Top 12 Best 10-inch Tablets – a full size tablet for every budget

Samuel Tan10-inch Tablets, Best Tablets, Tablets 0

The 10-inch tablets are here to stay. You may be tempted to get a mini tablet, 8-inch, 7-inch or even smaller, but 10-inch is the go-to size perfect for entertainment, on-screen typing and all round better user experience.

Top 12 Best 10-inch Tablets

We break our list down to two groups looking at the best budget tablets as well as the best premium tablets. For good measure, we also throw in a couple more mid-range devices with 10-inch display.

BUDGET

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7-inch Tablet also available with S Pen
HUAWEI MediaPad T1 10 Tablet
Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet
Samsung Galaxy Tab E 9.6-inch Tablet
Lenovo Tab 2 A10 10.1-inch Tablet

MID-RANGE

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1-inch Tablet [NEW]
Huawei MediaPad M2 10-inch Tablet 16GB or 64GB

PREMIUM

Apple iPad Pro 9.7-inch Tablet 32GB
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7-inch Tablet
Apple iPad Air 2 9.7-inch Tablet 16GB
Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro 10.1-inch Tablet with Built in Projector
Google Pixel C 10.2-inch Tablet

BONUS: LG G Pad II 10.1-inch FHD Tablet

Let’s take a closer look at our list:

BUDGET

1. Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7-inch Tablet

Samsung’s offering in the budget department comes with an optional S Pen, should you ever find the need to scribble or sketch on your tablet. This is something you can only find premium devices such the Apple iPad Pro with Apple Pencil and Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Tablet with Surface Pen. For the price tag, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A is impressive with solid build quality, slim and weighted with looks to match. It supports multi-user, multi-tasking with Multi Window and it’s kid friendly with Kid’s Mode. If you ever need to use this for business, it comes with Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and 100GB OneDrive account free for two years.

For the display, it uses the tried and tested 4:3 ratio, instead of the 16:10. This is a much better screen ratio for browsing the web and checking emails. With 1024 x 768 resolution, a resolution that Apple left behind with iPad 2, you would not get the sort of crisp and sharpness that you get with a Full HD or Retina display but is sufficient for most. In fact, without going crazy cramping all those pixels on a 9.7-inch and with the help of an energy efficient processor and good power management, the tablet can last up to 15 hours.

9.7-inch PLS TFT Touchscreen Display 1024 x 768 pixels
1.2 GHz Quad-Core, Qualcomm APQ 8016 Processor
1.5GB RAM, 16GB ROM
5MP rear-facing camera, 2MP front-facing camera
15 hours battery life with Li-Ion 6000 mAh
242.5 x 166.8 x 7.5 mm (9.55 x 6.57 x 0.30 in), 450 g (Wi-Fi), 453 g (LTE) (1.00 lb)
Colours: Titanium, Black, White or Smoky Blue

ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7-inch Tablet with S Pen

2. HUAWEI MediaPad T1 10 Tablet

While the MediaPad T1 9.6-inch full size tablet maybe a budget device, it comes with an aluminium back plate. The MediaPad T1 10 Tablet also has 4G LTE support making it a favourite among mobile workers that rely on broadband connectivity and always on connection. This also makes it a favourite among mobile phone companies, packaging the tablet with their data only tariffs and contracts. The only thing to note is it uses the EMUI custom skin, which is very different from the stock Android devices with hints of iOS interface. A smaller 8-inch device is also available. Aside from Samsung Tab E 9.6-inch, this is one of the cheapest tablet in our budget list.

9.6-inch IPS display 1280x800p
1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor
1GB of RAM, 16GB ROM
5MP rear-facing camera, 2MP front-facing camera
4800 mAh battery
248.5 x 150 x 8.3 mm, 450 grams

3. Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet

Unlike its previous approach, the new Fire and Fire HDs are more mid-range devices. Previously, Amazon focused on creating high-end devices to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung. This time, the focus is on making affordable, durable and reliable devices.

With the usual Amazon build quality but even lighter and slimmer, the Fire HD 10 measures only 7.7mm thick and weights 432 grams.

Build to consume content mainly from Amazon, the tablet’s simple and intuitive interface is bound to be a hit with users that care not for fiddling or tweaking but just want to get in front of their movies, books, magazines and TV shows. Prime members can also download Prime Video movies and TV shows to watch offline.

