Kids’ tablets don’t necessarily have to have brightly colored bumpers and children’s apps preloaded to be effective, either. Teens will likely prefer a more adult-like tablet such as Apple’s iPad, with optional screen time restrictions and parental controls, while younger kids may need something more child-friendly. Read on to see our picks for the best kids tablets in different categories. The 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 screen looks clear and provides a full 1080p HD picture. The battery lasts for up to 12 hours of actual usage, which is spectacular for long trips. This tablet runs nice and snappy thanks to the octa-core 2.0Ghz processor, which should have no problem letting kids play the games they want. The cameras are not great, coming in at only 2MP on the front and back, but that is a small issue since you can still video chat without issue. Overall, the Fire HD 10 Kids Edition is an awesome choice for kids to enjoy. Screen Size: 10.1 inches | Resolution: 1900 x 1200 | Processor: MT8183 Octa-Core 2.0Ghz | Camera: Rear and front camera, 2MP For younger children, Kids Mode comes with the mid-tier tablet, which allows you to turn your tablet into a child-friendly tool, both educational and entertaining. A PIN ensures the mode cannot be deactivated without your approval, and it comes with around 3,000 different apps for budding learners to explore different languages, improve their math skills, and interact with their favorite cartoon characters. However, unlike previous Galaxy Tabs, it does not come with a stylus and does not have stylus capabilities. Screen Size: 10.5 inches | Resolution: 2650 x 1600 | Processor: AMD Kabini A6 5200M Quad Core 2 Ghz w/ Qualcomm Adreno Graphics Coprocessor | Camera: Front, 8MP; Rear, 13MP There is a pretty solid MediaTek P22T processor, which will handle gaming, movies, and schoolwork. Plus, the speakers are tuned with Dolby Atmos for better sound quality. The cameras are better than other tablets we’ve seen, but they’re not the best. You get a 5MP front camera and an 8MP rear camera, which will do the job for basic functions such as selfies and video chatting. One of the features that makes this a great tablet for pre-teens is the included Google Kids Space, which has over 10,000 approved apps and games, as well as the ability to give kids their own account, but with parents able to set restrictions and monitor. Screen Size: 10.1 inches | Resolution: 1280 x 800 | Processor: MediaTek P22T | Camera: Front, 5MP; Rear, 8MP Worried about too much screen time? Apple has a nifty Night Shift mode that ditches the blue hues believed to disrupt sleep if used right before bedtime. If your teen already has an iPhone or uses a Mac at school, they will feel instantly at home using the iOS software. If not, it’s intuitive nonetheless and has a vast selection of apps, both educational and not-so-educational. This tablet has a 12MP main camera, and the front FaceTime Camera records at full 1080p, but takes pictures at only 7MP. For regular video, it can record at 4k resolution. It also has support for the Apple Pencil, which should help your teen take notes at school. Overall, it’s a fantastic tablet and the one that your teen is likely already begging you for, if you are willing to pay a premium. Screen Size: 10.9 inches | Resolution: 2360 x 1640 | Processor: A14 Processor with Neural Engine technology | Camera: Front, 7MP; Rear, 12MP It’s highly durable, with a soft silicone case that comes in pink, blue, orange, and green. It comes pre-installed with loads of kid-friendly content, including Disney eBooks and audiobooks. And it has advanced parental controls that let you set timers and restrict access to certain material. Even though it’s designed for children, this tablet still packs a fast-performing quad-core processor, has a 1024 x 600 IPS screen and runs Android 9.0, which gives you access to just about every app you could want. All in all, it’s truly an incredible value. Screen Size: 7 inches | Resolution: 1024 x 600 | Processor: Quad Core | Camera: Front, 0.3MP; Rear, 2MP The children’s interface appears geared toward a younger audience (ages 3 to 8), but that does not mean the tablet is cheaply made. It has an 8-inch FHD display, solid front and rear cameras at 5MP and 8MP, respectively, Android 10 OS, and a 2.0Ghz octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM—decent specs for a kids’ tablet at this price point. There is a bit of setup required on the front-end to get everything working, such as the parental controls, but the steps are definitely worth it. Screen Size: 8 inches | Resolution: 1920 x 1200 | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 | Camera: Front, 5; Rear, 8MP For the first three months, kids get unlimited, free access to hundreds of educator-approved games, videos, eBooks and music, but after the trial period, the content will cost $8 per month. The tablet runs on Android and has a multi-touch, 1024 x 600 screen. It includes a stylus and 16GB of memory, but you can expand the memory up to 32GB. It also has dual cameras to take pictures and record videos. And, with its basic parental controls, you can set what, when, and for how long your child can use the tablet. Screen Size: 7 inches | Resolution: 1024 x 600 | Processor: 1.3Ghz Quad-core Processor | Camera: Front and rear, 2MP Screen Size: 8 inches | Resolution: 1280 x 800 | Processor: MT8168 Quad Core 2GHz | Camera: Front and rear, 2MP Bill Loguidice has more than 20 years’ experience writing for a variety of major technology publications including TechRadar, PC Gamer, and Ars Technica. Jeremy Laukkonen is tech writer and the creator of a popular blog and video game startup. He also ghostwrites articles for numerous major trade publications.
What to Look For in a Kids’ Tablet:
Screen size - Look for a screen size that is going to best fit your child’s age and how much they travel and move around. A smaller child may have trouble lugging around a 10-inch tablet, and it may experience more wear as a result. A 7-inch screen may be too small for an older child working on school assignments. Durability - Durability is a big concern for kids’ tablets, as even pre-teens can be quite rough with their devices. Look for well-built, quality devices that are designed to handle the rigors of children. Technical specs - This is very important when buying any tech, but certainly so with tablets. Look at the processor, memory, screen resolutions, storage, and camera specs as some of your main guides. Sometimes, you can find a great bargain with similar specs to a device you wanted, but other times you will find it’s best to go ahead and pay a bit more for a device and get a better screen or faster processing. This is especially true when buying a tablet for teens, as they may use their devices for tasks including photography and school assignments.
