Buying advice: Find the best tablet for you here
22.8.2019
Translation: machine translated
The iPad with iOS or would you prefer an Android tablet? I can't make this decision for you - but I can recommend tablets and provide you with the information you need to make your purchase decision.
Although I regularly try out tablets for work, I have seen fewer and fewer useful applications for them in recent years. As a result, I didn't feel the need to buy a new tablet after my Nexus 7 died. However, I did think of three areas in which a tablet could be useful.
- as a notebook replacement
- as an entertaining multimedia all-rounder
- as a children's toy
The tablet as a notebook replacement and work tool
A trend can be recognised over the past two years: Manufacturers are trying to market their tablets as an alternative to laptops. This is why the range of accessories includes not only a pen, but also plug-in keyboards. With display sizes between 10 and 12.9 inches, they tend to be small notebooks.
Microsoft was ahead of the trend with its Surface and has continuously developed its tablet. The latest version is called Surface Pro 6, naturally runs Windows and still has the characteristic and very practical integrated stand. At 12.3 inches, its screen is almost as large as a 13-inch notebook.
Apple has made a significant shift with its tablet with the iPad Pro. Away from entertainment and towards serious work. To this end, the manufacturer has adapted the iOS operating system and given it multitasking capabilities, among other things. This development will continue with iPadOS in autumn 2019. You can currently choose between 11 and 12.9 inch displays for the iPad Pro (2018). If you want something a little smaller, the 10.5-inch model from 2017 is still available.
With the Galaxy Tab S6, Samsung is also trying to position its Android tablets as work devices. Looking at the data sheet, this seems coherent, but Android still has to prove itself against Windows and iPadOS.
A tablet for entertainment and passing the time
Sitting on the sofa in the evening and surfing the internet while watching TV or switching off the flickering box and travelling around the home with the smaller screen: a tablet is ideal for entertainment. A good display and usable speakers are important so that the various streaming apps can play their content well.
The Huawei MediaPad M5 already has media consumption in its name, has a high display resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels and also has the largest display at 10.8 inches. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A and the Lenovo Tab P10 are slightly smaller and have a lower resolution, but are still higher than Full HD. Apple offers two tablets with iOS for the described purpose. The affordable iPad (2018) and the iPad Air (2019). The latter is more expensive but also thinner and has a slightly larger display and a more powerful chipset.
Tablets for children's hands
If you don't want your child to have their own smartphone yet, a (family) tablet could be an alternative for them to take their first digital steps. It doesn't have to be the most expensive model to watch films or play a game. If you feel safer with it, you can also look out for protective covers. However, I don't think much of tablets specially designed for small children. They are usually technically inferior and I would only let my child use the tablet alone once they have developed a certain understanding of the destructibility of things.
In this context, parental controls are definitely worth considering to protect your child from careless clicks. Android and iOS have their own solutions for this with Family Link from Google and Family Sharing from Apple. If you don't like them, there are other alternatives available for download in the App Store and Play Store.
The Lenovo Tab E10, with its wide bezel and a look at the spec sheet, isn't the best value for money and comparatively new. However, the manufacturer has no plans to update the Android version. In contrast, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A (2019) is in a much better position and still comparatively cheap. The iPad (2019) is the cheapest way to get a current tablet from Apple with iOS.
When I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.
