Top 10 portable tablet mobiles of 2023

In the 19th century, a newspaper magazine talked about “telephones small enough to be carried in the pocket”. Most people ridiculed the idea. Time passed, and the first computer, the Eniac, was invented. People marvelled at the heights of human achievement. Mid-20s computers began to be used, yet critics were sceptic about the idea of home-based computers. Let alone the concept of androids was beyond their imagination.

There has been an enormous spike in demand for tablet products. This increase in market size also means huge business opportunities for the market and unlimited alternatives to choose from for buyers. The latter poses questions like, "Which tablet should I buy" or "which is the best tablet in the market?".

If you are a student, you might even search for the best tablet for students. It is natural to get lost in the ocean of choices. However, let us assure you that there is nothing to worry about. In this article, we will look through some of the best alternatives and choose the one, perfect for your requirements.

1. Apple iPad Air

Apple has been the talk of the mobile town for launching many products in the past year, of which the iPad Air created a buzz. "Light. Bright. Full of Might", true to its caption, the product was claimed as 'more versatile than ever'. The fifth generation Apple table provides a 10.9‑inch Liquid Retina display featuring advanced technologies like True Tone, P3 wide colour and an anti-reflective coating. It also includes Smart HDR and Touch ID and is compatible with apple's best accessories like the Magic keyboard and 2nd generation pencil stylus.

Specifications:

Brand: Apple

Model: iPad Air

Style Name: Wi-Fi + Cellular

Memory Storage Capacity: 64 GB

Colours Available: Blue/Pink/Purple/Space Grey/Starlight

Operating System: iPad OS

Screen Size: 10.9 inches (27.69 cm)

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab S8

Highly customised for user experience, Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is for professionals wanting to create magic with high-quality content. The tablet is extremely durable and cased with Armor Aluminium, has an excellent display and includes an S Pen with ultra-low latency. It has just the right specifications to be the best android tablet. The flexible model allows you to switch to work mode in a snap with an advanced 2-in-1 Book cover keyboard. It is also the gamers’ favourite giving a console-quality performance with a 120Hz display.

Specifications:

Brand: Samsung

Model: Galaxy Tab S8

Style Name: Wi-Fi + 5G

Memory Storage Capacity: 128 GB

Colours Available: Graphite/Silver/Pink Gold

Operating System: Android 12

Screen Size: 11 inches (27.94 cm)

Display resolution: 2560 x 1600 (WQXGA) Pixels (Maximum)

3. Xiaomi Pad 5

With the motto, "Play Hard, work smart", Xiaomi Pad 5 is your thing, from providing ultimate performance, fantastic audio, and video entertainment to enabling the writing and drawing abilities of the user. It supports flagship 7nm process technology for higher performance. The large 11'' screen with 120Hz refresh rate and low blue light display is the signature trait of this tablet mobile for convenient vision. In addition, Xiaomi has developed a compelling feature set that is the flagship quad speakers for a perfect surround sound experience.

Specifications:

Brand: Xiaomi

Model: Xiaomi Pad 5

Style Name: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi

Memory Storage Capacity: 256 GB

Colours Available: Pearl White/Cosmic Grey

Operating System: Android 11

Screen Size: 10.95 inches (27.81 cm)

Display Resolution: 2560x1600 Pixels

4. Microsoft New Surface Pro 9

If you are looking for a lightweight tablet but do not want to compromise its performance, Microsoft New surface pro 9 provides the right trade-off. The product has a power of a laptop with the flexibility of a tablet and serves as an all-in-one ultra-portable device. The Intel Evo 5 12th generation processor accelerates performance phenomenally. In addition, the Microsoft tablet provides a high-end display with much higher resolution, and an included Office in the price.

Specifications:

Brand: Microsoft

Model: Surface Pro 9

Style Name: Wi-Fi

Memory Storage Capacity: 256 GB

Colours Available: Sapphire/Forest/Graphite/Platinum

Operating System: Windows 11 Home

CPU model: Core i5

Screen Size: 13 inches (33.03 cm)

5. Apple iPad 2021

As a perfect compromise between previous iPad versions and the latest 2022 model, the Apple iPad 10.2 inches 2021 version is incredible. The 9th generation iPad enables you to perform your daily tasks better, featuring an A13 Bionic chip, a 10.2-inch True Tone screen, and 64GB of storage. In addition, you can enjoy the Centre Stage feature with a 12MP Ultra-wide front camera and sharp image capturing with an 8MP rear camera.

Specifications:

Brand: Apple

Model: 10.2-inch iPad

Style Name: Wi-Fi

Memory Storage Capacity: 64 GB

Colours Available: Silver/Space Grey

Operating System: iOS 14

Screen Size: 10.2 inches (25.91 cm)

6. Samsung Galaxy A8

Samsung Galaxy A8 is a perfect balance between affordability and performance and known to be the most reasonably priced Samsung tablet with excellent performance and durability features. It includes 4x speakers, a headphone jack, a USB-C port & a detachable microSD card slot which add to the value. Besides being budget-friendly, the tablet also comes in different configurations, decent storage, and better battery life than its predecessor A7.

