Tablet buying guide: 7 tips you need to know
Tablet buying guide: seven tips you need to know
Tablet shopping is a relatively new miracle. When the first iPad was launched in 2010, it created a whole new market for customers who were looking for something larger than their phones, but smaller than their laptops for watching movies and playing games on the go.
While the iPad is still one of the best tablets yous tin buy, there are now scores of other devices from Amazon, Samsung, and others. Not just that, merely tablets accept gone from consumption-but to devices that let u.s. get work done — non to mention models made specifically for kids. Now that you have more choices than ever, information technology's of import to ask the right questions.
And while we're enduring supply shortfalls due to the ongoing chip shortage, global supply chain snarls, and other fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, it's more important than e'er to store smart and seek out the all-time bargains you can find. Check out our regularly updated guides to the best Black Fri deals and the best iPad deals for the latest finds.
- These are the best Kindles y'all can buy right at present
- Check out the best tablet for students going back to school
- Android fans, these are the best Android tablets on the market
That's why we've distilled our knowledge from years of reviewing tablets and put together this handy tablet buying guide to help you brand a better, more informed purchasing decision when y'all're choosing between all the dissimilar devices on store shelves.
Tablet ownership guide quick tips
- Stick with Wi-Fi - Unless you really actually need information technology, there'south no reason to get a tablet with cellular connectivity. Wi-Fi is everywhere, and monthly data bills add up quick.
- Battery life is primal. A skilful tablet should get at least ten hours of bombardment life; we test the bombardment life of every tablet we review
- Don't skimp on storage - Betwixt apps, movies, and photos, the storage on your tablet will fill up fast. Become every bit much storage as you can beget.
- A detachable keyboard turns your tablet into a mini-laptop. A keyboard or stylus can actually turn your tablet into a productivity device, and they're available for all kinds of tablets.
- Amazon makes great kids tablets. Between the apps, parental controls and protective cases, Amazon's Burn down tablets are the best for children. However, it tin can't access all the apps in the Google Play Store.
- Samsung makes great Android tablets. If you need a performant tablet but don't want to jump for an iPad, Android tablets are only as good -- and Samsung makes some of the best.
- iPads don't permit you lot fix multiple user accounts. If you're buying a tablet only for you, that's probably fine! But if y'all're buying a tablet for a household, the iPad's lack of swappable accounts can brand information technology frustrating to share with kids or family unit. Android and Amazon tablets are better at letting you gear up and switch betwixt multiple accounts, and they take good parental controls.
Tablet buying guide: Cost
No matter what you're looking for in a tablet, one of the first and almost important factors you'll likely consider is price. While expert tablets were one time guaranteed to cost you at least a few hundred bucks, these days the spectrum of how much you should expect to pay for a new tablet is significantly wider.
Less than $100
Fierce competition among tablet makers like Amazon, Lenovo, Google, and Samsung has helped lower the cost of entry for anyone interested in an Android tablet. Amazon has been the about successful at carving out a niche for itself, and it now offers multiple models of its Fire tablets for less than $100.
$100- $300
If y'all're willing to spend a bit more, you can expect to find Android tablets that are larger and more high-end for prices that start at $200. Samsung sells a few bully Android tablets in this toll range, and they're typically faster and more capable than Amazon'south Burn down tablets — specially because they requite y'all unfettered access to pure Android and all the apps in the Google Play Store, while the cheaper Amazon Burn tablets run Amazon's custom Burn OS and are limited to the much smaller Amazon App Shop.
$300-$500
If you're considering an iPad, you lot won't find a new 1 for less than $300. And while you lot can get a base iPad for $329 or so, the base model only comes with 32 GB of storage, which is a frankly insulting amount when you consider that the iPad is sold equally a device meant for browsing and editing photos, watching videos, playing games, and using all your favorite apps. Trying to do all that volition quickly make full upwardly 32 GB, and since the iPad doesn't accept a microSD slot for adding more storage yourself (something many Android tablets offering) you're stuck with whatever storage space you paid for upward front.
