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The Insider Pick:
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We tested a bunch of Android tablets to find the best, and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S3 is the cream of the crop with its stellar screen, slick design, and powerful processor.
Android tablets never really caught on in the same way that Apple’s iPad did, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a bunch of good ones out there.
We’ve tested about a dozen Android tablets over the years, and some have really impressed us with their solid performance, unique features, or low price tags.
Whether you’re looking for a cheap tablet, a sturdy one for your kids, a productive one for students, or the best of the best in Android tablets, there’s a tablet for everyone in our buying guide.
We also have a guide for the best iPads you can buy, if you’re not dead-set on getting an Android tablet. You should also take a peek at the best micoSD cards you can buy because whichever tablet you choose from our guide, it’ll have the option of expandable storage via a microSD card.
Updated on 06/07/2017 by Malarie Gokey: Added the new Amazon Fire HD 8, the new Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition, and the new Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition.
Although the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is our top pick, for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the Lenovo Yoga Book, the Huawei MediaPad M3, the new Amazon Fire HD 8, and the new Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition or the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition.
The best Android tablet overall
Samsung
Why you’ll love it: Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S3 is as stylish as it is powerful, it has a stellar screen for watching Netflix, and it comes with the S Pen stylus for drawing.
Samsung has been making excellent Android tablets for years, and its recently launched Galaxy Tab S3 continues that tradition. It’s a high-end Android tablet that can compete with Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad Pro on nearly every level.
The Tab S3 is a stylish, well-made tablet with a metal frame and glossy glass back. It borrows design cues from Samsung’s Galaxy S8 phone, though the Tab S3’s screen has more normal bezels around it. If you hate fingerprints or simply fear that the glass back is in danger of shattering or scratching, we recommend you check out this case by Poetic or Samsung’s keyboard case.
The keyboard case is sturdy and turns your tablet into a quasi-laptop. Android isn’t really meant for laptop tasks, so the Tab S3 probably won’t replace your trusty laptop, but it’ll do in a pinch. The real appeal of this tablet is for entertainment and creative purposes.
Samsung sure knows how to make astonishingly beautiful screens. The Tab S3 has a gorgeous display that supports HDR content. I watched some demo videos on the tablet, and I was really impressed by the clarity, color reproduction, and intensity of the brilliant screen.
Reviewers across the board at Business Insider, CNET, Digital Trends, Engadget, and Ars Technica agree that the Galaxy Tab S3 has one of the best screens you’ll find on any tablet. It’s the perfect tablet for Netflix in bed.
Every Tab S3 comes with Samsung’s new S Pen stylus, which is great for drawing and feels like a real pen. I love to draw on tablets, and I was impressed by the lack of lag on the Tab S3. Palm rejection was a little spotty in some apps, but overall, it’s a decent tablet for drawing or note taking.
If you have about $ 600 to spend on a high-end Android tablet, you can’t do better than the Galaxy Tab S3. You should also take a peek at the best micoSD cards you can buy to expand your tablet’s storage.
Pros: Gorgeous screen, fast processor, S Pen stylus is included, and powerful speakers
Cons: Expensive and the glass back can easily break with rough handling
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 on Amazon for $ 497.99 (originally $ 599.99)
Buy the Poetic Slimline case for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 on Amazon for $ 9.95
Buy Samsung’s Keyboard Cover for the Galaxy Tab S3 on Amazon for $ 64.99 (originally $ 129.99)
The best small Android tablet
Huawei
Why you’ll love it: Huawei’s MediaPad M3 is a stunning iPad Mini lookalike with a smooth metal body, sharp screen, and attractive price tag.
Huawei may not be a household name in the US, but it is one of the biggest smartphone companies in the world. The Chinese company also happens to make excellent Android tablets. We’ve featured the 8.4-inch Huawei MediaPad M3 as our top pick for a small Android tablet because of its premium design, high-end specs, lovely screen, and relatively low price.
