Best Android tablet for travelers

Your bags are packed, and you're ready to take off on adventure to kick off the summer. But what are you going to do when there isn't anything going on and you want to catch up on your favorite shows? Thankfully, there are no shortage of options for those who are trying to find the best Android tablet for travelers.

We've rounded up some of our favorite Android tablets, attempting to account for practically every kind of scenario that you might run across on your trip. Do you want something small and powerful, or maybe a tablet that looks like a phone, but is more like an iPod? The great thing about Android tablets is that there's something for everyone, no matter what you need one for.

At a glance

Best overall

The OnePlus Pad 3 took a few things that were great about its predecessor, such as battery life and a sleek design, then turbo-charged everything else. With its 13.2-inch display, it's right in that "almost perfect" range for many, being smaller than something like the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, but still being large enough to enjoy watching videos or getting some work done.

Speaking of which, a new version of the OnePlus Stylo was also released along with an updated detachable keyboard. Neither of these comes in the box, which is a bit of a bummer, but the new keyboard has a few upgrades of its own. For one, it can be removed from the Pad 3 and will remain connected thanks to Bluetooth. Plus, there's an NFC chip built into the wrist rest, making for easy file transfers from your phone to the tablet.

Performance is no slouch either, thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. Widely considered one of the best processors on the market today, the addition of the Qualcomm chip means that there's very little that the OnePlus Pad 3 can't handle, no matter where you are in the world. Best of all, the OnePlus Pad 3 won't put too big a dent in your wallet. Even when pairing it with the Stylo 2 and Smart Keyboard, you're looking at a total price of under $900.

Best premium

Samsung makes a lot of different tablets in all shapes and sizes, but none are any bigger or more powerful than the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. Its 14.6-inch display is larger than many of the best Chromebooks, while being both slim and lightweight. Samsung also includes its excellent S Pen in the box, something that we're surprised and thankful to see on a yearly basis.

The continued rise in popularity of AI features means Samsung has continued to use MediaTek's chips in its tablets. This model too gets a new Dimensity 9400+ as opposed to a Qualcomm chip. Samsung got a lot of things right with the Tab S10 Ultra, but it's still quite expensive. Even when accounting for Samsung DeX, this tablet lacks any cellular connectivity, which is a decision that still has us scratching our heads.

Best for gaming

The problem with a lot of the best Android tablets is that while they may have more than enough horsepower, they're just too darn big. Lenovo solved this problem already with its Y700 series of tablets, but those were limited to certain regions, and the U.S. was not one of them. Thankfully, that's no longer an issue as the Legion Tab Gen 3 is essentially the Y700, but rebranded for this market.

It's powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, along with excellent battery life. All of that excellence is packed into an 8.8-inch IPS display, complete with a 144Hz refresh rate. You might be disappointed by the lack of AMOLED or even Mini LED, but this Lenovo has managed to source some of the best IPS panels we've seen, and that includes the Legion Tab Gen 3.

The Legion Tab Gen 3 provides an excellent mobile gaming experience, especially when paired with a telescopic controller. However, thanks to the smaller display and compatibility with the Tab Pen Plus, it actually does a pretty fantastic job as a digital notebook. There's even a "desktop mode," which isn't something we expected to see on a tablet of this size.

Best connectivity

Something to consider when you're trying to find the best Android tablet for traveling is what you'll actually be doing while you're gone. The reason for this is that it might help determine whether having built-in cellular connectivity is worth considering. Sadly, there just aren't very many good Android tablets with a 5G chip built-in, as even Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is relegated to "Wi-Fi Only."

Even if the Ultra came with 5G, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE would probably still be our recommendation. It sports a smaller 10.9-inch display, making it a great size for being a travel companion, while also including an S Pen in the box. Samsung also offers two different Book Cover Keyboard options, although you'll have to pay a bit more for either of those.

And when it comes to getting work done, Samsung DeX is just a couple of taps away. While the Exynos 1580 might not be able to keep up with some of the other options on this list, it's still more than capable of being a workhorse. But when the time comes to sit back and relax, the Tab S10 FE is great for that too, and you won't have to worry about finicky hotel Wi-Fi just to watch some YouTube or Netflix.

Best compact

Don't get us wrong, we love our phones and many of us aren't planning to give them up any time soon. But there's something to be said about trying to "disconnect," especially when you just want to read a few pages of a new book without being distracted. That's where the Onyx Boox Palma 2 comes in, as it's a phone that isn't actually a phone.

With its 6.13-inch display, it sure looks like a regular slab phone, albeit one from 2015. But instead of putting the focus on making the colors on your screen pop and stand out, it's just an Android-powered e-reader. The best way I can think of it is that Onyx made an iPod Touch with an E-Ink display that's running Android.

That makes it so you can still download and enjoy many of your favorite apps and books, while cutting back (and removing) the distractions.

Best E-Ink

Most E Ink tablets tend to focus on doing the one thing they're meant for, the Onyx Boox Note Air 5 C does it all. The successor to the Note Air 4 C, the Note Air 5 C, can display 4,096 colors on its 10.3-inch Kaleido 3 screen.

Thanks to the bundled stylus on the Note Air 5 C, you can draw, highlight, or jot down notes in different shades. The Boox Note Air 5's stylus touch functionality is powered by Wacom, the company that makes the best drawing tablets. This incredibly slim tablet runs Android 15 out of the box so that you can install and use apps from the Play Store. The tablet's 3,700mAh battery can last for a week or two with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in full use. The Boox Note Air 5 C is the complete package and the best large-screened E ink tablet to buy.

Best kids

No other tablet really quite matches up to what the Amazon Fire 7 Kids can offer parents. For one, there's already a kid-friendly protective case included, designed to hold up through even the worst temper tantrums. Amazon also offers a "2-year Worry-free Guarantee," so if your little one does manage to break it, Amazon will replace the tablet for free.

But there's even more than Amazon offers, such as including one year of Amazon Kids+. This is a subscription service that includes "thousands" of different forms of media, such as books, videos, games, apps, etc. All while giving you the peace of mind that your little one is enjoying age-appropriate content.

The Fire 7 Kids tablet isn't going to win any awards for performance, as it's even limited to just either 16GB or 32GB of storage. However, there is a microSD card slot so you can download everything your kid will want, without needing to worry about using your Wi-FI hotspot or finding a Wi-Fi connection.

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How to choose

Tablets are great travel companions

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Ultimately, the decision about picking the best Android tablet for travelers comes down to what it is that you plan to use it for. Not just while you're traveling, but also when you're back in the comfort of your own home. If you're looking for something that can also replace an aging or cumbersome laptop, then you'd want something that can be paired with a detachable keyboard.

If you plan on just lounging around at the pool and want to read a new book that just came out, then we'd recommend checking out an E-Ink tablet. Plus, some of them can serve more than one purpose, so you can reply to emails for awhile and when you're done, read your favorite books.

While there are a multitude of factors to consider, it's also important to think about whether you're really going to use the tablet. You might just end up opting for a completely different tablet than the one that you were originally considering. But as we've said before, there's something out there for practically every scenario you can think of.