8 Of The Best Android Tablets Under 12 Inches You Can Buy Right Now

Android has a proud history of tiny tablets. In fact, before the iPad Mini was a gleam in Tim Cook's eye, the first tablet to break mainstream with Google's OS was the petite Nexus 7 tablet released back in 2012. I still have my second generation Nexus 7, and despite all the advances in technology since then, it remains, in my opinion, one of the most well-designed devices in mobile history. But as phones ballooned in size, tablets of this size got crowded out of the market. Today, my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra boasts a screen almost exactly the same size as that tablet, while new Android tablets are verging into laptop territory with their screen sizes.

Well, tiny tablets may be going the way of the dodo, but not everyone wants a mammoth mobile device. Sometimes, you need something that's easy to hold one-handed, or that doesn't hog space in a bag. As a major enthusiast of both Android and tablets (I even ditched my Windows laptop in favor of DeX on a tablet) I've rounded up the best shrunken slabs. I selected these devices based on their sweet specs and the satisfaction of both shoppers and professional reviewers, along with my own subjective sense of quality based on my knowledge of the tablet market.

Because of segmentation in the market, the best slab tablets under 10 inches are all budget or midrange devices. No flagships here. So, in order to give you more options, the definition of tablet is a bit loose here, including foldable devices and E-Ink tablets, so long as they run Android. So, here are eight of the best Android tablets under 10 inches you can buy today.

If you're looking for a smaller-sized Android tablet on a budget, it's hard to go wrong with the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9. The A series is Samsung's budget range, so it's not the most powerful tablet on the market by a long shot. However, you won't notice unless you're planning to do heavy tasks like video editing or gaming. The main benefit of a cheap Samsung tablet is that it's got a great ecosystem, software and great support. Oh, and also, this tablet is ridiculously cheap, clocking in at under $190 on Amazon as of this writing, while Walmart offers it for an astonishing $102. All of that averages out to make this tiny tablet not great, but good enough for most people.

The A9 is powered by a Mediatek Helio G99, a 6 nm process that benchmarks solidly in the midrange of mobile processors. If none of that means much to you, this is the tablet you're looking for. With its 8.7-inch, 800 x 1340 pixel, TFT LCD display, it's not reaching the ludicrous specs of Samsung's larger, more premium tablets, but it's also not charging the eye-watering prices those devices command. For binging YouTube and Netflix, checking your email, or banging out a few rounds of Candy Crush, it will do the job just as well as tablets 10 times its price. This is the tablet I bought for my dad, and he's perfectly happy with it. I set it up for him, so I can confirm that it's got snappy performance out of the box, a crisp display, and solid build quality.

Reviews of the Tab A9 are similarly satisfied, though reviewers accustomed to testing bleeding-edge tech are predictably not shouting its praises from the rooftops. The consensus is clear: if you're looking to get the best possible tablet for the least possible money, you've found it. There is also a kids version available, if you're looking for a cheap way to get your kid a tablet.

Despite being a relatively small player in the tablet space, Lenovo has been stepping its game up lately, and the latest product of those efforts is the Legion Tab Gen 3. This well reviewed slab is a delightfully compact package with an 8.8-inch screen, yet it packs a big punch with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, a unique cooling system, and 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Sure, that's last year's chip, but it's a seriously fast one found on many of the fastest flagship Android devices from that cycle.

That display seems pretty awesome given the Legion Tab Gen 3's size. It's a 2.5K resolution, LTPS panel, with a refresh rate of 165 Hz. That means the screen is faster than the most expensive Apple iPad Pro or Samsung Galaxy Tab, and although you'd rather see the newer LTPO technology over the LTPS Lenovo went with, it's hard to complain when this tablet starts at just shy of $500. Other specs are decidedly modern, though. For instance, the presence of Wi-Fi 7 here means you'll be able to take full advantage of the fastest wireless Internet speeds for years to come, and the 6,550mAh battery is massive for this size of a device.

