10 best Android tablets for keeping kids busy, gaming on the go and streaming movies in the bath

Best: Overall

Samsung’s headliner tablet is the best Android tablet you can buy today. The Samsung Galaxy tab S8+ has an industry-leading 12.4in super AMOLED display with a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate, a blisteringly fast processor, a generous 8GB wodge of RAM, 5G connectivity, and comes with the S-Pen stylus included as standard.

The differences between the S8+ and the S8 (£649, Samsung.com) boil down to the size and quality of the screen. The latter has a smaller and less vibrant LTPS TFT display and is slightly thicker overall to accommodate it. It also lacks the in-display fingerprint scanner found in the S8+, though the smaller device does feature a power button fingerprint scanner.

The Galaxy tab S8 ultra (£999, Amazon.co.uk), featured below, is the supersized model, has dual 12MP cameras rather than the single one found in the smaller tablets, and can be customised with additional storage and as much as twice the RAM.

Best: For streaming

Whereas the Galaxy tab S range is all about cramming as many features and much performance into a tablet as possible, the Galaxy tab A series is Samsung’s range of more affordable tablets. If you don’t want a tablet that could power your entire working life, and just want a portable screen to watch Ozark in the bath, we can’t recommend them highly enough.

The A8 is the latest in this series of affordable Android tablets, but it has quality where it counts. Samsung has saved money by cutting down on storage and RAM (which you don’t need much of for streaming and everyday use) but focused on top build quality, a long battery life, high security specifications and impressively meaty stereo speakers.

Best: For kids

Whereas Samsung and Huawei set out to produce fast and powerful Android tablets capable of replacing your laptop entirely, Amazon is out here competing on price. The brand’s best tablet is one of the cheapest and best value on the market. The fire HD 10 costs less than £150 and has a bright Full HD display that’s ideal for streaming entertainment in bed, on the sofa, or while on the move.

Keep in mind that this isn’t truly an Android tablet. Android is owned by Google – one of Amazon’s biggest competitors – and so Amazon tablets run on an adapted version of Android called Fire OS. This means you don’t get your usual Google apps such as maps, email, the Play store and YouTube. However, most of these services can still be accessed through the tablet’s web browser.

The big idea – and the reason Amazon sells such alluringly cheap tablets – is that you stick to streaming its Prime shows, music and movies, reading Kindle books, listening to Audible, buying groceries and products from Amazon, and using the fire HD 10 to control Alexa smart home devices around your home.

If you’re happy with that deal, then the fire HD 10 is a brilliant streaming device, portable entertainment centre and second screen for the connected home.

Best: For reading

The smallest of Samsung’s newest range of tablets, the 11in Galaxy tab S8 is mostly the same on the inside, where it counts. Because it has an identical CPU and just as much RAM as the default configurations of other S8 tablets, it can match its larger siblings in terms of pure performance.

You also get the same excellent Samsung cameras and enterprise-level security features found in the S8+ (£999, Samsung.com), as well as the newly upgraded and lower latency S-Pen included in the box.

What you’re missing out on is the luscious AMOLED screen found in the S8+ and S8 ultra (£999, Amazon.co.uk) tablets. That screen technology produces notably richer colours and deeper contrast, and so if you’re planning on using this Android tablet purely for consuming media on the move, we’d recommend at least considering the step up to the S8+ if you can.

Best: For watching movies

Standing apart from the crowd of identikit grey slates is the asymmetrical Lenovo yoga tab 11, which sports a design that’s bulkier along one edge like the spine of a book and has a built-in kickstand. Coupled with the tablet’s sharp OLED display, this versatility makes it the ideal device for consuming media on the go or – as we liked to use it during testing –propped up while you cook.

Lenovo leans into the entertainment angle with a set of four Dolby Atmos tuned JBL speakers tactically placed around the thin chassis, giving the yoga tab 11 some of the best sounding audio we’ve heard on any tablet. That same audio fidelity also enhances the device’s capabilities as a crystal clear video calling device.

