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The 8 Best Tablets for Every Guy’s Needs and Budget
Work, play, and more on your favorite new mobile device.
Thinking of getting a tablet? You should. While tablets in general can’t quite fully replace your workstation, they have tons of use. They’re an ideal media viewer, from magazines and books to television and movies. Most streaming services offer a tablet app. The library of games available on tablets mean no more hours of boredom—there’s always something to do.
Tablets can also help you take your work on the road. With styluses, graphic designers can comp up new logos or artists can make their next (digital) masterpiece. With an attachable keyboard, you can get close to the same functionality as a laptop with a touchscreen. There’s just endless uses for tablets as mini, mobile computers.
Now, which tablet is right for you depends on a lot of factors. Primarily, what do you intend on using it for? If it’s just a mobile media viewer, you can probably get away with a 10-inch Amazon tablet, like the Fire HD. If you need it to fully supplement your work, you might want to go in on a Microsoft Surface 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Since most tablets come in varying configurations, you’ll have to decide how much storage you want. We don’t recommend going under 64 gigabytes of space, in general, but if you’re just looking for a cheaper media viewer, a 16-gig Android should be enough, since you’ll be streaming most of your media.
You’ll also have to decide what to get based on what operating system you’re already using. If you’re an iPhone guy, an iPad seems like a natural choice, while Samsung users will naturally gravitate toward an Android tablet.
Yeah, we know that’s a dizzying amount of factors. But don’t worry—we took the guesswork out of it by rounding up the best tablets for money. Check out the list and find the best tablet on the market for you.
The Best Tablets to Buy Now
- Best for Work: Microsoft Surface Pro 7
- Most Powerful: Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro
- Best Amazon Tablet: Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet with Alexa
- Best for Gaming: Apple iPad Pro 11
- Best Value: Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T580NZKAXAR 10.1
- Best Tablets for Kids: Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition
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Microsoft Surface Pro 7, 12.3" Touch-Screen Tablet
Screen Size: 12.3 inches
Resolution: 2736 x 1824
Storage: 128 GB
Memory: 8 GB
OS: Windows 10
Battery life: 11 hours
The natural choice for the best work tablet has to be the Surface Pro 7. With a crisp screen, all the apps you already use at work, and two kinds of USB ports, it has everything you need to pretty much supplement a computer. Definitely spring for the keyboard cover, too. It’ll make your time in and away from the office a lot more productive.
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Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro
Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro
Screen Size: 12.9 inches
Resolution: 2732 x 2048
Storage: 512 GB
Memory: 6 GB
OS: iPadOS
Battery life: 10 hours
Paired with the Apple Pencil, the iPad Pro is the perfect example of what a powerful iPad can do. It has about as many apps—including games—as your iPhone, and dozens of those apps are perfect for drawing, comping, or just having fun on. Since it’s part of the Apple ecosystem it syncs with all your apps, and even comes with some of your favorite Apple features, including FaceID.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet with Alexa
Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet with Alexa
Screen Size: 10 inches
Resolution: 1920 x 1200
Storage: 64 GB
Memory: 2 GB
OS: FireOS
Battery life: 8 hours
With access to all of Amazon Prime’s shows—plus Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Now—you’ll be happy as a clam on a couch with the Fire tablet in your hands. Since it uses the power of Amazon’s Alexa, you can search, pause, and skip with nothing but your voice. And if you need a break from the binge, you always have access to Amazon’s incredible Kindle library.
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Screen Size: 11 inches
Resolution: 2388 x 1668
Storage: 128 GB
Memory: 4 GB
OS: iPadOS
Battery life: 10 hours
Plenty of tablets have a great gaming experience, but Apple’s stands out—not only because of the gorgeous liquid retina display, but because of Apple Arcade. With Apple Arcade, you get access to over 100 games (no ads) with more being constantly developed. And with up to 10 hours of battery life, you can get in an all-day gaming binge.
Read more: Best Video Game Consoles
Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T580NZKAXAR 10.1-Inch 16 GB
Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T580NZKAXAR 10.1-Inch 16 GB
Screen Size: 10.1 inches
Resolution: 1920 x 1200
Storage: 16 GB
Memory: 2 GB
OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Battery life: 13 hours
Cheap tablets don’t necessarily have to let you down. This is the best Samsung tablet for the money, delivering a full suite of Google apps and streaming services with 13 hours of battery life—albeit with only 16 gigabytes built in. Don’t worry about that, though: if you run out of room the Tab A has an expandable memory slot.
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition
Screen Size: 8 inches
Resolution: 1280 x 800
Storage: 32 GB
Memory: 1.5 GB
OS: FireOS
Battery life: 10 hours
Don’t leave the kids out—they can have fun with tablets as well. The kid’s edition of the Amazon Fire has a great screen for the price, and comes with a year of FreeTime Unlimited: educational apps, games, videos, and books, plus stuff from PBS Kids, Nickelodeon, and more. Don’t worry about them breaking it—there’s a cute rubber bumper surrounding the tablet.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 10.5" 128GB WiFi Android 9.0 Pie Tablet
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 10.5" 128GB WiFi Android 9.0 Pie Tablet
Screen Size: 10.5 inches
Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Storage: 128 GB
Memory: 6 GB
OS: Android 9.0 Pie
Battery life: 15 hours
Sworn off iOS? Then this is the Android tablet of your dreams—the best Android tablet. This ultra-slim tablet includes a stylus for your inner artist’s needs and a crisp screen to watch your favorite shows and movies. Attach the keyboard cover with trackpad if you’ve got work to do. While it’s a pretty penny, it’s totally worth the price if you just can’t get into the idea of an iPad.
Screen Size: 7.9 inches
Resolution: 2048 x 1536
Storage: 256 GB
Memory: 3 GB
OS: iPadOS
Battery life: 10 hours
Few things look as sharp as the iPad mini’s ultra-sharp Retina display with True Tone coloring. So if you love graphic novels, take them everywhere with this single tablet. You’ll have more than enough room for all your books with the 256 GB version. And it does so much more—including compatibility with the Apple Pencil.
Cristina Montemayor is a freelance writer and journalist living in Austin, Texas, covering beauty, grooming, style, and culture. Her work has appeared in Very Good Light, BRIDES, Elite Daily, among others.
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