The 6 best tablets of the last year

the tablets they have always been considered hybrid devices. A little big overall, but great for portable entertainment and entertainment, mainly thanks to the larger screen. For the same reason, they also provide more space for work needs or work projects. Ideally, if this tablets possesses style or a digital pen and, of course, an ever-needed keyboard.

In general, a good tablets could possibly replace a laptopboth in terms of versatility and portability as well as performance. It may not be as comfortable for certain tasks, such as data entry or processing, but for people working on tight budgets, a tablets (and its accessories) could very well save the day.

On the other hand, the cross-platform development of many video games means that the experience will be best exploited on a screen with a good refresh rate and to which, hopefully, you can connect controls. the tabletsIn this sense, they are a very interesting alternative, not only with games designed for Android or iOS, but also to access any other service that has video game libraries in the cloud.

Globally, over the past year, around 170 million devices have been sent to stores by manufacturers around the world. In recent months, and with 38% market share, Apple has maintained world leadership with its iPads, followed much further by Samsung (16%), Lenovo (10%), Amazon (7.9%) and Huawei ( + 5.5%). . Sales, compared to the most critical months of the pandemic, have fallen slightly, but one thing is still certain: people are still looking tablets.

For those who are thinking of acquiring one or renewing the one they have, here we review the most interesting devices that have appeared in the last year.

If there’s one thing Apple is definitely unbeatable with, it’s its iPads. Since its introduction in early 2010, the iPad, like the iPhone, has revolutionized the way we interact with a larger screen and more features than a conventional cellphone. Something Android took a long, maybe too long time to figure out. Thus, Apple is characterized by delivering new iterations of its iPads year after year, each time with better specifications and usability characteristics, with which they look nothing alike and stand out as unique devices next to any other. . tablets Of the market.

Last year, the mighty Apple iPad Pro cemented itself as the best tablet of 2021, and in this new year the company has surprised with another iteration of its device, but this time in its brand new Air version, lighter and with several interesting features behind its successful appearance in 2020.

Still slim and sleek, with a stunning almost 11″ (2360 x 1640) Liquid Retina display and, most importantly, with Apple’s award-winning and powerful new native chip – the M1 – this fifth generation iPad performs at its best. (60% more than the previous generation), apps fly and the battery lasts longer too. A great detail: it has 5G connectivity.

It’s worth considering that this year’s Pro version isn’t expected to be much higher in terms of specs and features, so the iPad Air might be the best. tablets that we will see this year in terms of design, performance and portability. Besides, as usual with Apple, all accessories are sold separately (and can be quite expensive).

Samsung doesn’t go with the girls. Its Galaxy Tab series has always been a guarantee of design and performance, and this time they are no exception: with its S8 Ultra we are talking, by far, of the tablets The largest and most powerful Android on the market.

Presented in February, it is its top model within the 2022 family, which also includes tablets something simpler. But the S8 Ultra turns heads. First for its aluminum case with a 14.6″ super AMOLED screen (1848 x 2960), a latest generation Snapdragon processor, 5G connectivity, a front camera with autofocus and automatic framing (regardless of whether the user moves , the camera follows him). ) and a giant 11,200 mAh battery, plus the stylus style —the S Pen— is included here.

Although we will soon see more products of this type, especially from Chinese manufacturers, it is clear that the power of Samsung as a manufacturer of the tablets the most powerful on the market, at least on Android, sets the bar extremely high.

Personally, I think Lenovo is the most daring manufacturer when it comes to innovating in its tablets. For the same reason, the Chinese manufacturer has a generous portfolio of different devices – perhaps more than the competition – which allows it to position itself as the brand with the most products available for the different needs of a user. .

A few months ago we commented here on the virtues of the Lenovo Yoga Tab 13, one of the latest models of the brand, presented at the beginning of this year and which comes with everything necessary to perform productivity tasks or simply to enjoy free time. One of its main virtues? It has a stand that allows you to stand it up or hang it on the wall. As far as I know, no other tablets is able to do that.

Along with a large 2K (2160 x 1350) display with Dolby Vision, it packs four JBL speakers, a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and a massive 10,000mAh battery. More oriented towards entertainment and leisure, although it also allows good doses of productivity, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 13 stands out for being the tablets the most versatile and even entertaining on the market.

The Chinese giant, the first to successfully enter Western markets, may have suffered a major setback with the harsh sanctions imposed by the US government. It is true that Google services are not present on their devices, but that does not mean that their devices maintain a premium style, look and performance. And the Huawei MatePad Pro is a good example.

As the company expands into the development of laptops and computers, its tablets —especially its Pro model— begins to have a new essence. Of course, beyond all the possibilities for multitasking and entertainment with a brilliant 10.8″ QHD (2560 x 1600) LCD display — which incorporates four Harman-Kardon speakers and very good internals in less than 500 grams —, Huawei focuses on nomadic productivity and multi-screen collaboration.

To get the most out of the MatePad Pro, you also need to purchase the Keyboard/Cover and M-Pencil (style) to draw on the screen. Although the two are usually sold separately, fortunately the brand includes them in a bundle at no additional cost.

The international debut of the tablets of the other Chinese giant has gone somewhat unnoticed, but we are talking about a very good device which, as is tradition at Xiaomi, perfectly mixes functionality, characteristics and price, as we already had examined at the time.

The Pad 5 has an extremely attractive track record for the average user thanks to its WQHD+ (1600 x 2560) display with 120Hz refresh rate, very good Snapdragon processor, decent 8720mAh battery, 6GB of RAM , four speakers with Dolby Atmos and a good set of cameras.

It’s a well-designed, well-performing device and a great international debut for the brand, making it a very attractive alternative for those who want to venture out with something different to the traditional.

Amazon made its tablets Fire. And although they are generally more of a cheap alternative to the vast majority of what is on the market, the device has its details, especially for the public who loves to read.

The size of the device and its 10″ screen are very comfortable and light (less than half a kilo). And while its camera, storage, and internal features aren’t state-of-the-art, it has a long battery life and good battery life. performance which solves the low price.

Logically, the tablets It comes with several Amazon Prime services included, so if the idea is to have a good and cheap tablets to read or watch series and movies, this could be the indicated option.

*Prices for products in this item are updated as of May 10, 2022. Values ​​and availability may change.