The best tablets to work in a taxi

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

The tablet is a great companion device for the taxi driver. It can be used as a navigator, and to launch aggregator applications, and even to watch movies in calm times while waiting for clients. And it doesn't have to be expensive! We've picked the 5 best tablets for taxi cabs that offer the perfect combination of price and functionality – inexpensive yet reliable and fast.

How to choose a tablet for working in a taxi – what to look for

Many good tablet models for use in a taxi can be found outside our rating. The main thing is to follow a few tips for choosing these devices.

Tip 1: check the processor

The main requirement for a tablet used for navigation is fast and accurate GPS. And the operating speed of this wireless module directly depends on the manufacturer and the technical characteristics of the processor. So, the chips Qualcomm Snapdragon and MediaTek provide a fairly good connection with satellites; Intel Atom takes a very long time to turn on and looks for satellites; and Rockchip and Allwinner do not support GPS at all.

So when choosing a tablet for a taxi, you should pay attention first of all to models with processors Qualcomm Snapdragon, MediaTek, as well as branded chips (like Huawei HiSilicon Kirin or Samsung Exynos).

Tip 2: Estimate the amount of internal memory

It is on the internal memory that various user data will be stored, including installed applications and maps loaded into offline maps for navigation programs. It also hosts the operating system. Therefore, the amount of internal memory directly determines the speed of the tablet.

In 2018, the 'minimum viable' storage capacity for a tablet is 16GB. And then it is desirable that a device with such a drive is supplemented with a microSD card slot. If you plan to store offline maps for the navigator on your tablet, it is advisable to pay attention to models with 32 GB of internal memory or even more.

In our ranking of tablets for taxi, only tablets with 16 GB are collected. This is due to the fact that 32GB models are quite expensive. But 16 GB for Yandex.Navigator or Google Maps will be enough.

Tip 3: Battery capacity should be large

Working, and often at full brightness, the screen and constant connection to geolocation satellites consume a lot of electricity. Therefore, for a tablet that is planned to be used in a taxi, battery capacity is important. So, on average, a 4500 mAh battery is enough for the tablet to work for 3 hours in navigation mode without being connected to the power supply.

For longer trips, if you don't have a car charger, you should choose tablets with a 6000-7000 mAh battery.

Tip 4: It is worth choosing tablets with mobile Internet support

Almost all modern navigation systems, such as Google Maps and Yandex.Navigator, download maps and routes from the Internet. Therefore, for tablets designed to work in a taxi, a connection to a mobile network is necessary. Moreover, at least 3G – the speed of this Internet will be sufficient for uninterrupted download of up-to-date cartographic information.

However, for use in large cities with a high traffic load, it is desirable to connect to 4G LTE networks. The fact is that navigation services load not only maps, but also information about traffic jams, the current traffic situation, speed cameras, road accidents, etc.

Tip 5: 8 “tablets are more comfortable than 10”

The size of a taxi tablet screen does not determine the amount of information that can fit on that display. But the convenience of placing the device on the dashboard depends on it. Compact tablets with a 7 or 8 “screen are easier to mount on the cradle near the windshield than 10” ones – they have to be placed somewhere else. For example, next to the gear lever.

Rating of the best tablets for taxi

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
Rating of the best tablets for taxi	1	Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 LTE
	2	Lenovo Tab 4 TB-8504X 16Gb	RUB 10,230
	3	Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 SM-T355 16Gb	RUB 12 913
	4	Prestigio Grace PMT3101 4G	RUB 6 347
	5	Digma Citi 7507 4G	RUB 4,990

Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 LTE

Rating: 4.8

Why first place: Great screen, smart GPS, good battery, 4G LTE support.

Description: A tablet that is suitable for everything – you can suggest a route, watch a movie while waiting for a client, and sit on the Internet on a day off. The proprietary HiSilicon Kirin 930 eight-core processor with a clock speed of 2 GHz, complemented by 2 GB of RAM, provides high performance; and the 8-inch TFT IPS display with a resolution of 1920 × 1200 pixels creates a clear, bright and rich picture.

The internal storage of the tablet is 16 GB, of which about 9 are available to the user. This will allow you to download even offline Navitel maps to travel without the Internet – although the device also has a 4G LTE mobile communication module.

The capacity of the battery built into the tablet is 4800 mAh. Thanks to the optimization of the hardware, it will last for 4-5 hours of active navigation with constant loading of maps over the mobile Internet. A standard micro USB connector is used to charge the tablet.

