The best Android tablets in 2025, tested by experts

CNN

24-04-2025

The best Android tablets we tested
Best Android tablet: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+
Best budget Android tablet: Amazon Fire 7 I've tested tech for nearly a decade, and it's always been a bit difficult to find the best Android tablet for most people. Unlike the relatively simple decision of finding the right iPad — where 90% of people pick a size and that's that — finding the best tablet for you in the wide and wooly world of Android is complicated. Folks love Android for all the choice you get, but with so many options from a variety of brands, things can get confusing quickly.
Sure, some folks buy a Fire tablet because they're all-in on Amazon, or they go for a Samsung tablet because they already own a Galaxy phone. But I seriously encourage you not to pick devices solely based on brand loyalty. Instead, check out these recommendations from our own extensive testing, whether you're on a budget or want the best overall Android tablet for your money.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+
This snappy tablet gives you more screen than you might expect from an Android tablet and all the apps you could ask for. Read our review
Amazon Fire 7
With a starting price of $60, the Fire 7 continues to define the phrase 'budget tablet.' This 2022 update doubled its memory and added a USB-C port.Read our review Samsung's got too many tablets for its own good, but we've figured out the sweet spot in its lineup. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ offers the best mix of performance, apps, screen size and price we've seen in the Android tablet space in some time. You don't even need to know what FE stands for (it means 'Fan Edition,' if you're curious). All you really need to know is that these are the best Android tablets for most people.
When I tested the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+, I was truly impressed by its screen-to-price value, as this 12.4-inch tablet is one of the biggest that's not sold by Apple — and it's $200 less than the 13-inch iPad Air. If that sounds like too much tablet for you to hold, Samsung also sells the 10.9-inch Tab S9 FE for $50 less. I'm aware that Amazon offers a similarly sized Fire HD 11 Max tablet, but I push people away from that product because you shouldn't be spending upwards of $230 on a tablet that doesn't have a YouTube app.
The Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ also earned points for its phenomenal battery life, which I tested by playing a looping 4K video at 50% brightness with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi disabled. With a time of nearly 13.5 hours, it lasted almost 1.5 hours longer than the Fire HD 11 Max and more than 5.5 hours longer than Apple's iPad Air.
In terms of performance, the Tab S9 FE+ is capable and decent at most everyday tasks, with web pages and apps loading in a timely nature. And while modest games (think Asphalt Legends) ran smoothly enough, I did notice that console-esque titles like Genshin Impact defaulted to the low graphics settings and then failed to play smoothly if I tried to push it higher. That said, we've yet to test an Android tablet that truly thrills us on gaming, so this might be more of a platform problem than a device issue.
Of course, if you want a pure Android experience, the 11-inch Google Pixel Tablet (which we'll cover below) might be right for you. It's just not compelling enough for us to recommend to all folks. While Google sells that tablet with its own charging stand that doubles as a speaker, it didn't impress during our testing. Meanwhile, Samsung continues to win points with us by packing in an S Pen stylus for free with the Galaxy Tab S9 FE and FE+, as should be the case with all tablets.
Interestingly enough, Samsung just rolled out the next versions of this tablet, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE and FE+, which we're currently testing. But for now, we say go for the S9 FE+, which is cheaper while it's still available — and not that different either.
When you're trying to find an affordable tablet, the Amazon Fire 7 always pops up in recommendations. Simply put, it's the 'good enough' tablet, especially when it's going to be your second (or third) screen and priced at a mere $60. That's a fraction of the price of the keyboard cases Apple makes for its iPads. Sure, it's light on special features, but nobody needs them at this price.
And you'll be surprised by how well apps such as Hulu, Spotify, Instagram and Zoom will work on a $60 tablet. It's not the fastest tablet — our tester still saw some laggy performance — but the 2022 version of the Fire 7 is well worth its price. It's also speedier than previous iterations, thanks to its new processor and twice as much memory as the previous edition. Oh, and it also uses the now-ubiquitous USB-C port for charging.
We appreciate how durable the Fire 7 feels, another surprise for its price point, though we will suggest that parents buy the Kids Edition model that includes a protective case and a two-year, no-questions-asked warranty. Speaking of parents, one of the biggest selling points for this tablet is the built-in parental controls that make it easy to control Junior's screen time.
