Best Android Tablets

November 22, 2011 By Jeffrey Van Camp

We round up the best Android tablets on the market, from the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab to the underrated Acer Iconia Tab.

Tablets were the hot item of 2011. Every phone and PC manufacturer jumped onboard the new hot trend, but few of them have seen much success so far. It’s still the iPad’s market to lose, though Amazon and Barnes & Noble have put forth some good low-cost challengers. With most consumers yawning at straight Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) tablets, perhaps these branded tablets will take off. If you have a bit more money to spend though, we recommend you check out something like the Galaxy Tab 8.9. Below are our picks for best Android tablets.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

	Screen: 8.9 inches, 1280×800 pixels OS: Android 3.1 with TouchWiz UI Processor: 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 RAM: 1GB Storage: 16GB internal Camera: 3MP rear, 2MP front Connection: 3G and/or Wi-Fi Price: $450
Description: The Galaxy Tab 8.9 is currently our favorite pure Android tablet. All of the new Samsung tablets are similar and good (10.1, 7.0, 7.7), but the 8.9 seems to be the perfect size for a tablet, enabling the full screen utility that comes with a 10.1-inch, but without the weight and bulk. It’s just small enough to thumb type on too. (Read our review)

Motorola Xoom

	Screen: 10.1 inches, 1280×800 pixels OS: Android 3.2 Processor: 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 RAM: 1GB Storage: 16GB-32GB internal, microSD Camera: 5MP rear, 2MP front Connection: 4G LTE and/or Wi-Fi Price: $400-$650
Description: The Xoom is an oldie, but a goodie. It got a bad rap for not destroying the iPad and failing to deliver LTE and Flash out of the gate, but since then it’s been the most reliable tablet for updates and has equal specs to most tablets and a basic, but acceptable design.

Acer Iconia Tab A500

	Screen: 10.1 inches, 1280×800 pixels OS: Android 3.2 Processor: 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 RAM: 1GB Storage: 16GB internal, microSD Camera: 5MP rear, 2MP front Connection: Wi-Fi Price: $400
Description: The Iconia Tab is another tablet we reviewed some time ago, but until tablets begin going quad-core, it matches the basic specs that most devices come with and is available for more competitive prices than most. The Iconia Tab also has a full-size USB port, which is nice if you have a spare mouse. (Read our review)

Amazon Kindle Fire

Screen: 7.0 inches, 600×1024 pixels
OS: Android 2.3 (heavily modified by Amazon)
Processor: 1GHz dual-core- TI OMAP 4
RAM: 512MB
Storage: 8GB internal
Camera: No cameras
Connection: Wi-Fi
Price: $200

Description: The Kindle Fire is not the most powerful tablet and doesn’t even have cameras, but it is the best value, offering a curated Amazon experience with the best UI we’ve seen in an Android tablet yet. But don’t buy this expecting access to the Android Market or Google apps. (Read our review)

Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet

Screen: 7.0 inches, 600×1024 pixels
OS: Android 2.3 (heavily modified by B&N)
Processor: 1GHz dual-core- TI OMAP 4
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 16GB internal, microSD
Camera: No cameras
Connection: Wi-Fi
Price: $250

Description: Everyone is hot on Amazon this holiday, but Barnes & Noble has had the second best-selling tablet for a year now. The Nook Tablet is the sequel to the Color. It’s a direct competitor to the Kindle Fire, costing $50 more, but coming with microSD, double the RAM, and double the internal storage of the Fire. Also, did we mention that the Nook Tablet’s screen is a helluva lot brighter than Amazon’s?

There are others…

When it comes to Android tablets, most recent tablets seem to follow similar specs–at least those running Android 3.0 or higher. The Toshiba Thrive and Asus Transformer are also good pics, though every tablet comes with its drawbacks. Make sure to make sure your device has good built quality, has a 1GHz dual-core processor (or higher), and has at least 1GB of RAM. Access to the Android Market is also a must…unless you get a B&N or Amazon tablet.

