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Since 2020, our panel of experts has bought and tested 18 of the best children's tablets on the market to help you find a device that will make your kid smile while keeping your wallet happy. We know sorting through spec tables can be overwhelming, so let us sift through the nitty-gritty for you. Each tablet goes through extensive side-by-side tests, evaluating design and performance. In addition to drop and runtime tests, we try out their user experience to determine if your kid can safely play their heart out or if they will be met with mature media, ads, and glitchy software. Our analysts range from tech specialists to parents and teens to toddlers. Let us guide you to the perfect budget-friendly tablet for your preschooler or growing tween.
In the ever-growing world of kid's electronics, there is a constant stream of exciting new products hitting the market. If you're looking for more fun, check out our reviews of the best kid's robots and drones.
Editor's Note: On June 18, 2024, we updated our graphs, giving you the numbers we use to help with scoring.
If you're on the hunt for a kid-friendly tablet that all ages can enjoy, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids 2023 shines! The full HD video playback brings cartoons and nature shows to life with vivid colors and crisp audio quality. Planning a long road trip? The Fire 10 Kids has you covered with a measured nine-and-a-half hours of continuous video streaming and ample expandable storage to hold hundreds of games and videos. And don't worry about your kids accessing mature content; they are protected by highly customizable parent controls. You can even set educational goals and category-based time limits for those concerned about access to quality screen time. The 2023 edition is Amazon's newest version of the adult Fire 10 packed into a durable foam case with a kid-friendly user interface. So parents, when your child inevitably drops the tablet, rest assured it is protected by the case and a 2-year worry-free warranty. While the 2023 edition has a few hardware upgrades, it scored effectively the same as our former Best Overall pick, the Fire 10 Kids 2021.
Unless you are using a tablet to strictly play media from pre-existing subscriptions to Disney+, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Audible, etc., you can expect to pay more for access to kids games and educational content in the form of a prepaid subscription or per item fee in an app store.
Our favorite feature of the Fire 10 Kids and all Amazon Kids tablets is the tens of thousands of ad-free and age-appropriate apps, books, videos, games, and more. Our tester Austin noted, “There is just all sorts of information everywhere. I counted 33 rows with headings, WOW!” - a testament to the endless hours of edutainment this tablet can provide to kids and stress-free time for parents. After a year, you can pay to extend the Kids+ subscription or use the free Kids version that lacks the premium content.
With Kids+, your child can access endless hours of age-appropriate educational content and entertainment.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The Amazon 10 Kids is an excellent choice for a child's first tablet or a tablet for the whole family. Its heavy-duty case can withstand the chaos of an energetic preschooler. And, with a slide of the age filter, the tablet can repopulate the home screen with new content as your kiddo gets older. Or, set up multiple accounts with age-appropriate content for each child in your home. Caretakers will also enjoy using the Amazon 10 Kids, as it functions as a Fire 10 when signed into the parent's profile. Plus, its middle-of-the-line price point makes it an affordable option for those not looking to break the bank.
The features we love about the Fire 10 Kids may be downsides for some users. The thick case can help it withstand occasional drops, but it is bulky - it can muffle the speakers slightly and be difficult to hold while reading. For the same hardware in a slimmer case, check out the Fire 10 Kids Pro. While we do love the abundance of content available from Kids+, the visual display can be overwhelming. We found the Recent tab helpful to access frequently used content and the educational goals helpful to block the view of entertainment content. If you prefer more control over a curated content list and want a tablet that is versatile enough for the teenage years, consider the Apple iPad. Considering everything, the Fire HD 10 Kids is our top pick and one we appreciate for its quality, customization, and durability.
Year after year, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids continues to impress us. Thanks to its one-year subscription to Kids+, this device comes loaded with a plethora of kid-specific apps, books, movies, and more displayed on a brilliant, high-quality screen. Add to that a measured nine-and-a-half-hour runtime and generous storage options - and it is ready for those dreaded lengthy travel days. It is a particularly great choice for smaller hands, as it is lighter and smaller than the Fire 10. Just like its 10-inch counterpart, the Fire 8 Kids is an adult Fire 8 wrapped in a thick foam case that offers exceptional durability, even in the hands of a kiddo. Should it break, Amazon offers an extensive two-year warranty. The 2022 edition is Amazon's newest release of the Fire 8 tablet that features an upgraded processor and battery, and we definitely noticed the hour-long increase in runtime from its predecessor in our testing.
Of the many features we love about the Fire 8 Kids, the Amazon Parent Dashboard stands out for all our Fire tablets. Extensive controls give parents peace of mind and allow for content filtering by age, scheduled time away, and browser restrictions. If you feel like your child is watching too many videos, you can have them read for an hour before unlocking games or other non-educational content. Or, you can set time limits by category and have the related apps disappear when the time runs out.
