The tablet that helps you remain on top of your academics without breaking the bank is the greatest option for students. While looking for the best tablets, there are many important elements to take into account, including pricing, portability, and screen size.
Find our top selections for the best student tablets to buy right now below, from the elementary school student who will be using their first tablet to the college student who wants a tablet that is suitable for both work and play.
Never pay full price for anything, and always check out our guides to the greatest iPad and tablet sales. There are presently discounts available on many of the tablets in our recommendations, saving you anywhere from $50 to $100.
The top student tablets available right now include:
1. Apple iPad 2021
The iPad is perhaps the best option for students who desire a tablet because its design is staying put and seems to have been chosen with the educational market in mind. Because it still has a headphone jack and a Lightning port, it may be used with existing accessories and in classrooms. Yet the iPad for 2021 also comes with some fantastic new improvements. Apple has also introduced a new trick called Center Stage that helps you stay in the focus on group chats in addition to its 12MP webcam, which is a big improvement over the 1.2MP camera in the previous model.
Additionally, the updated A13 Bionic chip ensures that the 2021 iPad will continue to run quickly for some time. Moreover, you’ll be able to annotate notes with the first-generation Apple Pencil using Scribble. The iPad 2021 also offers the standard Apple features, like a beautiful screen, a long battery life, good audio, and all the essentials.
2. Amazon Fire 10 HD
The greatest student tablet for younger kids is the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021). It offers minor improvements over its predecessor, including a slightly brighter screen, an additional 1GB of Memory, and a more compact, lighter design. Together, it results in one of the best tablets from Amazon that we have ever seen.
The $179 Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus(opens in new tab), probably the greatest Amazon tablet ever, is recommended if you require faster performance. Despite this, students who want a device to browse the internet, read e-books, and watch videos will still love the Fire HD 10 (2021). This keeps the Fire HD 10 in the top tier of Android tablets, which is great news if you’re on a tight budget.
Certain concessions are important to note. The Google Play app store is still absent on Amazon’s Fire OS, which makes it difficult to access the complete YouTube experience. Also, you’ll miss out on many excellent programs that aren’t offered in the Amazon app store. The Fire HD 10 (2021) is a fantastic choice if you can get over it.
3. Lenovo Duet 3
Depending on where you purchase it, the Lenovo Duet 3 (or Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3) is a fantastic Chrome tablet that costs as little as $359 to purchase. This is essentially a bigger, more costly version of Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet, which was released in 2020 and is still on our list despite being a surprisingly powerful and affordable Chrome tablet.
We adored the original Duet because it featured a terrific battery life, reliable performance, and a respectable built-in keyboard cover, all for under $250. The new Duet 3 from Lenovo is a little more expensive, but it also comes with a bigger, brighter display, more ports, and more power from a stronger Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor. It’s one of the greatest Chrome tablets money can buy, and Lenovo includes the keyboard cover without charging extra, enabling it to also function as a surprisingly good 2-in-1 Chromebook. If money is tight, the original Duet higher down this list is a better option, but those who can afford it will benefit greatly from this fantastic Chromebook.
4. Microsoft Surface Go 2
If you’re searching for a cheap Windows tablet, the Surface Go 2 is your best option. Yet compared to the first Surface Go, this sequel makes a number of nice upgrades. The 10.5-inch screen is bigger and has thinner bezels, first. The larger screen—possibly the most crucial aspect of a tablet—and the redesigned design enable easier immersion in your work.
The Surface Go 2’s 11 hours and 39 minutes of battery life—more than 5 hours longer than the Surface Go’s first iteration—is the largest improvement. This is particularly helpful if you require a tablet with a long battery life. While the second front camera sensor adds Windows Hello biometric login, the 5-megapixel 1080p camera on its top bezel is perfect for the age of remote learning. The Surface Go 2 with the 8th Gen Intel Core m3 update is the best option for multitasking students, even though it costs a little more ($629).
iPad Mini 5 and 6 (2021)
A voracious reader like you or your favorite student will likely adore the 8.3-inch iPad mini 6, which is portable and easy to operate with only one hand. As it supports the 2nd Gen Apple Pencil (and not the more cumbersome 1st Gen Apple Pencil), which magnetically clips onto the side and charges from that side, it’s also fantastic for taking handwritten notes. Yet, don’t expect less performance due to its smaller size because the A15 Bionic processor is extremely fast and has a long battery life.
If you wish to type on the iPad mini, you might require a Bluetooth keyboard. The iPad mini 6 doesn’t come with an attractive Magic Keyboard or Smart Keyboard from Apple, but third-party models are still a fantastic fit. Students who frequently participate in video conversations will value the new, updated 12MP webcam’s razor-sharp image quality and Center Stage feature, which keeps you in the center of the frame.
6. S8 Galaxy Tab from Samsung
The Galaxy Tab S8 excels at being a high-end Android tablet despite being outstanding at many other areas as well. It’s wonderful for gaming or reading comics on the sofa, and it’s useful to have as a note-taking tool in the classroom. If you go to the expense of investing in the Galaxy ecosystem and making your desk DeX-friendly, you can hook up an external keyboard at home to complete light schooling or utilize it as a supplementary display for larger projects.
The Samsung Tab S8 Ultra is undoubtedly what you want if you have to have the biggest, baddest Android tablet available, but if all you need is a superb premium Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab S8 delivers and raises the bar for what we should anticipate from the category.
7. iPad Air (2020)
The iPad Air (2020) is similar to the iPad Pro in many ways, however it is more reasonably priced. Although while it may not appeal to everyone due to its increased price, it is undoubtedly Apple’s best iPad ever. Overall, in our opinion, this is the greatest student tablet for college.
The new iPad Air is a true laptop rival because it supports the Magic Keyboard and has the same ultra-thin bezels as the iPad Pro. Moreover, Apple’s lightning-fast A14 Bionic CPU gives this tablet the speed it needs for demanding apps and multitasking, helping to future-proof it. Touch ID was also included into the lock button by Apple.
You can anticipate receiving 10.5 hours of power from the battery, which should be enough to get you through an entire school day. Its screen is sufficiently vivid and bright for your next Netflix binge-watch to look fantastic when you’re not studying. Because to its 7-megapixel webcam, which outperformed the Logitech C920 in head-to-head testing for our review, it’s also fantastic for remote learning.
