Top 7 Best Tablets for Teens in 2023

Are you in the market for a tablet for your teenager? Think it’s time to get them off their phones and onto a bigger screen that won’t hurt their eyes as much? Well then you’ve come to the right place, because in this article, we have carefully curated a list of the Top 7 Best Tablets for Teens in 2023. 

We will be telling you about some of the nicest tablets on the market, how teens can use them, whether the tabs are worth it or not and a quick buyer’s guide to help you buy one. Let’s get started!

In a hurry? Here are our top 3 favorite picks when it comes to the best tablets for teenagers in 2023!

Name
Best Overall

Apple iPad Mini

Runner Up

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8

Premium Pick

Apple iPad Air

Preview
Apple iPad Mini (6th Generation): with A15 Bionic chip, 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display, 64GB, Wi-Fi 6, 12MP front/12MP Back Camera, Touch ID, All-Day Battery Life – Starlight

SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab A8 10.5” 64GB Android Tablet, LCD Screen, Kids Content, Smart Switch, Expandable Memory, Long Lasting Battery, US Version, 2022, Dark Gray

Apple iPad Air (5th Generation): with M1 chip, 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display, 64GB, Wi-Fi 6, 12MP front/12MP Back Camera, Touch ID, All-Day Battery Life – Space Gray

Star Ratings

Prime Features
Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime

Best Overall

Name
Apple iPad Mini

Preview
Apple iPad Mini (6th Generation): with A15 Bionic chip, 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display, 64GB, Wi-Fi 6, 12MP front/12MP Back Camera, Touch ID, All-Day Battery Life – Starlight

Star Ratings

Prime Features
Amazon Prime

Runner Up

Name
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8

Preview
SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab A8 10.5” 64GB Android Tablet, LCD Screen, Kids Content, Smart Switch, Expandable Memory, Long Lasting Battery, US Version, 2022, Dark Gray

Star Ratings

Prime Features
Amazon Prime

Premium Pick

Name
Apple iPad Air

Preview
Apple iPad Air (5th Generation): with M1 chip, 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display, 64GB, Wi-Fi 6, 12MP front/12MP Back Camera, Touch ID, All-Day Battery Life – Space Gray

Star Ratings

Prime Features

What Do Teens Need In A Tablet?

Teens usually look to tablets as entertainment centers, places to take and view notes, read ebooks, use social media, play games or create cool things. For all these uses, the tab should have a nice, high-quality, vibrant screen, long battery life, good performance, and the option to use a stylus. 

A combination of all of these features would make the perfect tablet for a teenager. In our list of the Top 7 Best Tablets for Teens, we’ve made sure to include such tablets for you to check out and buy!

Are Tablets For Teens Worth It?

Tablets can be really useful if you don’t want your teenager staring into a small phone screen all the time. They can also promote your teen to be productive, thanks to their large screens and various apps for productivity. 

Tablets are also an affordable alternative to laptops and can usually perform the same tasks, just in a different way! If you ever go on a road trip, they can keep your teen busy and engaged. 

Tablets can also be used for academic purposes, like attending online classes or taking notes in class (if they’re allowed), or completing assignments! Overall, tablets are a useful cross between laptops and phones and are definitely worth it if you know how to use them to their complete potential!

1. Apple iPad Mini – Best Overall

Pros

  • Stunning Liquid Retina display with commendable clarity
  • Premium build quality with a compact and thin form factor
  • Center Stage is a pretty useful feature during video calls
  • The A15 Bionic chip is miles ahead of most competitors
  • Cameras click great pictures and support 4K recording
  • Supports 5G
  • Has a USB type C connector, which might be great for you if this is the first Apple product you own
Cons

  • No Face ID
  • No headphone jack
  • Does not have Magic Keyboard

The next tablet on our list is the Apple iPad Mini, this one’s for the user that wants a premium Apple product but doesn’t want to spend a small fortune on one. We’ve chosen the iPad Mini as our top pick for the best tablet for teens in 2023. 

The iPad Mini is Apple’s response to the saying, big things come in small packages and they’ve proven it to be true. The iPad Mini has 64 or 256 GB of internal storage to store all your photos and videos. 

It also has the new A15 Bionic chip with Neural Engine, that allows it to perform at blazing fast speeds. The cameras on the iPad Mini are a 12 megapixel wide rear camera and a 12-megapixel ultra wide front camera with Center Stage. 

