Recycling a Tablet

[raymac46]

Most members here know my interest in extending hardware life as long as possible. While laptops and desktops offer many opportunities for upgrades and a new O/S, I just haven't had the same experience with Android tablets.

Recently my 9-year-old Samsung TabA6 7.0 reached its EOL. The version of Android it runs just won't support my e-reader software any longer. It's also slow, memory and storage challenged, and the hardware cannot be upgraded. While it is possible to jump through many hoops to install a newer O/S, the fact you can't upgrade anything is a non-starter for me at least.

With Father's Day coming up, I got a new Android TabA9 for around $130 Canadian. The old tablet went to Staples for the recycling pile. It bothers me to contribute to ewaste, but I just don't see an alternative.

[zlim]

I feel the same way you do. I had to e-cycle my very first tablet, an Asus, when it got stuck buffering and refused to load the desktop. I had hoped to keep it in the car as a camera and music player. I didn't even keep the charger for it because the voltage was 5.2 volts and  the other chargers are 5 volts.

 

I tried for months to fix it but finally gave up and took it to Best Buy.

[raymac46]

All I used the old tablet for was as an e-reader. It got to the point where it would no longer download or display my books. About the only upgrade possible was to put a larger micro SD card in the tablet, and I didn't need to do that.

The cost of a new tablet is not prohibitive, but I do hate sending stuff to e-waste.

This is the 4th tablet I have recycled in the past decade or so. Three were obsolete, and one just ceased functioning. Most of the old ones had special charging ports, but the latest ones are just mini-USB.

Edited June 14 by raymac46

[Bookmem]

On 6/13/2025 at 7:20 PM, raymac46 said:

Most members here know my interest in extending hardware life as long as possible. While laptops and desktops offer many opportunities for upgrades and a new O/S, I just haven't had the same experience with Android tablets.

Recently my 9-year-old Samsung TabA6 7.0 reached its EOL. The version of Android it runs just won't support my e-reader software any longer. It's also slow, memory and storage challenged, and the hardware cannot be upgraded. While it is possible to jump through many hoops to install a newer O/S, the fact you can't upgrade anything is a non-starter for me at least.

With Father's Day coming up, I got a new Android TabA9 for around $130 Canadian. The old tablet went to Staples for the recycling pile. It bothers me to contribute to ewaste, but I just don't see an alternative.

The problem as far as I'm concerned is that newer, much more powerful tablets have gotten so cheap that fooling with older ones just isn't worth the effort. You can buy Amazon Fire HD tablets for as little as $20. Then you can use the Fire Toolbox to add Google Play Store and remove most the Amazon bloat. These tablet actually have good battery life and are fine for reading and browsing or even streaming.

[raymac46]

I got the new tablet (WI-Fi only) configured and running in about 30 minutes this morning. I didn't bother with automated transfer from a phone. I just configured everything manually. Certainly a much faster and smoother experience.

[crp]

I have an original Amazon FireHD and a Samsung TAB4 that I still use.

The FireHD developed some issues the past year (unable to maintain proper time the biggest problem)

and i don't have any personal information on the TAB as it is running Android version 4.

 

I think those devices were "over built"  

[raymac46]

I have had to replace my tablets because they wouldn't run the software I wanted to use. This reminds me of the 1990s situation with WIntel. That said I find that each new Android tablet I buy is vastly better in performance and usability than its predecessor. So there is something to be said for new hardware I guess.

I've never purchased an iPad because I don't use a tablet for anything but reading and a bit of light web surfing. It doesn't seem worth the money in my case.

Edited June 16 by raymac46

[goretsky]

Hello,

One thing you can always do is look into donating old hardware to a makerspace.  They will take very old hardware for a variety of purposes, ranging from pulling out screens for repurposing and desoldering individual components to using them for art projects.  The last time I dropped something off at my local one, one of the people was wearing a bolo tie made out of a CPU and some cable.  And, as a bonus, since they are a non-profit, I got donation paperwork, which always helps when it is tax time.

 

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

[zlim]

I find that each new Android tablet I buy is vastly better in performance...

That hasn't been my experience. I think it is the chipset that causes the slowdown.

My oldest Galaxy Tab A (10.1") from 2016 is the fastest even though it has 2GB RAM and the next fastest has 4GB RAM.  I'm basing this on how long it takes for updates to download and install. Exynos 7870 chipset. (Octa-core) (I prefer to select and install the updates I want on all my android devices rather than having them auto download).

 

The Galaxy A8 (10+")from Dec 2023 is the next in speed. Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (Quad-core)

 

The turtle of the bunch is the 2019 Galaxy A8 (8"). Unisoc Tiger Cortez A75 and A55 (Quad-core).  Model SM-T380 not SM-T290 which has a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset.

 

When I'm ready to buy another tablet, I will pay closer attention to the chipset.

 

 

[raymac46]

My old Tab A 7.0 had a Snapdragon 410 Quad Core 1.2 GHz. The new one has an Octa Core MediaTek Helio G99 with the Cortex A76 speed cores 2.2 GHz. There's absolutely no comparison.

[abarbarian]

http://www.wikipad.com/features/

 

I managed to sell my Wiki Pad at a secondhand tech outlet. I have no idea why anyone would buy it as it had,

 

 

Quote

 

Operating System Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)

Internal Memory: 1GB DDR3,Flash Memory: 16GB

Processor

NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 mobile processor with quad-core CPU and 5th battery-saver core
High-performance 12-core NVIDIA GPU

 

 

Once I could no longer use it as a holiday keep in touch machine, I used it on the motorcycle as a mapping system. Used downloaded maps and the built in GPS and as the battery lasted a long time it was a neat solution.

The screen was very good with excellent graphics and the handset thingy was so so useful. I was sad to see it go.