I went ahead and bought a SM-T575 tablet a couple weeks ago. The only tablet I could find in the 8-inch range that had a somewhat decent CPU/GPU, a camera with light, NFC and a replaceable battery - while still being waterproof. And it's not made out of hard plastic that will shatter at the first fall. For all that joy however, it was a fucking PITA to root it and I only succeeded because of a helpful soul messaging me on Reddit of all places.
Seems like the only place one can find stuff supposed to live longer lives is in the expensive Enterprise section of manufacturers for a hefty premium - similar to "smart TVs" where the only "dumb TVs" available are "digital signage" type. And that's not good. We need regulation in this space, and fast.