Tablet production went through a bit of a lull with the rise of phablets, but we’ve seen some excellent devices roll out in the last few years. If you’re looking for the best Android tablet, you’ve come to the right place as our experts put together a tablet buying guide along with a quick list featuring some of the top models around.
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How to Find the Best Android Tablet
One of the cool things about Android devices is the fact they come in all shapes and sizes. Well, today we aren’t going to go into detail on design or jump into the Android vs. Windows tablets debate. Instead, we are going to focus on four key areas with the display, horsepower, battery life and extra features.
The Panel
Do you need a large 10-inch slate or are you looking for something closer to a phablet in size? The world is your oyster when you’re shopping for an Android tablet. They generally range from around 7 to well over 20-inches depending on your needs and budget.
Every mobile tablet has a touchscreen, so pay attention to the resolution and color depth if you watch a lot of media. On the high end, you’ll find tablets with QHD and UHD displays while budget-friendly options are generally either 720p or 1,920 x 1,080, otherwise known as FHD.
If you only plan on using your slate to browse the web or play casual games, you’ll be pleased with an FHD display and will appreciate the boost in battery life. On the flipside, gamers or designers that need the best will want a 2K display at a minimum.
Power
Whenever someone mentions power in the tablet world, they are referring to the processor and memory. It’s no different than checking specs for a desktop or portable 2-in-1 laptop as the larger the number, the better.
With processors, the Snapdragon 800 series rules the roost although AMD chips and others still perform admirably. Qualcomm changes chip on a yearly basis, and so manufacturers. If you want the scoop on their latest chips, be sure to check this out.
RAM or memory can range anywhere from 2GB to 4GB of RAM. We recommend the latter if you want full multitasking capabilities as it’s one area you can’t expand. There are a few tablets that offer 6GB, but those are still far and few between.
Battery Life
While pixels and power are essential, battery life is arguably the first thing you should look for when choosing the best Android tablet to suit your needs. If you’re picking up a slate for work, you’ll want to look for a tablet with excellent battery life.
Wall sockets can be hard to come by, and losing power halfway through the day is not ideal. The same goes for professionals or gamers. Some high-end Android games can drain your battery in an hour while others are optimized to get you through the day. Things like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and notifications can take a toll on your battery life as well.
Additional Features
Want a tablet with a fingerprint scanner? That’s not a problem, and some will even scan your eyeballs. Those are what we call flagship features, and so are things like 4G LTE and AR-based setups. You’ll need to pay a premium for those features while others are quite common.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are available on any tablet, and you can say the same for cameras. How good those sensors are is a different story, and it’s rare to find anything above 8MP on a slate. You can usually find an audio port although USB Type-C charging is still hit or miss.
7 Best Android Tablets
Samsung Galaxy Tab S4
The Best Android Tablet Money Can Buy
Samsung is the sacred cow of consumer electronics nowadays, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is the ultimate Android tablet, which is aimed at helping you become a true-blue South Korean robot in terms of productivity. Joke aside, the main attribute of the Galaxy Tab S4 is its versatility, i.e. this beast of a tablet can successfully replace your PC/laptop with ease, due to Samsung’s proprietary desktop-like Dex interface. Okay, at least that’s what the Korean tech giant was aiming for with this 10.5’’ S-Pen stylus included monster of a tablet. But how does the Galaxy Tab S4 perform in real life you asked?
The answer is “next level Android tablet”, i.e. if you’re looking for laptop-like mobility and desktop-like power in one single gadget (okay, maybe we’re overreacting a little bit), it doesn’t get much better than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4. Obviously, you’ll have to pay a hefty price for this baby, but you’ll get a lot of bang for the proverbial buck: resizable windows, a system tray, taskbar, along with high-end specs and a stellar 10.5’’ wide Super AMOLED display (Samsung’s specialty).
