for longer routing (unlike the limited Ipad).


So, what's the best choice for that application?
Want bright screen
Want large screen
Want internal GPS
Other things

 

[ranger58sb]

We have Tab As, but they update every few years or so... so I dunno what's current.

Screens are bright enough -- on the bridge under our hardtop. The newer 10" tab is much better than the earlier 8" tab. Both have internal GPS.

FWIW, I usually FIRST look to see what models Otterbox supports, THEN shop for models that fit the Otterbox case.

-Chris

 

[Jarrow Lily]

First Mate has a Galaxy S10.


She does not use it for Navionics but plenty of other boating apps are installed.


Before posting this I asked her the questions you posed.


All her replies were positive.


Check out the S10

 

[mvweebles]

I have a 3-4 year old 8-inch Tab A. Works fine. I am about ready for a new one - looking at 10-inch ones at Costco for around $300.

Chris/ranger42c makes a good point about checking compatability if you want specialized adjuncts such as a protective case (or mount I suppose).

Good luck - please update on your choice!

Peter

 

[Seevee]

Good info, thx....



Related question: How hard is it to get to learn the operating system after being a Mac guy for the past 50 years?

 

[Portage_Bay]

Using a Galaxy Tab A7 running Navionics and OpenCPN. It handles the navigation apps as well as others such as tides and weather apps without issue. Bright enough unless in direct sunlight. 10" screen. Internal GPS. WiFi and bluetooth for other connectivity with devices such as AIS. As far as I know the difference between the A and the S series is the micorprocessor. The S will be faster but I haven't felt the need for it.

Redundancy is always important. Especially when using a non-marine device for a critical function like navigation. One advantage of the A series is you can buy two for the price of one S series.

Regarding learning Android coming from Mac. It shouldn't take too long to get used to it. This isn't like the bad old days of moving from Mac to a command line interface. Unless you're someone easily stumped by newer technology. A friend was advised to move from Android to Apple because she couldn't figure out Android. Now she can't figure out Apple.

I use an external bluetooth track ball and keyboard with the tablet. Touch screen is fine once all set up and ready to go. But I find it too cumbersome for route planning and other detailed work that requires any accuracy.

 

[Seevee]

Portage,
Would the slower A series model slow up the autorouting feature much? That's the main reason I'm getting one.

 

[RCook]

You might want to consider the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. Read a very positive review of it a few days ago.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Portage,
Would the slower A series model slow up the autorouting feature much? That's the main reason I'm getting one.

I don't know and don't have an S series to compare to. If you give me a suggested departure point and arrival point I'll run it and let you know how long it takes.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Portage,
Would the slower A series model slow up the autorouting feature much? That's the main reason I'm getting one.

I asked Navionics to generate an auto route from Olympia Wa to Bellingham Wa. A distance of 118 nm. The first 7 minutes the msg "Waiting to download maps" appeared. I'm thinking that is due to my very slow internet connection. Once Navionics started creating the route it took less than a minute on the A7.

 

[O C Diver]

I bought the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ with the external keyboard this spring and used it all summer while cruising. I used it in the moving map mode with Aqua Maps. It did a great job and was as accurate as Garmin mapping and the Polar Navy mapping I was using.

The one down side that probably effects all tablets in the moving map mode is power consumption. It consumes a lot of power in this mode, so plan on leaving it plugged in. If you don't shutdown your navigation program, it continues to run in the background consuming lots of power even when the display is dark. A standard cigarette lighter USB power converter barely keeps up with the consumption. Will be updating the USB power converter for this summer.

Ted

 

[Seevee]

You might want to consider the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. Read a very positive review of it a few days ago.

Looks like a good tablet, but a tad small, not much bigger than my iPad pro. Think I want a bit larger.



Leaning a bit toward the A7+ even though a bit pricey. Trying to see if a different one might have just as good of screen and a reasonable size display.



Another related question: Will I need a new subscription for Navionics and my Aquamap even though I have an Ipad one?

 

[O C Diver]

Another related question: Will I need a new subscription for Navionics and my Aquamap even though I have an Ipad one?

Ted

 

[AnsleyS]

We just got the Galaxy Tab S7 FE and we think that the lager screen is great. It is 12.4" diagonal which makes looking at charts (or the newspaper) easy.

 

[PMF1984]

If you are planning to use AquaMap Master, get the fasted processor you can get.

 

[ranger58sb]

Another related question: Will I need a new subscription for Navionics and my Aquamap even though I have an Ipad one?

Can't speak to Navionics, but AquaMap should work OK without paying again.

-Chris

 

[PMF1984]

Aquamap will support up to 5 devices on one account. You can share and save maps, routes and files on a GEC account

 

[sbman]

Unfortunately there is really only one player in the android tablet market, especially the large format models. Samsung.

Your choice is between their three large format models.

• Galaxy Tab S7 FE 12.3" ~429
• Galaxy Tab S7 11.0" ~ $499
• Galaxy Tab S7+ ~ $699

The S7 FE has the slowest processor, at about half-speed from the two models above it. So even thought it has a larger screen, it's going to be slower.

The S7 11" might be the sweet spot if you don't need the absolutely largest screen but want the faster processor speed. It has a reduced battery size as well, but the faster processor of it's bigger brother.

The flagship S7+ has the largest screen and the faster processor combined with a larger battery to drive all that.

I don't care for Samsung's version of Android and they have a heavy hand on trying to get you to sign up for Samsung services, can be difficult to get them disabled. However it's a choice of that or Apple's grabs on your digital experience.

I have an older Samsung 8" and I've been looking to replace it with something for use on the boat for a combination of Boating/navigation apps and also general web browsing. I want the large screen and the ability to use a BT keyboard and possibly a mouse for more serious tasks.

The older 8" tab is showing it's age with newer apps and running pretty slowly with them. I don't have any interest in getting into Apple products, and these appear to be the only remaining choices.

 

[TheDory]

One possible thing to consider, if you wear polarized sunglasses, is how you plan to orient the tablet at your Nav station. I had a Lenovo Tablet that worked great with all my Navigation apps but I couldn't view the screen in portrait mode while wearing my sunglasses. I switched to a Samsung Tab A7 which I can view in portrait but not landscape.

I felt like an idiot at Best Buy looking at all the tablets with my sunglasses on.

FYI I've had no issues with processor speed running Navionics, Aqua Maps, and OpenCPN.

 

[psneeld]

I have been using Samsing Tab A 10.1s for about 8 years now.

Got both for around $200 and just made sure they had built in GPS.

Use them with OpenCPN and work just fine. Someone just recommended the workaround to make plotting and routes a little easier...already forgot it as I haven't needed the Tab lately.

Never used the moving screen so processor speed was never an issue either. At 6.3 knots, manually jumping the screen never bothered me either.

To me, I run a laptop as primary nav so an inexpensive tablet is good enough. If it's gonna be your primary, than I might think all the options through a bit better.

 

[cbouch]

Just ordered a a7 from Amazon...196.00. Not a bad prize. Up to now have been using an iPad to do autorouting on navionics but the 100 way point limitation was driving me crazy when preplanning routes in the north channel, Georgian bay and the Trent Severn. Certainly hope Canada stays open....