10.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel resolution (149 ppi) with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and advanced polarising filter
MediaTek Quad-Core: 2 @ 1.5 GHz + 2 @ 1.2 GHz
1GB RAM, 16GB or 32GB, MicroSD Slot supports up to 128GB
5MP rear facing camera with 1080p HD video recording , HD Front facing camera
Up to 8 hours of mixed use
159 x 262 x 7.7 mm (6.3″ x 10.3″ x 0.3″), 432 grams
Colours: Black or White

4. Samsung Galaxy Tab E 9.6-inch Tablet

Even cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Tab A, the Samsung Galaxy Tab E is an inexpensive entry-level tablet with a full size display. However, instead of the 4:3 screen ratio, it adopts the 16:10 ratio with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution on a slightly smaller 9.6-inch display. It is slightly thicker and 40-45 grams heavier compared to the Tab A. Still, it is a capable tablet with 1.2GHz quad core processor, 1.5GB of RAM and good enough cameras. The only let down is the minuscule storage of 8GB but you can easily rectify that with an old microSD card or grab a 128GB microSD card for the dedicated microSD slot.

Spreadtrum SC8830 1.2 GHz quad-core processor with ARM Mali-400 MP
9.6 inch 16:10, 1280×800 pixel, capacitve touchscreen (5 fingers) IPS display
1.5 GB RAM, 8GB eMMC Flash internal storage (up to 128GB via a microSD card)
5MP rear facing camera, 2MP front facing camera
241.9 x 149.5 x 8.5 mm (9.52 x 5.89 x 0.33 in), 490 g (Wi-Fi)/ 495 g (3G) (1.08 lb)

5. Lenovo Tab 2 A10 10.1-inch Tablet

Lenovo has been very consistent with the A10 series providing best value for money with the high possible specification in a 10-inch tablet. This much improved successor to the Lenovo A10-70 has many good things going for it starting with the faster quad core processor, double memory and Full HD display.

In the power department, it also sees an improved battery life of up to 10 hours with a 2 Cell 7000 mAh Li-ion battery. The front facing camera received a much needed upgrade to 5MP from the standard HD camera while the rear facing camera went from 5MP to 8MP. Without looking at the price tag some might think this to be a premium device.

Processor:MT8165 Quad Core Processor (1.70GHz 1MB)
10.1-inch Full HD 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and advanced polarising filter
2GB RAM, 16GB, MicroSD Slot supports up to 128GB
8MP rear facing camera with 1080p HD video recording and auto focus ,5MP Front facing camera with fixed focus
Up to 10 hours of mixed use with 2 Cell 7000 MAH Li-ion
159 x 262 x 7.7 mm (9.72″ x 0.35″ x 6.73″), 499 grams (1.10lbs)
Colours: Midnight Blue or Pearl White

MID-RANGE

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1-inch Tablet (2016)

The Tab A 9.7-inch is a no-nonsense everyday mid-range full size tablet from Samsung. The new Tab A 10.1-inch however, improves on the formula with a higher resolution display and a more powerful processor. Naturally, this comes at a price moving the Tab A series from our budget range to the mid-range category.

The 10.1-inch WUXGA TFT PLS screen (PLS is similar to IPS but proprietary to Samsung for wide angle viewing) with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels. The tablet is powered by Exynos 7870 Octa-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 with Mali-T830 MP2 graphics. Together with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, the tablet packs enough punch to take anything you throw at it.

Don’t forget the storage is expandable up to 200GB using microSD card. In the optics department, you get an 8MP primary shooter on the rear and a 2MP front shooter for selfies. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016) runs Android 6.0 and uses a high capacity 7300mAh non removable battery. It measures 155.30 x 254.20 x 8.20 (height x width x thickness) and weighs 525.00 grams.

10.1-inch WUXGA TFT PLS 1200 x 1920 pixels (~224 ppi pixel density) display
Exynos 7870 Octa-core 1.6GHz Cortex-A53 with Mali-T830 MP2
2GB RAM memory, 16GB ROM Storage expandable up to 200GB with microSD
8MP f/1.9, autofocus, LED flash main camera, 2MP f/2.2, 1080p video front camera
7300mAh Battery
254.2 x 155.3 x 8.2 mm (10.01 x 6.11 x 0.32 in), 525g (1.16 lb)

Available in Pearl White, Metallic Black

Huawei MediaPad M2 10-inch Tablet 16GB (Standard Edition) or 64GB (Premium Edition)

Following the success of the MediaPad M2 8.0 Tablet, Huawei’s full size tablet in the form of MediaPad M2. The company was chosen by Google to carry the Nexus brand and gave us the popular Nexus 6P premium Android phablet. The M2 10 is the first big Android tablet from Huawei. Like the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7, it also has a smart M-Pen stylus (premium edition only).

