Best 8 Inch Tablets: Ranked By Experts

The iPad Mini 6 is the best 8-inch tablet out there, period. And, it is also the smallest offering in Apple’s tablet lineup. Featuring a beefy A15 Bionic and a newly designed chassis that provides the same edge-to-edge display we’ve gotten used to with the iPad Pro, the iPad Mini 6 definitely stands apart.

 With a ton of exciting colors, the tablet is clearly aimed at the more casual user rather than the hardcore professional. However, that isn’t to say that the tablet doesn’t perform well. In fact, it supports the Apple Pencil Generation 1, has decent speakers, a gorgeous 2266×1488 fully-laminated display, and runs the latest and greatest in iPadOS.

 This tablet isn’t meant for insane bouts of media consumption. In my opinion, it is great for the avid note-taker, someone who loves watching movies / content on a screen bigger than their smartphone and understands the nuances of having a pocketable tablet.

 With 9-10 hours of screen on time, the iPad Mini 6’s cellular variant also ensures that you are on the go no matter what. Plus, the Mini 6 is excellent for video calls, especially considering the fact that it has a 12 MP front-facing camera that ensures you are in the middle.

 Equipped with a USB-C port, you’ll have to make-do with charging the Apple Pencil Generation 1 by using a Lightning to USB-C adapter, weird, I know. Also, if you are looking for the Magic Keyboard, expect nothing here since the chassis is too small for a full-sized keyboard.

 You can, however, connect an external Bluetooth keyboard or even Apple’s own keyboard and get a decent typing experience. So, excellent software support, a great display, and the inclusion of an Apple Pencil, albeit the first Generation, still leaves room for note taking and drawing. 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is a great tablet for its size and price. Featuring USB-C connectivity, 10 hours of battery life, 4 GBs of RAM, and an 8.7-inch 1340×800 screen, it checks all the boxes.

 But, moving outside the box, the tablet features a display that looks nice and bright, colors aren’t extremely washed out, and it seems to adhere to Samsung’s quality standards when it comes to producing displays of reasonable quality. Yes, it isn’t the sharpest display out there, coming at 179 ppi. But I wouldn’t really call it a poor display by any sense of the imagination.

 In terms of performance, don’t expect it to tie up to the iPad Mini 6. But, it still performs fine in its own right. You can get away with a light and casual gaming. But, after a while, you are going to run into frame rate issues that’ll plague your entire gameplay session. So, I wouldn’t really recommend this tablet for that PUBG session. However, if it’s a long reading or movie-watching session you are after, then the A7 Lite should be able to net you 10 hours of battery life which is great for a tablet in this form factor.

 We’re not really seeing a lot of Samsung magic in the OS (thankfully), which means that you get a relatively stock Android experience. This means that there’s not a lot of lag in the tablet overall when scrolling through. Plus, you’ll be able to access the entirety of the Google Play Store without needing to go through the effort of sideloading.

 Lastly, let’s talk about cameras. This is where I really think the A7 Lite shines through. It features facial recognition and has nicer selfie cameras than most other tablets I’ve seen. Yes, its no iPad Mini 6, but it gets the job done. So, if you want a tablet for video conferences and slight media consumption, this one’s right up your alley. 

Amazon’s tablet ecosystem presents a unique take on the entire premise of owning a tablet. Instead of paying a larger price upfront, Amazon locks you into its ecosystem and focuses on the very basics. 

 While this may seem like an ideal premise, it suits a select few individuals who are willing to take Amazon’s drawbacks into accord. For instance, as soon as you get the tablet, you’ll immediately be locked into Amazon applications. While the tablet does run Android, you won’t be able to access the Google Play Store or any Google-supported application officially.

 Instead, you’ll need to opt to sideload. Besides that, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus comes at a great price; you’ll be able to save $25 if you opt for an ad-supported version which includes ads in the operating system itself. I found this quite annoying, especially because most advertisements used to pop up on the lock screen or while casually using the tablet, which led to me randomly tapping on them often.

 Besides that, the tablet is fine. It contains 3 GBs of RAM, and an eight-inch (duh) 1280×800 display with large bezels around the side. The display leaves a lot to be desired, the colors are washed out especially compared to the iPad Mini 6. But, it’s also much cheaper than the iPad Mini 6 so it isn’t really a fair comparison.

