December isn’t just a time for reflecting and reminiscing on the past 11 months. For many, it’s also a time to make well-planned and long-delayed purchases, especially with discounts that will be trying to entice consumers away from their hard-earned cash. With so many products to choose from, it can be an overwhelming process instead of an enjoyable one. While different people will naturally have different needs and budgets, there is almost an Android tablet that perfectly meets their requirements. Here are some of our top choices for those, highlighting the best Android tablets in 2021 for different folks.
Going in the completely opposite direction of some of the higher-end tablets on our list, you have here one of the cheapest Android tablets in the market. “Cheap,” however, doesn’t equate to terrible, especially when Amazon is able to profit from its Fire tablets in some other ways beyond retail price. And it might not look like it, but the Amazon Fire HD tablets are definitely running Android, just Amazon’s flavor.
The 2021 model of the Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus does take things up a notch compared to Amazon’s other tablets, mostly in terms of memory and wireless charging capabilities. At $180, you might suspect there are some hidden catches, and you’d be correct. You’re going to miss out on Google Play Store and Google apps, but Amazon has its own ecosystem of Android apps (some of which will soon also be available on Windows 11.)
Amazon Fire tablets have always been gateways to the e-commerce giant’s other services and content, so it’s primed (pun intended) to benefit Amazon Prime members the most. That said, Amazon also makes a big deal about the kid-friendly version of its tablets, and the Fire HD 10 and 10 Plus, in particular, are now also being groomed for more serious adult use. Amazon even has a “productivity bundle” that includes a Bluetooth keyboard case that will turn them into makeshift laptops. Just mind the MediaTek Helio P60T processor and 4GB of RAM.
More advanced Android users might also take note that Fire OS is still based on a very old version of Android, specifically Android 9.0 Pie. Amazon basically lives in an Android world of its own making, it doesn’t seem to be making the same level of commitment to software updates for Fire tablets as it did for Fire TV devices.
It might be surprising to see the Galaxy Tab S7 FE right at the top since it isn’t really Samsung’s best this year. As a Fan Edition device, it is meant to distill the Galaxy Tab S7 down to its most essential features and experiences, wrapped in a more affordable package. The result is that the Galaxy Tab S7 FE offers an almost perfect balance of features and price in a tablet that can meet almost every need without going overboard.
The Snapdragon 750G or 778G, while not Qualcomm’s top performers, are up to most tasks, even mobile gaming. The bright and crisp 12.4-inch screen isn’t just great for 2K content, it also supports the S Pen stylus that thankfully comes with each purchase. That’s no mere pointy stick, either. This device works with the famed Wacom technology that will endear the slate to digital artists and note-takers alike. And despite being a mid-range tablet, it still has the best of what Samsung has to offer in terms of software experience, including DeX Mode that turns it into an Android laptop at the tap of a button.
Of course, there were compromises that needed to be made, like the amount of RAM in some configurations. The 8MP main and 5MP front cameras are definitely nothing worth writing home about, especially the latter for video calls. Some users may be disappointed to find that the LCD screen in this device only has an image refresh rate of 60Hz, while others haven’t yet owned a device with a more advanced display. A refresh rate of 60Hz means the user gets a maximum of 60 frames per second – that’s half as much as the refresh rate of the next tablet on our list.
Samsung sadly also doesn’t ship the keyboard cover with the tablet, making it an additional expense. But at $530, which can go down to $280 these days for the base model, it’s still a great deal for an all-purpose tablet you can use not only for entertainment but also for productivity.
This is hardly the company’s first tablet, but the Xiaomi Pad 5 is notable for two reasons. It is, for one, the first tablet to ditch the “Mi” name in line with the company’s rebranding efforts. It is also perhaps Xiaomi’s best tablet so far, even being hailed as a worthy rival to both the Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S. It’s definitely near perfect, presuming you can actually buy it.
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