Newer, faster models are available – the latest in the range is the Lenovo yoga tab 13 (£699.99, Lenovo.com) – but we’re highlighting the 11 here as it’s a great tablet that can often be found super cheap online.

Best: Large Android tablet

The Samsung Galaxy tab S8 ultra’s standout feature is its enormous and luscious 14.6in screen. It is the best display of any tablet we’ve tested, a 2960px x 1848px super AMOLED panel with bright, bold colours and rich contrast between areas of darkness and light. The 120Hz refresh rate delivers a smooth scrolling experience when browsing, and the 16:10 aspect ratio (nearer to widescreen than the more squat iPad pro) is ideal for watching movies and TV.

Samsung’s AMOLED displays are always among the best you’ll find on any device. The tablet can also function as a second screen for a desktop computer or laptop, enabling seamless side-by-side multitasking with a traditional mouse and keyboard setup. Coupled with seriously powerful components, that makes the Galaxy tab S8 ultra the perfect Android tablet for professional designers who want to carry around acres of screen real estate.

Read the full Samsung Galaxy tab S8 ultra review

Best: For business

Lenovo’s thinnest Android tablet is notable for its spectacular and bright OLED display, which has a sharp 2K resolution that’s ideal for entertainment and light gaming. The rounded, all-metal chassis offers a level of premium build quality you’d expect from a more expensive tablet. And the Snapdragon 870 mobile processor is powerful enough to handle mid-to-high-end tasks such as photo editing and juggling dozens of open browser windows simultaneously.

When coupled with the keyboard case and pen – sold separately – the Lenovo yoga tab P12 pro becomes a conveniently sized productivity tablet capable of replacing your laptop. We recommend it for hybrid workers or anyone who fancies watching old episodes of trashy TV on the commute home.

Best: iPad pro alternative

This is Huawei’s answer to Apple’s celebrated iPad pro, a premium Android tablet with a gorgeous screen and an optional folio keyboard case and stylus. The matepad pro is aimed at power-users who need their tablet for intense productivity and immersive media playback on the go, though like other Huawei mobile devices it’s partly held back by a lack of Google services.

This means you can’t easily access the Google Play store to install the apps you’re likely most familiar with, though it’s still possible to access most functionality via web-based apps. Gmail, for example, can be run entirely within the browser. That, coupled with the fact that the matepad pro is less than half the price of an equivalent Samsung Galaxy or Apple iPad, make it an enticing prospect for users looking for a powerful and portable device.

Read our full review of the Huawei matepad pro

Best: For gaming

The previous generation of Samsung Galaxy tablet is indistinguishable from this year’s models at a glance. The Galaxy tab S7+ has the same super-premium build quality, sleek metal chassis, lightweight design and thin bezels. It’s also regularly discounted now that the S8 range has dropped, making it incredibly good value for an Android tablet of this calibre.

The screen is that same best-in-class, 120Hz AMOLED display found on this year’s tablets. And smart features, such as DeX, which transforms the user interface from a touchscreen into something resembling a Windows desktop, let you stay productive whether you’re on a plane or casting to a hotel room TV.

Read the full Samsung Galaxy tab S7+ review

Best: Cheap Android tablet

The cheapest tablet Amazon makes is also its most popular, and with good reason. This affordable little device costs less than £50 and can easily handle everyday tasks such as browsing the internet, checking out recipes, reading books and watching TV shows and movies. The vanishing low price also makes the Amazon fire 7 popular with cafés and small restaurants for taking orders and processing payments.

There’s a kids’ version (£59.99, Amazon.co.uk) which is effectively the same tablet in a chunky, toddler-proof case, bundled with a subscription to Amazon Kids+, a collection of apps, games and videos for young ‘uns. Although this is an Android tablet it doesn’t run Google apps by default, so it takes some simple tinkering with settings if you plan on sideloading the YouTube or YouTube Kids apps.