$500 to $1,000
If you want the all-time and about powerful iPad possible, look to pay at to the lowest degree $799 for the xi-inch iPad Pro. This is the upper end of what practiced tablets cost these days, and in return you get a neat tablet with a beautiful screen and unparalleled operation, thanks to Apple'southward blazing-fast M1 chip.
$1,000 and up
The larger 12.ix-inch iPad Pro is even fancier and more expensive, with a remarkably vibrant mini-LED display and an equally remarkable starting price of $1,099. It's worth it if you can afford it: in our iPad Pro 2021 (12.9-inch) review nosotros called it the best tablet ever if you're willing to splurge, though the ridiculously loftier-res display only shines when displaying HDR content -- and HDR support is still rare in iOS apps.
If you lot're considering any iPad model it's wise to pay more than for extra storage: you tin can pay $100 extra for a base iPad with 128 GB of storage, for case, or about $150 extra to get an iPad Mini (normally $399, $549 after upgrade) with 256 GB of storage instead of 64 GB.
Tip: Samsung's got cracking tablets that aren't iPad pricey, and they're much better than Fire tablets.
Tablet ownership guide: Wi-Fi vs. cellular
Tablets really polish every bit devices for enjoying media and referencing things like recipes, travel plans, and the Wikipedia pages of whatever obscure glory you and your friends happen to exist chatting about. Trick is, a lot of that shine wears off when your tablet isn't connected to the Net, which is why many tablets are sold with optional cellular connectivity.
If you're considering purchasing a tablet from a company like Apple or Samsung, you'll probably accept the option of paying extra for a model with cellular service provided by a telecom like AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon. These tablets have born cellular radios — typically 4G right now, thought Apple tree and Samsung have both begun selling tablets with 5G connectivity — which let them connect to the Internet via cell networks. Of grade, this only works in areas they tin can get cell service, so if you do get down this path try to pick the carrier with the fastest wireless network in your surface area.
Of form, in addition to paying extra for the tablet itself, y'all'll also accept to pay the carrier for any data program you lot want to use with your new device. The monthly bills tin can be a existent drain on your wallet, so information technology'south important to seriously consider whether you demand 4G/5G connectivity when buying a new tablet. It can be handy for quickly looking up directions, playing games, or taking video calls on the become, only if you lot're already carrying a smartphone that tin can do the same things, information technology'south hardly necessary. A tablet with simply Wi-Fi connectivity tin still be preloaded with movies, games, and books, and as long as the apps you lot use to access them don't crave an active Internet connectedness, you can savour all that content on the go.
Tip: Don't pay for cellular unless you really need it.
Tablet buying guide: Choosing an operating organization
Choosing an operating system is another one of the biggest decisions you'll need to make when buying a tablet. Back in the day you were pretty much express to choosing between Apple's iPadOS and Google's Android, merely now in that location's a slew of tablets and tablet-like devices on the marketplace running all sorts of operating systems. Each has strengths and weaknesses that are worth knowing.
Apple tree iPadOS
Apple'south iPadOS is basically a version of iOS adjusted for iPads, for instance, and much like iOS it's a well-designed interface that offers you access to a slew of groovy games and apps via the Apple App Store, as well as deep integration with other Apple products you own.
Android
Google's Android OS is almost certainly more popular by volume, every bit it underpins the vast bulk of non-Apple tablets on the market place. When you purchase a Samsung tablet, for example, information technology will probably come with a pretty clean (i.e. without a lot of extra software pre-installed) version of Android. In its pure form Android is simply as like shooting fish in a barrel to navigate as Apple's iPadOS, and its Google Play Store offers access to a similarly vast selection of apps and games for your new tablet.
Chrome Os
Google is also responsible for Chrome OS, the stripped-downward operating system which runs on Chromebooks. Web browsing is the central focus of Chrome Os, though it can also download files and run Chrome apps, likewise every bit Android apps from the Google Play Store. While most Chromebooks are laptops, in that location are a few great Chrome tablets on the market, including the Lenovo Chromebook Duet. These tablets are cheaper and less powerful than most, with lower-quality screens, but if you but demand something for browsing the web, a Chrome tablet might be the perfect fit.
