Last Updated on September 8, 2023 by Ernests Embutnieks
We were wondering how differently our seniors and elders use their iPads or tablets. So we did a little research. Do they use different apps? What are their use cases?
As it turns out, there’s no big difference just like everyone else, seniors tend to use iPads and tablets for video calls, web surfing, video and movie watching, social media, podcasts, e-book reading, email checking, and casual light gaming.
Unlike other types of users, Seniors rarely use a stylus to take notes or draw. Which means they don’t need an overpowered processor as well.
This is the criteria we used to come up with the best tablets for seniors.
Top 9 Tablets For Seniors
Let’s take a deeper dive into the top picks.
1. Classic iPad (10th gen) – Best Tablet For Seniors
The iPad 10th Generation is the latest iPad and for seniors, we believe it offers the most value.
It’s a great option for beginners and already experienced users. Not only does the iPad 10th Gen have one of the biggest screens on the list, but it’s also one of the sharpest.
Everything you see on the screen is really clear & colorful and since it’s a big 10.9” display, you’ve got plenty of room for watching videos or browsing. The best part is, it looks really good.
This is also a great option if you and your family mainly use Apple products. You can iMessage and FaceTime them, something that’s missing on Android tablets. Plus, it has Apple’s latest A14 Bionic processor so you’re up to speed.
The tablet won’t lag or slow down on you anytime soon. But for Apple’s polish, you’ll need to shell out at least $400 bucks. Though if you do have the money to spend, you won’t regret it.
🛠️ Specifications
| OS | iOS 16 |
| CPU | A14 Bionic |
| Storage | 64GB / 256GB |
| Display | 10.9-inch (2360×1640) Liquid Retina ~264 ppi |
| Camera | 12MP Ultra Wide Front Cam / 12MP (f/1.8) Wide Rear Cam |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, Optional 5G Cellular |
| Battery Life | Up to ~10 hours |
| Size | 9.79” x 7.07” x 0.28” |
| Weight | 1.05lbs |
2. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022) – Best with Stylus
The updated version of Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. Samsung did something they haven’t done before and now we have Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 Edition.
It’s an Android tablet, so there are quite a few little differences between this tablet and the iPad. One of the reasons you might like this one better is because it has a Stylus pen included in the box. You will have the chance to draw and take notes. Great performance, great battery life, great price and it’s a direct competitor to the iPad.
Many people choose it due to the fact that the S pen is included in the package and it’s a good enough reason, but in my experience, if you’re not really dedicated to drawing, it will become just a tool you don’t use.
🛠️ Specifications
| OS | Android 12 |
| CPU | Exynos 9611 / Snapdragon 720G |
| Storage | 64 GB / 128 GB |
| Display | 10.4 inches (1200×2000) ~224 ppi |
| Camera | 5 MP Front Facing / 8 MP Rear Facing |
| Wireless | WiFi / Bluetooth / GPS / LTE |
| Battery Life | 10-12 hours |
| Size | 9.63” x 6.07” x 0.28” |
| Weight | 1.02 lbs |
3. iPad Mini 6 – Most Compact
I feel like I will upset many people by ranking the iPad Mini 6 below the regular iPad and Samsung S6 Lite(2022). But hear me out.
I know that the iPad Mini is more expensive than the regular iPad, I know the iPad Mini has more features and has a better processor and better display, etc. All of this is true.
iPad Mini 6 is 8.3-inches and the regular iPad is 10.2-inches. That’s quite the difference. For seniors, the screen size matters, not to all but to the majority. It’s a fact that eyesight gets worse with age.
The smaller the screen the harder it is to see and the harder it is to navigate the device. That’s the reasoning behind our rankings.
Other than that, we love the device. It has come a long way. Its display is magnificent, the design, the camera, everything is great.
🛠️ Specifications
| OS | iPadOS |
| CPU | A15 Bionic |
| Storage | 64GB, 256GB |
| Display | 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488 pixels) Liquid Retina |
| Camera | 12MP wide (f/1.8) back camera, 12MP Front camera |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6, optional 5G (Sub-6) |
| Battery Life | ~10h |
| Size | 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches |
| Weight | 0.7lbs |
4. Samsung Galaxy Tab A8
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is one of the most popular Samsung budget tablets. There’s a reason for that. It’s a very useful tablet you can do great, fun things with it and it’s very affordable. It’s like the perfect combination, right? It’s also listed as the best tablet under $200.
It offers a great price, great performance, and good display, and overall it’s just a great budget tablet on which you can play lightweight games, make video calls, browse social media, etc.
