A few decades ago to study it was enough to have all the school books indicated to the teacher; today, however, young people and very young people who attend school and high schools must necessarily have at least one tablet, which is not useful for taking notes, for doing research on the Web and for deepening some points of study together with the teacher but also for quickly organizing a distance lesson or to study with schoolmates via videoconference (which is even more important in the event of restrictions and limitations imposed by the health authorities.Just why a tablet is essential in the study path of a modern student, in this guide we will show you the best tablets for a school that you can buy online, so you can only choose models that are fast, snappy, and compatible with apps that are useful for schooling. If we won’t buy the new tablet for school in a physical store or in a shopping center it is advisable to always take a look at the suggested technical characteristics first, to avoid buying slow, non-expandable tablets with dubious compatibility.
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Best school tablet
There are numerous tablets suitable for school, but only a few really deserve to be considered for teaching. Some professors and teachers will impose specific models for the whole class, so always ask before proceeding with a purchase that could turn out to be incorrect.
Technical features
Before buying any tablet to dedicate to school, we advise you to check the following technical characteristics:
- Processor: in order to start all the apps for the school we must focus on models with a 2 GHz quad-core processor or more extreme upgrades (versions with Octa-core CPU).
- RAM: to run the operating system and the teaching apps, 2GB of RAM is sufficient, but to be able to open even 2 or 3 heavy apps without problems it is advisable to focus on models with 4GB of RAM.
- Internal memory: school tablets will quickly fill up with notes, handouts, and downloaded PDF files, so it’s better to have at least 32GB of memory right away, even better if expandable (at least on Android models). To avoid space problems we highly recommend integrate a cloud service where to save the largest files.
- Screen: The screen must be at least 8 inches and must support HD resolution (beyond 700 horizontal lines). Most of the models will provide displays with IPS technology, but we can also find Retina (on Apple).
- Connectivity: to be able to connect to any Wi-Fi network you need a dual-band wireless module, so you can also benefit from the fast 5 GHz connection. The presence of Bluetooth LE is also fundamental, in order to connect any model of wireless headphones. Models with SIM and mobile network support (LTE or later) are more expensive and for education, it is an absolutely superfluous function.
- Cameras: For video conferences, it is essential that there is a front camera, so that you can use Skype or Zoom without problems. The presence of the rear camera is an interesting option since in addition to the photos it will allow scan paper documents to convert them to digital.
- Autonomy: tablets have larger batteries than smartphones and allow, under normal conditions of use, to easily reach 6-7 hours of use.
- Operating system: almost all the tablets that we will show you have Android as an operating system but we must not underestimate to iPads with iPadOS, a fast, quick, and often required system (some teachers will specifically ask for iPads as teaching tools).
Models for sale to choose from
After having seen together some of the features that a good tablet for the school must have, let’s see immediately which models you can buy, starting from the cheapest up to the top of the range. The first model that we advise you to consider as a tablet for the school is the new one Fire HD 8, available on Amazon for less than 150 € (with active special offers).
On this cheap tablet, we find an 8-inch IPS HD screen, quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable internal memory, USB-C input for charging, front camera, rear camera, autonomy up to 12 hours, and operating system Android-based owner (without Play Store but with the Amazon App Store).
If we want the Play Store on a school tablet and facilitate the search for study apps, we can focus on the tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab A7, available on Amazon for less than 250 €.
On the Samsung tablet, we find a 10.4-inch display with 2000 x 1200 Pixel resolution, octa-core processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of expandable internal memory, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, Automatic Hotspot, front camera, rear camera, battery 7040 mAh, and Android 10 operating system.
Another tablet suitable for school use is the Lenovo Tab M10 HD, available on Amazon for less than € 200.
On this tablet, we can find a 10.3 inch Full HD display, MediaTek processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal memory, WiFi + Bluetooth 5.0, dock with dedicated audio speakers, integrated Alexa voice assistant, and 10-hour battery life.
If, on the other hand, we want the best-selling tablet on the market at all costs (or the professors impose an Apple product on us), we can consider the Apple iPad, available on Amazon for less than 400 €.
Like every Apple product, it is cared for down to the smallest detail and boasts a 10.2-inch Retina display, A12 processor with Neural Engine, support for Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, 8 MP rear camera, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, video camera 1.2MP FaceTime HD front, stereo speakers and iPadOS operating system.
If we are not satisfied with a simple iPad and want a mini portable PC to do everything, the only model to focus on is the Apple iPad Pro, available on Amazon for less than 900 €.
This tablet boasts an 11 “edge-to-edge Liquid Retina Display with ProMotion technology, A12Z Bionic processor with Neural Engine, 12MP wide-angle rear camera, 10MP ultra-wide angle camera, LiDAR scanner, 7MP TrueDepth front camera, Face ID, four-speaker audio, new 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 and iPadOS operating system.
Conclusions
The tablets that we have proposed above are perfect for any course of study, from elementary school to university. Even the cheapest models do their part very well, even if it is always advisable to focus on an iPad (when the economic situation allows it) for lightness, speed of execution of the apps, and compatibility with educational tools.
If you are looking for tablets with a built-in keyboard, we suggest you read our guides Best 2 in 1 Tablet-PC with the removable keyboard is Best Windows 10 Laptops convertible to Tablet. If, on the other hand, we do not give up the power and convenience of writing offered by a traditional notebook, we can continue reading in the guide Best notebooks for students.