The amount of great Android tablets is going down, and there are fewer choices now than a few years back, when every major tech company had slates popping up with Google's operating system.
That's because the Android tablet market has slowed down, and there are fewer launches for non-Apple slates, but because new products aren't being rushed out, quality has improved as a result.
If you're in the market for the best Android tablet, therefore, there are fewer options, but the available options are often very impressive.
Some Android tablets have 10-inch screens, others 7, some land somewhere in between and a handful even push the boundaries past 10 inches. There are also big differences in battery life, processing power, RAM and even the software each slate is running.
And even once you know what specs you're after there are plenty of not-so-great options, so to help you avoid buying a dud we've put together this list of the best Android tablets around.
They cover a range of options and we've included a rundown of the specs, the pros and the cons, so you can see at a glance what's right for you.
You want the very best Android tablet and you're not worried about how much you'll be spending? The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is undeniably the best product you'll find with a plethora of cutting-edge features.
It comes with an S Pen stylus in the box that you can use to take notes, draw and much more on the tablet's display. You can also buy a smart keyboard to make it an experience that is close to a laptop.
The 10.5-inch AMOLED display on the Galaxy Tab S6 is one of the highlights with an impressive resolution of 1600 x 2560. This tablet also comes with two cameras on the rear too, so you can get better photography than on other slates.
It's not the perfect device - there isn't a 3.5mm headphone jack and the user interface has its own quirks - but if you're desperate for an Android tablet, this is the very best you'll be able to buy right now.
Image Credit: Asus
Nope, that's not an iPad you can see just above. That's the Asus ZenPad 3S 10 - and it's our second favourite Android tablet you're able to buy right now.
There's decent power inside this slate as well as a super bright and beautiful display to look at on the front.
The battery life and build quality aren't the best on the market, but considering the lower price point than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 above, we'd recommend picking this up if you're looking for something a touch cheaper.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 was once our best Android tablet, but now it has been bumped down by the Galaxy Tab S6, among other things. It's not exactly cheap - although its price has dropped significantly in recent months - but it comes packing a whole host of features to ensure you're getting plenty of bang for your buck.
Unlike Apple's iPad Pro range, the Galaxy Tab S4 comes with Samsung's S Pen stylus included in the box, while under the hood you get the powerful Snapdragon 835 chipset alongside 6GB of RAM ensuring Android runs super-smoothly on screen.
That's only half the story though. Pair the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 with a keyboard and mouse and it'll transfer from Android into a desktop-like experience as it attempts to replace your laptop as well as your tablet.
The desktop aspect of the tablet is limited, but still useful. In short, the Galaxy Tab S4 is one of the most versatile Android tablets around.
The Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4 is a strong Android slate and the combination of its small size and metal shell makes it a real alternative to the iPad Mini.
This has more than just good looks though, as the MediaPad M5 8.4 also has impressive stereo speakers, and coupled with its sharp 1600 x 2560 screen that ensures it lives up to its name as a media machine.
It’s less good for gaming, and there’s no 3.5mm headphone port – so you probably will be relying on those internal speakers a lot, but if you want a very portable slate that’s great for movies and music then the Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4 is a top option.
The Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro is packed full of media-focused features and sports a unique, distinctive design.
There's a built in stand to take the heft off your hands, while the integrated projector means you can enjoy big screen entertainment away from your TV, though the screen is sharp enough that you won't always feel the need to use a projector anyway.
All that tech does make it less portable than most tablets on this list and the UI could be better, but it's a fairly unique option.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab S3 may have been replaced by the Galaxy Tab S4 and Tab S6, but it's still a top tablet and one that's now more affordable.
This tablet ranks among the best Android slates thanks to a powerful processor and an excellent display that's prepped to show you HDR content.
There's an S-Pen stylus in the box and you'll also have the option of buying a keyboard, but that will cost you extra.
Image Credit: Samsung
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 may now be quite old, but there are still reasons to buy it - and that main reason is its price.