Amazon Burn OS
Amazon'south Fire tablets are as well quite inexpensive and run on Fire OS, a version of Android that Amazon has customized to best showcase its content and apps. Fire OS is a streamlined and more express version of Android, and the nigh notable drawback is that by default it only lets you install apps from Amazon's App Store, which has a much more limited pick of Android apps than the Google Play Store.
This means yous tin can't go Google apps like YouTube, or Gmail. However, if yous primarily need a tablet for reading books and streaming video, and y'all're securely invested in Amazon'south content ecosystem, a Fire OS tablet should serve y'all well.
Windows
Finally nosotros should mention Windows, as we're seeing more and more well-made Windows tablets striking the market. Microsoft is working difficult to make Windows more touch-friendly, which is why Windows ten now has a tablet mode and Windows 11 was designed from the ground up to be more than hands navigable by touch.
While it still can't match the navigability or app ecosystem of iPadOS or Android, Windows has ane big advantage other tablet OSes can't match: it'southward a full desktop operating organisation, meaning it tin can open just well-nigh whatever file, run almost any program, and if you hook upwards a keyboard you basically have a depression-powered Windows laptop at your fingertips. And so if you need a versatile tablet for work that can besides double equally a laptop in a pinch, consider buying a Windows tablet with a detachable keyboard like the Microsoft Surface Pro viii.
Tip: Don't expect full admission to all Android apps on Amazon Fire tablets.
Tablet buying guide: Battery life
Another key thing to consider when mulling which tablet to purchase is how long it will final on a total bombardment. Most tablets will hold their charge for days or weeks if you don't utilise them much, but under sustained use, you desire a tablet that can last at to the lowest degree 8-x hours of use on a unmarried charge.
Fob is, different activities drain a tablet's battery at unlike rates. Playing graphically intensive games tends to bleed battery ability much faster than flipping through photos, for case.
Luckily we have a tablet testing regimen here at Tom's Guide that includes testing how long the device can last browsing the spider web continuously at a set effulgence level, which gives us a good assessment of how long the device can perform day-to-day tasks on a total accuse.
Nigh premium tablets we review from Amazon, Apple tree, Microsoft, Samsung, and Lenovo final at least ten hours on a single accuse in our bombardment test, which is what you should expect from your tablet.
If yous're prioritizing bombardment life, the Apple's iPad Pro 11-inch 2021 tablet lasted nearly 14 hours on a unmarried charge, making information technology one of the longest-lived tablets nosotros've yet tested. If you adopt Android, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Iron lasted just over 13 hours in our battery test.
But the Amazon's Fire HD 10 tablets we've tested (a foursome that includes the Amazon Fire HD 10/ten Plus and the Amazon Fire Hd 10 Kids/Kids Pro) are fifty-fifty longer-lived, lasting 14+ hours in our battery rundown regimen.
Tip: Don't settle for less than ten hours of bombardment life.
Tablet buying guide: Storage
Virtually tablets are sold as multi-purpose entertainment devices designed to let you download lots of apps, play games, spotter videos, and look at photos. All of that media quickly eats upwardly space, and in one case your tablet is full yous've got to deal with the painful process of deciding what to delete when you need to make room for new stuff. Then when you're choosing which tablet to buy, make sure you get one with at least 64 GB of storage, and potentially more than if y'all can't upgrade down the route.
If the tablet y'all're thinking almost buying does let you aggrandize its storage via microSD or something like, smashing! Just make sure to enquiry how much that will cost you and then you're prepared when the fourth dimension comes. Right now you can go a high-quality 500 GB microSD card for about $50, or cheaper if you find a skillful auction.
