Every Major Android Tablet Brand Ranked From Worst To Best

While Apple's iPad might dominate the tablet market, a huge number of Android tablets are also available. Like Android smartphones, these aren't all directly produced by a single manufacturer; rather, they use a common, customizable operating system according to each brand. The open nature of Android means that they can do some things that iPads can't and are better suited to some tasks.

With so many different brands of Android tablets available on the market, it can be difficult to decide which ones to go with and which should be avoided. After all, these various companies offer devices that are designed for different audiences and at a wide array of price points. Some are intended to be cheap and cheerful, while others are high-performance pieces of tech.

Here, we are going to break down the major Android tablet brands and rank them based on a number of factors, so you know exactly who you can trust. This includes reviews from trusted publications as well as SlashGear's own staff, user reviews and ratings, and the general reputation of brands.

Redmagic might be a name that many people are not all that familiar with. A division of Chinese company Nubia Technology, Redmagic is a gaming-focused brand that initially released several smartphones dedicated to gaming. This includes the first ever smartphone to have a in-built cooling fan. In more recent years, Redmagic has also launched other tech, such as laptops and a tablet in the form of the Redmagic Nova Gaming Tablet.

For those who want a gaming tablet, this device is worth looking at. The brand has already established a strong reputation with the likes of the highly touted Redmagic 9S Pro smartphone impressing critics. Considering that tablets are essentially larger, more powerful smartphones, it makes sense that this positivity crosses over to the Redmagic Nova Gaming Tablet. The tablet boasts an 11-inch 2.8K display and a Snapdragon 8 Gen. 3 processor, giving it enough power to run most games without any issues, as well as intensive tasks such as video editing and 3D rendering).

SlashGear's own review of the Redmagic Nova Gaming Tablet found it had great performance, an excellent screen, and good speakers for a good gaming experience. The only thing stopping the brand from ranking higher is that it only currently offers one single tablet.

TCL is a brand that is most associated with less expensive products, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't high quality. The company produces a range of electronic products, although it is cheap TCL televisions that it is best known for. The TV sets are widely regarded as providing great value for money thanks to their low cost and decent quality. That same philosophy applies to the Android tablets that it produces, with TCL offering a variety of devices to suit a range of needs.

Among TCL's tablets are the NXTpaper, which essentially acts as a competitor to the Kindle Paper series as an e-reader. In fact, it is considered among the best tablets for reading, largely thanks to its innovative screen that acts as a promise between a typical LCD display and the E Ink screens found on Amazon's Kindle devices. Other tablets, like the TCL Tab 10 and TCL Tab Pro, have received positive reviews. This makes TCL a trusted brand and a great option for anyone on a budget who doesn't want to spend a lot of money but still get all the basic features you'd expect from a good Android tablet.

Lenovo is another Chinese electronics company with everything from laptops to data storage solutions among its lineup of products. Of course, that range also includes tablets and Lenovo offers several Android-based devices that are designed to meet the needs of a diverse set of users. That includes budget-friendly tablets all the way up to high-performance products for more intensive processes.

The good thing about Lenovo is that the vast majority of its Android tablets have been well reviewed by critics. Although there are some devices that haven't been as highly praised, even the lowest-rated products are still fairly middle of the road, so you won't ever be hugely disappointed if you buy a Lenovo tablet.

A good example of this is the Noble Nook 9, a product that is designed as an e-reader but also works as a stripped-down tablet that can do basic tasks. Though it carries Barnes & Noble branding, it is essentially a Tab M9 that has the Nook app pre-installed. Meanwhile, there's also the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 that does a bit of everything pretty well, and the Lenovo Tab Extreme that SlashGear found acts as a great compromise between laptops and smaller tablets.

Like many other brands in the tablet market, Xiaomi is based in China and produces a wide range of consumer electronics. This includes a collection of impressive smartphones, such as the Xiaomi Pro 12 that can rival the flagship models from more established players such as Samsung. The same is true regarding tablets, with Xiaomi having several great Android products.

These include the Xiaomi Pad 5, which launched in 2021 to plaudits from a wide array of outlets. The tablet was praised for being a great all-round option that does everything pretty well. Meanwhile, the more recent Xiaomi Pad 6 was equally as well received, with reviews suggesting it is a great option for those on a budget and offers excellent value for money.

The only major thing that holds Xiaomi tablets back is the company's reputation when it comes to privacy. Recently, the brand has been mired in controversy for its alleged links to the Chinese military and suggestions that it could collect large amounts of personal information from users. While most of these concerns have been addressed, the lingering doubt about just how secure and private your information is with Xiaomi products does hamper the reputation of the brand.