Out of all the Samsung tablets featured on this list, the Galaxy Tab S2 is by far the cheapest now and it offers a web and video friendly experience with its 4:3 high resolution display.
You can pick the Tab S2 up in 8-inch and 9.7-inch variants - that's likely designed to challenge Apple's iPad and iPad mini ranges - with the smaller option being the most portable and cheapest.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 is essentially built for Amazon Prime members, since its big 10.1-inch 1200 x 1920 screen is a great way to consume the films, TV shows and even ebooks it gives you access to.
And the Amazon-centric interface used – which won’t appeal to everyone – ensure you’re never far from Amazon Prime content.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t buy the Amazon Fire HD 10 if you’re not an Amazon Prime member. This is a durable, affordable slate with reasonable specs for the money, so it’s also a strong choice for anyone on a tight budget. But some of the options above in this list will likely be a better fit if money is no object.
The Amazon Fire HD 8 is among the best of the retail giant's tablets, as while it's in many ways lower end than the similar HD 10, the smaller screen makes it more portable.
It also delivers surprisingly strong gaming performance, with a decent amount of power for the money. The speakers aren’t great and the cameras are awful, but tablets aren’t for taking photos and you can always use headphones.
What you do get is solid if not spectacular performance, and tight integration with Amazon’s other services through Fire OS, all at a price that’s well below most of the non-Amazon branded competition.
Tablets don’t get any cheaper than this – well, functional ones don’t anyway. The incredibly low price and sturdy design make the Amazon Fire 7 a great choice to give to a kid – in fact, Amazon’s even built a (slightly pricier) version specifically for children.
But even for a grown audience the Amazon Fire 7 far exceeds expectations, with a fairly bright 7-inch screen, acceptable speakers, solid battery life and even reasonable performance, with a snappy interface and the ability to run most games.
The last gen Fire 7 was remarkably similar to this latest product, but this comes with the choice of 16GB or 32GB of storage and there are some improvements to the front camera too.
Fire OS won’t suit everyone and this isn’t a tablet that impresses once you take the price out of the equation, but for what the Amazon Fire costs it would almost be rude not to buy it.
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That's because the Android tablet market has slowed down, and there are fewer launches for non-Apple slates, but because new products aren't being rushed out, quality has improved as a result.
If you're in the market for the best Android tablet, therefore, there are fewer options, but the available options are often very impressive.
Some Android tablets have 10-inch screens, others 7, some land somewhere in between and a handful even push the boundaries past 10 inches. There are also big differences in battery life, processing power, RAM and even the software each slate is running.
And even once you know what specs you're after there are plenty of not-so-great options, so to help you avoid buying a dud we've put together this list of the best Android tablets around.
They cover a range of options and we've included a rundown of the specs, the pros and the cons, so you can see at a glance what's right for you.
You want the very best Android tablet and you're not worried about how much you'll be spending? The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is undeniably the best product you'll find with a plethora of cutting-edge features.
It comes with an S Pen stylus in the box that you can use to take notes, draw and much more on the tablet's display. You can also buy a smart keyboard to make it an experience that is close to a laptop.
The 10.5-inch AMOLED display on the Galaxy Tab S6 is one of the highlights with an impressive resolution of 1600 x 2560. This tablet also comes with two cameras on the rear too, so you can get better photography than on other slates.
It's not the perfect device - there isn't a 3.5mm headphone jack and the user interface has its own quirks - but if you're desperate for an Android tablet, this is the very best you'll be able to buy right now.
Image Credit: Asus
Nope, that's not an iPad you can see just above. That's the Asus ZenPad 3S 10 - and it's our second favourite Android tablet you're able to buy right now.
There's decent power inside this slate as well as a super bright and beautiful display to look at on the front.
The battery life and build quality aren't the best on the market, but considering the lower price point than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 above, we'd recommend picking this up if you're looking for something a touch cheaper.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 was once our best Android tablet, but now it has been bumped down by the Galaxy Tab S6, among other things. It's not exactly cheap - although its price has dropped significantly in recent months - but it comes packing a whole host of features to ensure you're getting plenty of bang for your buck.