And speaking of hardware, you’ll get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system on chip, with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, all backed up by a beefy 7300 mAh battery. On top of that, there’s a micro SD card expansion, and a 3.1 Type C USB port. Bottom line, if money is no object and you’re not an Apple fanboy (or girl), just go for it.
Pros:
- arguably the best Android tablet out there
- solid hardware
- top-notch build quality, premium look/feel
- stellar display
- Dolby Atmos
- amazing gadget for productivity-obsessed geeks
- clever S-Pen integration (included in the retail package)
- Dex mode makes for a real improvement for the user interface
- comes with dual-band WiFi (A/B/G/N, AC and dual-band)
- excellent camera, great sound due to its built-in speakers (four of them)
Cons:
- there are still bugs in the Dex thing that need to be addressed ASAP
- the tablet’s glass back-panel makes it slippery and fragile
- more RAM would’ve been cool
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
Best for Storage Space
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite features a slim metal design, making it lighter and easy to carry around, wherever you go.
It comes with an S Pen, allowing you to edit photos, as well as to write personal notes with great ease. The pen can also be used to control and edit videos. It has a special design, allowing it to be magnetically attached to the tablet itself.
Along with that comes excellent display, with the crystal-clear resolution, allowing you to have a colorful experience.
Also, there are two speakers that feature the Dolby Atmos for a more detailed overall sound.
To allow you to work for longer hours, there is a great battery, with which you can continuously work on the tablet for 13 hours straight, without the need to recharge it.
As a further improvement, there is a fast charging option, through the USB-C port, allowing you to charge the device quite fast.
Apart from all that, this tablet also features a lot of memory. You can choose between the 64 and 128GB versions, which can be improved even more, with the MicroSD memory card up to 1TB in size.
Pros:
- Excellent display with vibrant colors
- Lightweight, elegant design
- Long-lasting battery
- Fast-charging technology
- Very good internal memory
Cons:
- The Bluetooth connection could be better
VANKYO MatrixPad Z10
Affordable High-Quality Tablet
VANKYO has recently released the brand new MatrixPad Z10. What this generation of tablets brings is a high resolution of 1920×1200 on a huge display of 10.1 inches. 1080P videos are no problem, of course, and the pictures are nothing but colorful masterpieces.
This one offers 3GB of ram and a quad-core processor, which ensures speedy performance and even simultaneous app-operation with ease. It runs on the android 9.0 PIE system, a new, updated android system that keeps bugs away.
It has both front and rear camera, of which rear has 13 megapixels and the front one 5 megapixels. True, selfies will be suffering a bit, but normal pictures will provide nothing less than the average professional cameras would.
Finally, for some of the most important things – battery. It has a built-in 6000 mAh batter which excels in durability. Of course, it all depends on how you use it, but it can last even up to 20 hours with smart battery saving usage. On average, it holds around 10 hours if used at full capacity.
Pros:
- Long-lasting battery
- Great display of 10.1 inches
- Fast and flawless performance with quad-core and 3 GB of ram
- Nice rear camera
Cons:
- Front camera with 5 mpx, but that’s not the problem if you are not a selfie person
Amazon Fire HD 10
The Best Android Tablet under $200
If you’re in the market for an affordable slate, Amazon has been a great way to go as they make one of the best 7-inch tablets. The Fire HD 10 is their largest, and arguably their most popular option yet. It’s also quite affordable in any configuration or color.
While you won’t find a fingerprint scanner or 2K display on this one, the 10.1” FHD panel doesn’t disappoint. It has Alexa built-in and a 2.0 GHz octa-core chip along with 2GB of RAM. The battery life is solid (up to 12 hours), but the cameras are lacking as there’s a 720p snapper on the front and a 2MP sensor on the rear. It’s ideal for media lovers and sturdy enough for children – just remember to lock those apps down.
Amazon’s devices aren’t known for their groundbreaking features or speed, and you certainly won’t set any records with this one. If you are an Amazon household or just need a cheap slate, you’ll be hard pressed to beat the Fire HD 10. You can pick this tablet up with 32GB or 64GB of storage although both have microSD card slots. There are four colors available, and you can shave a few bucks off the price if you take the “special offers” approach.