The Amazon Parent Dashboard is extensive and highly customizable. While the view may look different depending on your device, the same controls will be accessible.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
For those seeking a quality, portable, and durable tablet jam-packed with kid-friendly content, the Kids Fire 8 is an excellent option. Its smaller size, thick case, long runtime, and ample storage make it great for use on the go, especially for younger kiddos. We can see families traveling with this tablet and sharing it amongst children and adults of all ages. The ability to create individual profiles means little brother can view his curated list of Bluey, Baby Shark, and Paw Patrol while mom can get her drama on rewatching Breaking Bad. Plus, it has a wallet-friendly price that won't turn your head away.
While the Amazon 8 Kids is one of our top picks, it does have some downfalls. It has an incredible runtime but requires four hours to fully charge. However, it turns on as soon as it is plugged in so younger, impatient users won't be too bothered. Moreover, its resolution and camera are not on par with the Fire 10, but are still of high quality considering the intended audience. Lastly, as with all Amazon tablets, the sheer amount of content can be difficult to navigate and curate. We found the Downloads or Time by Activity tabs helpful in sifting through the clutter. Based on our testing, this tablet is suited for children of all ages, though due to its smaller size, it excels when placed in smaller hands. If you are looking for a mini version at a budget price, check out the Fire 7 Kids. Despite the smaller screen size, the Fire HD 8 Kids does not sacrifice quality and is a tablet we highly recommend for young children or the whole family.
The Amazon Fire 7 Kids 2022 offers all the great Amazon features at a fraction of the price. The screen is almost as detailed and vibrant as the Fire 10 and includes the same one-year Kids+ subscription, two-year worry-free guarantee, and highly customizable parental controls. Simply choose an age range, and the seemingly endless content filters accordingly. It's fairly straightforward to choose what your kid can and cannot see. While some other 7-inch devices in our review are priced less, their picture quality, camera quality, and screen sensitivity are not nearly as good. And their expandable storage options can't even compete. Amazon released the newest edition in 2022 with an enhanced processor and battery from previous versions. Our tests show it excels, increasing the runtime by five hours to an impressive nine-and-a-half hours of continuous video play - a time that at least doubles that of all other 7-inch tablets in our lineup!
Given the tablet's compact size, it's great for small hands. And what more could a parent ask for than a durable case to make sure your investment stays protected from those frequent drops younger children are prone to? During testing, we repeatedly dropped the tablet with confidence and watched in awe as the thick foam case absorbed the impact with a subtle bounce. A kind note from our testers: tablets without a durable case can “RIP.”
We had no qualms letting our pint-size tester assess the durability of Amazon's Kids tablets.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
If you are not ready to invest in a pricey tablet, the Fire 7 Kids is an excellent first tablet. Its kid-friendly size, case, and ready-to-go content are perfect for younger children. The case even includes a handle that doubles as a stand. While you can set up multiple accounts for older children and adults, this device may feel too small for watching videos or reading books - we frequently had to zoom in and out a little to see the text properly without squinting. Still, for the inquisitive youngster who likes to browse apps, play games, or take the occasional selfie, the Fire 7 has it all.
Before running to purchase this bargain device, please note that its camera and processor are not as high quality as other Amazon tablets. The camera produces pixelated photos, and the tablet functionality can occasionally be slow and glitchy. But then again, a young kiddo may not mind too much. If you can spend a little more, the Fire 8 Kids is a nice upgrade. Like all Amazon Kids devices, some users may be overwhelmed with the number of videos, games, books, etc., and find it difficult to filter content. If you want to forego the extensive Kids+ content, you can simply use the device with the free Amazon Kids plan. Aside from these shortcomings, there is not much we don't like about the Fire 7 Kids, and we'd choose this tablet over any of the other 7-inch options.
As your kid gets older, child-specific tablets can become limiting. The Apple iPad 10.9-Inch 10th Gen is a tablet that grows with your child, though it can easily fit in with any age group. The Apple App Store is readily available on the home screen and is always changing with the times. For tweens and teens, the iPad doubles as a research tool for school projects and even has a digital book store and news app preloaded on the home screen. It offers an exceptional amount of versatility and includes everything that a standard iPhone would. It also has impressive parental controls, allowing caretakers to set age filters ranging from under five to 18 and day- or category-based time limits. In the web browser, you can specify no-go sites or hide explicit content. If the 10th Gen is too pricey, the 9th Gen scored effectively the same in our tests and is cheaper. But the 10th Gen does have a faster processor, higher quality camera, larger display, USB-C port, and modern design that make it a superior product.
The 10th Gen iPad is among the top of our test fleet regarding camera and display quality, and it's easy on the eyes - something that can't be said for the other kid-specific models. The screen looks phenomenal, the colors are crisp and clear, and it's warm and inviting. The photos are fantastic and, according to our testers, “easily the best.”
The iPad has a phenomenal display, and its large screen is perfect for watching videos.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Although pricey, we believe the iPad is worth the investment for someone who wants a tablet that can get their child through the teenage years. It's great for entertainment and productivity. And it is versatile enough to be shared by the whole family. Given its outstanding processor, display, and camera, the iPad is a particularly great choice for budding artists and gamers. When paired with Apple Pencil, you can really let your child's creativity run wild.
