Best tablets for low resource settings

Implementation - Implémentation
, ,
1

Dear community -

Please share the Android Tablets you are using, that are effective for low-resource settings (both electricity and internet may be intermittent).

We are looking to test a few models with the Android app.

Thank you very much for your help,

Sara
LogicalOutcomes

2 Likes
2

@sgaudon

That’s one of those “how long is a piece of string” questions, for several reasons:
1.
While your typical 10’ tablets have batteries ranging from 7,000mAh to 11,000mAh, actual use duration depends on display type, software, communication protocols, synch frequency, and other aspects of practical use. A tablet with a smaller battery can easily be augmented using a modestly priced battery pack when operating in areas with limited electricity…
2.
If Internet is really poor you might have to rely on a fall-back protocol like using concatenated SMS messages for reporting (ref the work done by the eHealth folks in Sierra Leone on this).
3.
Low-resource settings normally means limited funds for both the initial purchase of tablets and their replacement. Two aspects must be considered then:

  • Firstly, that government tenders for hardware tend to be adjudicated predominantly based on price, so it is absolutely critical to ensure highly detailed technical specs that will eliminate the poor quality tablets you find in the lower price ranges
  • Secondly, you should use technical specifications that can be expected to stay above the minimum specification for the DHIS2 Android apps and other relevant apps for at least 4 years.

The current RECOMMENDED minimum (not absolute minimum) is Android 6.0 or better and at least 2GB RAM. I don’t think the recommended minimum in 3 or 4 years will be the same, so I would suggest you set Android 8.1 or better plus at least 3GB RAM as the minimum threshold for your testing.

Personal recommendations & ad-hoc stories have limited value, but:

  1. I’m using a Samsung 10A Tab (8.1, 3GB), which fits the above - and that’s after having had to abandon a Lenovo tablet with 6.0/1GB after just a year because it did not work with the new Android capture app at all.
  2. The main challenge with real-life larger Android implementations are not on the device side, it’s on the server and Tracker side (by “real-life” I mean instances with at least a few thousand users and a few million tracked entity instances).

My 2c worth…
Best regards
Calle

4 Likes
3

Thank you very much! Appreciated.

1 Like
4

From dhis2.org

Technical requirements

Minimum Recommended
Android version Android 4.4 (KitKat) Android 5.1 (Lollipop) or better
DHIS2 version DHIS 2.29 DHIS 2.30

Recommendations for a DHIS2 mobile deployment

Mobile device specifications

The Android App is compatible with DHIS2 2.29 and 2.30. It requires a device that is running Android v4.4 or higher. In this link you will find recommendations for mobile device acquisitions for a DHIS2 Android deployment.

I would also recommend considering what is locally available. You do not want to be tied to a devise that has to be specifically imported for your project and can not easily be replaced by a local vendor.

@marta might be able to say more in terms of specific make and model.

2 Likes