I have a Raspberry Pi running Signal K on the computer. This transmits all boat sensor data (depth, wind, GPS, AIS targets, etc) to the tablet. On tablet I can then run a chartplotter app, for example Navionics, SeaPilot, OpenCPN, or my current option, Orca CoPilot.
Nexus 7 (FHD, the better model) was the best tablet I've had. I used it even as a phone replacement for a couple of years.
Now I'm using a Galaxy Tab Active 3 as a chartplotter on the boat. Also quite nice, but would be too slow for a "main device". Not to mention camera quality.
The previous year’s flagship is one option. Samsung’s S22 and S22+ both fit in this range, and even the S22 Ultra is not too far off. And those still have a few OS updates left. Pixel 6 Pro seems to sell for the same price as 7a in Germany.
This has been my strategy for the last two phones (Note 8 and Note 10) and it has worked great. Following this thread with interest as this is the year I’m due to upgrade.
This was my primary device for a couple of years. I didn’t have a phone at all. I could do everything I needed to do. Camera quality was of course terrible, but I had one of those Sony “lens cameras” paired with it, and that worked great.
I even sailed across the Atlantic with the Nexus 7 as my only media device (I packed a Kindle but it died a week in).
That is why I’m considering a foldable now. If only they weren’t so fragile…
I find around the 8” mark to be the perfect tablet size. However, not a lot of good options out there, especially for more high end hardware. If money is not an issue, a foldable might do it?
2016 Brexit referendum was quite a turning point.