Best tablet for Navionics

[webcraft]

I want an 8" or 10" tablet that can be used in the cockpit.

Ideal specs would be
~ waterproof/rugged
~ screen brightness min 500 nits
~ very large battery

I think screen brightness is very important. The Oukitel RT1 looks perfect except screen brightness is only 350 nits (maybe 400) so we would struggle in bright sunlight.

Anyone got any recent personal experiences to share?

— W

 

[V1701]

Here...

They have a few options in stock, seen a few good write-ups of them (London Chartplotters) on here...

 

[Sandy]

Here...

They have a few options in stock, seen a few good write-ups of them (London Chartplotters) on here...

I do wish these guys would sort out the text on their webpage as it would make it a bit more readable, perhaps @webcraft could give them some pointers?

 

[Yngmar]

We used a consumer tablet (some old Toshiba thing) for a while and found bright sunlight mostly a non-issue, as we have a bimini and prefer to sit in the shade, which means the display is bright enough. Most of them overheat if left in direct sunlight for long anyways. It worked okay apart from being on the slow side.

Wouldn't recommend Navionics for navigation anymore though due to the massive ?-up with intentionally sabotaging itself mid-trip.

 

[bluerm166]

10.5 inch samsung tab A 's have good resolution ( better than the 8 inch ) and good price..Don't know about the nits but if you can mount it on an arm like this ( £39 does the job on available horse ) high up under the sprayhood it cuts down reflection and solar gain and keeps it above water surging over coachroof as well as rain .Pull it to centre of companionway to explore detail.
.IMG_20200822_123619622_HDR.jpg

 

[KompetentKrew]

Not familiar with Samsung's current lineup, but I have the Galaxy Tab S5e - it was about £400 when I bought it in August 2020, but I think you can now get refurb ones much cheaper on eBay etc.

It was the midrange model when I bought it - I find it very thin and light, thought it was fantastic premium quality at the time. In fact I still think it's a beautiful elegant device, but I have to describe it as "midrange" because I believe Samsung also make some £800 or £900 tablets. Nevertheless, the screen is very bright and you can easily read it in the midday sun. I wouldn't describe it as waterproof or rugged, but you can get a rubber cover for it from AliExpress for £5.

This device is also supported by LineageOS for the latest vanilla Android with no crapware installed, but installing this has some learning curve. Search gts4lvwifi

 

[MoodySabre]

Why does it need a very large battery? I plug mine in.

 

[chris-s]

We purchased a ‘used’ Samsung tab S5 and it works a treat. I don’t think this model is produced anymore, look for tablets with an OLED screen as these are generally better to view in sunlight.

 

[ashtead]

I use an old iPad 2 sitting under spray hood -it has a waterproof lifestyle cover if need but to be honest I guess it depends how you use the device -is it just plotting position and recording track etc which is my use of navionics- I think ideally I would have a bracket under spray hood but it current lives in its case in the halyard bag . Battery life will cross the channel from say cherbourg . It plugs in below via usb socket but if worried you can booster via a separate small battery pack of course -the good ones stick to the case by suction. I think any iPad will dislike sunlight and excess heat etc and shut down .

 

[WindyWindyWindy]

My tab A doesn't like seriously hot weather. Probably ok for the UK but it has to have a sit below sometimes...

 

[TwoFish]

My tab A doesn't like seriously hot weather. Probably ok for the UK but it has to have a sit below sometimes...

I discovered the same. I'd bought a SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab A8 10.5" Tablet - 64 GB to run Navionics. It's a good tablet and I'm pleased with it. However it did shut down when I (unthinkingly) left it in the sun, in a waterproof case. Once I learned to keep it mostly in the shade it was fine. If I was buying again, I think an 8" tablet would be fine for purpose and generally easy to handle around the cockpit.

 

[BoatBouy]

I’m just using a cheapo teclast p20hd. Not as bright as my iPhone screen but the 10 inch screen useful for planning. Full HD Display so nice and sharp. £140, have two for redundancy in case of breakage. For pilotage I tend to reference my phone if needed.

Also use the tablet with a SIM card in in a bag up the mast as a hotspot in poor signal areas.

 

[webcraft]

Partner is buying me an Oukitel RT1 for my birthday. I was a bit wary at first as the screen brightness isn't reported as being fantastic, but several reviewers claim they are using it for navigation and it works fine in sunlight.

https://amzn.to/3Qa7LRO

- W

 

[PetiteFleur]

Mine is a Samsung Galaxy tab S5e - used in Scotland last week on a friends boat and it worked fine, BUT I found the USB charging point on board would not keep the tablet charged, then remembered I have a rapid charger on my boat which keeps the tablet 100% charged. Updated yearly of course. No problem with my android Samsung phone.

 

[syvictoria]

Partner is buying me an Oukitel RT1 for my birthday. I was a bit wary at first as the screen brightness isn't reported as being fantastic, but several reviewers claim they are using it for navigation and it works fine in sunlight.

Amazon.co.uk

- W

@webcraft Can we please have a mini review of your Oukitel RT1? Recommended? Many thanks.

 

[WindyWindyWindy]

I have a new issue with the tab A, having been arriving in new places on moonless nights, I find that the lowest brightness setting is still too bright.

 

[wonkywinch]

I have a new issue with the tab A, having been arriving in new places on moonless nights, I find that the lowest brightness setting is still too bright.

Navionics Night Mode on IPAD or Android Tablets

 

[oldgit]

Oukitel used since last summer.
useable on the flybridge but not as bright as a dedicated chartplotter, battery lasts forever, even when not on charge.
Screen a bit less" sharp"

The Ipad ,the screen will crack , it will cut out when it overheats and it will conk out half through a decent length of trip despite being plugged in to 12V.
The Oukitel costs circa £300 the Ipad at least twice that or more !
Currently have 2 old Ipads sitting on a shelf doing nothing simply due to being unable to upgrade to latest Navionics charts.

 

[Stemar]

I've had a chat with Santa about one of these:

Amazon.co.uk

In spite of the name it gets good reviews, Not the highest performance, but Navionics isn't too demanding

It seems I've been a good boy this year, so...

 

[B27]

I've had a chat with Santa about one of these:

Amazon.co.uk

In spite of the name it gets good reviews, Not the highest performance, but Navionics isn't too demanding

It seems I've been a good boy this year, so...

Where in that item description does it say it has GPS?