The 3 Best 7-Inch Tablets
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Smaller tablets are great for reading ebooks, note-taking, and streaming video when you're on-the-go and don't want to be squinting at your phone. The best 7-inch tablets are ultra-lightweight and portable, offering the full tablet functionality at a wallet-friendly price.
When shopping for a 7-inch tablet, you'll want to keep a few key features in mind. Battery life is one of the most important, since the purpose of a smaller tablet is to use it while you're away from your home or office. In general, you'll want to look for something that can handle at least seven hours of continuous use on a single charge. Similarly, in the 7-inch range, look for a tablet that weighs less than 2 pounds so it doesn't weigh you down.
Since tablets are also great for video calls and gaming, look for at least 2 MP on the front and rear-facing cameras, and HD video capabilities are a nice plus. If you plan to use your tablet for drawing or note-taking, getting one that comes with or is compatible with a stylus is also great, though not a must-have for everyone.
With all of that in mind, read on for three of the best 7-inch tablets on the market today.
1. The high-performer
- Weight: 10.5 ounces
- Display: 7.9 inches
- Battery life: 10 hours
- Storage: 64 GB
- Processor: A12 Bionic chip
- Cameras: 8 MP back camera, 7 MP FaceTime HD front camera
If you're looking for an Apple product with all the functionality of a full-size tablet in a more travel-friendly size, the iPad Mini is your best bet. It weighs just over a pound, has a 7.9-inch Retina display, and comes in both 64 GB and 256 GB versions. For most people, getting the Wi-Fi only version will be fine, but if you want more versatility, you can upgrade to Wi-Fi plus cellular connectivity.
The iPad mini features touch ID, and it's compatible with both the Apple Pencil and Bluetooth keyboard accessories. If you love to doodle and draw, or if you work in design, Procreate functions perfectly well on the iPad mini as well. This portable tablet is around $600 cheaper than some of the newest iPad models, so while it isn't the least expensive pick on the list, it's good for budget-conscious Apple users.
One reviewer wrote: "This is so far the best and most advanced iPad that I have ever owned. As a brief history I have owned the iPad mini 3 and the iPad 5th generation. The new A12 chip makes this iPad so fast and fluid and is honestly more power than I will ever need in my day to day use of this product."
2. The budget pick
- Weight: 10.1 ounces
- Display: 7 inches
- Battery life: 7 hours
- Storage: 16 GB
- Processor: 1.3 GHz quad-core
- Cameras: 2 MP front and rear-facing cameras with 720p HD video recording
If you're looking for a truly inexpensive 7-inch tablet, this ad-supported 16 GB Fire 7 will set you back only $50. If you'd prefer an ad-free experience, it's only an addition $15 to upgrade. The Fire 7 was designed for entertainment, so think of this tablet like a Kindle that can also play music and connect to all your favorite video streaming platforms. While the functionality is slightly more limited (don't expect to run a graphic design program on the Fire 7), it's a great mini tablet to throw in your bag so you always have your favorite videos and ebooks wherever you go. It's also Alexa-enabled, making it a great companion for activities where you'd want to go hands-free.
One reviewer wrote: "The new 7" Tablet has everything I wanted. I upgraded from the last generation of 7" Tablet and there is a huge difference. I'm very pleased so far and the extra storage is great. I went from 8"GB internal to 32GB internal and a 128GB memory card and I would be hard pressed to use it all! The processor is markedly faster than the old generation. Amazon hit a home run with this!"
3. The best for gaming
- Weight: 1.36 pounds
- Display: 7 inches
- Battery life: 8 hours
- Storage: 32 GB
- Processor: 1.3GHz quad-core
- Cameras: 2 MP front camera and 5 MP rear-facing camera
The VANKYO Matrixpad S7 has over 2,700 ratings on Amazon with a 4.3-star overall rating, and it's a great option if you're looking for a smaller iPad alternative that's under $100. It runs on Android's 9.0 Pie OS, comes pre-loaded with Google apps, and is free from bloatware. It has 32 GB of internal storage that can be expanded to 128 GB with a MicroSD, and the 1.3GHz quad-core has 2 GB of RAM. The 7-inch HD display renders crisp visuals whether you're streaming, gaming, or on video calls. And with eight hours of continuous use on a single charge, you'll have enough battery life to power your on-the-go entertainment and productivity.
One reviewer wrote: "Solid tablet I use it for my DJI Phantom 3 pro and have probably logged 40-50hrs of use on this tablet. The screen gets extremely bright which is a plus for me being outside with it and the battery lasts extremely long. The tablet also came with a screen protector installed!"