But Huawei is marketing this as an entertainment tablet with four speakers (2 treble and 2 bass) for surround sound with advanced harman kardon technology. The MediaPad is also the only tablet in this line-up that features a fingerprint sensor for secure identification, seamless login and access to apps with support for multi-users..

Back to the stylus, like Apple’s Pencil on iPad Pro, the M-Pen is an ultra-sensitive pen with 2048 pressure levels to simulate the friction of pen on paper. For multi-tasking, you can use gesture control; swipe left to go back to previous screen and right for multitasking management screen and move on to the next page.

While the 16GB model is affordably priced, the 64GB variety pushes the price up. Still you get a well designed tablet with non-conductive vacuum-coated metallic unibody at 7.35mm thin with the thinness edge measuring only 5mm. Available in Luxurious Gold and Moonlight Silver.

10.1-inch IPS 1920X1200 FHD Display
Hisilicon Kirin 930, Quad 2.0GHz + Quad 1.5GHz processor
2GB (standard edition) / 3GB (premium edition) RAM, 16GB (standard edition) / 64GB (premium edition) storage
13MP rear facing autofocus F2.0 camera with flash, 5MP front facing camera
6600mAh battery
239.8mm x 172.75mm x 7.35mm, approx. 500 grams

PREMIUM

1. Apple iPad Pro 9.7-inch Tablet 32GB

Physically, the iPad Pro is similar is every way to the iPad Air 2 down to the weight and display size. The difference is in the processor in use. The iPad Pro uses the third generation A9X chip while the iPad Air 2 uses the second generation A8X chip. Apple claims the A9X is 2.4X faster than the A7 while the A8X is 1.4X faster. But the real boost comes in the form of the Graphics prowess (iPad Pro 4.3x faster vs iPad Air 2 2.5x faster than A7’s graphics).

The main camera on iPad Pro is also more advanced at 12MP with support for Live Photos, Focus Pixels, True Tone flash and Panorama up to 63MP. When recording video, the iPad Pro is 4K HD video capture capable and supports continuous autofocus. The front facing camera also received an upgrade at 5MP with Retina flash. In the sound department, the iPad Pro features 4 speakers. However, the single most important feature when comparing the iPad Pro to the iPad Air 2 is the iPad Pencil support, available separately.

9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD 1536 x 2048 pixels display
Apple A9X Dual-core 2.16 GHz (Twister) processor with PowerVR Series 7 (12-core graphics)
2GB RAM memory, 32/128/256GB internal storage
12MP main camera, 5MP front facing camera
240 x 169.5 x 6.1 mm (9.45 x 6.67 x 0.24 in), 437grams (WiFi), 444grams (LTE)
10 hours battery life (web surfing on wifi), 9 hours (web surfing on mobile data)
Colours: Silver, Gold, Space Gray or Rose Gold

The iPad Pro is also available, the giant brother with 12.9-inch display.

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7-inch Tablet

The successor to the popular Galaxy Tab S is now smaller. While the full size Tab S spots a 10.5-inch screen, the Tab S2 is now 9.7-inch. Favouring instead the 4:3 screen ratio , the screen packs 2048 x 1536 pixels and true to the trait of a high-end tablet, starts with 32GB of storage. Weighing only 389grams and measuring 5.6mm thin, it is even thinner and lighter than iPad Air 2.

The Tab S2 completes the Tab family of tablets with one for each market segment, Tab E for entry level, Tab A for mid-range and Tab S2 for the premium or high-end segment. This is similar to Samsung’s line of smartphones with Galaxy J, Galaxy A and Galaxy S.

The biggest plus for Tab S2 is the popular Super AMOLED display that brings true-to-life colours while maintaining a high contrast ratio for better depth and detail. The rear main camera is also improved with a 8MP sensor mated with a F1.9 large aperture lense capable of QHD 2560 x 1440 pixel video recording.

Finally, for those who love to take their work with them, Tab S2 supports the full Microsoft Office app suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Note and OneDrive cloud storage). The optional Book Cover Keyboard is a must if you take your work with you on long commutes.

9.7-inch (QXGA) 2048×1536 pixel resolution sAMOLED display
Exynos 5433 (1.9GHz Quad + 1.3GHz Quad) Octa-core processor
3GB RAM memory, 32/64GB ROM Storage expandable with MicroSD up to 128GB
8MP Auto Focus main camera with F1.9 large aperture lense, 2.1MP Fixed Focus front camera
5,870mAh
169.0 x 237.3 x 5.6 mm, 389 g (Wi-Fi), 392 g (LTE)

There is also an 8-inch version should you need a slightly smaller device.

