The Best Tablets for Students

If you are a student and you are looking for the best tablets for students, then you have come to the right place. In this post, I will be discussing the top tablets for students that you might want to consider. While these tablets can be useful for all types of end-users, these are the best for students who want to take their studies to the next level.

Choosing the Best Tablet

So, what do I mean by the best tablets?

• Students need to have a tablet that is featured packed and strongly built at the same time.
• The best tablets for students are those that are easy to carry and don't break the bank.
• A tablet that is too expensive won't be worth the money if it gets lost or broken.
• Also if a tablet is too small, that won't be practical for students.

The Best Tablets for Students

Even though e-readers (see Kindle Alternatives) are now packed with both reading and writing features, they still lack the colors and ecosystem that a student needs. In this list, you will find mostly iPads and there isn't just one reason for that.

Apple has worked intelligently to build the best tablet devices of this generation and if you have the budget, I won't suggest any other tablet than an iPad (iPad Pro, Air and normal versions in that order). 

iPads are 100 times better than most flagship Android tablets of the same cost. The added support of the Apple Pencil makes the iPad an ideal companion for a good student.

Although iPads continue to be highly popular, we’ve also witnessed the emergence of a number of Android tablets with great features that might suit some users better.

Samsung is the leading Android tablet company out there, followed by Xiaomi, Amazon and Lenovo.

So, without further ado let's start with the list of the best tablets for students for notetaking and reading needs.

iPad Pro

Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro is arguably the best tablet available for purchase. There is an 11-inch version in the iPad Pro series as well. But if you are opting for a tablet in this range, go for the iPad Pro 12.9 inch model.

If you cannot go for the iPad Pro 12.9 inch model, go iPad Air 5th Generation with M1 (10.9 inches) instead of the iPad Pro 11 inch model.

There are two reasons:

1. iPad Air will do tasks as well as the iPad Pro 11-inch model.
2. iPad Air is cheaper.
3. iPad Air was launched just recently.

iPad Pro (from here on – both the models) is actually more than just a tablet. It comes with Apple’s in-house M1 chipset which gives it a massive advantage over its competitors.

This powerful chipset allows you to perform everything nonchalantly, like extremely fast 4K video exports, mobile gaming at the highest settings and productivity tasks – all in a sleek design complete with abundant battery life.

iPad Air

This is the iPad I have. It is undoubtedly the best in the range. I love the iPad Air for its sleek design and sleek features. This is a perfect tablet for students and for on-the-go use. It is a great option for students thanks to the new M1 processor, up to 256 GB storage, 10.9-inch larger screen, great cameras and Apple Pencil 2nd Generation support.

iPad Mini

Apple’s 6th-generation iPad mini is the smallest iPad but it packs the same power as an iPhone 13.  Two years after its previous mini-tablet, Apple added a high-end makeover to the 8.3-inch screen. iPad Mini (2021 onwards) comes with a liquid retina display with True Tone and wide color, A15 Bionic chip with Neural Engine (the same as iPhone 13), Touch ID, 12MP cameras on both back and front and loud stereo speakers. It has Apple Pencil first-generation support for writing notes and annotating documents.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ and S7 FE

Samsung’s flagship large-screen tablet, Galaxy Tab S7+ offers a plethora of incredible features. Its 12.4-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel is nearly unparalleled in terms of quality. Its quad speakers are satisfactorily loud, the bezels are uniform and slim, and the brushed metal design is simply pristine.

Galaxy Tab S7+ features a wireless DeX complete with a desktop-like UI. The package comes with an S Pen. It undoubtedly offers the best tablet experience outside of Apple’s iPad line.

The cheaper variant, the Tab S7 FE (Fan Edition) is somewhat compromised, but nevertheless features a premium build and luxurious 12.4-inch screen. Admittedly, it is an LCD screen unlike the splendid AMOLED display on the Tab S7+. However, it is a huge portable screen suitable for all sorts of tasks complete with S Pen support.

iPad

The original iPad series is still the best tablet in the entry price range. If you are limited on the budget but want to take benefit of Apple's features and Apple Pencil support – you can go for the iPad (currently the 9th generation).

Realme Pad

Realme’s first official tablet, the Realme Pad covers all the basic necessities of a tablet, such as a large screen and a slim and light build with ample battery backup. It features a decent 10.4-inch IPS LCD, well-organized Android 11 interface, and quad speakers that get sufficiently loud. Other good features of this product include a headphone jack, optional dual-SIM LTW connectivity, a microSD card slot, and an affordable price point.

Unfortunately, the low price becomes quite obvious when it comes to features such as the basic 8MP snappers on the front and back, choice of the chipset (12 nm MediaTek Helio G80), and abysmal 32GB of storage space. As long as these limitations don’t bother you, the Realme Pad is a wonderful choice for its price.

Xiaomi Pad 5

The Xiaomi Pad 5 is an impressive tablet featuring a stunning aluminum build, 11-inch IPS with a superfast 120Hz refresh rate, flagship-grade Snapdragon 860 chipset, powerful quad speakers, smooth MIUI 12.5 over Android 11, and a 22.5W or 33W fast charger depending on your region. Its panel combines both HDR10 and Dolby Vision capabilities and gets sufficiently bright when required.

The tablet’s battery life tends to last for more than 14 hours of browsing, gaming, and watching videos. You can also use it to capture great-quality photos and videos. My main complaints with this one are the lack of expandable storage, an inbuilt GPS module, and a fingerprint reader.

Not buying a tablet online? See how to test a tablet in a retail store?

Conclusion

Tablets are a great way to keep up with the latest technology and activities. Tablets also allow you to do all of your work on one device, which is convenient. This article lists the top 10 tablets for students. There are many different types of tablets for students, so it is important to choose the right one for you. 

The best tablets for students should be durable, lightweight, and affordable. The best tablets for students should also have good battery life and should have a good screen resolution. The best tablets for students also should have a good camera and should have a good software library. The best tablets for students should also be able to run a lot of apps and should have a good processor.

I hope this list of the best tablets for students will be of some help to you. Keep learning!

Last update on 2024-09-18 using Amazon Product Advertising API.