This past month, the Nexus 9 has been released into people’s hands, giving them time to judge them, love them or return them. Other tablets have received magical software updates and the Holiday season is upon us. So, what are the Best Android tablets available right now?
10. Amazon Fire HD 6 and 7
Amazon’s Android tablets might not feature the same sort of Google Services that a lot of us would be accustomed to on a tablet, but they’re great for content consumption as well as handing over to the little ones without fear of ruining your pride and joy. Coming in at either 6 or 7-inch versions, these aren’t much to look at, but they’ll make excellent first-time tablets or indeed ones those for casual users as well kids. With a two-year worry-free guarantee that ensures a replacement Fire no matter what your little ones manage to get up to, these are great options for the whole family.
09. Amazon Fire HDX 8.9
For those a little more discerning, the Fire HDX 8.9 is one of the best displays available with a stunning 2560 x 1600 resolution in just 8.9-inches. It’s a great tablet with some of the best horsepower available as well thanks to that Snapdragon 801 and 2GB of RAM. Still, if you’re too invested in Google services, then this isn’t immediately the one for you. Having said that, Amazon’s offerings now have all the digital content you’d need as well as many of the best Android apps available from Google, too.
08. Yoga Tablet 2 Pro
Not too long ago, Lenovo introduced follow-ups to their original Yoga tablets and out of those was the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro, which features a 13-inch Quad HD display with a subwoofer thanks to the JBL sound system. While large thanks to its massive display, the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro also features a Pico Projector for taking things to the true big screen. It’s also got all the ‘modes’ that the other two smaller tablets have and is really one of the more versatile tablets available right now. That versatility will cost you however, and this Pro tablet is Pro in price as well as its features.
07. Google Nexus 7
The little tablet that could is still alive and kicking, and while it’s nowhere as impressive as the newly announced Nexus 9, the Nexus 7 still has one of the best 7-inch displays (with a resolution of 1920 x 1200) available on the market and it’s recently been given a new lease of life with the update to Android 5.0 Lollipop. An excellent package for the price, the Nexus 7 continues to prove great value for those looking for something small, versatile and up-to-date.
06. Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
Sony has been making excellent tablets for some time now, and while they’re not the most affordable out there, the new Z3 Tablet Compact should go some ways to alleviating that problem as this isn’t quite as pricey as previous models were in the past. It’s still pretty pricey, but it’s built to be waterproof and has 3GB of RAM as well as a Snapdragon 801 under the hood, so it’s easy to see where the price tag comes from. Having said that, it would have been nice to see a slightly higher resolution and maybe some extra features, but with the ability to play PS4 games and some of the best specs available, Sony’s latest is pretty good.
05. Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4
Perhaps one of best “middleground” tablet, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has the right boxes ticked, with big, golden ticks. The display is an excellent at 2560 x 1600, but the 8.4-inch panel really comes to life when you take a look at that Super AMOLED display and see those rich colors. Great for reading magazines, watching movies and generally anything that involves a lot of color and images, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is the take-everywhere tablet that has the specs and display of something a little larger.
04. NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet
Versatility is the aim of the game with the SHIELD Tablet from NVIDIA, and with its recent update to Android 5.0 Lollipop, it just got a whole lot better. Not only does this guy feature stock, clean Android software, a great piece of silicon in the Tegra K1 and a controller for gaming, but it also has NVIDIA Grid which changes things quite a bit. Not only is it great for gaming, but the SHIELD Tablet is just a great tablet all round, and it’s one of the most powerful and versatile available.
03. Samsung Galaxy Note – 2014 Edition
For those that want to do more with their tablet, Samsung’s aging Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition is the one for them. The display is good, it’s powerful and the S-Pen can really help you get things done in a way no other tablet can. At 10.1-inches it’s a standard size and still quite portable, and there’s more enough room to use the S-Pen to its fullest while on the move.
02. Google Nexus 9
There’s no denying that the Nexus 9 is one of the best tablets that Google has ever launched, in fact it’s one of the best Android tablets period. However, Lollipop has its problems and while it’s slightly better than previous versions of Android on tablets, it still feels like a giant phone. Add in some questionable build issues and it’s clear that HTC and Google fell short of the mark here. With a decent, yet unremarkable display, lightbleed issues and an all-round questionable build we wonder if that price tag is realistic after all.
01. Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5
Samsung’s Super AMOLED display tech is even more impressive on a display just begging to replace your TV, the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is the tablet to take with you on long trips to watch your favorite TV or movies on and it’s also a great all-rounder as well. It offers the same sort of size as an iPad, has an arguably far superior display and the widescreen format is great for movies, YouTube and playing games. It’s got it where it counts on the inside, too and this is easily one of the best tablets Samsung has ever rolled off its production line, for now, at least. While it doesn’t feature Lollipop or a blazing-fast graphics chip, what it does have is an impressive laundry list of features great for tablet users and one of the best displays available anywhere.