When I was young, all I had was a green-and-black-screened Game Boy. Kids today are different: they want a full-fledged tablet that can play games, watch videos, and read comic books. But thats okay, because there are quite a few solid, affordable tablets designed just for kids.Unfortunately, it can be hard to wade through all the garbage that’s out there. There are a lot of companies selling old, underpowered, or overly locked-down devices that just wont cut it, so you have to be careful when shopping for your little one.In most cases, its best to stick with the big names: the same brands youd buy from if you were looking for a regular tablet. In fact, you could just buy them a normal Android tablet and use its built-in parental controls. But for this list, we’re going to look at mostly kid-focused tablets and a few full-featured slates for those that are a little more grown-up. Here are the best tablets for kids.
TL;DR These are the Best Tablet for Kids:
1. Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition
The Best Bang for Your Buck Tablet
Screen Size: 8″ Resolution: 1,280 x 800 CPU: 2.0 GHz quad-core processor RAM: 2GB Storage: 32GB Battery: 12-hour Rear Camera: 2MP Front Camera: 2MP OS: Fire OS Size: 9.2″ x 7.2″ x 1.0″ Weight: 550g
Amazon’s top-ranking kids tablet has just gotten better with the new Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition. While the name hasn’t changed, the internals have, and so has the case. The latest model brings with it an upgrade processor that kicks things up from the old 1.2GHz quad-core to a 2.0GHz quad-core processor. It also increases the RAM from 1.5GB to 2GB. While the storage remains the same at 32GB, you can expand that with a microSD card. Battery life is also improved at up to 12 hours.The other big improvement this time around comes from the case. The new case includes a stand, so your kids don’t have to hold onto the tablet the whole time they use it. The case also includes a special design to help channel the stereo speakers’ sound forward toward your kid’s ears (and not the ears of everyone else around). There’s also a USB-C port now for easier charging. The Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition continues to offer some of the same great services, including a one-year subscription to FreeTime Unlimited, a video service for kids, as well as Amazon’s two-year warranty to replace broken tablets for free.
2. Samsung Galaxy Tab A Kids Edition
A Solid Alternative Tablet for Kids
Screen Size: 8″ Resolution: 1,280 x 800 CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 RAM: 2GB Storage: 32GB Battery: 13-hour, 5,100mAh Rear Camera: 8MP Front Camera: 2MP OS: Android 9.0 Pie Size: 8.27″ x 4.90″ x 0.31″ Weight: 345g
If youre a fan of Samsungs Galaxy phone and tablets, you might consider its $100 Samsung Galaxy Tab A Kids Edition. Its essentially the same as its Galaxy Tab A Litean affordable, lower-specced 8-inch tablet.But don’t let this tablet’s low $150 price fool you, it’s actually pretty well specced. It comes fitted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 429, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage that should be more than enough to run all the education apps you need. Plus it even comes running Android 9.0 Pie, so you can download plenty of apps as well.
3. LeapFrog Epic
The Best Educational Tablet
Screen Size: 7″ Resolution: 1,024 x 600 CPU: 1.3GHz quad-core processor RAM: 1GB Storage: 16GB Battery: 7-hour Rear Camera: 2MP Front Camera: 2MP OS: Android 4.4 KitKat Size: 9″ x 6.38″ x 1.02″ Weight: 580g
While the Amazon Fire Kids edition has educational content, its also a bit more of an open sandbox. If youre looking for something a bit more strictly educational, LeapFrogs Epic tablet comes pre-loaded with a bunch of educational apps, while still allowing parents to install certain apps from the Amazon Appstore (no Google Play, though). The home screen is a bit less traditional, with a customizable scene containing colorful characters, which may appeal to younger kids. Like the other tablets on this list, it comes with a rubber bumper to protect the device from falls, and you can subscribe to LeapFrog Academy for even more content. The LeapFrog Epic is similarly specced to the other tablets on this list1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of storagebut its priced a bit lower, currently around $100 on Amazon. It also uses Android 4.4 as its OS, so make sure the apps you want to use are compatible with older versions of Googles operating system.4. Apple iPad
Tablet Kids Actually Want
Screen Size: 10.2″ Resolution: Retina CPU: A10 Fusion RAM: 3GB Storage: 32GB Battery: 10-hour Rear Camera: 8MP Front Camera: 1.2MP OS: iOS 13 Size: 9.8″ x 6.8″ x 0.29″ Weight: 483g
