Need Help Finding Suitable Tablet

I am in the market for an Android tablet. I will mostly be using it for web browsing and any fun apps that I find to use. Will not be using it for productivity or most other purposes. I highly prefer something with a larger screen (large for a tablet). My main issue is I want to be able to install apps on the SD card (after configuring it as internal storage). Side note, I am thoroughly frustrated that my cell phone memory is full to the point where it's affecting the functionality and I can obviously not install any more apps on it, even though I have an SD card, because my phone model doesn't support installing apps on the card (what is the point of SD card slots?). I do NOT want the same issue in the tablet I buy. I understand that I will need Marshmallow or higher, but also understand that the tablet itself must support/recognize an SD card configured as internal storage.

Can anyone recommend a good tablet with this as my primary goal? Screen size being secondary and other specs after that (processor speed and RAM mostly). If I have to I will just buy a lightweight laptop, but already have a laptop and would prefer a tablet.

 

Have you looked at the Samsung Galaxy Tablet?

 

Do you have a budget?

 

Yes, I know they are good tablets. My understanding is that they don't support/recognize the SD cards when configured as internal storage and you can't install apps on the SD card when it's used normally as external storage. My cell phone (which sparked my original concern) is a Samsung. I love it except for this deal-breaker.

 

I would say in the ballpark of $300. If I'm paying more than that I'd probably just get a lightweight laptop and forgo Android (definitely not my preference, since I like apps for Android, but what is the point if I can't find a reasonably priced Android device that doesn't severely restrict my ability to install apps via lack of storage?).

 

While the above is possible, you need to take note of the following:

• Only Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and later support this.
• This option is not available in Settings > Storage of all Android devices running Marshmallow or later.
  
• The app developer has the freedom to enable or disable support for installing their app on an SD card irregardless of how the card has been formatted.
• When an SD card has been formatted as internal storage, it can only be read by that device.

Fortunately, some apps can be moved to the SD card after installation.

 

I own a cheap Samsung phone (J 3 Emerge). I installed a few apps on the sd card.
Not all apps allow this.

I can't answer about the Samsung tablet I own (Galaxy Tab A 10.1") because the sd card in it has movies on it for me to watch. I did have the option to put all pictures and music on it, so it would appear that it CAN be used for storage.

How many apps do you expect to install? My tablet came with Word and Excel. I installed a local weather app, a local news app, 3 apps that allow me to get books, movies, audio CDs, from my local library, ESET, Malwarebytes, Sir David Attenborough's the Story of Life from the BBC, TitanTV, a Sky map, and an app that allows me to view collections from my local museum.

My tablet came with 16GB and I'm using 8.9 GB of that.

 

This may help with your phone: https://forums.majorgeeks.com/threads/move-app-to-sd-card.317931/#post-2006929
Stock Android and most manufacturer variations don't allow for this due to the performance issues it can create. You could root your device and use the link above or go to a site like XDA developers and install an alternate ROM which allows for this, but I recommend getting a device with sufficient internal storage and using a SD card for photos and other stuff that can be moved in a stock Android install. Gaining root access and installing alternate Android ROM(which usually feature root access) create security risks and can be quite involved and complicated.

 

It's funny that you ask...I consider myself old school (I'm no spring chicken), so I really don't use my phone that much for apps, but I do use some and there have been some that I'd like to have that I can't install now

All understood, I may not have communicated those points well in my initial post, but I tried.

 

This is the only explanation that I've heard that makes sense to me. However, I'm a little skeptical considering some device manufacturers removed the functionality of recognizing the SD card as internal storage (and allowing apps to be installed there) in newer devices. Why would they do this except to force people to buy more expensive devices (with more internal storage)? Also, I think even the higher end phones have very modest internal storage as far as I'm concerned.

 

Check which of the apps you've installed on your phone can be moved to the SD card.

 

I wanted to add, that while I understand that once you configure and use it as internal storage, you can no longer switch it between devices willy nilly; you can reformat it and use it normally again in the future (of course, all data on the card is lost) if you want. For example, if phone manufacturers actually provide decent internal storage on future devices and you no longer need to provide your own SD card. ; )

 

I haven't checked every app, but I've checked a good number of them (particularly the larger ones) and not one of them has the option to move to SD card, which leads me to believe my device (Samsung Galaxy J7) doesn't support that option. That, or I have the worst luck with apps that I use not supporting it.

Also gotta love the fact that certain apps that I don't want can't be uninstalled at all (I'm talking to you, Chrome) even through ES File Explorer. Grrrrr...

 

Android is Google. Of course chrome can't be uninstalled (think how Internet Explorer, in the past could never be uninstalled in Windows). It is the same with Android and Chrome. It is part of the operating system.
There are several google items I'd love to nuke.

I'm no spring chicken either. I'm 70 and just purchased my first smart phone in March 2017. Then I went back to the Samsung people at Best Buy to learn how to do some things. For example, my two android tablets allow me to view the desktop in portrait or landscape mode. The phone doesn't. So I asked, is there some setting I'm missing; is my device broken? Turns out on an android phone you only view the desktop in portrait mode. Who knew? No me.

I moved a local weather app to my sd card. I kept losing the icon and I'd get a generic one. For that and one other app I moved. Fortunately I learned how to do a desktop screen capture so I sent what I saw to the local tv station's department that developed the app. They were very nice and said the SD over the generic icon meant the app was on the sd card. I'd keep getting a generic icon if I kept it on the card. <sigh> So I moved it back to internal storage. Apparently, even if you move some apps, they don't necessarily like the move. It works but I didn't want to look at a lot of generic icons.

 

Not necessarily... http://www.tomsguide.com/faq/id-3050587/home-screen-landscape-mode-android-marshmallow.html

It's not an option in 7.0, unless you have a custom build or rooted OS.

 

hmmm
1. Tap and hold on an empty space on your home screen. That doesn't do anything except put a box around something so I can delete it or launch an app.
I can get to settings just by tapping my Settings icon on my home screen.

2. Select Settings and enable Auto rotation.
Where do I find this in settings? I tried display but there is nothing about auto rotation in there.

I'm not sure if I enabled the google now launcher. I have as much google turned off as possible. That is probably why I don't see auto rotate.

I also am not going to install Nova Launcher.

I guess I'll live with portrait mode. I do very little that I need landscape mode except browse and all the browsers work in landscape mode.

Thanks for trying, JustPlayin