ElectronicsTablets

What are the best tablets for watching movies around $300?

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Asus ZenPad 3S 10 vs iPad (2017) vs Amazon Fire HD 10 (2017)

 vs Lenovo Tab 4 vs Huawei MediaPad M3 8 vs nVidia Shield Tablet K1 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4" vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0" vs Sony Xperia Z4 vs Apple iPad Air 2

Specs

Size

9.7"+

OS

Android

For students

-

Weight

-

RAM

-

Internal storage

-

Display

-

Dimensions

-

Screen size

-

Screen resolution

-

Battery capacity

-

Bluetooth version

-

Camera

-

Android version

-

Est. battery life

-

Pixel density

-

SoC (CPU/GPU)

-

Facing camera

-

Size

9.7"+

OS

iOS

For students

-

Weight

-

RAM

-

Internal storage

-

Display

-

Dimensions

-

Screen size

-

Screen resolution

-

Battery capacity

-

Bluetooth version

-

Camera

-

Android version

-

Est. battery life

-

Pixel density

-

SoC (CPU/GPU)

-

Facing camera

-

Size

9.7"+

OS

Custom Android

For students

Yes

Weight

-

RAM

-

Internal storage

-

Display

-

Dimensions

-

Screen size

-

Screen resolution

-

Battery capacity

-

Bluetooth version

-

Camera

-

Android version

-

Est. battery life

-

Pixel density

-

SoC (CPU/GPU)

-

Facing camera

-

Size

7.9"+

OS

Android

For students

-

Weight

-

RAM

-

Internal storage

-

Display

-

Dimensions

-

Screen size

-

Screen resolution

-

Battery capacity

-

Bluetooth version

-

Camera

-

Android version

-

Est. battery life

-

Pixel density

-

SoC (CPU/GPU)

-

Facing camera

-

Size

7.9"+

OS

Android

For students

-

Weight

-

RAM

-

Internal storage

-

Display

-

Dimensions

-

Screen size

-

Screen resolution

-

Battery capacity

-

Bluetooth version

-

Camera

-

Android version

-

Est. battery life

-

Pixel density

-

SoC (CPU/GPU)

-

Facing camera

-

Size

-

OS

-

For students

-

Weight

356 g

RAM

2 GB

Internal storage

16 GB

Display

8-inch 1920x1200 multi-touch Full-HD display

Dimensions

-

Screen size

-

Screen resolution

-

Battery capacity

-

Bluetooth version

-

Camera

-

Android version

-

Est. battery life

-

Pixel density

-

SoC (CPU/GPU)

-

Facing camera

-

Size

-

OS

-

For students

-

Weight

0.65 lb

RAM

3 GB

Internal storage

16 or 32 GB

Display

-

Dimensions

8.38 x 4.98 x 0.26 in

Screen size

8.4 in

Screen resolution

2560 x 1600

Battery capacity

4900 mAh

Bluetooth version

4

Camera

8.0 Megapixel

Android version

4.4 (KitKat)

Est. battery life

12 hrs

Pixel density

359 PPI

SoC (CPU/GPU)

Exynos 5 Octa 5420

Facing camera

2.1 Megapixel

Size

7.9"+

OS

Android

For students

-

Weight

-

RAM

-

Internal storage

-

Display

-

Dimensions

-

Screen size

-

Screen resolution

-

Battery capacity

-

Bluetooth version

-

Camera

-

Android version

-

Est. battery life

-

Pixel density

-

SoC (CPU/GPU)

-

Facing camera

-

Size

-

OS

-

For students

-

Weight

-

RAM

-

Internal storage

-

Display

-

Dimensions

-

Screen size

-

Screen resolution

-

Battery capacity

-

Bluetooth version

-

Camera

-

Android version

-

Est. battery life

-

Pixel density

-

SoC (CPU/GPU)

-

Facing camera

-

Size

-

OS

-

For students

-

Weight

-

RAM

-

Internal storage

-

Display

-

Dimensions

-

Screen size

-

Screen resolution

-

Battery capacity

-

Bluetooth version

-

Camera

-

Android version

-

Est. battery life

-

Pixel density

-

SoC (CPU/GPU)

