Tablets are a perfect portable companion for students, giving them much mileage in their studies,
research, and even entertainment. The choice of a tablet is usually dictated by a combination of
factors including price, performance, size, and capacity.
Some of the stand-out tablets with a great appeal to students include Apple iPad Air (2022), Apple iPad Mini (2021), iPad Pro 12.9, Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8 Ultra, and the Microsoft Surface Pro 8. A tablet is an ideal study companion and some models have 2-in-1 functionality as a tablet and a laptop. Most of the student-friendly tablets are super portable and can be used on the go.
Some of the best student-friendly tablets come with stylus support, allowing the student to take
notes seamlessly and sketch their designs. Some of the tablets also come with a keyboard
accessory that allows for greater PC functionality. Some of the tablets are resource-rich and
high-performance with a more expensive outlook. The leading brands are Apple, Samsung,
Microsoft, Chromebook, and Huawei, among others. These brands offer a mix of considerations
including build, portability, battery life, and cost.
Apple iPad Air (2022)
The iPad Air was released this year and weighs 462g with dimensions as 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24
inches with a 10.9-inch screen. The iPad Air has 64GB and 128GB storage options and has an
optional pencil and keyboard sold separately. The tablet packs some performance strength as it is
equipped with Apple’s M1 chip. It is a very powerful tablet that offers great value for money. It
can handle almost any screen task including video editing or drawing. The iPad Air runs on the
revamped iPadOS and features desktop workflow for multitasking.
The iPad Air is a great tablet and is cheaper than the iPad Pro. It also comes with an improved
camera setup and 5G network connectivity. The absence of the Apple Pencil and keyboard in the
package means that the costs could be higher for students who need such accessories.
Apple iPad Mini (2021)
The iPad Mini is a portable tablet and is compatible with the Apple Pencil 2. It comes with an
improved camera setup although it lacks a 3.5mm jack for audio connections. The iPad Mini’s
processor is based on the A15 Bionic chipset with 4GB of RAM which is enough for basic
applications in the tablet.
As its name shows, the iPad Mini is a compact device and weighs less than 300g. It has a USB
port for expanded functionality of the device while its 3:2 aspect ratio is great. The iPad Mini has
decent maximum brightness levels with high color accuracy.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
The iPad Pro 12.9 is as expensive as it can get but comes with lots of features. It weighs 682g
and has a 12.9-inch screen with storage options between 128GB and 2TB. It is a great resource
for students in creative courses. The powerful specs of the iPad Pro 12.9 also combine with its
enthralling liquid retina XDR screen. It can be the most demanding visual design task and can
operate as a laptop. The tablet has an HDR display with a high refresh rate of 120Hz and 2048
x 2732p resolution.
As per brightness, the iPad Pro 12.9 has a peak brightness of 1600 nits with local dimming
control present. The Apple iPad Pro 12.9 is great for photo and video editing, as well as creative
courses. It also has features that can transform it into a super portable laptop if you want to write
your assignments or do any other PC task.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
This is a flagship offering from Samsung and it comes with a 14.6-inch screen. The Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra weighs 726g and offers storage options between 128GB and 512GB. Included in the
package is the S Pen stylus and the tablet has a decent price. It is an Android tablet with a screen
size that dwarfs the largest iPad Pro model.
You can use the tablet to take notes in class, make sketches, and do an array of different things.
It has 16GB of RAM which means it can accommodate several applications without its
performance being affected. Although the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra has a slim and sleek design, it is
not so portable because of its weight.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8
The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 weighs 0.89kg and has a 13-inch display. It packs up to 1TB in
storage with a great design and flexible working. It has an improved performance from its
previous iterations and has the tag of the most expensive Windows tablet. The Surface Pro 8 runs
desktop software seamlessly, meaning that you can switch to the device without any hassles.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 runs on Windows 11 out of the box, it has a powerful processor,
great battery life, and several RAM/ storage configurations.
Some other great tablets for students include the HP Chromebook X2 11, Samsung Galaxy Tab
S6 Lite, Amazon Fire HD, Lenovo IdeaPad Duet, and the Huawei MatePad 11.