On the software end, Lenovo's Android skin is competent, aesthetically inoffensive, and competes against Samsung with features like PC mode (a DeX-like experience). Unfortunately, it ships with Android 14 despite Google already dropping betas for Android 16. You'll save money on the accessories side, as the Tab Gen 3 comes with a breathable folio case with a screen cover and kickstand functionalities, as well as a tempered glass screen protector. And yes, the charger comes in the box, as it should.

The original Boox Palma developed a bit of a cult following, especially among tech nerds bored with the status quo, and there are a ton of Boox Palma alternatives now. It was a tablet the size of a large phone running Android on an e-ink display of the sort typically found in e-readers. The Boox Palma 2 doubles down on that concept with a faster processor, newer version of Android, and more. Importantly, you should not expect to watch YouTube or Netflix on the Palma 2, as the e-ink screen is meant for showing paper-like text. You can download and run those or other video apps, but the videos will look hilariously low-quality. Boox touts the Palma series as an antidote to distractions, something you can break out on the train to catch up on your reading without feeling the urge to scroll TikTok instead.

The Boox Palma 2 has a 6.13-inch E Ink Carta display, 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. That's plenty of power for a device that won't ever be used for gaming and other tasks that require more modern specs. Android's strength has always been to let a thousand flowers bloom with innumerable form factors and configurations, and the Palma 2 is an oddball even by those standards. Of course, that's precisely what's made it such a hit with its niche audience of minimalist tech lovers and bookworms. Pretty much every review of this thing goes something along the lines of, "I thought this would be stupid but then I fell in love with it." The biggest downside, assuming you're okay with the limitations of E-Ink, is that the Palma 2 commands a price tag of $280, which feels a bit much on Onyx's part.

If the Palma 2 is a bit too grayscale for your tastes, or if you don't like the phone-like form factor, Onyx offers other smallish Boox devices. Gander at the Boox Tab Mini C, which has a 7.8-inch, color e-ink display great for comics readers, or for those who want a more expansive, vibrant canvas for note-taking. Again, this is not a tablet meant for video media consumption —other tablets on this list will serve you better in that arena —but it is purpose built for reading, note taking, and other such tasks. It includes a basic stylus as well.

The two main benefits to getting the Boox Tab Mini C over a more conventional Android tablet are that it's more comfortable for your eyes, and that the battery will last for what feels like forever. E-Ink has a slower refresh rate than a normal screen and renders images without using lights, and it can hold a static image without drawing any power, meaning the battery only needs to kick in every time you turn a page in a book or add a line to a drawing. This adds up to exceptional battery life, though in return you'll get a 12 Hz refresh rate. Reviewers have claimed several days on a charge with heavy use and weeks with normal use.

Downsides other than those you'd expect from E-Ink are present, with reviewers miffed by the reliance on the older Android 11. Not as much of a problem here, in my opinion, since it's so heavily modified anyway, and what matters is whether Onyx updates it regularly. This device is also quite expensive, commanding a price tag of $400, though we've seen it on sale for less.

If you're looking for a small device that packs a big screen, a foldable phone might be the right choice. You get all the benefits of portability that come with a phone, yet you have instant access to a big, beautiful display when the need for one arises. The brand most synonymous with folding phones is Samsung, but savvy consumers should take a look at the OnePlus Open. As noted in SlashGear's OnePlus Open review, OnePlus is delivering a refreshingly different software experience that has some unique multitasking innovations to better take advantage of its expansive 7.8-inch inner display.

The OnePlus Open got rave reviews for its build quality and great feel in the hand, but the real star of the show is its software. Using an Android layer called Open Canvas, the Open finally provided a refreshingly different vision for multitasking after years of dominance by Samsung, whose One UI is as cumbersome as it is feature dense. Your phone or tablet isn't a desktop computer, and OnePlus doesn't treat it as such. Instead of minimizing windows, Open Canvas lays apps out side-by-side like sheets of paper on a table, letting you slide them around in a big grid.

Two things to consider before you spring for this device. First, it's only got an IPX4 water resistance rating, so don't splash it. Second, OnePlus is gearing up to release a sequel device in the near future, with leaks already showing that device in people's hands. You may want to wait for that device. Even if it ends up a dud, it should still drive the price down on the original Open.