-

Facing camera

-

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Realistic, vivid image

This tablet’s 9.7 inches screen is really good and capable of high-quality, clear images with striking, bright colors. It has an IPS panel with a 2K resolution of 2048 x 1536. It uses Asus’ VisualMaster and Tru2Life+ technologies: the first one optimizes the display’s configuration according to the content being displayed, and the second one assures vivid colours and high contrast levels. It counts with 178º viewing angles to ensure a precise images from any position.
Comment

Pro
 Outstanding value

This Asus tablet offers amazing value. It’s not the most powerful or more premium option on the market, but it’s definitely one the tablets with a more balanced mix of features, power and price. What if offers to users for under $300 is definitely more than enough for most needs.
Comment

Pro
 Powerful enough for the majority of people

One may decide to go for a more expensive, more premium option capable of better performance, but for the vast majority of users, this Asus tablet is more than enough. Its processing power comes from a 1.8 GHz Qualcomm MSM8956 S650 Hexa Core and 4GB LPDDR3 RAM. When it comes to graphics, it has an Adreno 510 GPU.
Comment

Pro
 Perfect for working on the go

The Asus ZenPad 3S 10 is ideal for working on the go, even while commuting or traveling. Its 7800 mAh battery lasts for 16 hours on a full charge, which is more than enough for a workday. When it comes to its size and weight, it’s quite portable, despite not being the most compact (242 x 164 x 5.8 mm) or light (490g) option of its generation.
Comment

Con
 Battery charging could be faster

Despite using Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0, it can take a while (around 3 hours) to completely charge the battery.
Comment

Pro
 Great power for games and media

This tablet uses a 64-bit A9 chip and 2GB RAM, which ensure fluidity when gaming, watching media, or even doing some light multimedia creation tasks (in GarageBand, for example). Evidently, it doesn’t perform as well as the iPad Pro, but it’s very noticeable that it’s more powerful than the previous iPad Air 2.
Comment

Pro
 Good for a pleasant media watching experience

The 2048x1536 display, with a 264 ppi pixel density, handles content reproduction quite well. Despite missing some importante features, such as True Tone technology or anti-reflective coating, it’s still a good screen that creates a pleasant experience, creating vivid and rich images. However, it’s noticeable that it’s not as good as the displays of the iPad Pro or of the iPad Air 2 from the previous generation.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent value for money

Costing just above $300 in its most basic version (the most expensive one costs $559), this iPad has a very attractive price tag for its features. It has a 9.7″ Retina display and comes with a 64-bit A9 chip that ensures a fluid performance and enough computing power for demanding games and other applications.
Comment

Pro
 Camera is good enough for modest photography

The iPad 2017’s camera is quite decent. It’s 8 MP sensor and good color reproduction capabilities allow for some good photo-taking. Still, it’s not as good as the iPad Pro’s 12 MP camera.
Comment

Pro
 Long battery life

The iPad 2017's battery lasts up to 10 hours (while doing tasks equivalent to regular internet browsing, watching videos or listening to music). It's a lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 8,800 mAh, which represents a great improvement from the iPad Air 2's battery, which only had 7.340 mAh.
Comment

Con
 Storage options could be better

32GB and 128GB are the only storage options available, with no possibility of expansion (via SD cards, for example). This means there’s a huge gap between the lowest option, which will feel like not enough for lots of people, and the highest one, which has too much space for those same users. A 64GB version would probably be more balanced and the most suitable for the majority of users.
Comment

Con
 No accessory connector

There’s no connector for accessories: to connect them to the tablet, Bluetooth is the only possible option.
Comment

Con
 Takes too long to charge

This iPad's battery takes around 4 hours to completely charge, which can feel like too long in many situations where you don't have that kind of time to spare.
Comment

Pro
 Good display

The Tab 4’s IPS 1280 x 800 touchscreen offers good image quality for this prince range, even if it’s clearly not as good as the displays found on premium tablets. Still, it’s more than enough for comfortably watching shows or web browsing.
Comment

Pro
 Great value

This tablet is the best you can get for under $150. It’s not common to find such an affordable option with this kind of features, and the Tab 4 surely delivers on what it promises.
Comment