Nevertheless, when information technology comes to iPads, the storage congenital in is all the storage you'll ever become. The 32 GB storage capacity of the base iPad is insultingly pocket-sized, perhaps in order to encourage customers to pay $100 more to upgrade to 128 GB. All other iPad models offset with at to the lowest degree 64 GB of storage, which is the blank minimum you lot should take when buying a tablet.
Tip: Don't settle for less than 64 GB of built-in storage.
Tablet ownership guide: How many people will employ this tablet?
When you're buying a tablet information technology'southward important to call up through how many people yous expect to use it, because that tin significantly impact which tablet is best for your needs.
Offset, practise y'all desire this tablet for yourself, or will information technology be shared among multiple people, say in a family unit or shared household? If information technology's just for you, feel free to pick whatever tablet most excites you. But if information technology's going to exist shared among multiple people, you lot should know that Apple tree's iPads only allow 1 user account to be logged in at a time. While you lot can set upwardly TouchID to permit multiple people to unlock the iPad with their fingerprints, they all have to share the aforementioned apps and home screen.
If y'all desire a tablet that lets you prepare upwardly and manage multiple user accounts, go with Android — it offers a robust gear up of account management tools that permit you set a primary account, secondary accounts, and a guest business relationship, also equally restricting what apps a given profile may install on the device.
Android'southward power to create restricted accounts is handy if y'all have kids, which brings up some other important consideration: do you look children to use this tablet? If and so, an Android tablet's more robust account management features will make information technology easier for you to control what kids tin do on the tablet. If you want something even more kid-friendly, consider a kid-oriented tablet like the Amazon Fire Kids or Amazon Fire Kids Pro. Aimed at kids aged half-dozen to twelve years old, these tablets come in multiple sizes with kid-friendly features like a twelvemonth-long subscription to Kids+, a digital store that lets children request parental approval to download apps, and colorful drop-resistant case with a built-in stand.
Tip: Android trumps iPad when information technology comes to allowing multiple user accounts, and Amazon makes great kids tablets.
Tablet buying guide: Do you want it to double as a laptop or sketchbook?
One final thing to consider when shopping for tablets is what accessories (if whatsoever) you desire to purchase with your new device. While tablets were initially sold as devices tailor-made for media consumption, they've since evolved into reasonably respectable creation tools likewise.
Specifically, there are ii big accessory purchases worth considering for your new tablet, considering they tin significantly improve its capabilities. First, do you want to spend time doodling, jotting down notes, and otherwise writing or sketching on your tablet? If so, you'll need a quality stylus. If you're buying an iPad, your best bet is the magnetic Apple Pencil. Nevertheless, if its ridiculous $120 asking price is too much to carry, there are also some groovy Apple Pencil alternatives out there from companies similar Adonit and Logitech that are worth checking out.
If you're purchasing an Android tablet, you have access to all those Apple Pencil alternatives and more. But if y'all know you want a stylus up front, endeavour to discover a well-reviewed Android tablet that comes with a great stylus packed in, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 or the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite.
2nd, practice you want your tablet to double as a laptop in a pinch? If yous programme to exercise much writing on information technology, it'southward wise to invest in a good tablet with a nice detachable keyboard. If you're buying an iPad, Apple sells a number of detachable keyboards, though you should carefully verify that whatever y'all're ownership is compatible with your tablet. Luckily Apple wants to sell you accessories, so there will be a handy choice to add a uniform keyboard and stylus to your iPad purchase during the checkout process.
If you're ownership an Android tablet, at that place are loads of third-party accessory options out there just waiting for you lot to peruse. In our experience, Samsung makes decent detachable keyboards for many of its Galaxy tablets, including the excellent Galaxy Tab S7. And of course, if you lot're interested in a Microsoft Surface tablet it's not a bad idea to invest in a Microsoft Surface Type Encompass, since so much of the appeal of a Windows tablet is using it every bit a Windows laptop in a compression.
Tip: A stylus or detachable keyboard can expand your tablet'southward capabilities, and they're readily available for iPads, the Amazon Burn down HD 10, and many Samsung tablets.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/tablet-buying-guide-tips
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