Stiftung Warentest tested six current tablets, including two iPads. Apple’s devices are at the top of the leaderboard, but not alone. The test winners all cost more than 900 euros, but there are good tablets for less than 200 euros.
If you are looking for a good new tablet, you can make your decision easier by taking a look at Stiftung Warentest’s list of the best, which has been updated with six new devices. Three iPads top the list, but two Samsung tablets scored equally well. You have to shell out at least 930 euros for a test winner, but you can find good devices from 160 euros.
However, one should bear in mind that Stiftung Warentest does not take into account the app range, which is still significantly larger and of higher quality at Apple than in the Android warehouse. If you mainly want to surf the Internet, check e-mails and watch videos, the ecosystem does not play such a big role. The decisive factors are the display, endurance, performance and handling.
Five tablets currently share the top of the table with a quality rating of 1.7. They include the recently tested fourth-generation Apple iPad Pro with an 11-inch display, WLAN and mobile Internet (Wifi Cellular) as well as 128 gigabytes (GB) of memory. The product test rated the screen and functions very well, the battery, handling and versatility were good. The average online price: 1210 euros.
The predecessor, which costs around 1070 euros, was rated just as well. Here, however, one has to consider that the newer device would definitely do better than the older model in a direct comparison simply because of the stronger chip. Also, the third generation will stop receiving updates a year early. You should therefore always keep an eye on the year of publication in the leaderboard.
This also applies to the fifth-generation Apple iPad Pro (Wifi Cellular/128 GB) with a 12.9-inch screen, which also achieved an overall rating of 1.7. Because the device, which costs 1350 euros, was tested a year and a half ago.
The newly tested sixth generation is significantly more expensive with an average online price of 1560 euros and only achieved the quality rating of 1.8 due to its only satisfactory endurance. If battery performance isn’t a critical factor, it might still be worth buying the newer Apple tablet because of the longer software support.
The test winners also include the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 5G (SM-X906B) with 256 GB of memory. With an average online price of 930 euros, it is the cheapest of the top devices. A stylus is also included. The testers rated the battery performance and handling as very good, while the display, functions and versatility were good.
The overall rating of 1.7 is a bit different for the bigger brother Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 5G Ultra (SM-X706B), which costs 1400 euros. Here, the product test gave the 14.4-inch display a very good rating, but the endurance was only good.
Those who can do without Google services save a lot of money with the Huawei MatePad 11 (256 GB). It only costs around 475 euros, but achieved the quality rating of 1.8. Stiftung Warentest rated it good in almost all categories, only the versatility was only satisfactory due to the lack of Google support. With a test in autumn 2021, the device is no longer brand new.
The Xiaomi Redmi Pad (256 GB), on the other hand, has just been tested and received an overall rating of 2.2 at an average online price of 287 euros. The testers found the battery performance very good, functions and display good. Versatility and handling were rated as satisfactory.
The cheapest, good and up-to-date tablet is the Amazon Fire HD 8 (12th gen./64 GB), which you can get for around 160 euros. However, its screen is only 8 inches and the device is heavily geared toward Amazon offerings. That’s why there was only a “sufficient” for versatility. The product test rated the display, battery and handling as good, but the functions are no better than satisfactory due to somewhat weak performance.
