Unsolved Recommendation for inexpensive Android device to learn Qt development / deployment

[eric-rkt]

Looking for a recommendation for a low-cost Android tablet (don't need a phone) that will be useful for learning how to develop and deploy Qt applications on Android.

As noted, price is an object but I don't want to low-ball it so much that it won't be useful for learning how to develop and deploy a decent range of applications.

Thanks...

[SGaist]

Hi,

The less expensive is to use the simulator provided with the Android SDK. Otherwise, you have to give a bit more information. What is inexpensive in one country might be consider already expensive in another.

[eric-rkt]

Thanks, @SGaist. I'm in the United States, specifically New Hampshire. I've looked around online and seen Android tablets for as little as US$40 and as much as US$600 (and I'm sure there are plenty that are more expensive than that). I'm just looking for one that will be useful for learning Android development including, eventually, some more advanced stuff like embedded video. So I don't really want something that is only suitable for the most basic stuff, something I'll outgrow in a few months.

I'm thinking maybe something that's a bit bigger than smartphone size, maybe a 6" or 7" display. I don't really know how much storage I need... are Android apps usually fairly compact?

[eric-rkt]

As for the simulator, thanks for mentioning that, I wasn't aware it was available. I'm thinking I'd prefer to learn all of the details of developing and deploying applications on real devices, though.

[SGaist]

Techradar has a pretty interesting article comparing current devices. It might get you what you want.

As for the size of the application, it will depend on what modules you'll use.

[mvuori]

The 40 dollar devices may be very old models with very old Android. I would guess just about any device is ok as long as it has at least Android 6, preferably later, so you can use everything Qt and the device offer and 32 GB storage will be more than sufficient. Get more than 1 Gig RAM. You'll likely have difficulty finding a current device that wouldn't be a good learning device

[eric-rkt]

Thanks @mvuori for the advice. And thanks @SGaist for the pointer to Techradar, it was very helpful.

In general I prefer not to buy things like this online (although I do, frequently), prefer to see them first if I can. So I checked the local Best Buy's website and see they have some Samsung Galaxys in stock for US$150 with Android 7.1 Nougat (Android names their OSs after desserts, how cute). Then I did a bit more research and discovered that 7.1 is almost three years old and the latest version is 9.0 Pie, released last August.

It strikes me as odd that a big-box store like Best Buy would sell tablets as brand new, latest model, with an OS that's three years and two full major rev numbers old. More searching reveals that the hardware manufacturers are fully responsible for OS releases and so who knows if Samsung even offers anything later than 7.1 on any of their devices? If I bought one of these I have no idea if I'd be able to upgrade the OS to anything recent.

I guess some more research and reading is in my immediate future. Howtogeek.com writes: "How to update to the latest version... The short answer is also an unfortunate one; you might not be able to." and "The only surefire way to make sure you’ll get the latest version of Android is to buy from the Pixel line." (https://www.howtogeek.com/345250/whats-the-latest-version-of-android/). The Pixels appear to start at about US$600 and go up from there, and most of the ones I've seen in a quick scan are running Google Chrome (I thought Chrome was just for laptops and notebooks, not tablets).

Nothing is ever easy, is it?... :-{

[J.Hilk]

@eric-rkt
do not buy a Samsung device,

Samsung does not support the standard remote debugging that AndroidStudio and QtCreator uses!

[eric-rkt]

THANK YOU @J.Hilk this is just what I need. :-)

I anticipated driving up to the local Best Buy early this afternoon and pick up one of the Samsung Galaxys they have on special... of course, after first verifying that "on special" doesn't mean "last year's model on clearance" like it so often does, there. So, you caught me just in time. :-)

So, what are some of the tablets that do support the standard remote debugging?

[J.Hilk]

@eric-rkt
well I can't list much, I know 2 devices that work, Pixels - unsure if phone or tablet- and the HUAWEI MeduaPad M5 - that's the one I'm using.