Unlike Apple's iPad Pro range, the Galaxy Tab S4 comes with Samsung's S Pen stylus included in the box, while under the hood you get the powerful Snapdragon 835 chipset alongside 6GB of RAM ensuring Android runs super-smoothly on screen.
That's only half the story though. Pair the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 with a keyboard and mouse and it'll transfer from Android into a desktop-like experience as it attempts to replace your laptop as well as your tablet.
The desktop aspect of the tablet is limited, but still useful. In short, the Galaxy Tab S4 is one of the most versatile Android tablets around.
The Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4 is a strong Android slate and the combination of its small size and metal shell makes it a real alternative to the iPad Mini.
This has more than just good looks though, as the MediaPad M5 8.4 also has impressive stereo speakers, and coupled with its sharp 1600 x 2560 screen that ensures it lives up to its name as a media machine.
It’s less good for gaming, and there’s no 3.5mm headphone port – so you probably will be relying on those internal speakers a lot, but if you want a very portable slate that’s great for movies and music then the Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4 is a top option.
The Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro is packed full of media-focused features and sports a unique, distinctive design.
There's a built in stand to take the heft off your hands, while the integrated projector means you can enjoy big screen entertainment away from your TV, though the screen is sharp enough that you won't always feel the need to use a projector anyway.
All that tech does make it less portable than most tablets on this list and the UI could be better, but it's a fairly unique option.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab S3 may have been replaced by the Galaxy Tab S4 and Tab S6, but it's still a top tablet and one that's now more affordable.
This tablet ranks among the best Android slates thanks to a powerful processor and an excellent display that's prepped to show you HDR content.
There's an S-Pen stylus in the box and you'll also have the option of buying a keyboard, but that will cost you extra.
Image Credit: Samsung
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 may now be quite old, but there are still reasons to buy it - and that main reason is its price.
Out of all the Samsung tablets featured on this list, the Galaxy Tab S2 is by far the cheapest now and it offers a web and video friendly experience with its 4:3 high resolution display.
You can pick the Tab S2 up in 8-inch and 9.7-inch variants - that's likely designed to challenge Apple's iPad and iPad mini ranges - with the smaller option being the most portable and cheapest.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 is essentially built for Amazon Prime members, since its big 10.1-inch 1200 x 1920 screen is a great way to consume the films, TV shows and even ebooks it gives you access to.
And the Amazon-centric interface used – which won’t appeal to everyone – ensure you’re never far from Amazon Prime content.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t buy the Amazon Fire HD 10 if you’re not an Amazon Prime member. This is a durable, affordable slate with reasonable specs for the money, so it’s also a strong choice for anyone on a tight budget. But some of the options above in this list will likely be a better fit if money is no object.
The Amazon Fire HD 8 is among the best of the retail giant's tablets, as while it's in many ways lower end than the similar HD 10, the smaller screen makes it more portable.
It also delivers surprisingly strong gaming performance, with a decent amount of power for the money. The speakers aren’t great and the cameras are awful, but tablets aren’t for taking photos and you can always use headphones.
What you do get is solid if not spectacular performance, and tight integration with Amazon’s other services through Fire OS, all at a price that’s well below most of the non-Amazon branded competition.
Tablets don’t get any cheaper than this – well, functional ones don’t anyway. The incredibly low price and sturdy design make the Amazon Fire 7 a great choice to give to a kid – in fact, Amazon’s even built a (slightly pricier) version specifically for children.
But even for a grown audience the Amazon Fire 7 far exceeds expectations, with a fairly bright 7-inch screen, acceptable speakers, solid battery life and even reasonable performance, with a snappy interface and the ability to run most games.
The last gen Fire 7 was remarkably similar to this latest product, but this comes with the choice of 16GB or 32GB of storage and there are some improvements to the front camera too.
Fire OS won’t suit everyone and this isn’t a tablet that impresses once you take the price out of the equation, but for what the Amazon Fire costs it would almost be rude not to buy it.
Continue reading...