Tablets are not essential, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t nice to have around. A good tablet can be a portable TV screen around the house and a way to get some light work done away from your desk. Also, with a wealth of apps for drawing, painting, and making music, they’re a great outlet for your creative impulses.
The iPad’s ease of use and best-in-breed software makes it the obvious choice for most people. But if you don’t want an iPad, other options exist. Android tablets have grown more powerful in recent years. Amazon’s Fire tablets are also an affordable way to get the basics like watching movies and browsing the web, as long as you don’t mind their limitations. If you want a tablet that can double as a laptop, an iPad or a Windows 2-in-1 might be your best bet. Our picks of the top 5 tablets, that you can buy in 2021 can help you decide.
What are the best tablets?
The iPad is synonymous with tablets for a reason. When you buy the basic iPad, they guarantee you to get a great screen and strong audio. But when it comes to picking the best iPad for most people, we tend to push people towards the new iPad Air 2020. It may be a little pricier, but if you want to use an Apple Pencil or an attachable keyboard. It is the best iPad that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, as it supports the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil (2nd Gen). The iPad Pro is the best tablet for those who want a device for work and play. It is available in both 11-inch and 12.9-inch versions. The new iPad Pro 2021 delivers great performance and a great screen. Especially if you splurge for the 12.9-inch version with its new mini-LED display.
For parents or those on a budget, the Amazon Fire tablet line offers some great options. While their Amazon content-first interface may be off-putting to those who don’t live in the Prime world. Their prices can’t be beat and Amazon’s slowly updating them to USB-C. Which it’s got in the Fire HD 10 and added to the Fire HD 8 2020. For those who like to take lots of physical notes, the reMarkable 2 tablet is a one-of-a-kind slate that replicates the feel of pen and paper like no other.
You can also check out the new Microsoft Surface Go 2. Which erases the memory of the lackluster original by lasting longer, thinning its bezels, and providing a faster processor option. All of that, plus a kickstand that’s as strong as the one used to prop up its big brother, the Surface Pro. And it runs Windows 10, arguably the most capable operating system on any tablet today.
What Size Tablet Do You Need?
This consideration is a bit obvious, but size both screen real estate and storage capacity is important to consider. First things first: When you hear a term such as “10-inch tablet,” this refers to the size of the screen, measured diagonally, and not the size of the tablet itself.
7-inch tablets have a small screen; 8.9-inch tablets and above are considered large-screen. Apple’s iPads, Amazon’s Fire tablets, and Samsung’s slates all come in small- and large-screen iterations. And more than ever, phones are blurring the lines with tablets.
So, today we want to show you our picks of the top 5 tablets, that you can buy in 2021.
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
The iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) is a spectacular tablet, with its headline feature arguably being the M1 chipset that powers it. This chipset was lifted straight from Apple’s top-end Macs, so you’re truly getting desktop power in a tablet here. But that’s not all this tablet has going for it. For the first time in an iPad, it also has a Mini LED screen, with a remarkably high 1,600-nit peak brightness, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 2048 x 2732 resolution. It’s crisp, bright, vibrant, and all-around impressive.
The iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) also has a long-lasting battery, a decent camera, a premium aluminum design. Furthermore it supports the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil 2. These are sold separately, but turn it into a real productivity machine. So if you want to get some proper work or creation done on a tablet, or you’re just a big tablet gamer, the iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) will be the perfect device. But if your needs are lighter then you might find this too expensive and too big.
So, the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2021) is the most technologically superior version of the best tablet family. For those who love video, it offers the best screen out there. It’s future-proofed thanks to its ridiculous processor. It has a cool new feature that’s ideal for video calls. It’s just excellent. iPadOS is its weakest link in some ways, for those who want to use it as a real pro machine, at least. But even then, it remains the best option available to buy, beating both Android and Windows tablets for the overall touchscreen apps experience.
Galaxy Tab S7 Plus
With the Galaxy Tab S7 range, Samsung is looking to challenge the current king of tablets – the iPad Pro. There are two tablets the larger Tab S7 Plus, as well as the slightly smaller Tab S7.
Both are fantastic tablets in their own right, though the gorgeous 12.4-inch OLED panel on the Tab S7 Plus will certainly win over the LED panel of the Tab S7. With a resolution of 2800 x 1752 on the Tab S7 Plus and a refresh rate of 120Hz. It looks absolutely stunning, and it’s the best screen we’ve ever seen on an Android tablet.
The first Android tablet on our list is the best tablet that Samsung has ever made. And it’s a serious rival to the iPad Pro range that you’ve read about above. In fact, its screen arguably has those slates beat, as it’s a 12.4-inch Super AMOLED one with a 2800 x 1752 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The iPad Pro range can match much of that, but those slates have LCD screens that aren’t as good. Inside is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset. Which is the most powerful you can get inside an Android product. It comes with a premium metal build that is incredibly slim with it only being 5.7mm thick.
Design and Performance
Want high-speed internet? A version of the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus also comes with 5G connectivity, and you’ll get the Samsung S Pen stylus in the box for free. Android isn’t as good as iPadOS is on tablets, but if you want an Android alternative to an iPad this could be it.