You get a touch ID on the iPad Mini to make getting into the tablet fast and secure. As for battery life, Apple claims a battery life of 10 hours to keep you busy throughout the day. 

A point to note with the iPad Mini is that it uses a USB type C port instead of Apple’s lightning connector. Depending on who you ask, this is either a great entry point for new customers, or a chore for old ones. 

Apple has landscape stereo speakers on the Apple iPad Mini for a surreal sound experience. The Apple iPad Mini has support for the 2nd Generation Apple Pencil too.

Features

  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Number of Cores: 16 core Neural Engine
  • Storage: 64, 256 GB
  • Battery: 6470 mAh
  • Display: 8.3 inches 2266 x 1488 Liquid Retina Display
  • Product Size: 7.69 x 5.3 x 0.25 inches
  • Weight: 0.65 lbs
  • Rear Camera: 12 megapixels
  • Front Camera: 12 megapixels
  • Operating System: iOS
  • Cool Features: Touch ID, Center Stage

Why Is This The Best Tablet For Teens In 2023?

The iPad Mini gets you a powerful, premium device at an attractive price. That’s pretty much it! 

We’ve chosen the iPad mini as our top pick for the best tablet for teens because it has all the nifty features, performance, battery life, and screen quality you could ever want from a tablet, without costing as much as a Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ or an Apple iPad Air/Pro. 

Plus, the build quality alone on the iPad Mini is worth a recommendation. The tablet looks and feels high-end and gives you high-end features too! If you can get past the no Face ID and no headphone jack, then the iPad Mini has a lot to offer to you!

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 Android Tablet – Runner Up

Pros

  • Smart Switch helps while transferring files
  • Battery is large and easily lasts the entire day
  • Looks and feels premium
  • Makes a great entertainment tablet
  • Uses USB Type C and supports fast charging for a quick charge
  • Gets nice surround sound from Dolby
  • Camera is nice
Cons

  • OS and pre-installed software take up too much space

Kicking off our list is the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 which has a large 10.5-inch screen for all your entertainment needs. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 has either 32, 64, 128 GB of internal storage and 4 gigabytes of RAM with an Octa-Core processor for quick performance. 

It gets a fast-charging USB Type C port that will charge the tablet in a jiffy and a massive 7040 mAh battery that will keep it running for hours. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 also comes in 32 GB and 128 GB variants. 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 also has a feature called Samsung Kids which includes a bunch of kidsafe games, videos and books to keep kids busy, educated and entertained. Memory on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is expandable up to 1 TB using a microSD card. 

With a purchase of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8, you also receive a two month Youtube Premium subscription along with free access to Samsung TV for your entertainment needs. 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 has a feature called Smart Switch that lets you transfer files between devices easily. If you have more than one Galaxy device, you can sync your notes and to-do lists across them.

Features

  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Number of Cores: 8
  • Storage: 32, 64, 128 GB
  • Battery: 7040 mAh
  • Display: 10.5 inch 1920×1200 
  • Product Size: ‎0.27 x 6.37 x 9.72 inches
  • Weight: 1.12 lbs
  • Rear Camera: 8 megapixels
  • Front Camera: 5 megapixels
  • Operating System: Android 10
  • Cool Features: Samsung Notes, Samsung Kids, Smart Switch

3. Amazon Fire HD 10 – Budget Pick

Pros

  • Bright and vivid screen plays videos beautifully
  • Has a long battery life for binge watching
  • Dolby Atmos provides nice sound
  • Amazon Kids helps manage the tablet if a kid is using it
Cons

  • Camera could have been better
  • Does not have as many apps to download

Up next, we have a tablet from the global giant Amazon itself, the Amazon Fire HD 10. This tablet has a 10.1 inch Full HD screen for watching all your favorite shows and movies. 

The Amazon Fire HD 10 obviously has Alexa support, so you can tell Alexa to pause your video or call someone and it will gladly oblige. It has 3 gigabytes of RAM and an octa core processor. As far as storage goes, you have options between either 32 or 64 gigabytes. 

The storage can be expanded to up to 1 TB with an external microSD card. Amazon claims that the Fire HD 10 can last for up to 12 hours on a single charge, which should be enough for a day’s worth of entertainment and academic work. The tablet has Dolby Atmos and you can also connect your headphones using a 3.5 mm audio jack or Bluetooth.

While the Amazon Fire HD 10 does not have Google Play support, it does have an Amazon Appstore, from where you can download your favorite apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, Kindle, Instagram and many more! 