The Amazon Fire 7 also has one little perk that might mean a whole lot to a certain subsection of the tablet-buying audience: a headphone jack. Yes, unlike most other modern tablets (including the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+), Amazon's little-tablet-that-can also supports wired headphones, which will help keep your kid's 'Cocomelon' habit from reaching your ears on long drives. But if you think a bigger screen would be better, waste no time in considering the Fire HD 8 or Fire HD 10. They're slightly more expensive, but bigger hands will appreciate their larger size.
The one big caveat that will keep some away from the Fire 7 (and all Amazon tablets) is that Amazon's app store doesn't have any of Google's apps. That includes Gmail, Google Docs and — most frustratingly for most, I'm guessing — YouTube. Parents might be irked that YouTube Kids isn't here either. Yes, you can load the unofficial app YouTube.com, and techy folks can sideload those apps once they figure out how to hack the Google Play store onto the Fire tablets, but many will be stymied out of the box.
When it comes to picking an Android tablet you'll actually use — and not one that disappears into the stack of magazines on your coffee table — you first need to figure out which apps are must-haves. Many Android tablets provide most of the programs you're constantly tapping on your phone, but Amazon's Fire tablets lack in this specific category.
Amazon's tablets run the company's own app store (and not the Google Play store), which Google doesn't participate in. So, if you want the official apps for Chrome, YouTube, Gmail, Google Docs and more on your Android tablet, you'll probably want a tablet from the likes of Samsung, Google or Lenovo. The truly techy among us can hack the Google Play store onto a Fire tablet via a trick called sideloading, but I can't assume you have that capability or someone on hand with those skills.
After that, the next thing to think about is screen size. If you want something comfortable for the couch and reading books, I'd pick a tablet in the 7- to 9-inch range. Those are also best for taking on planes because they easily fit on the seatback trays. If you're looking to try to replicate the laptop experience with multitasking productivity modes such as Samsung's DeX view, you should go for a larger tablet that's at least 11 inches, preferably 13.
Most of these tablets offer Bluetooth support to work with external keyboards and mice, but if typing on your tablet is a big deal, consider any keyboard case options presented during checkout to get a setup that you can easily pack in one fell swoop. Just know that any keyboard designed to fit a tablet that's less than 10 inches is probably too small for larger hands to use comfortably.
Next up, think about if you're going to use your tablet to write notes. Samsung's tablets often include the company's S Pen stylus, while other companies might make you pay extra or resort to hunting for third-party pens on Amazon.
Lastly, most people can skip upgrading their internal storage, provided their photos are synced via the cloud (if you take photos with your tablet, that is). We'd only recommend you upgrade your tablet's storage capacity if you're saving many movies and whole seasons of TV shows for your next trip.
Display
Picture quality: We'd hate to say that only one thing really matters about a tablet, but since these gadgets are more screen than anything else, we put a lot of effort into seeing how great each display is for watching TV, movies and various other videos. This way, we learn how sharp and colorful your favorite programming will look, from animation to live action.
Brightness: As someone who always packs a tablet on vacation, I know that panel brightness matters. We get familiar with how bright each tablet gets in order to see if it's got enough illumination for you to easily read books or watch TV in broad daylight.
Design
Look and feel: Tablets (just like phones) should be designed to be held in your hands for long periods of time, so we spend a fair amount of our testing time using these tablets just like you would after clicking 'Buy now.' This way, we get a sense of the ergonomics and go beyond mere aesthetics (which do factor in a little).
Ports: While tablets are increasingly relying on just the USB-C port for data and charging, we do take notice when the occasional headphone jack or proprietary connector port makes it easy to attach an accessory that makes the tablet more than just a simple content-consumption device.
Styli and keyboards: Some companies are generous enough to include a stylus or keyboard with your tablet purchase, earning brownie points with budget-focused customers and reviewers. That said, not all accessories are worth the parts they're made of, so we test them out to see if they should have even been included at all.
Performance
Benchmarks: While we use our usual mix of apps with each of these tablets to get a sense of how they hold up to our everyday needs, we also run benchmark tests such as Geekbench to get scores to help us easily compare the tablets' speeds.
Battery life: To gauge battery life, we charge each tablet to 100%; turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and any automatic brightness settings; lower the display brightness to 50% and time how long it takes for a looping 4K video to drain the tablet's charge. This allows us to get a sense of how each slate handles everyday content consumption, which is probably the main reason you're buying it in the first place.