Pros:
- 10.1” FHD display
- Hands-free Alexa
- Great battery life
- The price tag
Cons:
- Underwhelming power
- No Google Play access
Dragon Touch Notepad K10 Tablet
Best for Watching Videos
Dragon Touch Notepad K10 Tablet comes with a powerful quad-core processor with 1.3GHz, which works in 64 bit, and 2GB RAM memory, making this tablet quite powerful. Because of this, it capable of performing a bit more complicated tasks, which includes gaming as well.
To boost up the performance, this tablet features the latest version of the Android operating system, being version 9.0 Pie. It will remove annoying ads, as well as give you unlimited access to the Google Play store.
Also, there is a wide IPS display with 800×1280 resolution, and vivid colors, allowing you to have a better user experience. To further improve it, this tablet comes with an Eye-Care mode, which is used to keep your eyes healthy in dark, allowing you to read without getting tired to fast.
Apart from that, there is a dual-speaker system, which will let you immerse yourself in your favorite music, games, and videos. To make sure everything runs smoothly, there is a dual Wi-Fi mode as well, letting you choose between 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.
Internal memory is 32GB of storage space, with the possibility to expand it to 128GB, by using a MicroSD card.
For better endurance, this tablet features a slim, metallic body, making it not just more durable, but also quite elegant.
Pros:
- Powerful processor
- A good amount of RAM memory
- Latest Android OS
- Excellent display for long working hours
- High durability
Cons:
- Sound quality is not so impressive
Lenovo Tab M10 Plus
Best for Kids
Lenovo Tab M10 Plus comes with a pretty elegant metal look, due to its narrow bezels that are quite slim, as well as a pretty neat back, completely covered in metal.
With the full HD 10.3” display, which also features TDDI tech, you will be able to fully enjoy your most favorite movies, games, and videos.
To boost up the performance even further, there is an excellent processor with 8 cores, with the working tact of 2.3GHz, allowing you to run any game or movie without lag.
This tablet also comes with a very good camera. The front camera has 5MP, while the main camera on the back has 8MP.
Along with that, there are two-side speakers, which features Dolby Atmos technology. Also, for more enjoyable video calls or streaming, there is a dual-microphone feature.
For kid safety, there is a Kid’s mode, allowing you to use some of the dedicated content, made just for children. To protect their young eyes, there is a specially designed eye protection feature.
As for the wireless connection, M10 Plus features Dual-Band (2.4GHz and 5GHz), and there is also a Bluetooth 5.0 option for connecting to other devices.
Pros:
- Amazing FHD display
- Durable metallic design
- Excellent processor for better performance
- Dual-Band wireless connection
- Suitable for kids
Cons:
- Freezes can occasionally happen
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10
Amazing Value
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10, should we say more? A finely designed piece of tech. A bit pricier than the rest, but you know… the quality comes with the price and vice versa.
What we have here is 10.1 inches wide display, capable of providing so-called corner to corner full HD experience. The resolution is standardly good – 1920 x 1200. It’s made of high-quality metal materials, but it’s surprisingly light. It weighs only about 1.03 lbs. Easy to carry around, anywhere.
The processor is quite good – Dual-core 1.8GHz + Hexa 1.6GHz, and it will ensure flawless performance. What’s new with this Samsung generation is sound quality. They really made it this time. It sounds amazing, as it has a Dolby Atmos system build-in.
Samsung is known for providing us with a high-quality battery. This one can last up to 13 hours when used at its full capacity. You can choose between 32, 64, and 128 GB of internal memory. However, if that doesn’t work, Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10 can support expandable memory, a microSD of up to 512 GB of space.
Pros:
- Great memory capacity, even expendable to 512 GB of microSD
- Dolby Atmos surround system
- Great display that delivers amazing HD images
- A quite good processor
Cons:
- None so far