Specifications:

Brand: Samsung

Model: SM-X205NZSAINU

Style Name: Wi-Fi + LTE

Memory Storage Capacity: 3+32 GB

Colours Available: Grey/Pink Gold/Silver

Operating System: Android 11

Screen Size: 10.5 inches (26.69 cm)

7. Lenovo Tab P11 Plus

Samsung is the undisputed king of high-end android tablets, but Lenovo is a worthy veteran in the low and mid-range market. Lenovo's Tab P11 Plus is one of the best affordable android tablets in the market recently. The device is a worthy alternative for non-Apple users displaying high portability, lightweight (490 g), vivid display, and impressive speakers.

Specifications:

Brand: Lenovo

Model: Lenovo Tab P11 Plus

Style Name: Wi-Fi + LTE

Memory Storage Capacity: 128 GB

Colours Available: Slate Grey/Platinum Grey

Operating System: Android 11

Screen Size: 11 inches (27.94 cm)

Screen Resolution: 2K (2000*1200) display

8. Realme Pad

One more for the affordable arena, Realme Pad is a potential choice to consider apart from Lenovo and Xiaomi. Light enough to hold in hand, the 10.4-inch WUXGA+ (2,000 x 1,200) LCD provides quite a nice and vivid view. It is highly portable and includes connectivity features like dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, USB, GPS, and 4G support. Realme Pad stands top of the list of a capable, affordable tablets, while the competition lacks fairly priced options for the same specifications.

Specifications:

Brand: Realme

Model: Pad

Style Name: Wi-Fi + 4G

Memory Storage Capacity: 128 GB

Colours Available: Grey/Golden

Operating System: Android 11

Screen Size: 10.4 inches (26.42 cm)

Display Resolution: 2000 x 1200 Pixels

9. Nokia T20 Tab

Nokia T20 Tab marked quite an entrance for HMD Global in the tablet computers market after a long time. Primarily aimed at children, the Nokia tablet is positioned as a media consumption device for kids and school-going teens. It is a great value product for the price, working on an Android 11 OS, which comes with a huge 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage. Nokia T20 is a decent tablet with a long-lasting 8,200mAh battery, dual-band Wi-Fi and 5G connectivity, though held back with a weak display. Ensured OS and security updates are other highlights of this tablet.

Specifications:

Brand: Nokia

Model: Nokia T20 LTE

Style Name: Wi-Fi + LTE

Memory Storage Capacity: 64 GB

Colours Available: Deep Ocean Blue

Operating System: Android 11

Screen Size: 10.36 inches (26.31 cm)

Display Resolution: 1200 x 2000 Pixels

10. Fusion5 4G Tablet

Fusion5 Tablet is a powerful 4G tablet mobile at a highly affordable price. It comes with a plethora of impressive features. It has two full-sized SIM slots supporting 4G cellular connectivity and has a decent 2 GB RAM and 32 GB storage. The tablet OS supports a 1.3GHz MediaTek ARM Cortex-A53 CPU 64-Bit quad-core processor and has a 5000mAH lithium-polymer long-lasting battery, which is pretty good for its price.

Specifications:

Brand: FUSION5

Model: Fusion5 4G Tablet

Style Name: Wi-Fi + 4G LTE

Memory Storage Capacity: 32 GB

Colours Available: White/Black

Operating System: Android 8.1 Oreo

Screen Size: 10.1 inches (25.65 cm)

Display Resolution: 1280 x 800 Pixels

Product feature comparison table

Best value for money

Samsung Galaxy S8 though a little expensive, checks all the boxes to be a desired product for the value. The tablet provides a premium Android experience, and you get a lot for the money, including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, 8 GB RAM and large storage of 128 GB, a C-type headphone jack and quad speakers with Dolby Atmos. In addition, it is the exclusive Samsung tablet with Stylus compatibility and an included S Pen in the box, making it extremely price worthy.

Best overall product

Imagine Apple's best tablet with an increased lifespan; iPad Air exactly fits the image. The 2022 Apple product is lightweight (461 g) and an impressive 6.1 mm thick. In addition, it is available in five different with an exclusive blue colour. Primarily designed for students and creators, the iPad Air line includes the M-series chipset used in Pro and Mac line-ups for highly improved performance at your fingertips. With a 60% boost in CPU and twice the efficiency in graphics, it is certainly potentially contemporary to most Android competition.

How to find the best product?

When it comes to buying a tablet computer, portability and performance come first. There are certain specifications like display size, weight, operating System (Android, iOS or Windows), processor, storage capacity (8GB to 64GB) and network connectivity (3G, 4G, and 5G) a buyer should consider while choosing from the lot. The decision-making feature entirely depends on the buyer’s purchase intent such as storage capacity & battery life for book readers and creatives, processor performance (at least a 6-core CPU and a strong GPU) for gamers, Screen resolution (Full HD (1080p) or at least 720p for portrait orientation) for streamers and connectivity for video creators.