Software
Usability: While you'd think most Android tablets run the same operating system, that's not the case. Amazon's FireOS is a thoroughly remixed version of Android that operates like its own beast, while Samsung's OneUI merely looks a little different and has its own take on the Settings app and other menus. We consider how easy these specific versions of Android are to use and if we wish the manufacturer had just used pure Android, like the Google Pixel Tablet.
Apps: For the most part, all Android tablets can run the same apps, but you'll find eccentricities when you're using certain models not made by Google. For example, Amazon's Fire tablets don't have Google's own apps, such as Chrome, YouTube and Gmail, because they don't have the Google Play store. Samsung's tablets have their own Samsung-branded apps for basics like Calendar and Notes, which you get from Samsung's own app store. These differences might be minor to some, but we always factor them in when reviewing tablets.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+
If you think the Tab S9 FE+ isn't big enough, Samsung's newest and biggest midrange tablet packs a 13.1-inch screen.Read our review The Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ proves you can have too much of a good thing. On the upside, this tablet offers strong battery life, performance and picture quality, but its design is a bit too ungainly to be easily held.
Google Pixel Tablet
You can get the pure Android tablet experience with the Google Pixel Tablet, which is part-tablet and part-smart home controller. Google also sells a bundle with a charging speaker stand that costs $100 extra.Read our review In our testing, the Pixel Tablet offered great performance and worked well as a smart home display. Plus, its screen proved solid on brightness and color quality. However, problems arose when we tried to use it with the included stand. Not only was it awkward to connect to that dock but Hub mode also proved inconsistent and the speaker's sound quality didn't impress either.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
The S9 Ultra lives up to its name, thanks to its 14.6-inch AMOLED display and super-snappy performance. Read our review Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra looks and feels like it should be the answer to Apple's ultra-premium iPad Pro. It's got long-lasting battery life and a beautiful screen, and Samsung even throws in a stylus. The big issue is that its $1,200 price tag is too much to spend on an Android tablet when many apps are still not optimized for this screen size — and when Samsung's DeX mode has yet to deliver on its promise of an excellent laptop-like experience.
Amazon Fire HD 10
Amazon's second-biggest tablet packs a full HD screen and a 5-megapixel selfie camera for when it's time to jump on a video call.Read our review We reviewed the 2021 version of Amazon's Fire HD 10 tablet, which is practically the same tablet as the 2023 model currently for sale. While it has the same Amazon app store flaws as the Fire 7, it's still an acceptable option for those who want a 10-inch tablet at a fraction of the regular iPad's price. Heck, we've often seen it priced under $100.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+
This 2022 tablet packs a 12.4-inch OLED display and includes Samsung's DeX mode to imitate laptop-level multitasking.Read our review While the Android premium tablet experience has always been a bit hampered by apps never quite fitting larger screens, the Tab S8+ sits in that interesting sweet spot while its price continues to drop. It still can't completely replace a laptop, but it's awfully strong as a thin and light streaming beast.
What are the disadvantages of an Android tablet?
What are the disadvantages of an Android tablet?
Android apps historically have never quite gotten the tablet optimizations that make them fit a larger screen. So, while iPads feel more integrated to the whole Apple ecosystem, Android tablets can often feel like an awkward older sibling still growing into their clothing.
Can you text on an Android tablet?
Can you text on an Android tablet?
Yes, unless it's a Fire tablet. If you're on a traditional Android tablet, set up messaging on your Android phone with the Google Messages app. If you're on a Samsung device, look for the 'Call & text on other devices' feature.
Which Android tablet is closest to iPad?
Which Android tablet is closest to iPad?
If you're talking about screen and build quality along with ecosystem integration, you want one of the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablets. The Google Pixel Tablet is also a decent iPad competitor, especially since it's running the unadulterated Android tablet experience.
CNN Underscored thoroughly vets all the products in our testing guides, and we provide full transparency about how these products are tested, so you know they'll meet your standards because they meet our requirements. Our skilled writers and editors have many years of testing experience that informs them how to properly review products, and we ensure each article is edited for accuracy and clarity.
Electronics writer Henry T. Casey has been testing tablets in his work as a tech reviewer for nearly a decade. In that time, he's slogged through the chunkiest kids' tablets, the priciest iPad Pro and everything in between.