 Now, the reason why this tablet still takes up a second is simple, it achieves everything there is to expect from an 8 inch tablet. You aren’t going to be using this for school, this isn’t a great form factor for consuming content for elongated periods of time either. So, for most users, the Amazon Fire 8 Plus ticks the basics, which is why it is a great pickup.

 
Couple that with the fact that you also have wireless charging, a first in the Fire HD 8 line, and it is obvious why this is an easy recommendation.

The Lenovo Tab M8 (Gen 4) doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. And, at this price point, I’d be scared if they attempted to do so. But, here’s the deal, I really like this tablet for what it’s worth. It has a decent 8” 800×1280 LCD display with a 5100 mAh battery and 10W fast charging.

 It runs a MediaTek A22TAB processor, and, as the name suggests, it just doesn’t really push out as many frames when gaming or provide the butter-smooth performance you’d want from a tablet. But, it really isn’t very expensive either. So, that’s a drawback you have to make.

 The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite and Tab M8 are fairly similar, they offer the same specifications, give or take as both brands are known to produce great products, and the tablets definitely aren’t cheap by any sense of the word.

 
The reason why I picked the Samsung A7 Lite over the Tab M8 is because of the display. The Tab M8 just feels slightly more washed down compared to the A7 Lite which makes media consumption slightly less enjoyable. Plus, while this may seem like a nitpick. But, the speakers are slightly higher quality too.

The Amazon Fire 8 and Fire 8 Plus share the exact same specifications except for a few key differences. They are as follows:

• Charging: The Amazon Fire 8 features slower charging at 5 hours for a total charge while the Fire HD 8 Plus clocks out at 3 hours.
• Wireless Charging: The Fire 8 does not feature wireless charging while the Fire HD 8 Plus does.
• Cameras: The Fire HD 8 Plus features a 5 MP camera while the Fire HD has a 2 MP camera.
• RAM: The Fire HD 8 Plus has an extra gigabyte of RAM coming in at 3 GB while the Fire HD 8 has 2 GBs of RAM.

So, besides all the differences I have just listed, there’s really no difference between the two tablets. Now, this begs the question, what should I pick up from these tablets? For most, I recommend opting for the Amazon Fire 8. 

 Why? Well, the differences between the two tablets aren’t really worth spending more money over. For instance, the extra RAM really doesn’t cause a difference in performance. Since the CPU is the same, if you are going to be experiencing lag on one tablet, you are bound to have it on the other too.

 If there was a change in the front cameras, I’d be happy with recommending the Fire 8 Plus to everyone. But, since it’s the rear camera that gets bumped up, there’s no major advantage to having a better rear shooter either.

 Lastly, while the charging does make a difference, it still isn’t worth paying extra over, especially on a tablet that’s meant to be budget-oriented anyways. And, wireless charging really is a gimmick when it comes to tablets as you will seldom need to use it. Plus, I’d rather use my tablet plugged in a cable rather than wait for it to slowly wireless charge.

 So, yes, while the Fire 8 Plus is arguably better in a few ways than the Fire 8, that’s why it’s ranked second. But, if you don’t care for the differences, I suggest opting for the ad-free version of the Fire 8 instead.

Released in 2020, Samsung A 8.4 got a lot of things right with this tablet. Firstly, it comes with a 1920×1200 resolution screen tuning it up to 270 ppi. This means that you’ll be able to actually view 1080p video, unlike most of the entries in this list.

 And, if you are just going to be watching YouTube and want a cheap tablet, no need to look further, you’ve got the winner, buy this and get everything done with. But, if you decide to do anything more with your tablet, we would like to recommend something more powerful. This is because the processor is a Samsung Exynos 7904 which runs Android 10.

 So, performance is abhorrent, to say the least. The tablet can be super laggy when performing the most menial of tasks such as casual gaming or even sending a few emails or opening a few photos together. 

 The age of the chipset also leads it to have slightly shoddy WiFi performance and average battery life. Coming in at around 7 hours(Up to 10h). The cameras are actually pretty good though, since it comes in at 5 megapixels and actually leads it to be quite nice for video calls.

