Best Tablets 2021

In a time where smartphones are in everyone’s pocket or purse, it may seem odd to even still have tablets around – still, they serve a variety of purposes. From watching videos to working on the go, tablets definitely still have a place in the tech world – and these are some of the best ones you can buy this year!

The reMarkable is unique in quite a few ways. Unlike other tablets, it has no support for apps or games – it only does a few things, but it does those exceptionally well. With a digital paper screen, it’s easy on the eyes and ideal for writing on – which is its main purpose. A little pricy for ‘just’ a digital notebook, the reMarkable absolutely earns its price tag when you consider just how great it is for taking notes and syncing them to the cloud. It features proprietary software that translates handwriting into written text, and with 8GB of storage, allows for more writing and storing of documents than most users can manage in a good while.

It also offers a distraction-free experience for those who struggle with the temptations of having YouTube and Facebook at their fingertips constantly – and it’s the ideal travel companion, being extremely light with a durable battery. Up to 2 weeks is an incredible time for a tablet to last – and at less than 0.2 inches thickness, it’ll effortlessly fit into even the fullest bag.

This is one of the most expensive (and that’s saying something!) tablets Apple makes, yet it’s one of the few that would almost certainly also convince people who don’t like Apple to give it a try. The tablet boasts impressive performance on a crisp, bright screen and surprisingly strong battery performance.

Apple has always performed well in the tablet market, and this model is no exception – however, it’s not perfect. With accessories like the Magic Keyboard, it’s not only more expensive than a MacBook Air, but also heavier – that said, it offers multiple front and rear cameras a laptop couldn’t hope to match, and it’s naturally great for creative work. Artists really can’t go wrong with this one.

Samsung has always lagged behind Apple when it came to making powerful tablets – the S7 is their first device that can actually compete head-to-head with the iPad Pro. With a 120Hz display and solid CPU and RAM performance, there really isn’t anything to complain about as far as specs go – while the battery life is a little weaker than the iPad Pro, it still lasts up to 13 hours, with around 8 hours if it’s used continuously.

One area where it beats the iPad Pro hollow is price – it costs about half as much, even if you add on the optional keyboard. Naturally, its performance isn’t level with the iPad, however using both, it’s obvious that Samsung is catching up fast. For anyone who wants a high-performance tablet without paying a premium for an Apple device, the S7 or the S7 Plus are ideal options. The S7 Plus has a 12.4” AMOLED display, but is otherwise almost identical.

For anyone who wants to avoid Apple and Samsung as far as brands go, Amazon offers some solid alternatives. The Fire tablet series is somewhat unusual in that it doesn’t support Google apps, meaning you’d have to use YouTube in a browser if you want that – however, it’s the ultimate tool to maximise your Amazon Prime experience.

Perfectly suited for Amazon Prime Video content for example, it really capitalizes on its connection to the shopping giant. It’s also one of the most affordable tablets you can buy, available for less than $150. It’s small and portable, and its only real issues are the fact that it forces users to pay to remove apps (similar to how the Amazon Kindle does) and that it doesn’t support the Google Play store, despite having an Android-based operating system. For casual users or those wanting to test out a tablet without a big financial commitment, the Fire HD 10 is a great choice.

This tablet is another solid alternative to Samsung and Apple devices on the tablet market. It can’t compete with, say, the iPad Pro, but it’s a solid mid-level device, with a few surprisingly good aspects to it. First among them are the display and speakers – they are well above what you would expect for a tablet. The build itself is solid too, a metal shell that, while it adds weight, protects the tablet well.

As far as versatility goes, it easily keeps up with the Pro in that it can be used with keyboards, stylus pens, and of course, as a simple touchscreen tablet. Price-wise, it’s similar to some Samsung options, and while it doesn’t perform as well as comparable models as far as CPU power goes, the P11 Pro is a more than solid choice in its price class, especially for users who like Lenovo products, or those for whom screen and sound quality are high priority factors.

That was our list of the best tablets in 2021. Have you recently bought a tablet? Which model did you go for and what do you think of it?