Screen size: 10.9 inches | Storage: Starts at 64GB | Rated battery life: 10 hours | Connectivity: Wi-Fi (cellular 4G/5G optional) | Warranty: 1 year

I get it. There’s just something about the iPad. Give Apple credit for crafting a tablet that’s really desirable despite the out-of-whack price. In fact, following a 2022 redesign, it got even out-of-whackier: Apple bumped the semi-affordable $329 price tag to a disappointing $449. Thankfully, it’s now down to $349, which seems much more reasonable.

And while it may be two years old, there’s no denying the iPad 10.9’s appeal, starting with a slightly larger screen inside a frame that’s roughly the same size as before. Gone is the home button; in its place, a power button that supports Touch ID. And if you’re tired of the bland silver and space-gray color choices, the 10th-generation iPad adds blue, pink and yellow options to the mix.

Apple also made a bunch of under-the-hood improvements, including a faster processor, more RAM (4GB instead of 3GB), Bluetooth 5.0 (up from 4.2) and a USB-C charging port. (So long, Lightning!) None of these upgrades are what I’d consider must-haves, but they do make an already excellent tablet even better.

Photography fans, take note: This iPad’s rear camera can now capture 12-megapixel images. That partners with a wide-angle front camera that’s great for selfies and such. The latter supports Apple’s handy Center Stage feature as well, automatically adjusting to keep you in the frame even if you move around. And the rear camera can be used for augmented reality (AR) games and apps, one area where Apple far outpaces the competition.

Another plus: All iPads are available with a cellular option, which adds to the price but definitely adds to the versatility as well. That said, if your phone has a hotspot option, you can save money by leveraging that (for just about any tablet, really).

Worth noting, too, is that while the iPad has more accessories than a runway model, with options ranging from the Apple Pencil stylus (for sketching) to keyboard cases, none of them come cheap. And its older A14 Bionic processor won’t be able to handle the fancy new Apple Intelligence features coming with future software upgrades. 

You might think the smaller iPad Mini would be the “budget” iPad to pick, but it starts at $499. At $349, the iPad 10.9 still isn’t cheap, but I do think it offers the best, most versatile tablet experience you can get.

Screen size: 8 inches | Storage: Starts at 32GB (expandable) | Rated battery life: 13 hours | Connectivity: Wi-Fi | Warranty: 90 days

The Fire HD 8 isn’t the sexiest tablet in town, but it delivers incredible bang for the buck — especially when it’s on sale (which is often).

Indeed, although Amazon lists it at $100, you can frequently find the Fire HD 8 marked down to $65, $60 or even $55. 

Whatever price you pay, there’s an embarrassment of tablet riches to be found here. The Fire HD 8 features a sharp display — iPads offer more pixels, but trust me when I say you won’t notice in most apps — and something you can’t get from any iPad model: expandable storage. If you fill up the included 32GB, just pop in an inexpensive MicroSD card for up to 1 terabyte more.

Other Fire perks: USB-C connectivity, dual speakers, hands-free Alexa voice controls for your smart home ecosystem and support for something called Show Mode, which effectively turns the tablet into a poor man’s Echo Show 8. If that’s of interest, consider the Fire HD 8 Plus, which adds support for wireless charging. (You’ll probably want the optional Wireless Charging Dock as well.)

Is it perfect? Not quite: The front and rear cameras are pretty low resolution — fine for Zoom calls and such, but not great for shooting photos and video. I also don’t love Amazon’s short warranty, which expires after just 90 days. And it runs something called Fire OS, a version of Android that’s just different enough that it won’t run standard Android apps. I also find the Fire OS interface less than intuitive compared to iPad and stock Android.

But if you’re primarily looking to consume entertainment — books, music, movies and TV, games and so on — this is an incredible deal, especially if you pick up a pair of great wireless headphones to go with it.

Read our complete Fire HD 8 review to learn more.

Screen size: 8 inches | Storage: Starts at 32GB (expandable) | Rated battery life: 13 hours | Connectivity: Wi-Fi | Warranty: 2 years

Modern parents, you have it so easy. A single tablet can hold a mountain of children’s books, to say nothing of games, movies, educational apps and more. That’s especially convenient for long car rides, trips involving airplanes and so on. (My wife and I used to shlep backpacks full of books — not fun.)

At the risk of me gushing, Amazon’s Fire HD 8 Kids tablet is a godsend — and better for children than the best iPad in nearly every way. For starters, there’s the affordable price: It can be yours for just $150; that’s $350 less (!) than Apple’s 8.3-inch iPad Mini.

Equally appealing, the Fire HD 8 Kids lives up to its name by arriving in a colorful case that’s designed to withstand a lot of abuse from kids. In fact, Amazon backs the tablet with an unparalleled two-year warranty, one that covers accidental breakage. So if Junior sits on, drop-kicks or tries to flush the thing, you’re covered.

Meanwhile, Amazon offers a free year of its Kids+ subscription service, which includes unlimited access to age-appropriate books, games, apps, videos and so on. There are front- and rear-facing cameras for fun with photos and video, and baked-in parental controls you can monitor and update remotely.

