Berlin No, says Peter Knaak from Stiftung Warentest. “You can reach into the middle price and performance class with a clear conscience,” says the expert. “In the current test of 18 tablets, we had no failure – on average, they made some gains in all disciplines.”
There are differences mainly in the computing power, the display and the battery life, says Knaak. A brilliant display is helpful, for example, outdoors in sunlight.
Punishment for being too cheap is lousy display
“If you buy too cheaply, you get a tablet with a dull display – matt and dark – and you just surf the Internet tenaciously,” says Knaak. But small models with an eight-inch screen diagonal bring everything the average user needs from just 140 euros.
A good device of medium size with ten inches will cost about 400 euros. “The performance might not be enough for 3D games,” says Knaak. However, video conferences, which you need for work or homeschooling, ran smoothly.
The high-priced top models score with power for performance-hungry apps. Even if you are looking for the largest possible screen, you have to pay more – and you will find it faster in the meantime. “There are larger tablets than before, up to 14 inches are possible,” says Steffen Herget from the trade magazine “c’t”.
All the way to the control center
In general, the possible uses for tablets are versatile: watching movies, surfing the Internet, games, educational apps for children. Older people benefit because the devices are handy and easy to use, but larger than smartphones. Tablets are also popular as a control center for the smart home, says Sebastian Klöß from the IT industry association Bitkom.
In general, the flat computers are well suited as family devices that go from hand to hand. They are less personal than a smartphone, through which private and professional contacts run, and more handy than a notebook.
The Eternal OS question
“If you want to work with it, you should definitely look at the required software, because most tablets use the mobile operating systems Android and iPadOS,” says Herget. And you should ask yourself the questions: Are there the programs I need in the respective app store? Which apps would I have to buy again if I change the operating system? And basically, if you have an iPhone, it’s easier with an iPad, an Android user is more likely to buy an Android tablet.
Google is not always on board
It gets more complicated with tablets from Amazon or Huawei. They are often quite cheap, but also offer fewer options. Because both companies rely on their own operating systems. Amazon devices run on Fire OS, newer Huawei tablets run on HarmonyOS. Although both are based on Android, they cannot access the Google Play Store, at least not without tricks. Customers are then limited to the applications in the app stores of Amazon or Huawei.
If you want to save, you can also consider whether you need a mobile modem, for example. “WLAN is sufficient in the vast majority of scenarios,” says Steffen Herget. If necessary, you can connect the tablet to the smartphone via a Wi-Fi hotspot and use its mobile Internet. And Herget has another tip: “Especially with iPads, there is a large range of used and remanufactured tablets from official suppliers, where you can save a lot compared to buying a new one.”
Tablet Accessories
In addition to the pure purchase price, users should plan some money for accessories. “In order for the tablet to survive a fall, a tablet case is a must,” says Peter Knaak from Stiftung Warentest. In addition, most cases offer practical stand functions, which you do not want to do without. It starts at about 15 euros.
A little more will cost an input pen (digitizer), which is useful for graphic programs or handwritten text input. “100 euros are quickly due for this,” says Knaak. Allderdings must also support the respective tablet digitizer, which is more likely the case with the higher-priced devices.
Keyboards or mice that you connect to the tablet via Bluetooth are also practical. Here all commercially available models come into question. In combination with a custom-fit case with stand functions, a tablet can become a notebook replacement.