On buying an Amazon Fire 10 HD, you get free access to Amazon Kids, using which, you can manage the content your kids see, set goals and screen time.

Features

  • RAM: 3 GB
  • Number of Cores: 8
  • Storage: 32, 64 GB
  • Battery: 6300 mAh
  • Display: 10.1 inch (1920×1200) 
  • Product Size: 9.73 x 6.53 x 0.36 inches
  • Weight: 1.02 lbs
  • Rear Camera: 5 megapixels
  • Front Camera: 2 megapixels
  • Operating System: Fire OS
  • Cool Features: Amazon Kids, Alexa, VoiceView Screen Reader

4. Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+

Pros

  • Armor Aluminium casing makes sure the Tab is thin, yet sturdy
  • You get 6 months of Clip Studio Paint EX free
  • Auto framing works great
  • USB Type C 3.2 is great for fast transfers
  • Screen is absolutely stunning and will do great for everything from movie watching to gaming to creating your own cool visuals
Cons

  • Camera performance could have been better considering the price

Next on our list is Samsung’s very own premium tablet in the form of the Galaxy Tab S8+. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ has a large 12.4 inch AMOLED screen, which is one of the largest and highest quality tablet screens on the market. More than enough to happily watch a superhero movie marathon! 

The ultra wide rear camera on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ can record 4K video and can take crystal clear images, while the ultra wide front camera has a nifty feature called auto framing. Samsung offers the S Pen as a part of their product lineup, which is a useful tool. 

The Tab S8+ supports Samsung DeX, which lets you get the desktop experience with select Samsung Galaxy devices. It also has Microsoft 365 integration. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is powered by an octa core processor and has 8 gigabytes of RAM. 

With the Galaxy Tab S8+, you get two storage options, 128 GB and 256 GB. Storage is expandable up to 1 TB using a microSD card. The Galaxy Tab S8+ also gets 5G support and USB type C 3.2 Gen 1 connectivity. It gets dual rear (13+6 megapixel) cameras and a 12 megapixel front one.

Features

  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Number of Cores: 8
  • Storage: 128, 256 GB
  • Battery: 10090 mAh
  • Display: 12.4 inches 2800 x 1752 AMOLED
  • Product Size:‎ 0.22 x 7.28 x 11.22 inches
  • Weight: 1.27 lbs
  • Rear Camera: 13+6 megapixels
  • Front Camera: 12 megapixels
  • Operating System: Android
  • Cool Features: S Pen, Samsung DeX, Quick Share

5. 2022 Apple iPad Air – Premium Pick

Pros

  • Liquid Retina display is stunning as always
  • Thin, yet sturdy and strong
  • Center Stage is a pretty useful feature during video calls
  • M1 chip provides crazy fast processing speeds
  • You can turn your iPad Air into a “laptop” using the Magic Keyboard
  • Supports 5G
  • Better battery life when compared to previous generations
Cons

  • No Face ID
  • No flash on rear camera

Moving on, we arrive at the 2023 Apple iPad Air. The iPad Air is light, thin and powerful with a large display. It is basically what you get when you don’t need an iPad Pro, but the iPad Mini doesn’t cut it. 

The iPad Air has a stunning 10.9 inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone that uses a lot of sensors to change the color temperature the screen shows to best match your lighting conditions. 

The 5th generation iPad Air has the now iconic Apple M1 chip with Neural Engine that is much faster than the last generation and faster than most of its competitors. 

For sound, you get stereo landscape speakers on the iPad Air. The iPad air has a 12 megapixel wide rear camera and a 12 megapixel ultra wide front camera with Center Stage. On the Apple iPad Air, you can get up to 256 gigabytes of internal storage. 

The iPad Air runs the latest version of the iPadOS, which is an operating system optimized for the larger displays of iPads, based on iOS. The iPad Air is compatible with Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil, Smart Folio (2nd Gen) and also has fan favorite Touch ID. The tablet also supports 5G.

Features

  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Number of Cores: 8 core CPU M1 Chip
  • Storage: up to 256 GB
  • Battery: 8,827 mAh
  • Display: 10.86 inches 2266 x 1488 Liquid Retina Display
  • Product Size: 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches
  • Weight: 1 lbs
  • Rear Camera: 12 megapixels
  • Front Camera: 12 megapixels
  • Operating System: iPadOS
  • Cool Features: Touch ID, Center Stage, Magic Keyboard, Smart Folio, M1 Chip

6. Lenovo – Tab M10 Plus 

Pros

  • Fast and great alternative to more expensive tablets
  • Clear and bright 10.3 inch Full HD display
  • Rear camera is surprisingly nice
  • Makes a great media and entertainment tablet
Cons

  • Front camera could have been better
  • Battery life could have been better

Stepping away from the pricey tablets, we have the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus, a strong contender for the best budget tablet. This tab has a large and crisp 10.3 inch Full HD Display. 