3. Apple iPad Air 2 9.7-inch Tablet 16GB

The cheapest full size iPad you can buy right now is the iPad Air 2 9.7-inch (16GB WiFi Only) with the iPad 2 off the shelves. Available now in only 16GB or 64GB, it looks like Apple is making users pay for more storage again, given that 16GB is hardly anything these days. The tablet is powered by the second generation A8X chip with 64-bit architecture and M8 motion coprocessor. In fact, if you have no need for the Apple Pencil and do not intent to start producing 4K videos with the tablet, the iPad Air 2 is your answer.

Physically, it looks no different to the iPad Pro 9.7-inch. In fact, what is really remarkable about this and the iPad Pro is how thin the tablet is. At only 6.1mm, it is 1.4mm thinner than the first iPad Air making it the thinnest tablet from Apple to date, sharing the spot with iPad Pro 9.7-inch.

9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD 1536 x 2048 pixels display
Apple A8X Triple-core 1.5 GHz Typhoon processor with PowerVR GXA6850 (octa-core graphics)
2GB RAM memory, 16/64GB internal storage
8MP f2.4 31mm autofocus main camera, 1.2MP front facing camera
240 x 169.5 x 6.1 mm (9.45 x 6.67 x 0.24 in), 437grams (WiFi), 444grams (LTE)
10 hours battery life (web surfing on wifi), 9 hours (web surfing on mobile data)
Colours: Silver, Gold or Space Gray.

4. Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro 10.1-inch Tablet with Built in Projector

The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro is the world’s first multimedia tablet that projects up to 70-inch on a wall or ceiling with a unique 180° rotatable projector. The theater-like sight and sound from the 10.1-inch QHD screen with smart display technology and JBL 4-speaker sound bar also makes this a formidable entertainment tablet even without projection. As with all Yoga tablets, the real advantage the Yoga tablet series have over standard tablets is in the ultra high capacity battery kept in the love it or hate it rolled edge barrel.

It has 10200 mAh capacity enough to keep you going for up to 18 hours of general use. Also like all its predecessor, the Yoga 3 Pro supports multi mode usage; hold, tilt, stand and hang. Finally, if you think Lenovo is leaving to chance, the screen supports AnyPen technology. It detects any conductive object as a pen, useful for taking notes and sketch. While it does not support pressure sensitive drawing, the system is responsive and precise and it eliminates the need for a special stylus.

10.1-inch QHD (2560 x 1600), 299 ppi, 70% Color Gamut IPS 16:10 screen
Intel^® Atom™ x 5-Z8500 Processor (2M Cache, Quad Core™, Up to 2.24 GHz)
3GB RAM memory, 16GB/32GB ROM storage expandable up to 128GB with MicroSD
13MP auto focus main camera, 5MP fixed focus front camera
4 Front-facing JBL^® Speakers with Dolby^® Atmos™
247 mm x 4.68 mm x 179 mm, 665grams

5. Google Pixel C 10.2-inch Tablet

Google’s Android Tablet, the Pixel C 10.2-inch is also the biggest 10-inch tablet here. Like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, you would want the fork out for the optional full-size keyboard to turn it into a convertible tablet if you are the productive type or a keyboard warrior.

Google got many things right with the Pixel C. The tablet uses Nvidia processor with 3GB of RAM and has plenty of on board storage with 32GB or 64GB ROM. Apart from the superb design, metal body with anodized aluminium and good quality build, the biggest notable feature of the tablet has to be its display. All of its 10.2-inch packs 2560 x 1800 pixel resolution giving it an impressive 308ppi (pixels per inch) density.

With NVIDIA processor and the 256-core Maxwell GPU supply the grunt, supplying the Pixel C plenty of horses to power through games or anything you can throw at it. Given that it is a Google’s own device just like the Pixel Chromebook, the tablet is powered by stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow and as it is a new device, and Google’s own, you will be guaranteed an upgrade to the next OS when it becomes available.

10.2-inch LTPS LCD In-cell touchscreen 2560 x 1800 (308 PPI) pixel resolution 500 nits
Nvidia Tegra XI 64-bit quad-core processor
3GB, LPDDR4 RAM memory, 32 or 64GB storage
8MP Rear camera, 2MP Front camera
242 x 179 x 7mm, 517 grams
34.2 WHr Battery