When you’re in the market for a new tablet, it can seem obvious to opt for Apple iPads (including the iPad Mini and iPad Air) and easy to overlook the Android tablet option, especially as fewer and fewer manufacturers are making them these days. It may seem unfair, but there are a few Android tablets on the market that try their best to rival the Apple iPad.
While some might question the sanity of an Android tablet buyer in this day and age, the best ones can meet any casual or professional need. Some Android tablets even work with a touchpad or mouse. And if you’re already invested in the Android app ecosystem, you won’t have to buy them again for iOS.
Whether you’re looking for an inexpensive device for media consumption or a possible laptop substitution, there are options worth exploring. We did the research, taking into consideration everything from screen size to battery life to ease of use — basically, all the factors that go into a great tablet. Here are our picks for the best Android tablet out there.
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The Google Pixel Slate tries to match the iPad Pro and Microsoft Surface Pro by blending a tablet and Chromebook into a single device — a kind of tablet PC, if you will. Though it’s not a full-fledged Android tablet (and it certainly isn’t a cheap Android tablet), you do have access to the apps in the Google Play store and plenty of power here to use them. It comes with a stylus and has a 48Wh battery, front and rear camera and a touchscreen LCD display screen. It also has a full desktop browser and support for a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. It could even be used as a gaming tablet. The Pixel Slate also has the option for Google Assistant. Overall, just a great tablet.
Read our Google Pixel Slate review.
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Amazon has come a long way from the first Kindle Fire tablet. The Amazon Fire HD 10 is Amazon’s biggest tablet with a 10-inch screen size and powerful speakers. Just like its smaller 8-inch sibling, the Fire HD 8, the tablet is packed with benefits for Prime subscribers making it easy for members to stream and download movies, TV shows and games. The Fire tablets don’t use a pure version of Android, but instead Amazon’s Android-based Fire operating system and pulls apps from the Amazon App Store. You can still get apps from Google Play, but you’ll have to install the store yourself — meaning gaming enthusiasts have access to all of their favorite mobile games for an excellent gaming tablet experience. Also, this is probably the closest thing we have to a budget contender on this best Android tablet list.
Read our Amazon Fire HD 10 review.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 tablet packs in a lot for an Android device. It has a speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and flexible expandable storage up to 1TB with a microSD card. The Galaxy Tab S6 also looks amazing, with a super AMOLED display with a 16:10 ratio screen size. Battery life clocks in at about 15 hours and the rear camera has a 13 MP resolution. And if you’ve ever operated a Samsung Android device, the operation of this particular tablet will feel very intuitive. The recent updates to Samsung’s DeX mode even makes the Tab S6 a possible laptop substitution letting you connect to a mouse and even an external display. Just grab a keyboard and you will be all set.
Read our Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 review.
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The Lenovo Smart Tab P10 combines a tablet and a smart display into one 10-inch device. This Android tablet comes with Android Oreo, front and rear cameras, fingerprint scanner and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor. When you set it on the dock, the Lenovo Tab becomes a smart display a lot like the Amazon Echo Show.
Read more about the Lenovo Smart Tab P10.