Tablet buying checklist
Open a section, slide each spec to what you want, and print your own tablet wish list at the end.
Measured corner to corner in inches. Small tablets are easy to hold in bed; big ones are better for split screen and notes.
8.7″11.7 x 18.7 cm11″14.8 x 23.7 cm13″17.5 x 28.0 cmDrawn to the same scale. The coloured area is the screen.
The sweet spot for video, study and casual games.
How many pixels the screen has. You hold a tablet close, so extra sharpness shows when you read text.
AaSmall text on the screenand even smaller details in photosMagnified to show the difference.
Sharp enough for video and casual reading.
The screen technology. It decides how deep the blacks look and how rich the colours are.
Most tablets use it. Blacks look grey in a dark room, but it is bright and even.
How many times a second the screen redraws. Higher looks smoother when you scroll, draw or play.
Slowed down so you can see it. Each dot is one frame.
Noticeably smoother. Common on budget Android tablets.
How bright the screen gets, in nits. It decides whether you can read near a window or on a balcony.
Your bank OTP is 482913
Can you read this in a bright room?
How the screen reads under bright light, roughly.
Comfortable in most rooms.
The chip sets how fast apps open and how long the tablet stays smooth over the years. Look at the family, not the GHz.
Snapdragon 7 and Dimensity 7000 to 8000 class, or the chip in a base iPad. Handles most games.
Working memory. More RAM keeps apps open in the background and helps split screen. Ignore "virtual RAM" figures.
Rough idea: filled apps stay open, the rest reload.
Comfortable for study, split screen and games. Needed for some AI features.
Space for apps, downloads and notes. Downloaded movies for travel fill it fast.
Room for apps, notes and about 30 downloaded movies
Rough figures, after the system and a typical set of apps.
Room for apps, notes and some downloads.
A microSD slot lets you add cheap storage later for movies and music. iPads do not have one.
Buy the storage you need up front.
Capacity in mAh. iPads list watt-hours (Wh) instead. Bigger screens need bigger batteries for the same hours.
About a day of mixed use on a 10 to 11 inch tablet.
How fast it refills, in watts. Tablet batteries are big, so slow chargers take hours. Check if one comes in the box.
Empty to full, sped up.
Fine for a daily top-up.
A pen for notes and drawing. Pressure sensitivity makes lines thicker when you press harder. Pens are often sold separately.
Good for handwritten notes. May lack pressure sensitivity.
A keyboard turns a tablet into a small laptop for typing. Magnetic ones clip on and need no charging.
Works with most wireless keyboards. One more thing to charge and carry.
How many apps you can see at once. Desktop mode adds windows and a taskbar, and can use an external monitor.
Extra apps in small windows on top of others.
Tablets often replace a TV for one person, so speakers matter more than on a phone.
Stereo sound that works in landscape. Good for movies.
Where the camera sits matters for calls. On the long edge, you look centred when the tablet is sideways in a keyboard case.
You stay centred on calls in landscape. Better for classes and meetings.
A SIM slot gives mobile data anywhere. Phone hotspot works too. Many tablets with a SIM still cannot make normal calls.
Use home Wi-Fi or your phone's hotspot outside.
Years of Android or iPadOS updates. Security patches keep banking and school apps safe.
A sensible minimum for a tablet you plan to keep.
Most tablets are now metal. Weight decides whether you can hold it for an hour of reading.
Where most 10 to 11 inch tablets sit.
Your wish list
TABLET WISH LIST
by TechPP Insights
Your next tablet should have these minimum specs
Your picks will print here.
Scan to make your own wish list
techpp.app
Choose at least one spec to print your wish list.
Ready to shortlist? Best Android tablets, best iPads or iPad sizes compared
Was this article helpful?
Comments
0Share your thoughts, questions, or feedback about this guide.