Even if you have a very capable smartphone and a nice laptop, tablets are still a worthwhile hunk of tech to add to your arsenal.
The touchscreen that can be carried anywhere makes for a portable studio for creatives, a crucial sidekick for commuters and frequent travelers, and a mini TV for people who aren’t missing the newest episode of Dexter: New Blood just because they’re on vacation.
Most anyone can enjoy a tablet. Certainly, no one would be upset to be gifted onem which is why we expect them to be a hot ticket item again this holiday season. But don’t bank on scoring a tablet last-minute — in typical unprecedented pandemic fashion,
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A simple question kicks off the process of narrowing down your options: Are you an Apple person? Whether that’s yes, no, or a “What’s an Apple person?,” the buying guide below lays out the pros and cons of the main picks from Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and Microsoft.
Are refurbished tablets worth buying?
Taking a refurbished device off the market is a great way to save money — and save that device from going where e-waste goes to die. Refurbished or renewed tablets are often next to impossible to tell apart from a brand new one. Cosmetic dings are a possibility (the retailer will mention this) but unless stated otherwise, the devices have been reworked and tested to run like new. iPads are probably the easiest tablet to find refurbished, both at Amazon and Apple’s website.
What about a tablet for your kid?
Most tablets
General-purpose tablets aren’t a bad choice, either — many sites name the iPad as one of the best tablets for kids even though it’s an everyone tablet. These won’t have any parental guardrails baked in, so you’ll need to get creative if you’d rather your kid not have unlimited access to the internet. Apple and Android have features that can filter or block content and prevent purchases, but the closest thing you’ll be able to get to close monitoring is by installing
Here are the best tablets you can buy in 2021: