4G LTE tablets?

zuren

Adventurer
I'm hoping someone hear can help clarify my understanding of 3G/4G LTE networks and how this would work with a phone and a tablet running navigation. In another post, I discussed that I'm looking for a new phone and I'm considering switching to AT&T. They have good coverage in the places I go and they are GSM so swapping between phone and tablet should be easy. Rather than go with the latest $600+ smartphone, I am considering a GSM dumbphone that handles 4G LTE and can tether to a PC (a Sonim XP5 checks all of those boxes), as well as an Android tablet that handles 4G LTE. Is my understanding correct - if I had a GSM phone with a data plan and a GSM 4G LTE tablet, I should be able to swap the SIM card back and forth depending if I wanted to use the tablet without a WIFI signal. Is that correct? Then if I wanted, when driving, I could plug the SIM card into the tablet to have navigation with a larger screen?

If all of this is true, it seems that I could get a phone that performs better than a smartphone as being a PHONE and I get a larger screen in the tablet when I want it, rather than buy another fragile piece of tech that costs $600+, all for roughly $200. FYI - I'm looking at the Sonim XP5 phone and LG G Pad tablet. I'm open to other 4G LTE tablets EXCEPT Apple products.

http://www.sonimtech.com/index.php/products/device/device/SonimXP5_15

https://www.amazon.com/LG-V410-16GB-Unlocked-Android/dp/B00MLI3AE2

Thanks!
 

Theoretician

Adventurer
I'm not sure that swapping the sim cards is going to work well. Legally, the various cell providers are supposed to be generally device agnostic but in reality they tend to register a sim card d to a device specific IMEI.

You mention tethering a computer to the phone for internet access - why not just tether the tablet to the phone as well? That would open you up the broader selection of Wi-Fi only tablets.
 

Airmapper

Inactive Member
I run with my Samsung Galaxy S7 as my smartphone, then tether a Galaxy Tab A 10.1 to it. Works great I think, aside from the insufficiency of my cell network coverage, which is a separate issue.

I don't really understand the GSM issue, I notice my phone typically tends to use whatever network it has access to, if it's not a data network I'll still have phone. That typically depends on the carrier what towers I have access to.

Back to tethering the tablet, if the cell phone has data so does the tablet, and I run nav on it, generally Google Maps for street and BCN for backroads and off pavement. I download as much as possible (I have 64GB microSD cards in both devices for additional storage) using cell data is typically to gap fill data I didn't save ahead of time (Google allows extensive offline map storage now) or get new info (weather, find local food or fuel, etc.)

Android works wonderfully for this kind of setup, (I see your not an Apple fan, right on!) one major reason I ditched my iPad and got a Android tablet. You can configure your WiFi connection to your phone to be treated like a cell connection and restrict update downloading and restrict most apps from using the connection and wasting your data. I hit a brick wall trying to do that on my iPad.
 

Josh41

Adventurer
I use an 8 inch Android tablet with out cellular. I preload maps either with Avenza or Back Country Navigator and my tablet has a GPS chip. I have used it in VT,NH, CO, WY, ID, and MT. Works well. Keep in mind that you most likely won't have cellular service in the back country so you won't be able to load maps like you do on your phone when driving on the interstate. I recently got a cellular tablet, the only nice thing is through Verizon's messaging app, I can have the texts on my phone go directly to the tablet.
 

zuren

Adventurer
Just to keep this thread fresh, I still have not moved forward with my idea and it seems that may be a good thing. Nokia is rumored to be bringing the 3310 4G to the USA this year:

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbre...16/hmd-global-nokia-3310-4g-lte-hotspot-china

Dumb phone, with 4G LTE, with hotspot, rumored to be affordable (MSRP ~$70-80). This may be the direction I go.

I think I would still want a 4G tablet whether the SIM card can be easily swapped or not, just to have the flexibility. The Samsung Galaxy Tab E 8" seems to fit my criteria and is not stupidly expensive.
 

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