It doesn’t matter if you use an Android phone, this is the best sub-$300 tablet you can buy.
Android tablets aren’t good. Some would argue they never have been. But Apple makes really good tablets, and that isn’t just the case with its highest-end iPad Pros — the base-level, few-frills “iPad” is an excellent device. And when it’s discounted down to just $249 for Cyber Monday, there’s no better buy in the tablet world. Yes, even if you use an Android phone.
Best deal in tablets
Apple iPad 10.2-inch (7th gen)
$249 at Amazon
A great tablet, even if you use an Android phone.
Apple dominates the tablet world, and for good reason. You get incredible hardware, useful software and a dramatically better app ecosystem, all for an exceptional price.
Even the “cheap” iPad has excellent build quality, a really good screen, and exceptional battery life. At just over a pound, it’s easy to carry around and prop up with one hand for long reading sessions. And at this price, you aren’t going to find another tablet that performs anywhere near this well or this consistently. The latest generation adds support for the Apple Smart Keyboard, too, which changes its functionality completely. And most importantly, iPad software and apps are really good — and miles ahead of Android. Even though there are functional wins for Android on tablets as a whole, the app catalogue isn’t even a competition — the App Store has more apps, and better apps across the board.
Yes there are going to be annoyances with using an Android phone and an Apple tablet, especially when there are separate app stores and backup accounts at play, and a Lightning cable that can’t pull double duty as a phone charger. But most people are using their tablets more like appliances — they set them up, use them for basic tasks, and don’t do much management or cross-device content sharing. That’s even more the case with an inexpensive tablet. You can use all of your favorite Google apps and services, and all of the most popular apps work cross-platform. You’ll be able to manage it just fine.
The only argument for an Android tablet at this point is if you’re going to spend the big bucks and get something much more capable, like the Galaxy Tab S6 with a keyboard. Nothing else in the Android world can compete with the 7th-gen iPad down at $249. I know you love Android, and I won’t tell anyone to give up their Android phone, but you don’t have to punish yourself by using an Android tablet when the iPad exists.
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