Advantages

• Highest performance in our ranking;

• Good battery life

• Excellent screen quality;

disadvantages

• Slippery metal body, so choosing a cradle will take time and effort;

• Too much preinstalled software;

• The proprietary EMUI operating system will take some getting used to;

Lenovo Tab 4 TB-8504X 16Gb

Rating: 4.7

Ranked # 2 Taxi Tablets: Best value for money, average performance, but good enough for a workhorse.

Description: Lenovo The Tab 4 TB-8504X is a mid-range tablet originally designed as a 'work device'. The performance of the device for modern games is not enough, but for use in a taxi or, for example, in a 'mobile office' – it will be quite enough. Specifically, the tablet is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, complemented by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. A microSD card slot is available.

The tablet screen is 8-inch, made using TFT IPS technology and has a resolution of 1280 × 800 pixels. This allows for convenient scaling of interface elements so that, for example, you can see the name of a street by throwing a glance at the device display.

The tablet supports 4G LTE and comes with a 4850 mAh battery – slightly more than the leader of the rating, but the overall battery life of these devices is the same.

Advantages

• Fast cold start GPS and reliable communication with satellites;

• Simple and intuitive interface;

• Reliable connection to the mobile Internet (makes the tablet a good choice for country trips);

disadvantages

• Inconvenient location of the charging connector;

• Short charging cable included;

• Slow charging;

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 SM-T355 16Gb

Rating: 4.7

Why third place: Average performance, but high reliability.

Description: In third place in our rating is a mid-range tablet from Samsung. Galaxy Tab A 8.0 SM-T355 delivers brand-name reliability and optimum performance. For the speed of the tablet, a quad-core processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 with a clock speed of 1.2 GHz is responsible, which is complemented by 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. A microSD card slot is available.

The tablet is equipped with an 8-inch TFT PLS-display with a resolution of 1024 × 768 pixels. The matrix technology has a lower power consumption compared to IPS, so the built-in 4200 mAh battery provides up to 6 hours of battery life with the display on, active GPS and constant LTE communication.

Additionally, autonomy is increased by the operating system Android 5.1 with additional optimization by the manufacturer.

Advantages

• Quiet, indistinct sound from the built-in speaker;

• Too thin screen bezels may seem inconvenient;

• Lots of pre-installed applications that are not always needed;

disadvantages

• Little permanent memory;

• Camera added 'for show'.

• Not too loud built-in speaker;

Prestigio Grace PMT3101 4G

Rating: 4.6

Why the fourth place: Good performance for an ultra-budget tablet, there is a 4G mobile Internet.

Description: We open the rating of ultra-budget tablets with the flagship model from Prestigio – Grace PMT3101 4G. The device is based on a MT8735 quad-core processor MediaTek clocked at 1 GHz, which is complemented by 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. There is a microSD card slot, external drives with a capacity of up to 64 GB are supported.

The tablet is equipped with a 10.1-inch TFT IPS-display with a resolution of 1280 × 800 pixels. Also, the design includes two slots for SIM-cards, support for high-speed mobile Internet 4G LTE is also available.

The main advantage of the tablet is its large 6000 mAh battery. The device can work in active mode for up to 4-5 hours with the screen always on, geo-positioning and mobile Internet. Charges via a standard Micro USB port, so just about any car power adapter will work.

Advantages

• Good performance (for an ultra budget tablet)

• GPS fast cold start and reliable satellite communication.

• Excellent screen quality (color rendition, saturation);

disadvantages

• Quiet, indistinct sound from the built-in speaker;

• Too thin screen bezels may seem inconvenient;

• Lots of pre-installed applications that are not always needed;

Digma Citi 7507 4G

Rating: 4.4

Why fifth place: Minimum performance, but the lowest price.

Description: Digma Citi 7507 4G closes the rating – a tablet for the most undemanding users. Its main advantage is its very low price. Therefore, the performance is also not very high – the quad-core Spreadtrum SC9832 processor with a clock frequency of 1.3 GHz is responsible for it, which is complemented by 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage.

A slow processor causes GPS cold start to take several seconds. Nevertheless, the connection with the satellites is kept reliable and stable.

The tablet is equipped with a 7-inch TFT IPS-display with a resolution of 1280 × 800 pixels. Despite the device belongs to the budget price segment, the screen is bright, saturated and with good color rendering.

The tablet also supports mobile Internet using 4G LTE technology and is equipped with a 2500 mAh battery, which is enough for 1-2 hours of offline navigation. It is better not to leave without car charging.

Advantages

• There is a connection to 4G, the network keeps securely;

• Good screen quality;

• Reliable communication with the satellite;

disadvantages

• The screen cover is not glass, but plastic, unstable to scratches;

• Poor performance;

• Short battery life;

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

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