Amazon has dramatically expanded its hardware range since launching the Kindle e-Reader in 2007. It now has everything from smart speakers in the form of its Alexa Echo devices to streaming hardware with the Fire TV Stick, with Amazon even purchasing Ring Doorbell and releasing an ill-fated smartphone. One of its most successful products has been the Fire tablets, a range of hardware that makes use of Fire OS. This heavily customized operating system based on Android has a unique user interface, but it will certainly be familiar to Android users.

Although many might think of Amazon's Fire tablets as glorified Kindle e-Readers, they are actually pretty capable. The 2023 Fire Max 11 is a great device for streaming and playing games like "Roblox" without breaking the bank. The Fire HD 10 is another device that offers decent value for the money while offering features such as storage expansion and the ability to integrate with Amazon's own ecosystem.

There are some Fire tablets that haven't been as well received. The underpowered Amazon Fire 7 comes to mind, which may not be worth buying even at its very low price point. The Fire HD 8 was similarly a middle-of-the-road tablet that failed to make much of a mark.

Google has developed an impressive reputation over the last few years thanks to its range of Pixel hardware. It has smartwatches, earbuds, and, of course, the Pixel smartphone series. One of the more recent additions to Google's Pixel line-up is the Pixel Tablet. Prior to this release, Google had launched the Nexus series as well as the Pixel Slate, finding limited success. After a few years of ignoring the tablet market, things have changed with the revamped Pixel Tablet.

While the Pixel Tablet doesn't try to compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple with the Galaxy and iPad devices, it is also significantly cheaper than both of those options. SlashGear's review of the Pixel Tablet found that it had great battery life, a high-quality display, and a decent speaker system that could output surprisingly good audio. Even the camera on the tablet is better than most tablet options, utilizing some of the software used in the Pixel smartphones. With just a single tablet in the Pixel range, it can't be ranked as one of the very best Android brands but is certainly around that.

OnePlus is a relatively recent player in the consumer electronics market. Established in 2013, the Chinese company originally specialized in smartphones to create affordable devices similar in performance to other high-end models from competing brands. Following the release of the OnePlus One, the company has expanded to produce mid-range smartphones, wearables, headphones, and even televisions in some markets. OnePlus has also launched a range of Android-based tablets in recent years, many of which have been well received.

There are two distinct versions available for the branded OnePlus Pads. The first to launch was the 2023 OnePlus Pad. SlashGear's review of the OnePlus Pad found it a decent productivity-focused tablet offering a slimming-down iPad experience. Meanwhile, the second release, which arrived in 2024 in the form of the OnePlus Pad 2, garnered a similar amount of praise. If you want an Android tablet that can do more than simply stream Netflix, then OnePlus' options might be a good choice.

The fact that the company only has two tablets available means it cannot be the top-ranked brand, but there are also other considerations. Tech experts discovered that OnePlus USB cables that were supplied with its devices didn't meet standard specifications, while there were also claims that the company was deliberately throttling performance of apps on smartphones to extend battery life. OnePlus' customer service has also faced criticism, further diminishing the firm's reputation.

Samsung has been a market leader in consumer electronics for several years now. It has also developed a reputation as one of the most trusted names in the world of technology, producing a wide range of products from smartphones to televisions. Samsung products are well known for being powerful, reliable, and well-built, with Samsung ranking highly among consumer brands. Even before the firm moved into making tablets, it already established a strong foothold in the world of Android thanks to its flagship Samsung Galaxy smartphones packed with impressive features.

When it comes to tablets, Samsung has been releasing Galaxy Tablets since 2010. These offered an alternative to Apple's successful iPad series, and while they didn't capture the same sort of audience, they proved to be among the best Android tablets available. Nowadays, Samsung's Galaxy Tab range is the premiere Android tablet for productivity and the option for those who want to use their tablet more like a laptop.

A good example of this is the positively reviewed Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 Plus. Costing almost $1,000 to buy on Amazon, this tablet has a suite of useful AI tools, a stunning display, and excellent battery life. It also received plaudits for its thin design and S pen support, cementing Samsung as the best Android tablet brand.

Ranking these various Android tablet brands was a process that involved examining various factors. These included looking at the entire range of the companies and how they are viewed by the general public, as well as taking into account customer ratings and professional reviews from trusted outlets. Combining all of this information, we can rank the different major Android tablet brands to determine the best ones.