It’s equipped with great speakers that make media consumption a treat and obviously are good for video calls as well as for music we would still recommend getting headphones/earbuds for a better experience.
Overall, it’s a good tablet for web surfing, light gaming, video-calls, movie, and video watching.
🛠️ Specifications
| OS | Android |
| CPU | Mali G52 MP2 |
| Storage | 32GB|64GB|128GB |
| Display | 10.5-inch (1200×1920 pixels) |
| Camera | Front: 5MP | Rear: 8MP |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Battery Life | ~10h |
| Size | 0.27 x 6.37 x 9.72 inches |
| Weight | 1.12lbs |
5. Microsoft Surface Go 3 – Best Windows Option
Windows tablets are so underrated. Everyone believes they are complicated. I think they are the ideal gateway device from laptop to tablet. It’s sort of a 2-in-1 tablet, that’s what I would call it. If you’ve used laptops(windows) your entire life then switching to Microsoft Surface Go 3 would be simple.
Something you need to know: there is no keyboard or pen or mouse included in the box. You have to buy all the accessories separately.
Overall, it’s a great choice for seniors that are familiar with the Windows ecosystem, it’s quite pricy, but it also comes with decent processing power and can handle many things. The webcam is great if you plan to do some video-calls.
🛠️ Specifications
| OS | Windows 11 |
| CPU | 1.1 GHz Intel Pentium Gold | Intel Core i3 |
| Storage | 64GB | 128GB |
| Display | 10.5-inch (1920×1280 px) |
| Camera | 5MP Front and 8MP rear-facing 1080p HD |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Battery Life | ~10h |
| Size | 7.98 x 10.82 x 1.89 inch |
| Weight | 1.2lbs |
6. Amazon Fire Max 11 – Best Value For Price
As you can see in the image – Stylus and keyboard is not included in the price, but finally Amazon lineup of tablets offers these accessories.
Let’s talk about that brilliant 11″ screen! With 2.4 million pixels and a resolution of 2000 x 1200, you’ll see every single detail in your favorite movies, TV shows, and games. And don’t worry about straining your eyes, it’s certified for low blue light to keep you comfortable.
When it comes to performance, this little powerhouse won’t let you down. It’s equipped with a powerful octa-core processor, 4 GB memory, and Wi-Fi 6, ensuring fast streaming, responsive gaming, and smooth multitasking.
You won’t be running out of entertainment either. With a whopping 14-hour battery life, you can enjoy reading, web browsing, videos, and music all day long, whether you’re at home or on the go. Plus, you can save all your favorites with either 64 GB or 128 GB storage. And if that’s not enough, you can expand it up to a whopping 1 TB with a micro-SD card (sold separately, of course).
And oh, let’s not forget about staying connected! The 8 MP camera ensures clear calls with friends and family on Zoom, so you’ll never miss a beat.
So, dear seniors, the Fire Max 11 is truly a delightful companion that combines productivity, creativity, and entertainment all in one.
🛠️ Specifications
| OS | Android 11, Fire OS 8 |
| CPU | Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz) Mali-G57 MC2 |
| Storage | 64GB | 128GB |
| Display | 11-inch (2000×1200 px) |
| Camera | 8MP Front and 8MP rear-facing 1080p HD |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Battery Life | ~14h |
| Size | 10.20 x 6.44 x 0.30 in |
| Weight | 1.08lbs |
7. Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus – Best Seller
Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus Tablet. I love tablets by Amazon. They are great, they do exactly what you need, but most importantly I love them because they won’t put a dent in your pocket.
It’s bright, it’s fast, it’s vibrant and it has Alexa. You can make calls without touching the tablet, you can play your favorite audiobook without touching the tablet, and you can play music without touching the tablet. You can also connect it to speakers wirelessly.
It’s a great device overall, you just need to know how to make the most out of it.
🛠️ Specifications
| OS | Amazon Fire OS |
| CPU | Octa-core 2.0 GHz with 4 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 32GB|64GB |
| Display | 10.1-inch (1920 x 1200 px) |
| Camera | 2 MP front-facing and 5MP rear-facing cameras with 720p HD video recording |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Battery Life | ~12h |
| Size | 9.73” x 6.53” x 0.36” |
| Weight | 1.03lbs |
8. Lenovo Tab M10 Plus (3rd gen)
Yes, Lenovo is more known for making laptops, than tablets. Lenovo has a small market share when it comes to tablets, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some good tablets. Nevertheless, Lenovo has good tablets that are worth mentioning, but let’s talk about Lenovo M10 Plus (3rd gen)
Released in 2022, May. They created a great tablet that can compete even with Samsung Galaxy Tab A8.