If you’ve ever held an iPad Mini, the MediaPad M3 will feel eerily similar in your hands. The all-metal body is smooth and sturdy, it’s slim and lightweight, and it looks beautiful. It has stereo speakers with Harman Kardon sound, so you can count on this little tablet to play loud audio while you watch movies on its sharp 8.4-inch screen.
The MediaPad M3 is a good in-between size that’s not too small for video watching, but not too big for reading or holding one-handed. I’ve always liked smaller tablets for their manageable size and easy portability.
Huawei’s Kirin processor 4GB of RAM ensure that the M3 is a speedy tablet that offers premium performance to match its lovely looks. It’s an everyman tablet that will please everyone, but won’t break the bank. The MediaPad M3 is so solid, it can give Samsung’s much pricier Galaxy Tab S3 a run for its money — especially when you consider that it’s half the price.
Reviews on CNET, Android Authority, and Tom’s Guide were all positive and agreed that the MediaPad M3 is a great Android tablet with its sub-$ 300 price. You should also take a peek at the best micoSD cards you can buy to expand your tablet’s storage.
Pros: Gorgeous metal design, sharp screen, zippy processor, Harman Kardon sound, and a great price tag
Cons: Not the latest version of Android
Buy the Huawei MediaPad M3 (32GB storage) on Amazon for $ 299.00
Buy the Huawei MediaPad M3 (64GB storage) on Amazon for $ 349.00
The best Android tablet for students
Lenovo
Why you’ll love it: Lenovo’s Yoga Book is the most innovative 2-in-1 tablet you can buy with its attached capacitive touch keyboard that can turn into a drawing pad or note-taking slate.
If you’re a student who wants a small, light 2-in-1 Android device that you can bring with you to class and use in the dorm for fun, you’ll love the Lenovo Yoga Book. This crazy tablet is one of the coolest, truly innovative, and off-the-wall tech products I’ve seen in years.
You can use it as a normal tablet, a quasi-laptop, a notepad, or a drawing slate, thanks to its unique design. You get two touch-sensitive surfaces that are identical in size: One is a 10.1-inch Full HD (1080p) tablet screen and the other is a capacitive touch slate that can transform from a light-up, touch-based keyboard to a pressure sensitive drawing slate or notepad with a tap of a button.
Lenovo is best known for its Yoga laptops, which have a special hinge that rotates 360 degrees. The Yoga Book Android tablet uses that same hinge to connect the normal tablet screen to the capacitive touch slate. It sounds insane, because it is, but Lenovo’s Yoga Book is a great versatile tool for students.
The Yoga Book opens just like a notebook, and you can fold it back to use the tablet normally or angle it into a workstation with the light-up touch keyboard turned on. It’s weird at first to type on a big, smooth, touch-based keyboard, but the haptic feedback buzzing beneath each key as you press it helps you get acclimated.
When you want to use it as a drawing slate, you simply tap the little pen icon on the screen or the slate to turn the keyboard off and lay the tablet out flat on the table. Then, it’s similar to a Wacom Cintiq, because you draw on the slate with Lenovo’s Yoga Book Real Pen, and it appears in the drawing app on your tablet screen.
In this mode, you can also attach Lenovo’s Yoga Book paper pad to the blank slate to take physical notes and record a digital copy on your tablet at the same time. It’s a very nifty design for when you’re in class and you need to take notes on the fly.
The only annoying thing is that you have to switch the nib on your pen from the stylus nib to the ballpoint ink refill.
Reviews on Digital Trends, CNET, and Ars Technica were positive about the Yoga Book tablet and its appeal to students.
You should also take a peek at the best micoSD cards you can buy to expand your tablet’s storage.
Pros: Versatile design, capacitive keyboard, high-end drawing slate, great for taking notes, small and light weight, and the pen and notepad are included
Cons: Keyboard takes getting used to and it’s pricey
Buy the Lenovo Yoga Book on Amazon for $ 339.98 (originally $ 499.99)
Buy the Lenovo Yoga Book Real Pen with refills on Amazon for $ 39.99
Buy the Lenovo Yoga Book Paper refill on Amazon for $ 14.37
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