Showing 48 comments

jesterking at 11:04am 22nd November 2011 Wow, this has some old comments on it...
ultimatetechnologies at 1:57am 16th May 2011 Great androd tablets and for sure these appl. are great. I was also referred to test this appl and found it it great too, Try it out http://www.folderorganizer.net/
Tamara at 10:43am 14th May 2011 I have the Samsung Galaxy Tablet GT P1000, which I love. I havent paid for an app yet bc there are so many free apps on the market to try out. Are there any prepaid cards availablefor purchase? I dont like using my credit card on line even though I have the best AV EMS which is a mobile version of Nod32. I had paypal but it proved unsafe so Ive since cut up my credit card and no longer use my new one on internet. I do wish to purchase a couple of my favoutite apps so would very much like prepaid cards. Also, my videos via itube or internet used to play flawlessly, but lately they have freezing throught out? Ive uninstalled and reinstalledutube to no avail. Is it possibly due to a setting I may have changed?
Lightning at 7:06pm 18th November 2010 Just purchased a Haipad 7" TFT- Android 2.2 capable. However the instruction booklet is next to useless, Has anyone mastered this beast and if so is there a readable, easily followed and logical set of instructions available for these tablets ?
chris at 5:50am 9th November 2010 The Viewpad 10 from ViewSonic looks pretty good as well, dual boot with Windows 7 and Android plus a netbook style spec - http://www.digitalmagazinedeals.com/blog/viewsoni...
pat at 8:19am 6th November 2010 I was looking for a tablet for my granddaughter for christmas, something that will play music and music video, play games and wifi so she can talk on facebook, any suggestions
karen at 6:44am 5th November 2010 VairTech has the new Android Tablets with OS 2.2. Our 8 inch tablet supports Adobe flash 10.1. Have the internet at you figure tips. No more emailing documents to yourself. Now you can download directly from your USB stick. Check your Gmail, Yahoo, and even exchange server emails from work. All the tablets come with the Android Market already installed. Our prices are affordable and a great gift for the holiday.
YouKowJack at 2:16pm 1st November 2010 The Androids not only can comptere but will compete. Check out the PC tablet from Viewsonic. It runs two operating systems. Windows 7 and Android 2.2. And it's a 10 inch screen. Some of these screen sizes are too small. It's fast. and it's cheaper than an Ipad.
YouKnowJack at 9:04am 24th October 2010 I am sick of Apple. Overrated and overpriced. And I hate dealing with Itunes. Why can't we drag and drop. So simple. So I preordered the Velocity Cruz PC tablet. So far this has gotten excellent reviews and seems to be able to hold it's own. It's out in mid-November and major retailers will be carryng it.
1. INoU at 8:03pm 11th November 2010 Looser! You are just an Apple's wannabe. Get a life!
Quentin at 12:56pm 12th October 2010 I think that there will be a large entry of tablets hitting the shelves in about a month... just before Christmas. I am still waiting before I purchase one as I think they need time to stabilize and am waiting for a larget form factor tablet. From the entries so far released and announced I think what thhe manufacturers are saying is that people will want a smaller form factor device then the apple tablet size. Something that can be carred easily in their pocket or purse and I can see this being a very large draw for many people. Now there are others that will want the full size page version and I bet we will be seeing many of those as well. What is nice about the android version is that you can choose one that suits your needs, you aren't stuck with what Apple thinks you want (no flash, no multi tasking, no keyboard, etc.) true they have started to listen to their customers but they are very arrogant and drag their feet but I digress. Give the market time to evolve, based on the growth of the Android phone market and the advancements in the Android OS we will be seeing some fantastic tablets released over the next 6 months that will out perform the iPad at a fraction of the cost. Quentin J Sarafinchan www.splatfx.com
jill at 1:28pm 28th September 2010 WONDERING ...what /if I should buy a tablet.. combing reviews over an hour still cant seem to find excactly what the Android does and wondering about this aPad / eFox CEM004 . Someone computer smart please help me. I would like to be able to Wi FI connect to the net , read books. and work on a photography program Corel Pro. My kids play sports and would be nice to edit photos while i sit in the stands waiting on practices. I am not techno savy - no hard stuff - oh and I am cheap thats why Android caught my eye. Can someone tell me if I can even do what I want to on tablet?? Thanks
