If you've been looking for a small Android tablet to use in an RV for navigation, I also have been looking for a long time but I finally found a great one.I wanted a 8" Android tablet which is pretty hard to find to begin with, and even harder when it needs to have a GNSS receiver for navigation. I used the Lenovo Tab M9 for two years but the performance was not great, which is to be expected for a $100 tablet.I learned of the Headwolf FPad 5 Pro. It's clearly a Chinese import but for $179 and since Walmart was the online retailer, I decided to take a chance. I'm very impressed. The benchmarks for this tablet blows the Lenovo away and my experience with both of them confirms that.The performance is very good. No lag whatsoever. It has 8 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage. It charges with USB-C with a power adapter included in the box. It even comes with a factory-applied screen protector. I mounted in it our Class C using a RAM X-Grip.Since I'm a bit of a navigation enthusiast and do some beta testing, I have the tablet loaded up with offline truck maps for CargoTour, Sygic Truck, Trimble CoPilot, HERE WeGo, TomTom GO, Magic Earth and MapFactor Navigator. I haven't even used up half of the storage yet.If you're looking for a tablet, I definitely recommend this product.

I'm confused, your post comes across more as an advertisement than anything else.8" tablets are a dime a dozen and you would have to search to find one without GPS (yes, GNSS is common). For navigation, no real need for a more expensive model.I have a 5yr old samsung that I'm only replacing because the USB port is going bad (have to fiddle with it to get it to charge). I can get an updated version of the same for $100.

People and You Tube make it sound worse than it is. In my lifetime I have only ever seen a small handful of bridges too low for a semi, much less an RV. Codes are codes, and unless it's historical or there's just no reason for a commercial truck to enter that road, it's really not an issue.

I guess I'm sorry if my post came across as an advertisement though it's quite a stretch to suggest that I'd have some reason to promote an imported Chinese tablet from Walmart.8" Android tablets are not a dime a dozen. Samsung has not released an 8" tablet since the A7 Lite in 2021 and it's performance is horrible. I owned it also and it's worse than the Lenovo Tab M9.If you think that an 8" high-end Android tablet with GPS is a dime a dozen then please help others in this forum that are looking and post a list of them.

curious as to why you wanted a odd ball 8" size as opposed to the 10" variants that have more features but are lower in cost because of the popularity of that size? it is a space factor or some other reason? I thought about using my 10" Samsung but I already have built in nav in the truck so it would just be more clutter, and in my car I have been forced to use android auto but I found waze and really like that one, why isn't that on you app list, have i settled for a lower level nav app in the car?

Sorry, it was just an oddly spec heavy and specific post.If the primary use is navigation, any cheap tablet will do fine. No need for a high end model. Just search amazon/walmart (or your preferred supplier) and there are plenty of 8" tablets and they all come with GPS and will run, any of your common navigation apps. Never had a performance problem with my old Samsung and before that I had an off brand that worked fine.

Android 8" tablet for navigation | Good Sam Community

21 Replies

StirCrazy
Moderator
Mar 30, 2025
curious as to why you wanted a odd ball 8" size as opposed to the 10" variants that have more features but are lower in cost because of the popularity of that size? it is a space factor or some other reason? I thought about using my 10" Samsung but I already have built in nav in the truck so it would just be more clutter, and in my car I have been forced to use android auto but I found waze and really like that one, why isn't that on you app list, have i settled for a lower level nav app in the car?
- jeffcarp94
  Explorer II
  Mar 30, 2025
  Yes, it's a space issue. The Ford Transit has the perfect spot to mount a tablet but it's a very tight spot. The lower dash, the air vent, the grab handle and the door create a pretty tight spot. Plus the 10" tablets tend to be pretty heavy so they bounce a lot more. I also don't want to cover that AC vent.
  I am not a fan of Waze. Personal preference. I don't think the crowd sourcing of traffic results in very accurate traffic except in the largest major cities. I use an RV-specific navigation app that take the dimensions, size and existence of propane into account in the routing.
  - way2roll
    Navigator II
    Mar 31, 2025
    Curious why you need an RV specific GPS. If you're Rving in a Ford Transit based RV, they're pretty small and your route shouldn't be at all affected by road constraints. I've been Rving most of my life in everything from a Class A, to FW to our current sprinter based Class C. I know my height/weight etc. I have never been in any situation that would have made any difference with an RV specific GPS vs Waze (which I find far more accurate in in up to date info than most of the others). I pay close attention to road signs, bridge warnings etc. but it's really never been issue. I feel like you are developing solutions in search of a problem.
valhalla360
Navigator
Mar 30, 2025
I'm confused, your post comes across more as an advertisement than anything else.
8" tablets are a dime a dozen and you would have to search to find one without GPS (yes, GNSS is common). For navigation, no real need for a more expensive model.
I have a 5yr old samsung that I'm only replacing because the USB port is going bad (have to fiddle with it to get it to charge). I can get an updated version of the same for $100.
- jeffcarp94
  Explorer II
  Mar 30, 2025
  I guess I'm sorry if my post came across as an advertisement though it's quite a stretch to suggest that I'd have some reason to promote an imported Chinese tablet from Walmart.
  8" Android tablets are not a dime a dozen. Samsung has not released an 8" tablet since the A7 Lite in 2021 and it's performance is horrible. I owned it also and it's worse than the Lenovo Tab M9.
  If you think that an 8" high-end Android tablet with GPS is a dime a dozen then please help others in this forum that are looking and post a list of them.
  - valhalla360
    Navigator
    Mar 30, 2025
    Sorry, it was just an oddly spec heavy and specific post.
    If the primary use is navigation, any cheap tablet will do fine. No need for a high end model. Just search amazon/walmart (or your preferred supplier) and there are plenty of 8" tablets and they all come with GPS and will run, any of your common navigation apps. Never had a performance problem with my old Samsung and before that I had an off brand that worked fine.