By the way, if you have older kids (in the 6-12 range), the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro has a more “grown-up”-looking case and more advanced parental controls. In nearly all other respects it’s the same, including price and warranty.

Although Amazon offers 10-inch versions of both models, they cost at least $60 more. I don’t see much advantage to the slightly larger screen, which will just be heavier and harder for little hands to hold.

I do consider the Fire HD 8 Kids a slam-dunk product, without question the best tablet for children.

Screen size: 11.5 inches | Storage: 128GB (expandable) | Rated battery life: 10 hours | Connectivity: Wi-Fi | Warranty: 1 year

Can a tablet take the place of a laptop? The Lenovo Tab P11 makes a strong case. Although you can buy it as a standalone tablet, the real deal here is the bundle that includes not only a detachable keyboard, but also a pressure-sensitive stylus. It typically sells for around $350 — the same as Apple’s iPad 10.9 by itself — remarkable considering how much power is packed into this kit (which is what I tested).

For starters, there’s the 11.5-inch screen running at 2K resolution — it’s as sharp and colorful as any I’ve seen, and its 5:3 (i.e. very wide, a hair away from 16:9) aspect ratio makes it great for watching movies. It also delivers a 120Hz refresh rate for silky-smooth gaming, scrolling and the like. And speaking of games and movies, the Tab P11’s Dolby Atmos-enhanced quad speaker system produces some of the best tablet audio I’ve heard.

Lenovo supplies a generous 128GB of onboard storage, and there’s a microSD slot for adding more — though I had a difficult time removing the SIM card-like tray that protects that slot.

Like a lot of tablets, the Tab P11 has cameras that qualify as good, not great. You get a 13-megapixel sensor at the rear and an 8-megapixel camera facing front; both do well if there’s decent lighting and your subject isn’t too close or too far.

Although it’s a mostly plastic tablet, with a rather drab case/stand combo that’s needed if you want to use the keyboard, what the Tab P11 lacks in design flair it more than makes up for in utility. That keyboard is wide and comfortable enough for touch-typing, and I was also impressed by the stylus, which worked well in a variety of art and note-taking apps. (Initially I thought there was nowhere to dock it — it doesn’t attach magnetically anywhere — but then discovered the case includes an ingenious retractable holster in the top edge.)

I didn’t love the smattering of bloatware apps Lenovo preinstalled, but I did like the Reading Mode toggle designed to make the screen appear more Kindle-like (i.e., monochrome).

The value proposition here is spectacular. For around $350 you get a speedy, spacious tablet with a gorgeous screen, great speakers, a useful keyboard and an advanced stylus. This Lenovo Tab P11 bundle is the very definition of a steal.

Screen size: 11 inches | Storage: Starts at 128GB | Rated battery life: 11 hours | Connectivity: Wi-Fi | Warranty: 1 year

If you’re looking for a tablet that delivers a “pure Android” experience, go straight to the source: The Pixel Tablet comes from Google, and Google makes Android. That means you won’t get any unwanted apps or have to learn your way around a heavily modified interface (looking at you, Amazon Fire tablets).

But there’s more here than just the clean, familiar operating system: Google also supplies a magnetic dock that not only simplifies charging, but also turns the Pixel into a smart screen and home hub. That means when you’re not using it for portable tablet things, you can dock it on, say, your kitchen counter for watching recipe videos, or your nightstand for clock/weather duties. I keep it on my desk and ask for a live feed of my Eufy E340 video doorbell.

The dock isn’t just a display stand and wireless magnetic charger, either — it’s also a speaker. A small one, yes, but definitely an improvement over the four tiny speakers built into the tablet itself. And if you’re listening to music or watching a video and then dock the Pixel, it quickly and automatically “hands off” audio to that speaker. 

I did encounter a few setup glitches. The operating system wanted me to plug a cable into an existing Android device or iPhone or iPad to copy over my data; why not do it wirelessly? Later, I was presented with a “let’s finish setting up your tablet” wizard that seemed to get stuck in a loop, asking me repeatedly to copy my data (which I’d already “skipped,” intentionally). And following a tablet reboot, the Pixel “forgot” which screensaver I’d selected and reverted to the default clock.

Those glitches aside, this is a fast, stylish and well-rounded tablet. I like its roomy 11-inch screen, which has a wider aspect ratio (16:10) than the iPad 10.9 (4:3) and is therefore better suited to watching movies and TV shows. (The image fills more of the screen, with smaller black bars at the top and bottom.) I also like the 128GB of storage in the base model — plenty of room for downloading movies and TV shows — but wish it had a memory-card slot for expansion.

I also wish Google offered a keyboard and stylus for those interested in productivity and creative pursuits, but you’ll have to rely on third-party products.

Mostly, though, this is a great tablet not just for travel, but also for around the house. The dock may seem like a trivial addition, but it greatly expands the Pixel’s usefulness and makes me wish Apple offered something similar for its iPads.

(An important note on the price: While this tablet/dock combo ostensibly costs $100 more than the standalone tablet, I’ve also seen it thrown in for free — so do keep an eye out for that discount.)