1. Mike at 5:26am 14th October 2010 Hi Jill - Corel Pro is not available for Android as far as I am aware. There are a bunch of photo editing programs available on the Android Market store, including Adobe Photoshop Mobile, Picsay Pro and others. They only have limited editing facilities, but might be suitable, depending on what you want to do with it. At the moment, Android tablets are a new technology just finding their feet. You may find if you hold on even 6 months, many major manufacturers will have better supported products available and it'll be easier to find what you are looking for :)
Tay at 9:56am 28th September 2010 what about the blackberry playbook?
No ? at 10:11pm 26th September 2010 I'd like for someone to do an intelligent review with "real" tablets out in the market.
SECRET at 1:26am 10th September 2010 i like to see HP and SONY ERICSSON ´S TABLET .
Kayr at 3:55pm 31st August 2010 how about the 7" TFT Android mid tablet?
Silly People at 10:34am 30th August 2010 LoL iPad.... It doesn't even support Flash ffs. It's a huge iPod touch, that just like the iPhone does NOT support Flash. Did I mention that it's 2010 and this device does NOT support Flash? Try shopping or playing Flash based games. You'll see a little blue box and a prompt telling you to update your Flash player....That it doesn't support!! If you want to "fit it" or be trendy, save a grand and walk around with a Starbucks cup.
NMGliderPilot at 12:10pm 26th August 2010 Android tablets can EASILY compete - even dominate the market - IF built right and Android apps continues to grow. I would prefer and Android version to avoid the ridiculously high price of Apple products!
Mark at 8:54pm 23rd August 2010 Are you serious? now that the ipad is out, there's a sudden need for everyone to get one or something like it! c'mon! its an oversized ipod! wheres the innovation! =)
Craig at 5:03am 23rd August 2010 For me they all have some catch up to do when it comes to the ease of use for the general consumer. While android is nice, its not as user friendly as iOS. Devices shipping with intel and windows, i think they are missing the point. There is a market for an "All day" mobile internet device that is seamless and easy to use. I think it ticks all those boxes already.
Eric at 11:03am 19th August 2010 Come on guys. I mean, I really dig digital trends, and I look to you for the latest in just about everything, but if you are going to post an article like this, at least have the decency to do your homework first. Even Wikipedia has more info on upcoming android tablets than you do in this article! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Android_devi...
1. ioman at 11:47am 19th August 2010 The link you sent includes phones. The DT article is tablet's....
Zencere at 11:25am 17th August 2010 I wonder if the wepad from Germany will make the cut
Geofrey Reyes at 9:49am 11th August 2010 Ink Adam for me, however olive (thanks solomon for the link) and Innoversal(taiwan, thanks lorik) also looks good with its processor and OS. also this list is old, but still ok list
Phillip Burgess at 1:26pm 9th August 2010 What about the apad irobot??
Solomon at 9:04am 25th July 2010 You forgot the Olive pad..... Its what the Ipad should have been in the first place. Check it out at http://www.olivetelecom.in/laptop/olivepad/
x1um1n at 6:06pm 19th July 2010 erm, what about the MSI WindPad? http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/31/msi-windpad-is... http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/31/msi-windpad-11...
1. rattrap at 4:11pm 21st July 2010 very similar to the Archos 9
Blobby at 1:50pm 19th July 2010 Anyone have any experience with the apad tablets being sold in China?
1. J.Mill at 7:03am 10th December 2010 Yes... I have one now. Apad8... I think by its by Utopia. Got it for $160 shipped. Came with 2.2 Froyo. Though I had to root and monkey with it to get Android Market, Gmail, Goggle App provider, (there are a few things needed for the Vendor.apk to install and run). YouTube works and just upgraded the Flash player to 10.xxxsomething or other. (newest I could find). For and 800mhz processor, 512MB ram, 4GB internal, 8GB sd card (added and removable).... Capasitive screen... just not multitouch. But very responsive. Also with a combo of web browsing, RDP to my work and home PC via Wyse PocketCloud, streaming Pandora while RDP'd, and streaming a Naruto Shippuden episode after working, I sqeezed just over 7 hours out of the battery before I was prompted to have to plug in. The money and time spent to root and wrench it was well worth it. The internal speakers do suck...
Dennis at 4:29am 19th July 2010 For my money, the Notion Ink Adam looks like the tablet to buy. I believe it's supposed to be in the $300-350 range. They want to get it to market ASAP but their investors are pushing it back. This will definitely give Apple a run for their money.
1. Nagato at 12:12am 25th August 2010 ink will have a 500 dollar price tag, or thereabouts. they keep upgrading the internals, and pushing back the release. The samsung tablet will launch in germany well before then. Cruz is a good u.s. option, at 300 it's unbeatable. SAME ipad screen, multitouch, upgradeable storage, and most importantly - it's FAST. FAST processor, MORE ram. IT competes directly will ipad. Now if they would only make a 100 dollar android powered mp3 player so I could chuck my ipod into the sea, I'll be good
