Do more with these larger Android devices

The Xiaomi Pad 5 is the Chinese tech giant’s attempt to create an Android-powered version of the iPad Air. And, following a fortnight of use, we found the device completely succeeds in this endeavor, making it the best Android tablet we’d recommend to most people.

Out of the box the device immediately impressed, sporting a slim but sturdy metal chassis that felt suitably scratch-resistant to comfortably slot into most regular-sized bags and backpacks without concern.

While it didn’t prove to be the best tablet in any one area during our lab and real-world tests, it delivered reliable performance in pretty much all of the core areas we tested. The Xiaomi Pad 5’s 11-inch LCD screen doesn’t offer as deep blacks as the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, which features an AMOLED panel. But to the naked eye it’s still capable of presenting decent contrast and a high enough level of maximum brightness to make HDR content on Netflix pop.

The quad-speaker setup isn’t as powerful as the system seen on the competing Lenovo P12 Pro, with the low-end – in particular – in the latter sounding more powerful. But given the price difference between the two devices, this is more than forgivable. Overall, the Xiaomi Pad 5’s audio offering was more than powerful, detailed and controlled enough to comfortably watch movies and play games.

For gaming, the 120Hz refresh rate is a welcome upgrade over competing tablets we’ve tested at this price, including the iPad Air 2022. The tech lets the Xiaomi Pad 5 render 120 images per second, which is twice the number seen on standard tablet screens locked to 60Hz.

Scrolling, therefore, felt like a far smoother experience on this tablet compared to the iPad Air and rival Android models such as the Lenovo Yoga Tab 13 (2021) with 60Hz screens. This will also be great news for early adopters of game streaming services such as GeForce Now, who will be able to play full-fat PC games on the Xiaomi Pad 5 over the cloud at 120fps.

Add the reliable battery life and the Xiaomi Pad 5 easily earns its place as our current best overall Android tablet offering for most people. During testing, the tablet’s 8720mAh battery shed an average of 9-11% of its charge per hour while streaming 1080p video on Wi-Fi. That figure for streaming games over GeForce Now was 22-25%. Using the Xiaomi Pad 5 for office work, the tablet easily lasted around 10 hours.

The only tablet we’ve tested with these features to offer better stamina is the Lenovo P12 Pro, which can last up to 15 hours of video streaming based on our tests.

Reviewer: Alastair Stevenson
Full review: Xiaomi Pad 5 Review

Big-screen Android tablets have been a rarity up until now, with the space currently being dominated by Apple’s iPad Pro 12.9-inch device. Thankfully, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra filled the hole in the market and Samsung has recently taken things up a notch with the fantastic Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.

Our expert reviewer felt the S9 Ultra was a great option for Android fans after a big-screen tablet for watching movies and playing games. The Ultra’s giant 14.6-inch AMOLED is wonderfully calibrated for binge-watching TV shows and movies, with the added screen real-estate making movies feel more immersive.

The AMOLED screen also delivers wonderfully deep blacks, which, coupled with solid levels of max brightness, made HDR content in particular pop. Dark scenes, such as those in BladeRunner, displayed detail that was completely lost in smaller tablets. The S9 Ultra also features a high 120Hz refresh rate, which we found made it a great option for gaming as well.

New for this generation is an IP68-rated body, giving the tablet an extra hit of durability that is still very rare in this space. You won’t find this feature on any other tablet on this list, nor on any iPad. There’s also the very capable Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip at the tablet’s heart – providing exceptional performance for games and creative apps.

Battery life is also slightly longer on the iPad, which isn’t surprising considering its smaller screen though, and this certainly isn’t the most portable tablet around.

Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full review: Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra Review

If you’re looking to get the best value for your money, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE is a fantastic choice. With prices starting at £449, this tablet is significantly cheaper than many high-end Android tablets and is packed with useful features, including an S-Pen. 

While slightly thicker than the Galaxy Tab S9, this more affordable model features an aluminium casing, offering premium style for less. The Tab S9 FE is also surprisingly durable with a Gorilla Glass 5 display that can survive drops of up to 1.2m and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. This is on par with the waterproofing of many high-end smartphones, including the Samsung S24 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro. 

The aforementioned 10.9-inch screen features a 670-nit LCD panel, putting it somewhere between most laptops and flagship phones in terms of brightness. However, the 90Hz refresh rate is a nice boost compared to the standard 60Hz found on the pricier iPad Air. It also comes with Samsung’s S-Pen stylus in the box – something no Apple tablet offers as the Apple Pencil is always sold separately. 

Android 13 supports plenty of apps that make use of the S-Pen, allowing you to sketch, take notes and doodle to your heart’s content. This includes the tablet-specific PenUp app that connects to the PenUp social network. 

