Are You Buying a Tablet?

Tablets are amazing devices that many use to play games, do social media, and even buy products online. They feel good in your hands, have excellent display quality, and are much cheap than laptops.

In 2013/14, the adoption of tablet devices rose quickly, yet over the last few years, that rate has slowed.

In fact, back in 2011, Apple CEO Tim Cook said tablet sales would overtake laptop sales, but it never happened.

Statista forecasted that In 2020, 218 million laptops would be shipped vs only 160 million tablet units. They believe that by 2024, laptop shipments will decline to 217 million units. Given the move to mobile, and a focus on the user experience and convenience for ecommerce, gaming, and business, it’s strange that we see lower demand for tablets.

In this post we dig in, and below you’ll see a list of the most highly rated tablets to buy.

5G Smartphones All the Rage

Gartner Inc, is forecasting Worldwide sales of smartphones will rise 11.4% to 1.5 billion units in 2021. 35% of those sales will be 5G smartphones which we’ll touch on below.

So what is the issue with tablets and why has adoption slowed? Is it a lack of affordable devices, poor marketing by manufacturers, technology problems, demand going elsewhere, or is the preferred use of tablets overestimated?

Are tablets clunky, hard to use and thus create a poor user experience? Is the lack of a keyboard with the tablet the biggest reason why it hasn’t enjoyed greater acceptance among web users?

Stats show the iPad is the dominant brand in tablet devices. This means Apple can dictate whether the iPad receives sufficient support for wide acceptance. Steve Jobs once said he would never allow a keyboard or mouse to be attached to an Apple mobile device. It could be Apple still feels the same way about mobile device functionality today.

The consensus with Apple and other device makers is that tablets should always be oversized smartphones, but not used as a phone or as a business, personal or educational computer.

If tablets were used as smartphones, it could potentially erode sales of iPhones and similar smartphones, and it could erode sales of laptops.

Schools were big buyers of tablets used in educational settings, but those sales have slowed as they begin to provide notebook computers instead.

It may come down to the profit margin on tablets vs smartphones and laptops. They’ve likely thought this through thoroughly and concluded that consumers should buy smartphones every 2 years instead. That would greatly improve sales.

However, consumers can use smartphones anywhere and carry them in their pockets. That fact likely makes the choice between smartphones and tablets pretty clear cut.

Yet smartphone screens are too small, too clumsy for finger use. Tablets provide a much better user experience, especially when screen size is up near 12 inches.

Advantages of Tablets

they’re light and easy to carry in a handbag
they’re portable and you use them at a desk, the kitchen, or the living room
they boot up quickly
the screen quality is astonishing
they’re much cheaper than laptops
they’re easier to use if you’re sitting on a sofa
tablet accessories include attachable stands for tabletop use
they’re handy for gaming, shopping, or social media use (big screen, more visual)

Best Tablets for 2021

There seems to be a consensus about which tablets are the best, but I have to say that in checking them out at Bestbuy, that the ones I preferred were actually the lesser brands that try harder.

The NY Times conducted its survey and concluded that these were the best tablets to buy in 2021:

8th-generation 10.2-inch Apple iPad
Apple iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 256 GB)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 10.4 inch
Amazon Fire HD 8 (10th generation)

Tom’s Guide offers their best tablets to buy:

Apple iPad 2020 (10.2 inch)
Amazon Fire 7 Inch
Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5 inches
iPad Air (2020) 10.9 inch
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 inch
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 11 inch
Amazon Fire HD 8 inch
iPad Pro 2020 (12.9-inch)
Amazon Fire HD 10 10.1 inch

Best 5G Tablets

If tablets don’t utilize 5G technology would this severely curtail sales from users who want to connect with 5G networks? Sales of 5G smartphones will be a big event in 2021. Find a better 5G phone plan.

Best Tablets Guide posted their best tablets for 2021:

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 5G
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ 5G
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G
Apple iPad Pro 5G
Huawei Mate Pad Pro 5G

4K Tablet Display

Panasonic 4k Display Tablet — Screenshot courtesy of Panasonic.

Currently, there appears to be online 1 4k tablet. It’s made by Panasonic, has a 20 inch display, is rugged, and sells for about $4000.