I am considering getting a (used) tablet to control Roon, since a smartphone screen is too small for the app, and have these questions:
Is a 7.9’’ screen OK or do you need a 10’’ one? Is there a minimum resolution requirement? (Some cheap Android tablets are 1200x800). Will the 7.9’’ Ipad Mini and 7.9’’ / 8’’ Android tablets show the full app, or will they show the same, cut-down version as a smartphone, and do you need a 10’’ tablet to get the full app with all the functionalities?
What are the differences between the iOS and the Android apps as of now? Is there anything which one version can do and the other can’t, or does differently? Please note the question is not: “do you prefer Apple or Android?” - it is a fairly narrow question on the objective differences between the two apps.
What are the differences between the iOS /Android versions and the Windows one? If I bought a used 10’’ Microsoft Surface Go running Windows, how different would the app be?
The only difference between them is if you want to use the tablet as an endpoint iOS works bit perfect to an attached DAC where android it won’t see the DAC at all and resamples to what it things the tablets inbuilt DAC supports. If you have an iPad pro then you can use it in portrait mode to, the rest of iPads and android can only use landscape. Roon has minimum DPI rather than physical size and adapts to this, bigger screens tend to have higher DPI so will display more items per page when in album and Artists views. Everything else is the same for layout and operation between the two. 8" or 7.9" on a modern tablet is Lilley to be enough . It can run on Amazon’s HD8 quite easily but the bigger the better.
Thanks, but a tablet that big is out of the question.
So one difference is that the 12.9’’ ipad is the only one which works in portrait mode. Other than this, does the app work the same on the 7.9’’ and 10’’ ipads? Or are there other differences, too?
That should work (minimum resolution 1024 x 768 pixel) but keep in mind that some cheap Android tablets, mostly 7"/8" with that resolution you mentioned, don’t support OpenGL ES 3.0 or greater. Roon Remote won’t run on these!
I’ve been happily using an Amazon Fire HD (10) for several months now as a remote [edited]. I can control all aspects of Roon through this. The app runs landscape only, but that’s to be expected.
Cheapest way to get hold of a fully functioning controller.
@Tim_Chapman do you mean remote or endpoint? Last time I tried using an Amazon Fire tablet I could only get it to work as a remote but it was a while back so maybe things have changed…
I realize the reference here is to tablets but Android for endpoint device does work. At least it does for me. I use my Note 9 phone as remote and endpoint with a Braven XXL outdoor speaker when working in the shop, garden or out in the yard.
As said above, it is mostly about the DPI which is user-configurable on Android phones.
I use my Moto G7 Power (6.3 inch, with adjusted DPI) just fine for control and “Now playing” screen display of Roon in landscape mode. Of course, the bigger the physical display (and therefore all the buttons/links/… in the Roon UI), the more comfortable the experience gets.