BEST TABLETS

The new Kindle Paperwhite is great for avid readers and brings tons of upgrades for those who love reading e-books on the go. The new Kindle is thin, portable, and travel-ready. The 7-inch display is the biggest highlight of the new Paperwhite as it packs the largest display yet. The 300PPI pixel density feels optimum, while IPX8 keeps your worry-free for reading experience anywhere and anytime. You can also enjoy e-books in additional languages such as Hindi, Tamil, and Marathi, among others. 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is a high-performance tablet featuring a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 1848 x 2960 pixels, a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ support. It is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ processor, coupled with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage, expandable via microSDXC. The tablet houses a 11200mAh battery with 45W wired charging, and runs on Android 14 with One UI 6.1. It also offers IP68 dust and water resistance, and includes an S Pen with 2.8ms latency.

The device features dual rear cameras (13MP wide and 8MP ultrawide) and dual front cameras (12MP wide and 12MP ultrawide), both capable of recording 4K videos. Audio is delivered through quad stereo speakers tuned by AKG. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, and USB Type-C 3.2. The tablet also supports Samsung DeX, Circle to Search, and integrates Galaxy AI features like Note Assist and Sketch to Image.  

OnePlus’s Pad 2 offers a large display in its own taller aspect ratio which the brand claims is ideal for both work and play. The display has thin borders and has a premium feeling all-metal unibody chassis which has a unique looking rounded design with rounded sides and corners.

The software experience keeps up with the times. OnePlus adds a bunch of AI tools to its Oxygen OS skin which has been optimised for tablets in this case. Open Canvas makes it from the OnePlus Open to this tablet and it works wonderfully.

The Smart Keyboard optional accessory is well built and now consists of two parts. The keyboard is spacious and comfortable for typing and so is the trackpad. But the trackpad does have some minor issues.

Battery life is pretty good and easily lasts two work days. With the bundled charger it can also charge as fast as a smartphone.

Xiaomi’s budget tablet has a design that is a mix of polycarbonate plastic and metal. While a majority of its rear panel is made up of metal, there is a plastic strip running at the top to allow the cellular antennae to breathe and transmit data efficiently. The tablet given its compact dimensions does feel a bit heavy but is made well.

The Redmi Pad 2’s display now offers a higher resolution, which makes it sufficiently sharp when browsing the web and watching video. It’s not very bright or useful outdoors but indoors it provides vibrant colours and also offers FHD video streaming playback.

Its quad-speakers with Dolby Atmos sound, sound immersive. Cameras are poor and barely useful except for capturing documents or answering video conference calls.

Its battery has gotten larger, but is also slower to charge. At the same time, it lasts a whole day of continuous use which is expected at this price point. 
 

The Redmi Pad Pro 5G tablet brings interesting features and specifications at this price point. The tablet offers a sleek design profile, which makes it easier to carry around. However, due to its large display, handling it might be a bit difficult thing. The display looks vibrant and offers sharp colours. The performance is stable, and you can play graphics-intense games with ease on this tablet. The user interface is clean and well-optimised for this device. The device also features some interesting connectivity features that make it easier to use with other Xiaomi devices. However, it is currently limited to Xiaomi 14 and 14 Civi. The cameras are usable, though this tablet's battery life is good. 

The Infinix XPad has a very practical-looking metal unibody design which has a plastic insert at the top for better radio connectivity. There’s two speakers on each side (when held horizontally) and they deliver rich sound with sufficient bass for watching video content. Despite its compact dimensions the tablet is quite heavy and does not come with any accessories.

Performance is on par with the competition and just about delivers enough power for day-to-day requirements. Image quality of the front and rear camera is passable and meets the necessary requirements for a budget tablet as well.

Battery life is again average for a device at this price point and will last users a day of continuous video viewing. While it's nice to see a charger in the box, we did find the charging speeds to be average.

The Lenovo Tab Plus brings interesting features that make it a go-to device for all your multimedia needs. The tablet offers a good display, but the audio takes centre stage. The device provides not two but four woofers and four tweeters that deliver exceptional sound output, a first in any tablet. The sound is loud enough to compete with any affordable Bluetooth speaker. This, coupled with the ability to pair a smartphone and use it as a Bluetooth speaker, makes it even more interesting. 

However, the tablet surely lags behind the competition when it comes to sheer performance. The user interface is clean and offers good features. The cameras are usable, though one should expect little from them. Overall, if you are looking for a tablet for your media consumption and can overlook the performance, you can consider this tablet.