The cameras are average for a tablet, which is to say they’re just okay. However, the selfie camera does offer both ultra-wide and standard views, making it possible to fit more into frame. The front camera is also on the longer edge of the tablet, making it ideal for joining calls in landscape mode. 

We found that the 8000 mAh battery offered around 11 hours of video streaming or eight hours of light gaming, with one hour of Netflix reducing the battery by 9%. Charging can be somewhat slow, taking just under two hours to reach 100%, but there’s is 45W fast charging on board to give you a quick boost when you need it.

Reviewer: Andrew Williams

Full Review: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE

OnePlus’ foray into the world of tablets just keeps improving, culminating in the latest OnePlus Pad 2. It’s not just a solid upgrade over the original, instead offering an all-round premium experience without the associated price tag.

The overall build of the OnePlus Pad 2 feels solid and robust, complete with a nice sandblasted frame, despite measuring in at just 6.5mm thick and 582g. That’s despite the fact that it boasts a whopping 12.1-inch display with a pixel-packed 3K resolution and a super-smooth 144Hz refresh rate. The use of LCD instead of OLED means that blacks aren’t quite as deep as more premium tablets, but it’s still plenty bright and vivid, great for watching movies.

It’s the 7:5 aspect ratio that makes the OnePlus Pad 2 unique, with the boxier aspect ratio ideal for split-screen multitasking, especially when combined with OnePlus’ Open Canvas multitasking software. It’s a much better approach than your standard split screen affair, instead allowing up to three apps to display in full-screen, switching between them with a tap or a swipe.

Throw in a redesigned keyboard and trackpad case and the OnePlus Stylo 2, and the OnePlus Pad 2 is a great option for productivity that rivals what Apple offers with its iPad collection – as long as you fork out for the optional accessories, that is.

It’s not just good for productivity either; the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powering the experience is the best you’ll find on the Android market right now, and performance largely reflects this, both in benchmarks and real world performance. It can run games smoothly despite that high resolution, and doesn’t suffer from the same bottlenecking we see from other high-powered tablets with sustained use.

Battery life is solid with around 11 hours of use before it’ll need a top-up, and with 67W SuperVOOC charging, it can achieve a full charge in just 55 minutes, making it the fastest charging Android tablet on the market. The catch? Unlike most other OnePlus products, a charger doesn’t come in the box. OnePlus instead assumes that it’ll mainly be OnePlus fans who buy the tablet, and thus, will have a SuperVOOC charger handy.

Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full review: OnePlus Pad 2

The Realme Pad may well be cheap and well built, but we still wouldn’t recommend it to any buyer looking for a tablet for a child aged 8 or below. Like most tech, it 100% will not survive a full-blown tantrum where it’s thrown across a room.

If you’re after a device that’s more sturdy then we’d recommend looking at the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids (2021). Designed specifically for younger kids, it comes with a rugged but cute-looking “Bumper” case that envelopes the chassis in foam, and a plastic outer shell. Having pitted the tablet against a toddler, we can personally attest to its robustness, with our review unit surviving more than a few tantrum throws and a game of tug of war between the child and the family dog.

As an added assurance, Amazon also offers a two-year “no questions asked” replacement policy, where the company will send out a new device free of charge if your progeny does somehow manage to break it.

The 10-inch screen offers similar picture quality to the Realme Pad, with blacks taking on a slightly grey tone. Nevertheless, in our tests images proved plenty sharp and vibrant enough to happily keep kids entertained watching video, reading books or playing games.

The only slight quibble parents should be aware of is that, although its operating system is based on Android, FireOS is generally limited to Amazon services. As such, you won’t have access to Android’s full range of apps and you’ll need an Amazon Prime subscription to make the most of the tablet.

This has been a reason we’ve traditionally awarded middling scores to Amazon’s other Fire tablets. However, given the Fire HD 10 Kids’ focus, our reviewer found these limitations to actually be a positive. Advanced parental controls make it quick and easy to filter the content your kids can access, restrict or block in-app purchases, and set limits on how much screen time they’re allowed each day.

The bundled one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ also grants access to enough content to keep kids entertained. Reviewing the device we found oodles of videos, games, books and audible books vetted to be safe for use by kids, all available for download and offline use.

Finally, some minor issues to consider. The tablet isn’t terribly fast and it offers only middling battery life. On occasion apps can chug and the device can take a few seconds to recognise commands. This isn’t a significant issue, but it did cause our test subject toddler to occasionally hit the screen in frustration when the pauses occurred. We also found the tablet’s battery could run out after just four hours of video playback. If you want to use the Fire HD 10 Kids to keep your child entertained on a long car journey then you’ll definitely want to invest in a battery pack to keep it running.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full review: Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Review

Google finally decided to throw its hat into the tablet ring with the Google Pixel Tablet. One of its biggest advantages is the high-quality screen; kitted out with a 10.9-inch LCD screen with a sharp 2560×1600 resolution. It has a locked 60Hz refresh rate – meaning that it cannot fluctuate depending on the task to conserve battery power – making it feel less premium than the 144Hz OnePlus Pad. The high resolution did help to alleviate a lot of these issues, with our review noting that it rendered photos, videos and text very clearly and crisply. 