Annoyed at 9:22pm 18th July 2010 I'm unimpressed with all the devices listed. None have a viewable screen that is even close to the Ipad. None are actually close to being in the market. By the time they reach market, The ipad will have had many months to be perfected. Too bad, I'm tired of apple and their lack of such basic things as a Flash player. I have a Kindle and none of these seem to be able to even compete with that. Perhaps these companies should go back to the drawing board and try again.
1. ryan at 6:08pm 19th July 2010 The adam screen is far better than the "iPad" screen. Ill take the pixel qi display over an ips screen. what good is a tablet if you can only see it in a darker room?
2. rattrap47 at 4:10pm 21st July 2010 You can get both Kindle and B&N E-reader software for android
pfft at 8:16pm 18th July 2010 overall, pretty weak the $499 iPad has nothing worry about ...and imagine what the 2011 iPad will look like
1. Lol at 1:34am 22nd July 2010 Exactly the same.
not in the face at 2:00am 15th July 2010 Where is the Huawei S7 on this list???
Lorik at 5:03pm 14th July 2010 Notion Ink's Adam looks like the best option by far. If they ever actually bring it to market, that is. It's got a lot going for it. (http://www.notionink.in/) I have an Archos 5 media tablet and have encountered some issues with the overlay of Android on top of Archos' software. I still like it better and found it more useful than my iTouch, which I eventually re-gifted. Unless Archos has resolved those issues (gets a better display), I won't go with them again. I have found the 5" screen great for reading books and watching movies and videos. But it is too small for productivity uses (Dell Streak, are you listening?) There is another option not listed here coming out of Taiwan. Check this one out as well: http://www.innoversal.com.tw/en-us/home.aspx However, unless Google standardizes its interface AND the Market, most of these tablets will have far less "oomph" than the iPad. I hope to see something soon. And hopefully not the tablet version of the G1 phone.
Jake at 4:43am 14th July 2010 The Notion Ink Adam looks pretty amazing to me.
Steve at 3:16am 14th July 2010 I have a US$99 Eken M001 android tablet. I've installed the ECOTOX v1.1.1 custom firmware, based on Eken's official v1.7.4 firmware update and also including AOSP source-derived add-ons (including the very snappy "Home++" Android alternate UI) from slatedroid.com developer, "Ecotox". I have to say that it gives me a lot of functionality for about US$99. Being Android, it can do stuff Apple's iPad will never be allowed to do. Why pay hundreds when you can pay less than a hundred?
1. halsmith at 2:19am 15th July 2010 I just got one of these things too, and have concluded it is worthless. It won't read YouTube, for example. The manual is full of errors and is nearly useless also. I bought a SD Card, hoping this would help, but it didn't seem to make much difference. It has Android version 1.6, and you are stuck with that. The screen does not rotate automatically. The file reader is in Chinese, and is not much help. Overall, piece of crap!
  1. Debbie at 8:37am 23rd July 2010 Im finding the same problems with mine, very annoying, need sd card but after you say it hasn't really helped I'm holding out much hope! what's worse is I bought it to surprise my daughter for her 13th b'day!
2. Mark at 4:52am 20th August 2010 Got a similar device for $129 - an aPad / eFox CEM004 - there's a lot of almost identical devices with different branding. For the money it's unbeatable, I've downloaded Amazon Kindle and mythmote so that along with the built in music and video players, I can control my TV, DVD library, home lighting (through mythmote and a tweaked MytvTV installation in my home), read any Kindle title, listen and watch streamed media over my wireless network etc. etc. Power wise, it can be a bit slow on occasion, but it's hardly Ferrari money. Also had a couple of issues getting the Android Market to work at first - but as you may have guessed from the previous post, I'm a bit of a techno-geek anyway. Battery life could be better - but aside from that I cannot fault it. Use it more than my smart-phone, Dell tablet PC and laptop combined. Looking at the other replies, it really depends on what you want to use it for - as an alternative to a Kindle, Smart-home remote control, MP4 player etc. it's astonishing. Mark
  1. Deb at 12:34pm 12th December 2010 Can you put appointments on a type of calendar?
fm26 at 2:12am 14th July 2010 it seems like the only real "competitor", as far as size, competency, would be Google Tablet itself, am I right? any rumors of the release date?
1. ninagosaimas at 7:53pm 18th September 2010 I just hope Google Tablet wont stay as a unicorn device only. If this is for real, then I'm sure we're looking on the next ipad contender. Google Tablet Latest Updates