Ah, the Active Series. For those who aren’t aware, the Active lineup from Samsung was a series of smartphones and tablets that were more rugged, durable and could take a beating. Generally, they came with larger batteries and had the exact same specifications as a non-Active Samsung product.

 Released in 2020, the Samsung Tab Active 3 is meant for a very specific audience. It has military-grade design and a battery that is replaceable alongside water resistant S-Pen. Feature a 1920×1200 LCD display with the Exynos 9810, the device has the same CPU (in terms of performance) as the Samsung Galaxy S9.

 In terms of daily usage, I really enjoyed using this tablet. Its rugged design gave me a sense of confidence like no other and this was the first tablet I felt comfortable using without a case. The CPU is about 4 years old now, so you will experience some performance hiccups now and again, especially in demanding tasks.

 But, if you are going to be watching YouTube, flicking through photos, and typing up some Emails, you’ll do just fine. However, don’t expect to be replacing your laptop anytime soon with this device. 

 All in all, a great pick for someone who wants their tablet to be able to take a bit of a beating sometimes. But, if you aren’t going to be dropping tablets constantly, the Tab A 8.4 is a better choice since it features a slightly better processor.

Alldocube iPlay 8T is your run-of-the-mill standard Android tablet. Featuring a Mali-T820 with a 1280*800 screen and 2 megapixel cameras on both ends, the Alldocube is an excellent Android tablet for a child or for media consumption purposes.

 It’s cheap, reliable, and will be able to take a beating thanks to its plastic chassis. Don’t expect it to be blazingly fast and lag-free. However, if you use it for what it’s meant for, which is casual web browsing, surfing, and consuming content, you should be good to go.

 The battery lasts about 7-8 hours depending on your usage. Not much else to be said here about this tablet, it runs stock Android, runs well, and I didn’t really find much to complain about in the tablet. The one redeeming factor this tablet has as compared to other tablets is that it has an IPS LCD display which leads to better color reproduction and brightness ratios than most.

The Headwolf 8 Inch tablet is another great tablet on this list. It has a 5 MP camera which leads to slightly better photos than most other tablets in this list. It’s well-built, and the rugged plastic chassis means that you’ll be able to drop it a few times.

 Once again, you aren’t meant to be able to run your business with this tablet, but the size and overall design of the tablet leads it to fit very nicely in your hand. It comes with a built in screen protector and runs stock Android. 

 While there’s no exact identifiable measurement of the charging, I’ve seen it charge to 100% in about 3-4 hours, which leads me to believe it’s 10-15 Watts. The tablet does lag out sometimes and the performance isn’t all that great. But, at this price point, what more can you expect?

The WOZIFAN Kids Tablet 8 inch is one of my favorite kid’s tablets. Running on Android 11, the WOZIFAN kids tablet comes with 2 GBs of RAM and 32 GBs of space with a 1280×800 IPS LCD display allowing for 6 hours of screen on time.

 The tablet has Android’s native parental control mode which allows you to set up parental profiles for your child letting you use your tablet normally if you want to. The tablet features a rugged blue, pink and purple case with a kickstand built in.

 So, drop this tablet all you want, it definitely isn’t going to go through any scratches or knicks anytime soon, especially because of its included screen protector. In my opinion, the tablet is excellent for kids due to its rugged nature and the fact that the CPU is able to take up light gaming as well.

 While you will go through a lot of lag during your tenure with the tablet, it isn’t as jarring as some of the other tablets we’ve mentioned in this list. And, it’s priced quite reasonably too. 

The SZTPLS is a bog-standard 8 inch Android tablet. Featuring 16 GBs of storage and 2 GBs of RAM, the tablet has a 2 MP, and 5 MP camera array with an OTG cable, a case and a screen protector included that provides you with a ton of durability and ruggedness.

From what I’ve seen, this is a relatively slow tablet. I wasn’t really happy with its performance when it came to games. But, if you are going to be watching movies and consuming content, the screen actually is great. Plus, it charges in 3-4 hours and lasts about 6 hours.

 All in all, a great device that I would recommend for anyone looking for a cheap tablet that also provides some bang for the buck performance.