Pro
 Very good for daily, light use

The Lenovo Tab 4 is ideal for users that don’t need a very powerful or performant tablet, but rather a solution that works well for most daily tasks, like internet browsing, watching TV shows or movies, or undemanding gaming. Its technical features, such as the 1280 x 800 display or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor with 2GB of RAM, guarantee that it handles this type of task very well, even while multitasking or running applications in the background.
Comment

Pro
 Lasts for quite a while on a full battery

The Lenovo Tab 4 can last for up to 10 hours, which should be enough for a couple of days of light use.
Comment

Con
 The cameras could be better

The Tab 4 has a 5 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front camera, which many users will find subpar in terms of picture quality.
Comment

Pro
 Good display

The 8" 1920x1200 resolution makes for a very good pixel density (283PPI) which means nice crisp looking videos. You can tweak the color profiles, as well as granular controls for gamma, levels, and temperature so you can tweak the picture just how you like it.
Comment

Pro
 Stereo speakers

There are two speakers - one on either side of the display. Each speaker has 2 outlets - one on the front, and one on the side making them harder to block. Speakers are loud and clear without much distortion.
Comment

Pro
 Good battery life

Over 12 hours with constant video playback.
Comment

Pro
 16:9 aspect ratio optimal for TV

The 2nd gen Tab S2 has an aspect ratio of 4:30, which is not optimized for TV.
Comment

Pro
 Bright, colorful, best-in-class screen

2,560x1,600-pixel resolution and 359 pixels per inch, wide viewing angle, wide color range of 94% of the RGB color gamut.
Comment

Pro
 Dual speakers

The two speakers are located on the left and right. While one may still be muffled when covered, it's harder to cover speakers on both sides. Symmetric speakers also balance the sound.
Comment

Pro
 Sleek design

Thin (0.3 inches) and light (7.2 ounces) and minimal bezel (0.4 inch)
Comment

Con
 Not enough thumb space for elongated viewing

Due to the thin bezels, holding the screen for a long time can result in accidentally touching the screen.
Comment

Pro
 Good screen

The 2,048x1,536, 320ppi screen is actually a downgrade from its predecessor, the Tab S, but the screen is in line with the iPad Air 2 and still a good, colorful screen.
Comment

Pro
 Very thin and light

5.6 millimeters thick and 0.87 pound, thin, light, and sturdy to hold.
Comment

Con
 4:3 aspect ratio not optimized for TV

The S2 has a 4:3 aspect ratio, different from its predecessor, the Tab S, which has a 16:9 aspect ratio. Most TV shows are optimized for 16:9, which means there will be a thicker black bars on the top and bottom of the screen when viewing video.
Comment

Con
 Mediocre battery life

Constant looping of HD video translated to about 7.5 hours of battery life, far below that of the competition.
Comment

Pro
 Great screen

This tablet has a great screen: 2560 x 1 600 at 298 ppi.
Comment

Pro
 Front-facing speaker

Increased audio clarity compared to competitors like the iPad, where speakers come out of the side.
Comment

Pro
 Mostly waterproof

In case you ever spill anything on it while you're watching a movie, the screen is waterproof. However, the ports are not, so it's no longer able to be submerged in water, like the previous models.
Comment

Con
 Limited availability in the US

Only one 32GB model available online via Amazon at the moment, and $100 extra for it to come with a warranty.
Comment

Pro
 Good screen

2048‑by‑1536 resolution at 264 ppi isn't top of the market, but Apple's Retina display is still sharp, anti-reflective, and fingerprint-resistant for movies.
Comment

Con
 Speakers come out of the side

Sounds are muffled when blocked, and doesn't project evenly.
Comment

Pro
 Long battery life

10+ hours of constant video watching, and longer for less intensive activities.
Comment

Pro
 Easy to hold

Thick bezels offer ample space to hold the tablet without accidentally touching the screen.
Comment

Con
 Dated product

After coming out in 2014, the iPad Air 2 is heavily rumored to be refreshed by an updated product in the upcoming 21 March 2016 Apple Press Event.
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