Lets get real here: once your kids reach a certain age, they dont want an educational for kids tablet. They want what their friends have, and what they see heavily marketed on TV. And in todays tablet scene, that means Apples iPad. The iPad isnt a terrible kids tablet on its ownit has some decent parental controls built in, and it has an enormous library of kid-friendly apps, including all the games your kids friends are probably playing. But youll want a good kid-friendly iPad case, so that this $200+ tablet will survive through the school year. It might not be designed for kids specifically, but its what they want, and at a certain age, its time to graduate to the big kid toys. You might even get a few months of lawn mowing and chore doing in exchange.5. Acer Chromebook Tab 10
Best Chromebook Tablet for Kids
Screen Size: 9.7″ Resolution: 2,048 x 1,536 CPU: RK3399 Rockchip Six-core (2x Cortex-A72, 4x Cortex-A53) RAM: 4GB Storage: 32GB Battery: 9-hour Rear Camera: 5MP Front Camera: 2MP OS: ChromeOS Size: 9.4″ x 6.8″ x 0.4″ Weight: 544g
If your kid is in school, chances are they’re using a Chromebook. The Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is a great way to give your kids access to all the same Chrome OS and Android apps they’re using in class on a tablet-shaped device. It features a 9.7-inch, 2,048 x 1,536 resolution screen in a slightly bulk package designed to survive the hard knocks at school. Unlike most of the kids tablets we’ve gone over so far, the Acer Chromebook Tab 10 also comes with an included Wacom EMR stylus, allowing kids to pen notes and draw pictures.6. Asus Chromebook Tablet CT100
Another Chromebook Tablet Option for Kids
Screen Size: 9.7″ Resolution: 2,048 x 1,536 CPU: OP1 Hexa-core Processor RAM: 4GB Storage: 32GB Battery: 9.5-hour, 35WHr Rear Camera: 5MP Front Camera: 2MP OS: ChromeOS Size: 9.41″ x 6.77″ x 0.39″ Weight: 580g
The Asus Chromebook Tablet CT100 is another Chrome OS-based slate you shouldn’t pass up. It’s a little slimmer than Acer’s Chromebook Tab 10, but it features a rubberized exterior that should protect it from falls as high as three-feet and three-inches high. The CT100 also comes with the same 9.7-inch, 2,048 x 1,536 resolution screen, OP1 Hexa-core Processor, 4GB RAM, and 32GB eMMC Storage as the Acer’s Chrome OS slate, so this kids tablet is ready for school work.7. Lenovo Chromebook Duet
Best Chromebook 2-in-1
Screen Size: 10.1″ Resolution: 1,920 x 1,200 CPU: MediaTek Helio P60T octa-core processor RAM: 4GB LPDDR4x Storage: 64GB eMCP Battery: 10-hour Rear Camera: 8MP Front Camera: 2MP OS: Chrome OS Size: 9.64″ x 6.66″ x 0.71″ Weight: 920g
Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet demonstrates what a great 2-in-1 Chromebook can be. Its compact size makes it kid friendly, while Chrome OS makes it easy to use. It offers up a 10.1-inch display, which is enough space to do a bit of homework or explore educational apps. That display is a sharp 1,920 x 1,200 and hits 400 nits, making it bright enough for most settings. It’s also a quality IPS display, so your kids will have an easy time seeing it, and you’ll be able to make out what’s on the screen from an angle if you need to monitor your child’s use.The tablet portion is just under one pound, making it incredibly light for kids to play with, and it weighs just over two pounds with the keyboard attached. That portability makes it great for older kids who might need to take it to school with them. And, with a 10-hour battery life, it’s got enough juice to last through a whole school day. For kids’ artistic urges, active stylus support will be another major bonus.
8. Kano PC
Best DIY Tablet for Kids
Screen Size: 11.6″ Resolution: 1,366 x 768 CPU: 1.1 GHz Intel Celeron N4000 dual-core processor RAM: 4GB DDR3L Storage: 64GB eMMC Battery: 10-hour OS: Windows 10 Home
If you’re trying to get your kid started on the road to building their own PC or writing their own programs, the Kano PC is a fun start. This simple Windows tablet has some assembly required, as the battery and speaker need to be installed inside the chassis. But, it’s simpler to assemble than some LEGO sets, and it has details printed on the inside to explain the various components of the computer.The tablet itself may be fairly thick as a result of the accessible design, but that makes for a replaceable battery, and this kit does include a nice keyboard cover. In addition to running Windows 10 Home, you’ll get Kano Software Studio + Projects, which can let your kid experiment with coding, design, and 3D modeling.
Whitson Gordon is a writer, gamer, and tech nerd who has been building PCs for 10 years. He eats potato chips with chopsticks so he doesn’t get grease on his mechanical keyboard.Kevin Lee is IGN’s Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
Home>>Home>>A tablet is a great learning tool for kids, and there’s plenty of options. Here’s our picks for the best tablet for your little one(s).
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