Tablet for production environment w/Great camera

[Henri108]

So for a new project I'm looking to get a bunch of tablets with a good camera.
It will be used for production management and quality control.
Display is not important, minimum 720p HD with useable brightness.
Camera is very important, pictures need to be taken and uploaded.
Speed is not important, it will only run web and 1 app.
LTE/3G/4G connectivity is a plus.
Cheap price is a plus.

In my current research I ended up with the pixel C that was available at 350$. Has everything I need above and more, but they are only available in very very small numbers (1 piece once in a while as this is a very old tablet). I'm now looking for advice on alternatives.

 

[Aurelius]

Standard iPad. Costs less than that and is better than the Pixel C in virtually every way. Unless you absolutely need Android, it's the way to go.

 

[Henri108]

Standard iPad. Costs less than that and is better than the Pixel C in virtually every way. Unless you absolutely need Android, it's the way to go.

Apple isn't getting our money. srs though. And it's more expensive than 350 for cellular version.

What about Surface GO?

 

[Aurelius]

Apple isn't getting our money. srs though. And it's more expensive than 350 for cellular version.

What about Surface GO?

Well, a Surface Go with LTE costs $679, so it's not what I'd call a value proposition. I understand the cameras are good enough, but just remember the Surface Go is more like a laptop (albeit a good one) with an optional keyboard than a tablet in the familiar sense.

See, this is the challenge with the tablet market. Lots of people think they can go to a store and find an Android or Windows tablet with everything they want... and it's actually really hard. I didn't mention the iPad because of some pro-Apple leaning -- it's because Apple seems to be the only one that can consistently deliver on what you're looking for. Now, if you have specific app requirements that rule out iOS, that's fine, but I wouldn't rule out what could be the best option simply because of technological partisanship.

 

[T4rd]

I've never owned an Apple device, but if I had to get a tablet for anything right now, it would probably be an iPad unless money wasn't a factor, then it would be a Surface Pro or some other decent Windows 2-in-1. Google themselves have given up on tablets and are going all-in on Chromebooks, which are just now starting to get decent tablet form factors with the Pixel Slate and some others coming out soon or recently. But if you're going to spend anything under $500, the iPads are pretty much the only decent option. I wouldn't get a Pixel C since they're pretty much EOL at this point. The only OEMs that are coming out with decent Android tabs now are Samsung and Huawei (the Mediatabs actually look good to me), but I can't speak to their camera quality since that's usually the last thing anyone cares about on a tablet and it's barely covered in any reviews. But I'd say the iPad probably has the best camera of them all anyways if I had to guess.

If it makes you feel any better, get a used iPad so at least Apple isn't getting your money directly, hah. That's about the only way I wound consider buying one myself as well.

 

[Conman]

The Pixel Slate is the new replacement for the C. You can order now, they ship in a couple weeks. Not going to be low cost though.

Your tablet needs are pretty minimal. Would buying a budget tablet and a decent camera be a cheaper option?

 

[CHANG3D]

Android for tablet is pretty much dead even if there are some new releases. No manufacturer is really supporting it. It is a massive security problem.

So the only tablets you should consider are Apple iPads and Amazon Fire, which is a variant of Android that you could sideload some Android apps. Get yourself a Fire 7 for $50 and see if that'll work for you.

 

[Henri108]

Thank you everyone for your replies. You are of tremendous help in this issue.

Well, a Surface Go with LTE costs $679, so it's not what I'd call a value proposition. I understand the cameras are good enough, but just remember the Surface Go is more like a laptop (albeit a good one) with an optional keyboard than a tablet in the familiar sense.

See, this is the challenge with the tablet market. Lots of people think they can go to a store and find an Android or Windows tablet with everything they want... and it's actually really hard. I didn't mention the iPad because of some pro-Apple leaning -- it's because Apple seems to be the only one that can consistently deliver on what you're looking for. Now, if you have specific app requirements that rule out iOS, that's fine, but I wouldn't rule out what could be the best option simply because of technological partisanship.

We're already acquainted to the Surface lineup with the Pro's, Book and Studio, that's why I was considering the Go. The price is indeed out of our comfort zone, but as we need 100 pieces, I hear that Microsoft is flexible in pricing for these kind of innovative uses for their products.

I've never owned an Apple device, but if I had to get a tablet for anything right now, it would probably be an iPad unless money wasn't a factor, then it would be a Surface Pro or some other decent Windows 2-in-1. Google themselves have given up on tablets and are going all-in on Chromebooks, which are just now starting to get decent tablet form factors with the Pixel Slate and some others coming out soon or recently. But if you're going to spend anything under $500, the iPads are pretty much the only decent option. I wouldn't get a Pixel C since they're pretty much EOL at this point. The only OEMs that are coming out with decent Android tabs now are Samsung and Huawei (the Mediatabs actually look good to me), but I can't speak to their camera quality since that's usually the last thing anyone cares about on a tablet and it's barely covered in any reviews. But I'd say the iPad probably has the best camera of them all anyways if I had to guess.

If it makes you feel any better, get a used iPad so at least Apple isn't getting your money directly, hah. That's about the only way I wound consider buying one myself as well.

Used is not an option unfortunately as we are looking at around 100 pieces.

The Pixel Slate is the new replacement for the C. You can order now, they ship in a couple weeks. Not going to be low cost though.

Your tablet needs are pretty minimal. Would buying a budget tablet and a decent camera be a cheaper option?

Camera needs to be included in the tablet for ease of use, a separate camera is a very large hurdle in tackling QC problems.

Android for tablet is pretty much dead even if there are some new releases. No manufacturer is really supporting it. It is a massive security problem.

So the only tablets you should consider are Apple iPads and Amazon Fire, which is a variant of Android that you could sideload some Android apps. Get yourself a Fire 7 for $50 and see if that'll work for you.

Seems like I'll have to buy some tablets and test them out. These are on the test list:
Fire 7
Fire 10
Ipad 2016
Ipad 2017
Surface Go
2 Chinese Android tablets (yet to decide)