Help What's a good ATT (LTE) 8 inch class tablet?

[Marc_G]

Hi folks,

Finally looking to add an LTE tablet to my ATT account. The 8" (approx.) form factor is the size I'm looking for. From the ATT website, it looks like my options are an LG G Pad F 8.0 (~$250), Samsung Galaxy Tab 8 (~$300), Samsung Tab S 8.4 (>$500, out of my budget). But those are just the ones ATT sells... I'm sure there are others that would work on the ATT network beyond the variants ATT sells.

I'm looking to keep this around $300 outright purchase if possible.

I'd prefer a device that has custom rom support and no locked bootloader, or at least an unlockable one. Ability to root is a must.

My phone is a T-Mobile version of the Samsung S4 (the M919); works great on ATT and no locked bootloader (I'm running SlimKat).

Would love to hear some recommendations for tablets that come with LTE that would work on ATT. Thanks!

Marc

 

[Marc_G]

Wow. Can't believe I'm unique in this, with no replies after several days.

I did visit an ATT store, and took a look at the G Pad F 8.0 and the Tab S 8.4. The S 8.4 was clearly superior, though whether the differences are worth ~$250 to me is debatable. I just wish there were a high-end G Pad similar to the one on Verizon tuned for the ATT network. I've investigated and the Verizon version has only one of the LTE bands ATT uses, so on ATT it would be hit or miss depending on the local bands. I'm not going to play that game.

The NVidia Shield looks good but I think it has no GPS. Sigh. It's out. If not GPS, there was some other lockout thing about it that removed it from my consideration.

The search goes on.

Marc