The best Android tablet selection has recently had a bit of a boost, as not only has the iPad 10.2-rivaling Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite landed, but so too have new Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) and Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus slates, as well as the Huawei MatePad Pro.
You can see if and where these rank in our list below, and make sure to check back regularly for any future additions, as we’re always updating this guide.
Aside from these new releases there are a whole bunch of other top Android slates too, the best of which you’ll find below.
These include the top-end Samsung Galaxy Tab S6, the more affordable Amazon Fire HD 10 (2019), and more.
We’ve ranked eight in all, so if you’re looking for the best Android tablet one of these should suit. And to make it easier to decide which we’ve also included pros, cons, an overview, and a full specs list for each.
But if eight choices isn’t enough, make sure to check out our best tablet, best iPad, and best cheap tablet guides for more great tablet options.
Best Android tablets in 2020 at a glance:
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
- Huawei MatePad Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S4
- Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2020)
- Amazon Fire HD 10 (2019)
- Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020)
- Amazon Fire 7 (2019)
Best Android tablets: which should you buy?
(Image credit: Samsung)
1. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
The ‘money’s no object’ best Android tablet
Weight: 420g | Dimensions: 244.5 x 154.3 x 7 mm | OS: Android 9 (upgrade to Android 10) | Screen size: 10.5-inch | Resolution: 1600 x 2560 pixels | CPU: Snapdragon 855 | Storage: 128GB/256GB | microSD slot: Yes | Battery: 7,040mAh | Rear camera: 13MP + 5MP | Front camera: 8MP
Beautiful AMOLED display
S Pen as standard
Samsung’s One UI not perfect
No headphone jack
You want the very best Android tablet and you’re not worried about how much you’ll be spending? The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is undeniably the best product you’ll find with a plethora of cutting-edge features.
It comes with an S Pen stylus in the box that you can use to take notes, draw and much more on the tablet’s display. You can also buy a smart keyboard to make it an experience that is close to a laptop.
The 10.5-inch AMOLED display on the Galaxy Tab S6 is one of the highlights with an impressive resolution of 1600 x 2560. This tablet also comes with two cameras on the rear too, so you can get better photography than on other slates.
It’s not the perfect device – there isn’t a 3.5mm headphone jack and the user interface has its own quirks – but if you’re desperate for an Android tablet, this is the very best you’ll be able to buy right now.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 review
(Image credit: Samsung)
2. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
Cheaper, and still quite great
Weight: 476g | Dimensions: 244.5 x 159.5 x 5.7 mm | OS: Android 10 | Screen size: 10.4-inch | Resolution: 1200 x 2000 pixels | CPU: Exynos 9610 | Storage: 64GB/128GB | microSD slot: Yes | Battery: 7,040mAh | Rear camera: 8MP | Front camera: 5MP
Robust design
S Pen as standard
Can be a little sluggish
Some issues with S Pen
Happy to sacrifice a few of the features of the Galaxy Tab S6 above in trade for a cheaper tablet? If yes, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is the product you want to consider.
The chipset isn’t as powerful, the cameras aren’t as impressive and the screen isn’t as beautiful… but it’s around half the price, and all of its specs are still quite impressive for a slate at this price.
It’s a remarkably good product considering how much you’re spending on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. It isn’t particularly smaller than the Galaxy Tab S6 – and ironically, it’s actually heavier too – but if you don’t want to spend top-dollar you may love this.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite review
(Image credit: Huawei)
The Huawei MatePad Pro is almost perfect
Weight: 460g | Dimensions: 246 x 159 x 7.2mm | OS: Android 10 | Screen size: 10.8-inch | Resolution: 1600 x 2560 | CPU: Kirin 990 | RAM: 6GB/8GB | Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB | Battery: 7,250mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front camera: 8MP
Powerful hardware
Robust lightweight design
Limited software functionality
No headphone jack
The Huawei MatePad Pro is Huawei’s attempt at taking on the iPad Pro range, and in a lot of ways it’s a very strong rival, from its high-quality 10.8-inch screen, to its top-end power and its long-lasting battery.
The Huawei MatePad Pro also has a stylish, slim, and lightweight design, plus an optional stylus and keyboard, so it’s premium and built for productivity. However, in our tests we found that those accessories were simply okay, and the big problem faced by the MatePad Pro is its lack of Google services – meaning no access to the Google Play app store, and no Google apps, such as Maps.
That’s going to be a major issue for a lot of people, but if you can live without that then this comes closer than most Android slates to matching the iPad Pro experience.
Read our full Huawei MatePad Pro review
(Image credit: Samsung)
4. Samsung Galaxy Tab S4
Now cheaper, but still impressive
Weight: 482g | Dimensions: 249.3 x 164.3 x 7.1mm | OS: Android 9 | Screen size: 10.5-inch | Resolution: 1600 x 2560 | CPU: Snapdragon 835 | RAM: 6GB | Storage: 64/256GB | Battery: 7,300mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front camera: 8MP
PC desktop-like Dex interface
S Pen stylus included in box
Poor keyboard design
Desktop interface needs work
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 was once our best Android tablet, but now it has been bumped down by the Galaxy Tab S6, among other things. It’s not exactly cheap – although its price has dropped significantly in recent months – but it comes packing a whole host of features to ensure you’re getting plenty of bang for your buck.
