Top 10 Best Android Tablets and 2-in-1's: August 2016 Edition

For some time now, this list has been languishing with the inclusion of older, less-than-inspiring Android tablets that have little going for them. This is of course partly Google’s fault for a lack of innovation on the Android side of things, but also the manufacturers simply not trying that hard. On Google’s part however, they’ve made Chrome OS a lot more useful by offering the entire Play Store of Android apps and games available to modern Chromebooks and 2-in-1 models. Now that some of these devices run Chrome OS, have a touchscreen and convertible displays that run Android apps, why don’t we shake things up a little bit.

10. Amazon Fire 7

It is incredibly hard to argue with a $49.99 Android tablet, even more so one that you can easily return and isn’t immediately broken out of the box. The Fire 7 might not run Google’s Android, as it runs Amazon’s Android, but it does feature many of the same apps and games as well as all of the great content from Amazon’s appstore and Kindle stores, too. It’s a $50 tablet, with a mediocre display and okay performance, it’s not going to turn any heads, but it’s certainly not going to break any banks, either.

09. Lenovo N20P

The Lenovo N20P is the first of our many 2-in-1’s that are making their debut on this list, and while this doesn’t fully become a tablet-cum-laptop, the N20P is effectively – now anyway – an Android tablet with a great keyboard. It has USB 3.0, a touchscreen and a decent 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 display. The Celeron CPU here works good for 1080p streaming, and with Android apps now available, this is a great alternative to an Android tablet, with Chrome OS backing you up for more Desktop-type stuff without the need of an expensive laptop.

08. Samsung Galaxy View

The same plus and minus points continue to work against the Galaxy View. It’s always going to be very much a love it or hate it sort of device, and its giant 18.4-inch display is the root cause of such a polarizing device. For some, the larger display will be great, especially those looking for a portable smart TV, but for a lot of users this is a device that’s simply too big, and one that doesn’t really offer much in the way of added functionality. Said display is only 1080p in resolution, and won’t be the sharpest of displays out there, especially not compared to other, smaller and more dense displays elsewhere on this list. Even so, it’s nice to see something different every now and then.

07. Acer Chromebook R11

The Chromebook R11 from Acer is yet another magic trick of a device that doesn’t fully rotate, but offers a decent balance nonetheless. With an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 display, 2GB of RAM and Android app support, this is a great little compact Chromebook, and one that will still run all of your favorite Android apps with no problems. It has a great keyboard, lots of ports and even an SD card slot, which is great for those traveling with a dedicated camera and best of all, it’s not too expensive at all.

06. NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet K1

With a 1280 x 800 display and an 8-inch form factor, the SHIELD Tablet K1 might not sound that great during its initial first impression, but it has superpowers underneath all of that. Namely the Tegra K1 processor which allows this to render graphics like few other Android tablets out there, it can also output to a TV and become an impromptu gaming console and even stream games from your gaming PC to boot. With stock Android and great update support, this is one tablet not to be messed with, that’s for sure.

05. Lenovo YOGA Tab 3 Pro

Despite having a mouthful of a name, this is one of the better tablets to get if you’re looking to do a little bit of everything. The long battery life ensures extended use over most other tablets, and the stand, which also works as a handle and a hook, is something no other Android tablet can offer at this point. The 10.1-inch Quad HD display looks great and when combined the four speakers and Dolby Atmos processing, this is a great tablet for entertainment. Things only get better, however, when you start to use the rear-firing HD projector, which gives you a cinema to use whenever you want and wherever you might be.

03. Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet

The Xperia Z4 Tablet is one of Sony’s finest attempts at an Android tablet. It’s super-thin at just 6.4mm thick, and yet still manages to be waterproof and sport a Snapdragon 810 as well as 4GB of RAM. On top of this, it also comes with a keyboard dock that gives people a great trackpad and keyboard to interact with Android on the 10.1-inch Quad HD display. With some tweaks to the Android software from Sony’s end, this is one of the better Android tablets with a keyboard, and it may well be worth the asking price for a lot of people out there.

03. Google Pixel C

The Pixel C is one stunning example of what Google can do with hardware. It’s got a great display and is super-fast thanks to the NVIDIA chip on the inside, but the software, despite some tweaks here and there still requires some work. It will get a lot better with the Android 7.0 Nougat update, without a doubt, but right now it’s a great Android tablet that might not seem all that exciting to the average user. Of course, that excellent keyboard might do something to change the minds of some people.

02. Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 – 9.7-inch

While the 8.0-inch version of this is just as good, the extra screen space here really makes the 9.7-inch a great all-rounder. The Super AMOLED Quad HD display practically makes the Samsung tablet everything it’s cracked up to be, and the processor under-the-hood takes care of things even further. With some excellent software from Samsung on the side, this is one of the best Android tablets out there, especially if you’re the type of user coming from an iPad or something similar. The screen alone is a big step up here.

01. ASUS Chromebook Flip

The Chromebook Flip from ASUS has been praised as one of the better-looking and more premium Chromebooks out there, and it gets even better thanks to the inclusion of Android apps now. With the touchscreen and foldable display, this will bridge the gap between tablet and computer nicely, and will offer users a great mix of both. It’s speedy, has a good-looking display and it’s also great value as well, making the Chromebook Flip one of the more versatile Android tablets in disguise.