I know, I know. Two folding phones on a list of small tablets is pushing things. But trust me, it's slim pickings in the sub-ten-inch tablet category these days. So open your mind like a foldable display as I extol the virtues of the Google Pixel 9 Fold Pro, a fantastic alternative to the OnePlus open if you're looking for something available from your phone carrier, or just enjoy the Google ecosystem. The handset has received reviews that range from satisfied to thrilled from the tech press, praised for its build quality, expansive 8-inch display, performance and battery life. What don't reviewers like? The price tag, which clocks in at a whopping $1,800 for an unlocked version of the 256 GB entry model. Even so, SlashGear's Pixel 9 Pro Fold review awarded it a stellar 9 out of 10 score.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is definitely among the most powerful devices on this list, with its latest generation Google Tensor chip and a chunky 16 GB of RAM. It's also guaranteed to get the latest versions of Android for another six years, which puts it leagues ahead of other devices mentioned here. And, like any other foldable phone-tablet hybrid, you're arguably getting two devices in one: a tablet that becomes a regular, pocket-sized phone when the extra screen isn't needed.

Slightly removed from the wider world of Android tablets is Amazon's Fire Tablet HD 8, but if you're already invested significantly in the company's ecosystem, it can be a great choice. First, Fire Tablets are cheap, since Amazon expects them to be a gateway to further purchases, it takes less of a profit on its hardware devices than other companies can afford to and even runs ads on your lockscreen to make up the difference. With an 8-inch, HD 1280 x 800 pixel display, 3 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of base storage, you could do much worse for $100.

However, the Fire Tablet line is best for Amazon enthusiasts. The Fire Tablet HD 8 is well reviewed, but boasts a custom version of Android  — Amazon Fire OS  — which relies heavily on the web retailer's services. You can make a Fire Tablet feel more like normal Android with some tricks. However, Alexa is here instead of Google Assistant, for example, and you'll have to use the Amazon Silk browser in lieu of Chrome, while apps come from the proprietary Amazon Appstore. That's an especially big problem if you use a lot of Google services. Just like Chrome, Gmail, Drive, and other Google services are absent on the Fire Tablet HD 8. What it offers instead is a heavily entertainment-focused experience that's connected to Amazon Prime Video, Kindle ebooks, and the company's game library. If you want to read the latest bestselling books, enjoy shows like "The Boys," do your shopping at Amazon and Whole Foods, and already use Alexa for your smart home, this is the small tablet for you. If not, you'll find it frustratingly limited.

Unless it has an E-Ink display, the dividing line between a small Android tablet and an e-reader is blurry. After all, the e-reader portion of the device is just an app you could install on any old Android device. That's especially the case when it comes to the Barnes & Noble Nook 9" Lenovo Tablet, a collaboration between bookseller and hardware manufacturer that's simply a custom version of the latter's M9 tablet from 2023 with the former's Nook app slapped on top. However, that combination actually adds up to a pretty decent little tablet, especially if you'd rather avoid Amazon for your e-reading needs, which helped make it one of our picks for the best non-Kindle e-readers.

With a 9-inch, 1,340 x 800 pixel, fingerprint resistant, LCD display backed up by the midrange MediaTek Helio G80 chipset and 64 GB of storage, its $150 price tag feels fair. Like other, similar tablets on this list, it's geared toward media consumption and has more than enough power for that purpose. What differentiates it from them is the preloaded Nook app that gives users access to Barnes & Noble's ebook storefront. Of course, you can add other e-reader apps like Amazon Kindle or Libby by Overdrive, as well as any other supported apps from the Play Store.

The Nook 9" is well reviewed, with the main gripe from those reviews being the out-of-date Android version. Indeed, if that matters strongly to you, your best bet is a newer Samsung tablet. What reviewers enjoyed was the audio quality from the built-in speakers with Dolby Atmos surround sound support, the inclusion of a headphone jack, and specialized reading modes to prevent eye strain.

Each of these devices were selected based on a combination of qualifiers to ensure adherence to SlashGear's rigorous editorial standards, including reviews from SlashGear and other outlets, as well as their specs within the overall market, and special considerations on a per-device basis. My expert opinion based on extensive knowledge of the tablet market was also a factor.