Best Android Tablet 2021

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. 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 who have different needs (or budgets), there are a few other picks that work just well for media consumption and won't break the bank.

What are the best Android tablets?

There's a lot more to a tablet than just its display, but it's hard to deny what 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 extremely 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 compared to the S7+ and still features a 120Hz refresh rate, as well as 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 S6 Lite is easy to find on sale and offers much of the Tab S7's best features in a similarly slim, light form factor.

Last year's Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is still an excellent tablet with most of the same features as the newer Tab S7. It's easy to find for cheap these days thanks to sales and refurbished models, and with it, you get a thin, lightweight 10.4-inch tablet with support for both the S Pen and a first-party keyboard, which automatically enables DeX mode when connected.

You won't get a 120Hz refresh rate on the Tab S6 Lite, but the display is otherwise gorgeous, with fantastic color reproduction and a sharp 2000x1200 resolution. Like the Tab S7, this tablet's smaller form factor makes it great for both handheld use and media playback.

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, all while still being large enough to consume media from streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, and Disney+.

Bottom line: The Fire HD 10 is all about the essential tablet experience without the extra complication and cost of 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 but a small price tag. It's simply the best big Android tablet for doing the basics, from watching movies and TV shows to browsing and playing some casual games.

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 and what you're likely to do with it, that's an okay trade-off for most.

Bottom line: A light and portable tablet at a great price — there isn't much you can complain about in that equation.

Amazon also makes the best super-inexpensive Android tablet available, the Fire HD 8. And it was just refreshed in June 2020 to provide a great value at what is still an excellent price. You're still getting an 8-inch HD display, but now 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM, and this new version has a 30% faster processor and finally charges with USB-C.

It still comes in a variety of neat colors, which can keep things interesting for kids and adults alike. You can spend a little more to get 64GB of storage for apps and video, and also opt to spend a little more to remove Amazon's "Special Offers" lock screen ads.

Like the Fire HD 10, it doesn't have the Google Play Store or Google apps. But you're even more likely to look past that when you're spending this little on a tablet. This is an excellent choice for media consumption, browsing, or handing to your kids.

Bottom line: With up to 12 hours of battery life and over 20,000 titles of kid-approved content, your kid will have plenty to keep them occupied.

The Fire HD 10 Kids Edition is filled with the best hardware and software you could ask for as a parent. Amazon took its top big tablet and loaded it with parental controls, child-specific content, and wrapped it in a durable and functional case. While the screen size could be difficult for young children, the provided case includes a kickstand for viewing.

The 1080p display provides solid colors and clarity for content. This is important when your child is learning to read since text can be clearer, and it's what you want for video too. The HD 10 Kids Edition also has the same awesome dual-speaker setup. However, for those times when you'd like to limit the noise, there's a standard headphone jack.

Since this is a kids' edition from Amazon, it gets a free year of Amazon's FreeTime Unlimited software. This provides parental controls for you and over 20,000 age-specific titles for your kids. Not only that, but the tablet also gets two years of "worry-free" guarantee — if the tablet breaks, Amazon will replace it. That could be the most important feature of all.

Now that many of us are working from home, you might be looking for a tablet for productivity or just fun around the house. The number of great Android tablet options is limited, but there are a few that are worthy of recommending. The best Android tablet experience comes from Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 with its high-end materials, great screen, capable software, hardware keyboard support, and stylus.

If you're willing to spend the extra money to truly get the best possible specs and experience, Samsung also makes the Galaxy Tab S7+. For a bit more, you get a larger canvas for drawing, watching movies, and even gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, as well as a larger, more comfortable keyboard to type on — not to mention the quad speakers tuned by AKG. For those who don't need every bell and whistle under the sun, the Amazon Fire HD 10 and HD 8 offer an excellent media experience without costing you an arm and a leg — so long as you can live without Google Play services.

There are plenty of different use cases for tablets that might influence which one you should buy. Yes, the Galaxy Tab S7 is the best overall option with the most horsepower and even the capability to replace your laptop. Still, you don't need all of that if you just want to stream videos and play casual games on occasion. Know your needs, and don't overpay for a tablet that does more than you need.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide