Who would have thought that tablets, that were considered portable, could get even more portable? As life becomes more mobile so does technology. The best 7-inch tablets will provide you with similar, if not identical, features as bigger 10-inch tablets.
The popularity of tablets has grown in the past decade. They pack more power than your smartphone and also come with bigger screens. This makes them more ideal for watching your shows, media, and work. In fact, you can pair the tablet with a keyboard and a mouse and transform it into a laptop.
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Deciding to get a tablet is just the first step. There are a variety of tablets to choose from making it rather tasking to settle on one. But the hunt for the best 7-inch tablet for your needs can be easier if you know exactly what to look for.
How to Choose a 7-inch Tablet
The fact that you’ve settled on getting a 7-inch tablet means you want portability. Otherwise, you can find many 8-inch tablets too but they won’t fit in your pocket as easily. There are various features you should focus on to help narrow your selection down to the perfect one. The features that you should pay close attention to are as follows:
Storage
Unless you plan on streaming all your shows and movies online, you will want a tablet that has plenty of storage. HD movies and shows take a lot of storage space. You will find tablets ranging from 8 GB to 32 GB, which may have you seeking for the ways to expand storage and Android and Windows tablets do offer such an option.
Operating System
There are three major operating systems you will find on the market: iOS, Android, and Windows. Android tablets are the most customizable and give you complete control. iOS is considered to be the easiest OS to use while Windows give a computer-like feel.
Battery Life
Portability is one of the main reasons why you are looking to purchase a 7-inch tablet. So you want to make sure the tablet has a decent battery life. The advertised battery life tends to be on the mark. However, to make sure it is, you can check reviews on the tablet from users that have actually used it. Also, you can use some tips to help the battery last longer.
Processor and RAM
With a 7-inch tablet, chances are you won’t be doing hardcore work. You will be using it for media and light work such as checking and answering emails and what not. You still want to make sure you get a tablet that doesn’t lag during simple tasks. The processor and RAM are both key in ensuring that the tablet works well.
5 Best 7-inch Tablets
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7
The Tablet for Those Looking for More Productivity
Mobility is key when it comes to 7-inch tablets and the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 has it. It fits comfortably in your hand and slides into your pocket with ease. It has a slim, sleek design with a bright screen that has a 1280 x 800 resolution. The screen is better than most of its competitors and perfect for watching media. It also has a fast Snapdragon 410 processor, which is quad-core and paired with 1.5 GB RAM.
One off-putting thing about the tablet is that it comes with an 8 GB built-in storage. But no worries, thanks to the memory slot, you can expand up to 256 GB. If you are in the market for an Android tablet that is portable and easy on the pocket then look no further than the A7.
Pros:
- Sleek, slim design fits easily in your pocket
- Bright screen with 1280 x 800 resolution
- Price
Cons:
- Comes with only 8 GB of internal storage
Amazon Fire 7
The Tablet for Entry-level Users
It seems Amazon didn’t really do justice to the Amazon Fire 7. While the tablet functions well, the design seems a bit clunky and lacks sleekness. The 7-inch screen packs a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, which won’t “wow” users, but it gets the job done. The speakers on it are mono rather than stereo which also impacts the sound output. It just doesn’t sound proper and you may find yourself reaching for the headphones rather than relying on the speaker.
The Fire 7 comes with an 16 or 32 GB internal storage, which is expandable with the use of a MicroSD card. It features a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor with 1 GB RAM. The tablet has a decent battery life, depending on usage it should last you 6 to 8 hours. The Amazon Fire 7 is a good buy for anyone looking for a budget tablet to read and stream some media.
Pros:
- Portable, easy to carry around
- Decent battery life, 6 to 8 hours
- Alexa compatible
Cons:
- Mono speakers
VANKYO MatrixPad S7 7-inch Tablet
Best for Light Use
VANKYO MatrixPad S7 is equipped with the top-grade CPU, with 4 cores and the working tact of 1.3GHz. Along with that comes the RAM memory of 2GB, making this 7-inch tablet quite responsive and capable of handling demanding videos and games.
As for the operating system, this tablet comes with the latest version of Android 9.0 Pie OS, which is GMS certified. It has all the necessary apps installed on the device, such as Netflix, YouTube, Gmail, etc.
The display has a resolution of 1024×600, and it comes with the Eye Health feature, which is used to adjust the light when you are reading in the dark.
S7 can last up to 8 hours of constant work, thanks to the solid 2900mAh battery. Device storage is decent, with the 32GB of the built-in memory, and the possibility to expand it, by using MicroSD, to up to 128GB, allowing you to store your favorite videos, books, photos, and music.
Pros:
- Decent performance
- Pre-installed basic apps
- Pretty good storage space
Cons:
- Sometimes it is not responsive as it should be
Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition
The Tablet That Will Keep Your Kids Entertained
Looking for a tablet for your kids? One with a rubber case and a replacement policy? Then the Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition is the tablet for you. Amazon has added a rubber case so it isn’t easy to damage. If it does get damaged, they offer a replacement policy with no questions asked. That isn’t all, the price tag is very reasonable so how can you say no. But those are about all the perks you get with this tablet. It has a subpar processor with 1 GB RAM.
One thing that is very helpful is Alexa compatibility. With FreeTime and Alexa, it is easier to control how long the kids use the tablet. Overall, the Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition is the perfect tablet for kids. It has features parents can use to limit the use of the tablet and keep an eye on kids’ activities.
Pros:
- Features FreeTime and Alexa
- No questions asked replacement policy
Cons:
- Performance wise, a subpar tablet
Dragon Touch 7-inch Tablet
The Best Tablet for Long Working Hours
Dragon Touch Y88X Tablet comes with an excellent 2800mAh battery that can last quite some time, which is perfect if you need a tablet for work or some heavy-duty, such as watching videos, playing games etc.
Along with that Y88X model features the latest version of Android 9.0 OS, as well as pretty good Quad-Core processor with 1.5GHz and 2GB of RAM memory.
This makes Dragon Touch Y88X very fast and reliable when it comes to general performance, which will make the overall user-experience more enjoyable.
As for the additional features, this tablet offers two cameras, which allows you to make nice photos and videos at any time.
When it comes to the display itself, Y88X has IPS Vivid Display with 178 degrees wide view, which perfectly fits human eye vision, without the need to hold the tablet under any specific angle.
And finally, this tablet comes with a total of 16GB of internal storage, with a free MicroSD slot, which you can use to increase the storage space to a total of 128GB.
Pros:
- Excellent battery life
- Fast and reliable Android 9.0 operating system
- Great processor and RAM for faster performance
- Good storage memory options
- A pretty good and colorful display
Cons:
- A standard USB charger is not supported