Repair or buy new tablet

I have a Google Nexus 10 with a shattered screen. The tablet works fine, but the screen is half unusable. I could have it repaired by Samsung, but they will charge around $275 to fix a tablet that was $300 new about 3 years ago. I could have a local cellphone repair shop fix it with 3rd party parts for around $150, or I could buy the part and attempt to repair myself for around $110.

Another option is to buy a brand new Acer Iconia One 10 for $150. Its not as nice as the Nexus, but its brand new and will really only be used for reading and teaching/preaching from. I could try and sell the Nexus on eBay for parts and put that towards the cost of the new one.

I've never had a device like this repaired, I'm worried that it won't be worth the cost to fix it. Thoughts or opinions?

Thanks!

Given the age, I wouldn't spend more than $100 and maybe not that. Both Lenovo and Asus have 10" tabs well within your price range. Be careful and check that they're running android 4.4 or higher as I've seen some older/cheap tabs running old versions of android that could present compatibility problems.

A 3 yr old tab is going to have battery issues soon too.

Buy new. Doesn't sound worth it to repair. Go with Asus, they have the reputation.

Agreed. Buy new; three years is an eternity in the consumer electronic world. I have an ASUS ZenPad for about four months and I've been quite pleased with it.

A3M0N said:

I have a Google Nexus 10 with a shattered screen. The tablet works fine, but the screen is half unusable. I could have it repaired by Samsung, but they will charge around $275 to fix a tablet that was $300 new about 3 years ago. I could have a local cellphone repair shop fix it with 3rd party parts for around $150, or I could buy the part and attempt to repair myself for around $110.

Another option is to buy a brand new Acer Iconia One 10 for $150. Its not as nice as the Nexus, but its brand new and will really only be used for reading and teaching/preaching from. I could try and sell the Nexus on eBay for parts and put that towards the cost of the new one.

I've never had a device like this repaired, I'm worried that it won't be worth the cost to fix it. Thoughts or opinions?

Thanks!

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I'm surprised. Usually shattered screens are standard equipment on iPads.

I am waiting to see what Google comes out with next.

Alacrity59 said:

I am waiting to see what Google comes out with next.

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I'd love to buy another Google device, but it's not in my budget right now. A Nexus 7 is still around $150 new, but I'm in the 10" market.

I agree with the "buy a new one" crowd.

I had a first-gen Amazon Kindle Fire that worked for 3 years until the charging circuit wiring broke. It would only have been $40 to get it re-soldered, but that was too much to put into a tablet that I didn't really like that much in the first place.

I went without one for about a year until I found a Samsung Galaxy TabS 8.4 on sale and I've been very happy with it since last July ... if I ever need another one, it was almost certainly be another Samsung Galaxy product.

Yes it's a throw away world these days, same problem I encountered with my $500 camera.
Two years later worth about $100 in trade if working as it should, sadly $300 to put it back in order.
So in the bin it went and had to purchase another.

Used Google Nexus 10 tablets on the big auction site are going for $135-$200 depending on the options. I certainly wouldn't spend more than that on repairing it.

Check out videos on replacing the screen and decide if you are up to the task. If so, consider replacing it yourself, or if it sounds like it's worth the extra $40 for the cell phone store to fix it for you.

For a 3 year old tablet I would strongly consider buying a new replacement. As others have said, it is getting to an age when you should anticipate battery issues as well.

I just did the same thing last night - I dropped my iPad in the garage! As I sit here typing on a cracked screen I've decided that with it being 3 years old it's just best to replace. I may try to repair it myself just to use in the garage for my sound system & photos, but at this age it just makes more sense to get a new one for daily use.

Anyone have experience with the Insignia Flex 10.1" tablet (NS-P10A6100) at Best Buy?

A3M0N said:

Anyone have experience with the Insignia Flex 10.1" tablet (NS-P10A6100) at Best Buy?

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Insignia is the Best Buy house brand. Normally,many corners have been cut to offer the item @ a competitive price. I wouldn't buy an Insignia anything even w/ Publisher's Clearing House money!

Asus has a great 8 inch tab going for 159 currently at Best Buy; 64GB mem, microSD up to 200GB, runs Lolli. I have one which I spent 299 for and it was worth it.


marty

I also agree with the comment above regarding Insignia tablets. I can't personally say I have had experience with Insignia tablets or other Insignia electronics so I'm not going to flame their brand but I would be concerned about the quality and durability buying a house brand product. If I were on a tight budget I'd look at refurbished tablets of well known and reliable brands before I'd take a chance on a brand new budget unit.

pflyer85 said:

I also agree with the comment above regarding Insignia tablets. I can't personally say I have had experience with Insignia tablets or other Insignia electronics so I'm not going to flame their brand but I would be concerned about the quality and durability buying a house brand product. If I were on a tight budget I'd look at refurbished tablets of well known and reliable brands before I'd take a chance on a brand new budget unit.

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+1 ... I've looked at a few Insignia products at BestBuy and I wasn't impressed. The low price may not be indicative of lower quality, but the units I saw (mostly TVs) lacked a lot of the features you could get in a name-brand set for not that much more money.

And as far as factory refurbs go ... nothing wrong with that. Just make sure you buy it straight from the OEM, and not a third-party outfit. You'll probably have to get it online, since factory refurbs are hard to find out in a retail store. Check the warranties offered, and weigh that against the savings. And be aware that a manufacturer's refurb inventory is constantly changing. If you have your heart set on a specific model, you might need to wait a while for it show up, if it ever becomes available at all. Better to just scan their website for a week or two to get a general feel for what is available, and then pull the trigger on the model that is closest to what you really want.

After reading a few more reviews I'm gonna steer clear of the Insignia. The Acer is still in the running, its a very affordable 10" tablet. I'm thinking about using it for school books this semester too instead of paper books.

FWIW, Consumer Reports' top four rated tablets in the wifi only, 9" and larger category:



The Nexus 9 scored sixth place with 82 points. Not sure if a scond image is visible... If it is, it shows top four from all tablets (all sizes and cell/wifi capable)

SmileyFace said:

FWIW, Consumer Reports' top four rated tablets in the wifi only, 9" and larger category:

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I'm not surprised that Samsung took 3 out of the top 4 slots ... I love my Galaxy TabS 8.4 ... its fast, its got a beautiful display, good audio even with just the built in speakers, and the price I got it for was a steal.

Another cheapy tablet you might consider is the RCA Viking Pro 10.1" , or Maven 11.6". 100 bucks and 149 bucks at Wal-mart respectively, w/detachable keyboard. Android Lollipop 5.0. I got one for my wife for Christmas, and it's been quite nice actually. No real complaints. It doesn't have the fit/finish that the $500 dollar tablets do, but it's completely usable, and quite snappy (way faster than my 2 year old ASUS tablet).

Skip it. I love the Android OS and the flexibility it offers, but my Nexus 7 tablet simply won't keep a charge. It pisses me off. I was given an iPad Mini and I have to say, it just works. Email, browsing (with Chrome), light gaming (Clash of Clans, Boom Beach) and entertainment (music, streaming, movies) all do what they are supposed to do without fuss. I wish I had the flexibility of an Android, but once I'm in my app of choice, that all fades.