Unlike Apple’s iPad Pro range, the Galaxy Tab S4 comes with Samsung’s S Pen stylus included in the box, while under the hood you get the powerful Snapdragon 835 chipset alongside 6GB of RAM ensuring Android runs super-smoothly on screen.
That’s only half the story though. Pair the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 with a keyboard and mouse and it’ll transfer from Android into a desktop-like experience as it attempts to replace your laptop as well as your tablet.
The desktop aspect of the tablet is limited, but still useful. In short, the Galaxy Tab S4 is one of the most versatile Android tablets around.
Read our Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 review
(Image credit: Amazon)
5. Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus
Amazon’s 8-inch slate now ships with added fire
Weight: 355g | Dimensions: 202 x 137 x 9.7mm | OS: Fire OS | Screen size: 8-inch | Resolution: 880 x 1280 | CPU: quad-core | Storage: 32GB/64GB | Battery: up to 12 hours | Rear camera: 2MP | Front camera: 2MP
Wireless charging
Can be used like an Echo Show
Poor screen quality
Not swift, even with extra RAM
The Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2020) is the best of Amazon’s 8-inch slates. It’s no premium tablet – far from it in fact, so you’re not getting top-end performance, but with 3GB of RAM you do get a boost on the standard Fire HD 8 (2020).
Arguably the real highlight of this Plus model though is its support for wireless charging and the optional dock you can therefore get that turns it into a smart display like the Echo Show.
Beyond that it’s a fairly basic tablet, but with all the basics covered, a respectable amount of storage, and the same compact build as the non-Plus model.
Read our full Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus review
(Image credit: Amazon)
6. Amazon Fire HD 10 (2019)
A cheap tablet with a huge screen
Weight: 504g | Dimensions: 262 x 159 x 9.8mm | OS: Fire OS | Screen size: 10.1-inch | Resolution: 1920 x 1200 | CPU: octa-core | Storage: 32GB/64GB | Battery: up to 12 hours | Rear camera: 2MP | Front camera: 2MP
Large, clear screen
Dependable battery life
Divisive software
Only okay speakers
The Amazon Fire HD 10 (2019) is essentially built for Amazon Prime members, since its big 10.1-inch 1200 x 1920 screen is a great way to consume the films, TV shows and even ebooks it gives you access to.
And the Amazon-centric interface used – which won’t appeal to everyone – ensure you’re never far from Amazon Prime content.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t buy the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2019) if you’re not an Amazon Prime member. This is a durable, affordable slate with reasonable specs for the money, so it’s also a strong choice for anyone on a tight budget. But some of the options above in this list will likely be a better fit if money is no object.
Read our Amazon Fire HD 10 (2019) review
(Image credit: Amazon)
7. Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020)
Amazon’s middle-sized tablet gets an upgrade
Weight: 355g | Dimensions: 202 x 137 x 9.7mm | OS: Fire OS | Screen size: 8-inch | Resolution: 880 x 1280 | CPU: quad-core | Storage: 32GB/64GB | Battery: up to 12 hours | Rear camera: 2MP | Front camera: 2MP
Super-low price
Great front camera placement
Poor screen quality
Locked to Amazon’s ecosystem
The Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) is – along with the Fire HD 8 Plus – the latest version of Amazon’s 8-inch tablet, and by opting for this rather than the Plus model you get slightly less RAM and no wireless charging, but an otherwise near identical slate at a lower price.
It’s an upgrade on its predecessor thanks to 30% more power, improved battery life, double the storage, and the presence of a USB-C (rather than micro USB) port, but that aside this is familiar territory if you’ve used an Amazon slate before.
You’re locked in to Amazon’s ecosystem, which isn’t quite as rich as full-fat Android, but if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber then much of your content will be front and center, and you’re paying a lot less than you would for most comparable Android tablets.
Read our full Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) review
(Image credit: Amazon)
8. Amazon Fire 7 (2019)
Almost unbelievably cheap
Weight: 286g | Dimensions: 115mm x 192mm x 9.6mm | OS: Fire OS | Screen size: 7-inch | Resolution: 1024 x 600 | CPU: Quad-core 1.3GHz | RAM: 1GB | Storage: 16/32GB | Battery: Up to 7 hours | Rear camera: 2MP | Front camera: 2MP
More storage
Decent media performance
Screen is dull and low res
Limited app selection
Tablets don’t get any cheaper than this – well, functional ones don’t anyway. The incredibly low price and sturdy design make the Amazon Fire 7 (2019) a great choice to give to a kid – in fact, Amazon’s even built a (slightly pricier) version specifically for children.
But even for a grown audience the Amazon Fire 7 far exceeds expectations, with a fairly bright 7-inch screen, acceptable speakers, solid battery life and even reasonable performance, with a snappy interface and the ability to run most games.
The last gen Fire 7 was remarkably similar to this latest product, but this comes with the choice of 16GB or 32GB of storage and there are some improvements to the front camera too.
Fire OS won’t suit everyone and this isn’t a tablet that impresses once you take the price out of the equation, but for what the Amazon Fire costs it would almost be rude not to buy it.
Read our Amazon Fire 7 (2019) review
This article originally appeared on https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/mobile-computing/tablets/15-best-android-tablets-in-the-world-905504
