It was time to upgrade our electronics this fall. Our 2010-era tablet was just not working properly with modern apps any longer. Waiting for my son to get to the right page of his textbook took longer than reading the first paragraph! It was not helping our school day run smoothly.
We decided on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 (7 inch) for our kid’s tablet. In the month that we’ve had it, we’ve greatly enjoyed the ease with which it runs apps, plays movies, and otherwise helps our school day (and fun time!) run smoothly. We use the tablet for reading textbooks and scriptures together during school time, for playing educational games while out and about, and for watching educational videos (mostly Strawberry) when quiet time is needed while we are out.
Here are some of the pro’s and con’s of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 (7 inch) for my kids.
First, I love that it runs Android. Android has a variety of apps available, and since I’ve already bought them on my phone, I still have them on the new device!. I’ve never had an Apple device, but I will say it seems that Android apps are cheaper. Because it has the most recent Android system (4.4, KitKat), it plays apps, new and old, effortlessly. I love the Multi-User Mode so I can have a safe spot for my littlest one to enter on her own without the worry of “messing up” the device. I can select which apps she can use under her own log in.
The 7 inch tablet we got has a front (1.3 MP) and rear (3 MP) camera. The screen is 1200 x 800 pixels, and it looks super crisp whether we are watching a movie or playing a game. It has 8G internal storage and 1.5 GB RAM, and there is an SD card extension spot, a must for us since we use the device for media storage. It has a quick response and the display is simply beautiful. I love how slim it is, and we chose the 7 inch tablet (the smallest) because of how easy it is for the little kids to hold.
That is not to say that these great statistics mean that the device is perfect. It comes with some Samsung apps that I don’t need for the kids, and I cannot remove them. Because it is running the most recent system of Android, I am unable to fully move apps to the SD card. This means that apps save data (and downloads and media) directly to the internal memory. Further, I discovered that when I logged in to the device in Kid Mode, I had to redownload some of those apps’ data (the videos, the text files, and so forth). Since there is only 8GB internal memory, I did not feel like downloading the scripture files twice, for example, was a worthwhile use of space. I decided to only use the main log in for the majority of apps. I can better supervise her use of the tablet, rather than redownload the media under a separate login.
The storage expansion has helped, however! I downloaded a number of audiobook files for my son, a few movies for my daughter, the scriptures, and my son’s history textbook to the external storage, and I have lots of space left. My son is excited to use OverDrive through our library to checkout and download books he can’t wait to read. My daughter loves playing her new apps without the hang-ups our old device caused.
Because of the slim nature of the device, I do keep it in a RooCase Origami (affiliate links follow). I like that I can prop it up for video enjoyment. It does not provide the ultimate in protection for the kids (the Otterbox would probably do that, although it does not have a way to prop it up), but I love how the RooCase does not add too much bulk to the device. Since I carry it everywhere, this is definitely a plus!
In general, the cons are minor. We are so pleased with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 (7 inch) for our kids. I hope it serves our homeschool well for years to come! We paid $169 at BestBuy for our device. You can get it for $10 cheaper at Amazon.
Giveaway
Would you like some cash this holiday season? I’ve joined with others in this Blog Hop to offer a giveaway to help you out in buying this great new tablet. Enter to win!
Blog Hop
Are you looking for more opinions on some big ticket holiday gift items? Here are more reviews from other mom bloggers in the Kid’s Holiday Wishlist Reviewed Blog Hop.
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See more ways we use technology in our homeschool!
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