Tablets and e-ink devices have evolved over the years to become more than just ideal media consumption tools. Many tablets have grown to be viable alternatives to laptops Or smartphones, with access to productivity tools like spreadsheets and word processors, or pen compatibility for taking notes and working as digital canvases for artists.
Whether you’re an avid reader, a fan of Netflix, or a file candy crush- Eh, or someone finally embraced the paperless office, these are the best tablets, e-readers, and electronic notepads out there.
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Apple iPad (10th generation)
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If you’re buying for yourself, by all means go for the iPad Pro or iPad Air, which feature the same M1 and M2 processors used in Apple’s laptops and smartphones. But if you’re buying for someone else, it’s $449 The tenth generation of the iPad, which debuted just last month, is a solid choice. It has a lot of the same features as the $599 fifth-generation iPad Air, including a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina display, a USB-C charging port, Touch ID security, and support for the original Apple Pencil, but moves up the 12-inch front-facing camera. Megapixels are on the edge of the tablet, so it’s easy to make FaceTime video calls in landscape mode. It’s also powered by the A14 Bionic chip that debuted in 2020, which still delivers enough power for almost any user, even those who use the iPad as a productivity tool.
Apple iPad mini (6th generation)
Despite being $50 more expensive than the larger 10th-generation iPad, it’s impossible to find one Who wouldn’t be totally smitten with the $499 sixth-generation iPad mini the moment they capture it. Everything is great about the larger iPads in a smaller, lighter package, with an 8.3-inch screen that’s still big enough to read full-color comic books, graphic novels, and magazines. It actually features a slightly more powerful processor than the latest iPad — the A15 Bionic chip — and supports the new Apple Pencil 2, which can attach magnetically to the edge of the iPad mini and charge while connected.
Amazon Fire HD 10
As gateways to Amazon’s music, e-book, and video streaming services, the company’s tablets are priced as loss-leading devices, and Fire HD 10 tablet, with a 10.1-inch 1080p screen, can be had for just $110. This makes it an ideal gift-giving device. It’s tightly tied to Amazon’s services, with a dedicated front-end, and while it can’t access the Google Play Store, it can still access popular third-party apps including Spotify, Disney+, Netflix, Zoom, Hulu, and even Microsoft Office. . It’s best suited as a media consumption device, and given its price, it can be a great option for younger kids who aren’t the best nurtured of technology.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8
Apple and Amazon tablets (out of the box, at least) are walled garden devices that limit where users can get content and apps, and not everyone is a fan of this approach. If you’ve got an Android fan on your shopping list, tablets running Google’s mobile operating system are hard to find, but there are still some solid options available, like the $699 Samsung Galaxy Tab S8. It’s actually the smallest and cheapest option out there Three Samsung tablets were announced earlier this year, with an 11-inch screen and a fingerprint sensor on the side of its cover. It’s compatible with Samsung’s S Pen for note-taking or more artistic endeavors, and the 256GB of built-in storage can be expanded using a microSD memory card.
Amazon Kindle (Model 2022)
For the person who is only interested in reading books that contain lots and lots of text, the Amazon Kindle BasicAnd It was recently updated a few months ago, is an easy choice. The latest model offers USB-C charging, 16GB of internal storage, an improved E Ink display with a higher resolution so text looks sharper and easier on the eyes, plus access to Amazon’s well-stocked eBook store. It’s $100 for the version with lock screen ads, or $120 without.
Kobo Nya
Although he is a few years old at this point Kobo Nya It hits the $100 price point with no ads aside from the recommendations offered on the well-stocked Rakuten Kobo ebook store like the competition. It’s a solid alternative For those who Instead, skip Amazon offersoffers broader support for many more e-book formats, but with some compromises including a lower-resolution screen and only 8GB of storage — though that’s easily enough for a library of over 6,000 e-books.
Amazon Kindle Paper White 5
arrived late last year, Kindle Paperwhite 5 It comes with some major improvements over previous models, including a larger 6.8-inch screen, 300 PPI E Ink display, USB-C and wireless charging, and screen lighting with color temperature adjustment allowing for warmer tones at night that is claimed to make it easier to fall asleep. The biggest reason to splurge on the $140 Paperwhite 5 is that it’s completely waterproof, so it’s perfectly safe to use at the beach, by the pool, in the bathtub, or during a hurricane, even if fully submerged.
Kobo Clara 2E
Looking for a replacement for the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 5? $130 Kobo Clara 2E It offers a six-inch screen, a slightly smaller 300 PPI E Ink, but 16GB of storage by default, perfect for storing both e-books and audiobooks. It’s also completely waterproof, so users don’t have to be diligent about caring for it, and unlike the Paperwhite 5, Kobo boasts that the Clara 2E’s case is made from 85% recycled plastic, 10% of which comes from plastic that was bound by the ocean.
Onyx Box Live 2
Got a power user on your shopping list, who wants the latest and greatest packed with as many features as possible? Onyx may not be a well-known brand like Amazon or Kobo, but $200 is Boox Leaf 2 is the most powerful e-reader out there In the market. It has a 7-inch, 300 PPI E Ink display with adjustable color screen brightness, 32GB of expandable storage via memory cards, built-in page buttons, and it runs Android 11 with full access to the Google Play app store. This means you can either load your own eBooks and PDFs directly onto the Boox Leaf 2, or download the Amazon Kindle or Kobo apps and shop through their respective stores.
Note 2
The reMarkable tablet was the first E Ink device designed to replace a notebook and pen with digital paper, and $400 (plus the cost of the pen) reMarkable took 2 everything is fine over the original version and make it even better. Using Wacom’s tried and tested pen technology means the stylus never needs to be charged, and writing on the reMarkable 2’s display is as quick and responsive as writing with a real pen on paper. It’s the standard against which all other electronic notepads are compared, and it still manages to impress with an incredibly thin design and a powerful file sync system that makes documents instantly available on computers and smartphones.
Amazon Kindle Writer
Amazon has been relatively late to the game of e-notes, a term used to describe larger e-ink devices that support a stylus for taking notes, but don’t count the company. The recently announced Amazon Kindle Scribe, starting at $340, features a 10.2-inch, 300 PPI E Ink display and an asymmetrical design with a thicker bezel on one side that makes it easier to hold in one hand. The best feature might be the self-organizing sticky notes system that can be used to annotate e-books and other documents, as well as access to Amazon’s vast e-book store — something the editable Version 2 doesn’t offer.
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