Best Android tablet 2021 | Android Central

The best Android tablet available right now is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7. It has a big screen, high-end specs, tons of features, a stylus, and support for a full keyboard. But, of course, it’s pricey and not the right pick for someone who prefers a smaller, more portable tablet). Still, as an all-around device, it can’t be beaten. For those with different needs (or budgets), a few other picks work just well for media consumption and won’t break the bank.

What is the best Android tablet for you?

There’s much more to a tablet than just its display, but it’s hard to deny an important role that particular spec plays. The Galaxy Tab S7 has one of the most impressive displays on any device we’ve used. It’s able to get pretty bright and even bears support for Samsung’s S Pen stylus. Of course, the Tab S7 also packs incredibly powerful specs elsewhere, and you can even buy a 5G-capable variant for a bit more money.

If you really want to go the extra mile, Samsung’s larger and pricier Galaxy Tab S7+ is an even more powerful choice. You’ll trade the Tab S7’s LCD for an AMOLED one and gain quad speakers and a larger battery. Both tablets feature the same Snapdragon 865+ processor and S Pen stylus.

For the absolute best value, though, Amazon’s Fire HD 8 is an unbeatable offering. The specs are nothing to write home about, but performance is surprisingly good, and you get a great media consumption device for an extremely competitive price. The only catch? The Fire HD 8 runs Amazon’s Fire OS rather than a more typical Android build, meaning you’ll need to download apps from Amazon’s app store rather than Google’s.

Bottom line: The Tab S7+ is appealing but expensive. The Tab S7 offers a nearly identical experience in a smaller, more affordable package.

The Galaxy Tab S7 is Samsung’s de facto flagship offering in the tablet space, with a comfortable size and potent specs. It’s built on the same tenets as the Tab S7+ but takes small, strategic cuts back to be more affordable — and that makes it all the more enticing.

You get a manageable 11-inch LCD, which feels dramatically better for handheld use than the S7+ and still features a 120Hz refresh rate and the same 6GB of RAM, 128GB to 512GB of storage, and high-quality quad speakers. The battery is a little smaller, but at 8,000mAh, it’s still plenty large enough to deliver reliable battery life.

The entire body has a sleek aluminum design that feels extremely high-end and impossibly thin and light, at just 6.3mm thick and 498 grams. That makes it great for media consumption and handheld use in ways that even the Tab S7+ isn’t. But you can still attach a hardware keyboard and jump into DeX desktop mode to get some serious work done just as well.

Bottom line: It’s Samsung’s ultra-premium tablet, and it can do it all. Solid specs, a great display, and long battery life are all selling points.

The most important things to have in a full-sized Android tablet are a great screen, loudspeakers, robust build quality, and software that makes use of the extra screen size. That’s what makes the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ well worth the extra cash for power users — it has a combination of everything.

Its spec sheet leaves little to be desired, with a super-fast Snapdragon 865+ processor, 6GB of RAM, plenty of storage, and well-optimized software. Since it’s a Samsung product, you’re getting a best-in-class display — coming in at 12.4 inches with an ultra-smooth 120Hz refresh rate — and a fantastic metal build. You also get an in-display fingerprint sensor, which was missing on prior models.

Beyond the specs, you get extras like excellent quad speakers, a microSD card slot, and an S Pen stylus included in the box that attaches to the tablet’s back for charging when not in use. Despite being thin and light, it gets great battery life, as well. You can add a tremendous first-party keyboard cover to get some work done and then jump into the DeX desktop-style interface for a more laptop-like experience.

If you want a do-everything Android tablet and you’re willing to spend the money, there’s nowhere else to go but the Galaxy Tab S7+.

Bottom line: The Tab S7 FE offers much of the Tab S7’s best features, plus it brings a slightly larger screen and an included S Pen.

Following in the footsteps of its immensely popular Galaxy S20 FE smartphones, Samsung decided to offer up a Fan Edition version of its best Android tablet in the form of the Galaxy Tab S7 FE. Like the phone, this tablet variant brings bright colors, a gorgeous screen, and impressive battery life at a lower price point than the other S7s.

The Tab S7 FE offers a big 12.4-inch display, perfect for watching Netflix marathons or sketching out your next great idea. Thanks to the included S Pen, you’ll be able to write, color, or draw to your heart’s content without having to spend extra on the accessory. Its large size makes it well-suited for DeX mode if you want to browse several apps while it sits on your desk. And the S7 FE features a large 10,090mAh battery that should last up to 13 hours of use — likely two full days of casual use.

In exchange for its lower price, the S7 FE makes some downgrades compared to the S7. Its Snapdragon 750G chipset and 4GB of base RAM fall short in performance, it only sports dual speakers instead of quad, and it only hits 60Hz instead of 120Hz. Despite these downgrades, we found it performed respectably in our tests, and you can always upgrade your RAM and still have it cost less than the S7 for more display space.

The tablet is available in attractive colors, including Mystic Black, Mystic Pink, Mystic Green, and Mystic Silver.

Bottom line: This budget-friendly tablet won’t blow you away with its screen or specs, but it offers Android at an unbeatable price.

If you’re looking to buy a tablet for the first time and don’t have any stringent needs, the Galaxy Tab A series is an excellent option for a fraction of the Tab S7+’s cost. While you likely won’t be blown away by its specs or features, the Tab A manages to still offer a metal body and, unlike Amazon’s Fire tablets, a fully functional version of Android, complete with Google services like the Play Store — meaning you can download whatever apps you want.

The Galaxy Tab A is available in both 8-inch and 10.1-inch configurations, but I think the former is a perfect starting point for first-time tablet owners. The smaller display and overall design make the Tab A extremely portable and comfortable to hold in one hand while still being large enough to consume media from streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, and Disney+.

Bottom line: The Fire HD 10 gives you the essential tablet experience with the option of enhanced productivity features.

The Amazon Fire HD 10 is one of those deals that’s almost too good to pass up if you’re after a device with a large screen and a smaller price tag. It’s simply the best big Android tablet for doing the basics, from watching movies and TV shows to browsing and playing casual games.

What makes this deal even better is that the 2021 edition comes with a Productivity Bundle option, which includes a custom Bluetooth keyboard and a 12-month subscription to Microsoft Office 365 Personal edition. With a bump in RAM from 2GB to 3GB and the new hardware and software options, the package is compelling for those who want a secondary productivity machine. Amazon also released a Fire HD 10 Plus version, which features 4GB of RAM, wireless charging capabilities with a wireless charging dock accessory, and comes in a stately slate color.

This device won’t replace a desktop or laptop computer, but it is the perfect portable productivity machine for students on the go. With a steady keyboard and Microsoft apps, it’s great to take notes in class or do a little research in the library. Plus, it is much lighter than a traditional laptop or larger tablet.

The big caveat to keep in mind with an Amazon Fire tablet is that you don’t get the Google Play Store or Google’s great apps and services. Instead, you’ll rely on the Amazon App Store, which has a dramatically more limited app selection. But for this price, that’s an OK trade-off for most people.

Bottom line: This 13-inch beast of a tablet works as a great Entertainment Space or Kids Space for streaming and can also double as a monitor.