The Pixel Tablet comes with a charging speaker dock bundled in for free, massively setting it apart from the paid accessories of brands like Samsung, OnePlus and Apple. The stand is very sturdy and connects to the tablet via magnets, with audio being redirected to the stand once it’s connected. Once docked, the Pixel Tablet goes into Hub Mode, a slimmed-down version of the UI found on the Nest Hub and Hub Max. This gave us quick access to smart home controls, Google Assistant and various screensavers. 

In a similar vein to the rest of Google’s recent products, the Pixel Tablet is powered by the Tensor G2 chipset. This is paired up with 128GB/256GB storage and 8GB RAM, with no option to expand the storage. The chip performed well during use and was more than serviceable for everyday tasks, with games like Stardew Valley and Call of Duty Mobile running without a hitch without the device heating up. 

No charger is included with the Pixel Tablet but it can be charged via the dock, with Google claiming that additional docks will be available – so one could be placed in the lounge, and another in the bedroom. An hour of Netflix decreased the battery by 14% and 30 minutes of light gaming took off 7%, on par with the effort from OnePlus. 

Overall, while the Google Pixel Tablet is not perfect, it is a solid first attempt from Google and is the ideal device for Android lovers who want to further integrate Google Assistant into their everyday lives.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Google Pixel Tablet

The Nubia Pad 3D isn’t for everyone, but if you’re one of the few people that love the idea of 3D content (yes, like that odd era with 3D TVs in the early 2010s) then the glasses-free 3D experience of the Nubia Pad 3D could be tempting.

The large 12.4-inch 3D lightfield display is capable of displaying fairly convincing glasses-free 3D content, and it uses head tracking to work out where your head is at any given moment. The viewing angles are relatively narrow so you’ll have to find that sweet spot, but if you do, the effect can be impressively convincing.

However, it’s not a uniform experience with some 3D content looking a little odd and that’s especially true when upscaling 2D content to 3D. The 3D images taken using the dual cameras take great 3D imagery, but given that anyone else needs a 3D tablet to view them properly, it’s likely something that only you will appreciate it.

While that’s cool, it’s essentially the only real reason to get the Nubia Pad 3D. The 3D element means that it’s much bigger and heavier than practically any other tablet around at 8.4mm thick and 781g. That’s much more than the iPad Pro 12.9’s 6.4mm and 682g, which is generally perceived as being big and bulky.

It’s also rather underpowered sporting the older Snapdragon 888 chipset, especially when you consider that it’ll retail at around $1,099 – firmly in iPad Pro and Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra territory.

So, yes, while it’ll do an admirable job at providing 3D content without the need for glasses, it’s pretty much the only reason to go for the Nubia Pad 3D. Everyone else will be better off with one of the other options mentioned above.

Reviewer: Jon Mundy
Full review: Nubia Pad 3D review

While the latest Android tablets are chocked full of features, they’re not really designed to withstand the elements for long periods of time, which can be tricky if you need a larger device to carry with you on a building site or in the great outdoors. Luckily, you’re not completely out of options as the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 5 is designed with those use cases in mind.

Just to look at the Tab Active 5, you can tell that this is a tablet like no other. With its thick bezels, physical buttons across the bottom and textured backing, this is a tablet that fully expects to take a knock or two along the way. Samsung’s made sure of that much on paper too, with an IP68 certification for water resistance as well as military grade MIL-STD-810H durability.

The caveat for all of this, as you can imagine, is that the Tab Active 5 isn’t quite as powerful on the performance front as some of the other Android tablets on this list, but for using casual apps, signing paperwork and watching the odd bit of content on the go, the Tab Active 5 is more than up to the task.

There’s even an S Pen included so that you can jot down notes easily as you go through the day, and the aforementioned physical buttons just below the screen are incredibly handy if you’re wearing a pair of gloves that just aren’t designed for interacting with a touchscreen.

It’s also worth mentioning that the screen itself is quite easy to read against direct sunlight. The eight-inch touchscreen features a peak brightness of 600 nits which will save you from having to squint at any documents when outdoors.

In other areas, the Tab Active 5 might feel like a tablet from a bygone era for the fact that it not only has a 3.5mm headphone jack but also a fully removable battery. These features are perfect for when you’re away from a charging point for long periods of time and can’t run the risk of running out of battery, either on the tablet itself or any connected devices.

Reviewer: Sean Cameron
Full review: Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 5 review