Which tablet for birthday present?

[vindibona1]

I have a signifcant birthday coming up in a matter of days. My family has been asking me what I want for my birthday and until now I've pretty much come up empty with no idea. All my hobbies and interest have already been covered and I was stumped what to tell them. I've been toying with the idea of buying myself an iPhone 13 pro or max (primarily for film capabilities) to replace my XR, but have postponed that purchase until the 2nd quarter of next year when I can take advantage of it.

But then yesterday I needed to use my OLD handed-me-down iPad... one that won't update past iOS 10... and realized that what I can really use is a tablet that I can drone with as well as use for general purposes. FYI, so y'all know which controllers I have, I currently have a M2P and a Mini 2. Down the road I might look into an EVO III, but that will be Q3 next year at the earliest.

I don't use an ipad all that often and would mainly use it for flying, except that anticipated in January I will be away from 4-6 weeks and will want something I can have with me without shlepping a laptop. I don't play games on iPads, and don't use it like Gen X/Y'ers do. I won't do video editing or photo editing and will go on my computer for more complex stuff. I don't need the latest/greatest, but brightness is obviously an issue outdoors. An earlier model would be ok as long as updatable and compatible with my drones though if a later model is brighter I might be willing to ask for that. I don't want anything larger than a standard size iPad and a Mini size might be ok as I will use it for flying.

Suggestions?

 

[Howard70]

Happy Birthday!

I currently fly two drones - a Mini 2 with the standard controller and an iPhone 11 Pro and an Air 2 with standard controller and an iPad Pro 12.9 3rd generation. While I like the iPad Pro for a large view and great resolution that really helps in composing landscape images, it is not bright enough for mid day flying unless I can get into reasonable shade. I have no experience with smaller iPads. I’d say if brightness for daylight flying is a major issue then you might be more satisfied with another solution - although I don’t know what that would be.

Howard

 

[Rchawks]

I fly a MM, MA2 and use a iPad mini 5 using a HOODMAN Aviator HAV 1 most of the time. I like the fact I can split the hood into two pieces depending how much sun there is. I'm also not interested in playing games at this age, but it serves double duty for me as I use it at lunchtime instead of my iPhone for apple news link. I bought a outer case for about 10 bucks that is easily removed from the iPad for drone use. I also purchased the largest Storage capacity of 512gb to help future proof it. Happy Birthday BTW! PS I use a
neck strap from my rc days, it can get heavy without it.

 

[CheriW]

Check out the Tripltek tablets. Best for being able to see in sunlight.

 

[vindibona1]

Check out the Tripltek tablets. Best for being able to see in sunlight.

Nice idea... I get the idea for brightness, which is useful if dedicated to flying. But in terms of general use the Tripltek tablet according to published specs weighs 1.5 pounds where the ipad Mini is only 0.75 pounds. That concerns me as I don't know that I want the extra weight in my hands when flying. I'd like to have a general use pad too. What is the difference between the "regular" Tripltek and the "Pro" version? I just saw a review from 51 Drones and he really likes the 8".

I wish there was a local store that had them so I could see one in person, but brick and mortar stores are becoming more and more rare. Perhaps there is one in the Chicago are that stocks them.

 

[CheriW]

I have the 7" Pro. It is a bit chunky, but I use a mount that lets the tablet sit fairly flush with the controller, not the type that actually mounts the tablet separately above the controller. Makes the weight less noticeable, and feels very secure. It uses Android OS, and the military grade case makes it a good choice for a tablet that you don't have to be so delicate with. I use iPad Air for home use mostly. And I agree, I wish they were available for hands-on inspection before purchase as well. Good luck on finding the perfect fit for you!

 

[Dbez1]

I started a thread very similar to this just before I found yours. Sorry about that but maybe between the two we’ll find the exact information we need.