The tablet has a large screen, made for content consumption and light productivity. It also has a great display and the design is beautiful, it honestly feels like a premium tablet when held in hands.
Overall, we believe it’s a great pick for seniors that like to consume media on their devices and don’t like to charge it often. Lenovo Tab M10 Plus (3rd gen) can last up to 15 hours. That’s the crazy good battery life for a tablet.
🛠️ Specifications
| OS | Android |
| CPU | MediaTek Helio G80 |
| Storage | 64GB|256GB |
| Display | 10.6” 2K (2000×1200) IPS (400 nits) |
| Camera | 8 MP front camera / 8 MP back camera |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth |
| Battery Life | ~15h |
| Size | 0.29” x 9.89” x 6.25” |
| Weight | 1.03lbs |
9. Amazon Fire HD 8
The Amazon Fire HD 8 also got a refresh in 2022 so it’s faster and the battery will last longer. But similarly to the Fire 7, this is a pretty small tablet with an 8-inch display. It also has an HD resolution which is clearer than the Fire 7.
The Fire HD 8 also has a considerably more powerful processor so it will load apps faster. It can’t compare to more expensive tablets, but it does the job. It can handle watching videos, playing light games, and reading or browsing social media.
But what we like about this tablet is the smaller size.
How big of a screen you have might be important for some people, but it’s also important to have a tablet you can hold comfortably. The 8-inch size makes it comfortable and easy to hold with one hand.
But you’ll have to weigh your options between size and comfort, so pick which matters more for you.
This isn’t winning any awards for how the screen looks or how fast it is, but it’s really affordable. If all you need is a simple, compact tablet, then this is a great one to check out.
🛠️ Specifications
| OS | Fire OS 8 |
| CPU | Hexa-core 2.0GHz w/ 2GB RAM |
| Storage | 32GB / 64GB |
| Display | 8-inch HD IPS (1280 x 800) ~189ppi |
| Camera | 2MP Front Cam / 2MP Rear Cam w/ 720p HD Video |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Battery Life | Up to ~13 hours |
| Size | 7.94” x 5.40” x 0.37” |
| Weight | 0.7lbs |
10. Amazon Fire HD 7
Amazon Fire HD 7 was updated in 2022. It’s the 12th gen Amazon Fire 7. Why do they update their tablet so much? They don’t make many changes, they don’t add features, and they update necessary things like processors and batteries. Newer apps require more processing power and drain batteries faster. This is why I always say – new is better when it comes to technology.
You have to understand it’s a small tablet 7.1-inches. It’s pretty much the smallest tablet you can get. If you have eyesight problems or your have big fingers this probably shouldn’t be your first pick.
Fire HD 7 is an entry-level tablet. You can do light video watching, movies, social media, reading, listening to audiobooks, and lightweight games.
🛠️ Specifications
| OS | Fire OS 8 |
| CPU | Mediatek MT8168 |
| Storage | 16GB|32GB |
| Display | 7.1 inches (1024 x 600) ~171 ppi |
| Camera | 2 MP front facing / 2 MP rear facing |
| Wireless | WiFi, Bluetooth |
| Battery Life | 10-11h |
| Size | 7.11” x 4.63” x 0.38” |
| Weight | 0.61lbs |
Why Did I Rank iPad Above Samsung S6 Lite?
In my subjective opinion, iPads are better when it comes to the overall experience. I’ve used both tablets, Android and iPadOS and I believe there’s a good reason why Apple is so popular.
Their tablets are one step ahead in app selection, performance, and display. Everything feels on point and smooth as butter. There aren’t many glitches or lag so they’re incredibly user-friendly.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about cheaper Android tablets.
If I had to buy a tablet for my grandparents or parents, I would buy an iPad without a doubt. It’s simpler, it’s easier to navigate, and it provides the best experience.
If you are interested you can check the differences between Android tablets and iPads – Here.
Summary
It’s all about personal preference. But overall, the iPad is a great choice for Seniors that are interested in media consumption (Netflix, YouTube, Podcasts, Disney+, Amazon Video, Rumble, HBO, etc.), web browsing, social media, facetime, emails, reading, audiobooks, etc.
The iPad is a reliable tablet that’s capable of many great things. You can use it for entertainment, as a productivity tool, or as a tablet to study and learn. There are just so many great ways to do things with an iPad.
It all comes down to how you want to use it.
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