BEST TABLETS

The iPad mini (2021) Wi-Fi + Cellular has an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display that is larger than the 7.9-inch screen available on the earlier iPad mini. The new model is also powered by the latest A15 Bionic chip that is rated to deliver up to 80 percent faster performance than the previous generation. The new iPad mini comes with a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide selfie camera with a 122-degree field of view. It also includes support for Center Stage from the iPad Pro. At the back, there is a 12-megapixel camera sensor that is paired with a True Tone flash and supports Smart HDR as well as 4K video recording. The iPad mini (2021) Wi-Fi + Cellular supports Wi-Fi 6 and 5G connectivity.

The 2020 iPad Air refresh has an all-new design that brings it more in line with the iPad Pro models than the mainstream ones. It has an all-screen design but there's a Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the top rather than Face ID for biometric identification. The USB Type-C port on the bottom replaces Apple's Lightning connector. You get Apple's new A14 Bionic SoC which has plenty of power for apps and games, plus beefed-up AI processing for on-device machine learning and security. You can choose between five colours, plus 64GB or 256GB of storage, and cellular-enabled or Wi-Fi-only variants. Apple also sells its Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil accessories that add a lot of functionality but are very expensive. The iPad Air (2020) has some quirks but could prove to be very convenient for lots of people, plus it delivers good value for money overall.

The Realme Pad is the brand’s first attempt at an Android-powered tablet. It offers capable hardware in a slim package at budget prices. All of this works fine provided you aren’t looking at it as a productivity device.

The tablet has a quality display which is sharp and is bright enough to handle direct sunlight. Keeping media consumption in mind, it offers Widevine L1 certification, which allows for full-HD video streaming quality. Adding to that experience is the quad-speaker audio setup that delivers sound that’s loud and clear enough enough to fill a room.

Software performance is quite smooth, but with just 3GB or 4GB of RAM, this tablet would be best used for running basic apps and not graphically intense games. Battery life is quite good, and the Realme Pad can last about a day and a half with about an hour of gaming and several hours of video playback.

Lenovo’s Tab P11 Pro is a slim, premium tablet that’s made of metal and glass. While it’s just 5.8mm thin, it still manages to squeeze in four speakers and a fingerprint scanner. It can connect to an optional keyboard case.

There are two 8-megapixel front cameras (including an infrared camera) for selfies, and a 13-megapixel primary plus a 5-megapixel ultrawide camera at the rear. Camera quality however is below average, but there is an LED flash at the back.

Audio quality is quite good, and it adds to the excellent Dolby Vision-certified 11.5-inch OLED WQXGA display. The tablet is a capable gaming device, but it lacks a high-refresh rate display.

Battery life is very good with a day and half of casual use, but it takes over 3 hours to charge the 8,400mAh battery. Lenovo oddly goes with a slightly customised version of Android 10, which looks almost stock. While the software experience is smooth for regular use, switching to Productivity mode can be a bit overwhelming for the hardware, which is why the P11 Pro isn’t a laptop replacement.

The all-new iPad mini (2021) Wi-Fi comes with an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display that is larger than the 7.9-inch screen available on the earlier iPad mini. The new model is also powered by the latest A15 Bionic chip that is rated to deliver up to 80 percent faster performance than the previous generation. The new iPad mini comes with a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide selfie camera with a 122-degree field of view. It also includes support for Center Stage from the iPad Pro. At the back, there is a 12-megapixel camera sensor that is paired with a True Tone flash and supports Smart HDR as well as 4K video recording.

The iPad (2021) Wi-Fi + Cellular comes with a 10.2-inch display. It is powered by Apple's A13 Bionic and features a 12-megapixel ultra-wide front camera with Center Stage that keeps the focus on the person even when they are moving. The new tablet runs iPadOS 15 and comes with support for Apple Pencil (1st generation) and Smart Keyboard. It supports Wi-Fi 6 as well as 4G cellular connectivity. 

The iPad (2021) comes with a 10.2-inch display. It is powered by Apple's A13 Bionic and features a 12-megapixel ultra-wide front camera with Center Stage that keeps the focus on the person even when they are moving. The new tablet runs iPadOS 15 and comes with support for Apple Pencil (1st generation) and Smart Keyboard.