The display has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which makes the overall shape of the tablet taller and narrower than an iPad, and it’s also thinner and lighter than the iPad Pro 12.9. The build quality is first-rate, and both tablets look and feel sleek and premium, without any hint of flex.
Samsung hasn’t skimped on the rest of the specifications either. The Galaxy Tab S7 Plus and Tab S7 are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus, which is the fastest processor currently available for the Android platform.
Lenovo Tab P11 Pro
Lenovo has tried to position the Tab P11 Pro as its all-singing, all-dancing flagship slate and within the confines of the company’s other current tablets. It is certainly that, but against competitors from a wider net, its appeal becomes a little more niche. Despite offering a feature set to facilitate entertainment, productivity, and creative use, as well as serving itself up as a kid-friendly slate on the side. Its natural strengths are unquestionably in media consumption first and foremost.
At 485 grams, it’s lighter than even some smaller-screened rivals. That makes it easier than you’d expect to wield for extended periods of time, without having to set it down for wrist breaks. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 730G SoC runs the show, paired with 6GB of RAM. It’s collectively middle-of-the-road hardware which means the P11 Pro isn’t equipped for high-end mobile gaming. However, it still delivers enough clout to power the windowed multitasking of Productivity Mode without worry.
Pick up the Tab P11 Pro for its superb display, solid quad-speaker setup, and its respectable battery life. But avoid it if you are unprepared to deal with its problematic user experience quirks, weak stylus functionality, and the added cost of the extra accessories that unlock its full potential. The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is a great choice for media-lovers, thanks to its superb display, solid quad-speaker setup, and respectable battery life.
The additional flexibility afforded to users by the dedicated keyboard cover. And in addition, the Lenovo Precision Pen 2 widen the Tab’s appeal too. If it weren’t for the fact that it feels a little underpowered and the UI quirks that we ran into during testing, this would be an immediate alternative recommendation to the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S series.
Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 Pro
The dimension of the Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro is 254.7 x 166.3 x 6.9 mm and it weighs 515 grams. The size of the tablet is 11.0 inches and it comes with IPS LCD, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10, and Dolby Vision display. The resolution of the device is 1600 x 2560 pixels with 274 PPI.
The Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 Pro comes with a metal frame and a CNC metal cutting process at the frame edges. Which makes the overall look and feel, a bit more refined. It is packed with 6 GB and 8 GB RAM with 128 GB and 256 GB internal storage options. The smartphone includes Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, and compass. The tablet supports USB Type-C, and Bluetooth 5.2.
Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro is fueled by a Non-removable Li-Po 8600 mAh battery + Fast charging 67W + Quick Charge 4 + Power Delivery 3.0. Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 runs on Android 11 + MIUI 12.5 operating system providing smooth operation of the device.
The tablet is available in two colors: Black, White. Moreover, it is powered by the Qualcomm SM8250-AC Snapdragon 870 5G processor while the GPU is Adreno 650. The device is packed with a dual camera setup while on the front, there is an 8 MP camera available for clicking selfies. The performance is actually the last thing you’ll need to worry about on the tablet. It is powered by the Snapdragon 870 chipset, which is also the best chipset for an android tablet so far. From the results of different benchmarks, it nearly achieved the best results. The result that we have ever got on any snapdragon 870 models.
Microsoft Surface Go 2
Sometimes, it takes a second try to make a thing go right. The Surface Go 2 takes aim at all the flaws of the predecessor and knocks them all down. First of all, thinner bezels make way for a bigger screen, arguably the most important part of a tablet. The Surface Go 2 has a 10.5-inch display, compared to 10 inches for the previous model.
The Surface Go 2 is nearly identical to its predecessor, at least until you turn it on and see the trimmed-down bezels surrounding its 10.5-inch screen. It is amazing what a little tweak can do. The Surface Go 2’s 10.5-inch PixelSense display measures 1920 x 1280 pixels. Moreover, it is a notable upgrade from the Surface Go’s 1800 x 1200 10-inch panel. The additional screen space makes the tablet look a bit more modern. It is closer to the thinner bezels of the Galaxy Tab S6. The Surface Go 2 sports a pair of cameras. In addition, while you get great results from one, the other has significant flaws. Let’s start with the most important: the 5-megapixel front-facing camera that kicks the butt of practically every single laptop webcam we have tested in 5-plus years of being a tech journalist.
Battery and Camera
The biggest upgrade is the Surface Go 2’s 11 hours and 39 minutes of battery life. Which is over 5 hours longer than the original Surface Go.. Microsoft also answered my prayers for a laptop with a great webcam. The 5-megapixel 1080p camera in its top bezel is great for the era of online video calls. And its second front camera sensor adds Windows Hello biometric login. Finally, get the Surface Go 2 with the 8th Gen Intel Core m3 upgrade. It is a little pricier at $629, but it’s definitely the model for multitaskers.
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 finally realizes the promise of the original Surface Go. Its bigger screen, smaller bezels, and longer battery life (with an optional performance boost from the Core m3 CPU) add up to a sub-$800 2-in-1 that can handle a lot.
So, that is our list of top 5 tablets. Are you agree with us or do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comment section. Meanwhile, you can go and check out our article about Innovative home appliances you should know in 2021.