It uses an Octa-Core processor coupled with 4 gigabytes of RAM to give you excellent performance. The storage on the Tab M10 Plus is 64 gigabytes. It gets Dolby Atmos for a great audio experience and has WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. 

The camera setup on the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus includes a 8 megapixel rear camera and 5 megapixel front ones. The Tab M10 has also a Kids Mode for parental control and safety.

Features

  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Number of Cores: 8 core
  • Storage: 64 GB
  • Battery: 4850 mAh
  • Display: 10.3 inches 1920×1200
  • Product Size: ‎9.6 x 6.04 x 0.33 inches
  • Weight: 1.01 lbs
  • Rear Camera: 8 megapixels
  • Front Camera: 5 megapixels
  • Operating System: Android 10
  • Cool Features: Kids Mode, Dolby Atmos Support

7. Microsoft Surface Go 3

Pros

  • Works like a mini, super portable touchscreen laptop
  • Display is nice and crisp
  • Long all day battery life
  • Gets 128 GB SSD storage, which makes storing files and booting programmes easy
  • Can use native windows software for productivity and creativity on the go
Cons

  • Would have done better with a little more processing power

We showed you tablets from two phone giants, Apple and Samsung, now it’s time to show you one from the PC giant, Microsoft. The Surface Go 3 is a unique tablet from Microsoft, as it runs full fledged Windows 11. 

The tablet has a 10.5 inch HD Screen that is like a small laptop screen (in a good way). The Surface Go 3 has 8 gigabytes of RAM and is powered by Intel Pentium Gold. It gets 128 GB of SSD storage for quick boots. 

Accessories for the Surface GO 3 include a kickstand, type cover and the Surface Pen. For connectivity, the Surface Go 3 uses a USB Type C port, WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 and it also has a microSDXC Card reader.

Features

  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Number of Cores: 2 cores
  • Storage: 128 GB SSD
  • Battery: 8000 mAh
  • Display: 10.5 inches 1920×1280
  • Product Size: ‎7.98 x 10.82 x 1.89 inches
  • Weight: 1.18 lbs
  • Rear Camera: 8 megapixels
  • Front Camera: 5 megapixels
  • Operating System: Windows 11
  • Cool Features: Uses full fledged Windows 11, Dolby Atmos Support, Surface Pen

How To Choose The Best Tablet For Teens In 2023?

The following is a quick and simple buyer’s guide to buying the best tablet for a teen in 2023. It will tell you the areas you need to focus on while looking at possible options.

Screen

The screen on your tablet should be large, crisp and vivid as it’s one of the most important parts of the tablet. Anything above 8 inches should be fine and look for a resolution equal to or higher than full HD.

Storage

Your tablet should be able to store all your apps, photos and videos without running out of storage every month. Go for a tablet with at least 64 gigabytes of storage.

Battery Life

The battery life on your tablet should last you a whole evening and night, if you’re using it just for entertainment, or whole day if you want to work on it too.

Performance

If you want to use your tab for anything more than watching videos and taking notes, you should make sure it has sufficient power for it. A minimum of 3 gigabytes of RAM and preferably the latest processor currently in the market.

Camera

Now the camera on tablets isn’t really ever a highlight feature, but if you’re going to use it to video call friends or attend online classes, make sure the front camera is clear and captures you properly.

Build Quality

Last, but certainly not the least, we come to the build quality of the tablet itself. The tablet should feel strong and should be strong as teens aren’t exactly the most careful users.

Conclusion

All in all, tablets are amazing devices that offer a wide range of benefits for teens. Our list of the Top 7 Best Tablets for teens includes many such amazing tablets that are worth checking out. 

From the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8, all the way to the Microsoft Surface Go 3, it is clear that tablets are diverse, with different kinds catering to different buyers. While we’ve chosen the iPad Mini as our top pick, some other tablet might catch your eye. 

To conclude, we hope we’ve made your decision of buying a tablet for your teen easier! Happy shopping!

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (5 votes, average: 4.40 out of 5)
Loading…