GPS Enabled Mapping Hardware

Seems like most people are using Apps for off line navigation these days. I can see why. It's so much nicer to look at a big 10 inch colored screen than my puny Garmin 60C screen. My tablet hardware is outdated though. I have an original iPad, and even though it has GPS and a mobile network receiver... the memory on a tablet that old is inadequate these days. It's also BIG.

So Apple or Android matters not. What are some of the best, modern, GPS enabled tablets for running off line navigation. There is a lot to this question. Physical size, memory size, battery life, compatibility with the most popular nav apps, weight and durability all are a factor.

What do you have or like and why? Please share your experience. This is a request for tablet/pad style devices only. I'm not interested in handheld or dash specific GPS units.

 

I bought an Amazon Fire 8 as it got great reviews as a tablet that was on sale. Then I found out it doesn't have GPS. Which is very important. I could get a GPS dongle but since it has only one Mini USB port I don't think I can have it use a dongle and be connected to power at the same time.

Some people around here have some nice set-ups though.

ETA:
Here's a start
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/best-gps-for-off-roading.391795/

 

Yeah. See I read that thread, but it mostly covers the Apps or software that is popular... or the types of GPS devices that I am not asking about. My wife and son both have the fire, which is enough info fo me to know they aren't very practical for much of anything but browsing and online games.

 

I have a Samsung Tab A with an 8" screen. It's a very nice unit and has GPS built in, but from what I've read the tablets that only have GPS (and not GPS+mobile network receiver) don't do as well off-road. I can't comment on that though as I have never tested it.

 

Do you know the theory behind that?

A tablet/phone with a mobile network is pretty useless when you don't have cell reception, which is pretty typical when off road. I just can't see a reason for the added expense of a tablet with a mobile network when off road. Unless that's what you already have, I'd skip the mobile network.

I've been contemplating the Galaxy Tab E lite, since it's pretty cheap and has wifi/gps and a large enough screen, and seems like it will do the job. I was going to get a gps puck for my ipad mini, but the good ones are about as expensive (or more) as the Galaxy tab, anyway.

 

I only say that because I read it in an article one time about off road gps apps. Iirc it had something to do with the gps module itself being better on the ones that also have cellular network connectivity. I could very well be wrong though.

 

I gotcha. It does make it easier for the network to track where you are, and therefore sell your metadata to advertisers, lol...

The best accuracy comes from gps and glonas (the russian gps constellation), which many tablets have (like the Galaxy Tab 4). Although even just gps is more than accurate enough to find yourself on a map and navigate off road.

 

To download off line maps, what would you say is the minimum memory a tablet should have?

 

I don't think it takes much at all, plus with android tablets you can expand with a micro SD card.