Unfortunately, the iPad does not come with a protective case. We highly recommend putting a case on this tablet right away, especially if young hands are involved. It also does not come with preloaded content; nevertheless, there are thousands of age-appropriate educational and gaming apps to choose from in the App Store. Those who want ready-to-go content may be better off with the Amazon 10 Kids Pro. Or, if you are looking for a budget-friendly alternative, the Samsung Tab A9+ is an excellent choice. Albeit pricey, the iPad is a quality tablet that will grow with your child throughout the years.
We do love the durable case Amazon secures over all its Kids' tablets, but for older children, this can be overkill and, dare we say uncool. Insert the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro 2023. The Pro has all the features we love about the highly lauded Fire 10 Kids, like a vibrant screen, top-tier battery life, customizable parental controls, and unlimited, ad-free content for kids ages two to 13+. But it's packed in a slim protective case. Other than that, you'll have access to the same user experience on both tablets. For older kids, and with parents' approval, Amazon opens access to a wider range of websites, which can be helpful for school projects. And if you're resourceful, you can install the Google Play Store to download free productivity apps like Docs for writing assignments. When paired with a stylus and keyboard, the Pro becomes highly versatile. The newest Pro features a few hardware upgrades from its predecessor, but our testing didn't show much improvement. In fact, our 2021 model is still kickin' despite being at the mercy of a preschooler for three years.
One thing to note about all of the Amazon Fire Kids tablets is that to download the Google Play Store; you will have to adjust the security and privacy settings on the tablet and then download and install several APK files specific to Android. After doing so, you will restart the tablet, and then the Google Play Store will be up and ready to go.
The decision to buy the Pro versus the Kids ultimately comes down to which case you prefer. Do you want a thick foam case that can withstand preschoolers, or do you want a thin case that's easy to hold and fit into a carry-on? Either way, it's covered with a 2-year warranty. The plethora of preloaded content can be overwhelming for some parents; however, with a free Kids (not Kids+) profile, you can remove all the content. If your teen wants to burst out of the Amazon Kids bubble, you can grant them restricted access to the tablet via the Fire's “Parental Controls” setting - but the customizations are limited. The Apple iPad or Samsung Tab are also excellent options for older children, but the Fire 10 Kids Pro is cheaper and an all-around quality tablet.
The Pro version (purple) of the Fire 10 Kids (blue) is wrapped in a thin case that tweens will enjoy.
The iPad is a powerful device that can meet the demands of growing tweens, but its high price tag can be out of reach for many consumers. For budget-oriented shoppers, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is a great alternative. It boasts a vibrant 11-inch display and excellent audio. The Google Play Store has endless amounts of entertainment and productivity apps that can be downloaded to curate your child's home screen. Parents have two options for controls - the Samsung Kids app, which transforms the tablet into a secure child-friendly interface, or Google Family Link, which gives kids filtered access to the tablet. We prefer Samsung Kids for its ease of use, though Google will offer more customizations. One of the best features of the A9+ (when used with Family Link) is the ability to use multiple apps at once on a split screen. Pair it with a keyboard, and you've got yourself a desktop! The A9+ features upgrades across the board from its predecessor, the Tab A8, but our testing didn't uncover drastic differences between the two models.
As with any budget option, the Galaxy Tab A9+ has its shortcomings. The Kids app is preloaded with content geared towards a younger audience, but the content is unimpressive and littered with ads. Parents can choose to remove this content and replace it with their choice of quality, age-appropriate apps. It also features a web browser, but we could never successfully open it during our testing. Parental control customizations are ok with Samsung Kids and fairly good with Google Family Link, but neither are as comprehensive as the iPad or Fire 10 Kids Pro. A big note: with Family Link, kids can opt out of supervision when they turn 13. We appreciate the Tab's wallet-friendly price, but you will need to factor in the cost of a case and USB-C charger, both sold separately. Downfalls aside, we highly recommend the Galaxy Tab as a quality, versatile tablet that won't break the bank.
Samsung Kids creates a safe, child-friendly environment for kids to explore.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
With Google Family Link, parents can manage content restrictions and monitor use.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
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How We Test Kid's Tablets
We are always on the lookout for new and exciting tablets to add to our lineup. Since 2020, Tech GearLab's team has bought and tested nearly 20 of the best child-friendly tablets on the market and evaluated them for features that kids will enjoy and parents will feel confident handing over. Our lineup showcases 12 devices that have gone through rigorous side-by-side analyses by tech experts in the lab and young minds in the community. We purchase directly from retailers to ensure we provide an unbiased review that you can trust. We pay close attention to how easily kids can navigate the home screen, the quality of the content preloaded on the device, and how much say parents have in filtering the media. We also measure the runtime and resilience of the case to ensure the device can withstand prolonged use on the go. This year, we updated discontinued models to see how their successors stood up against our past award winners to give you helpful insight into whether the updated version is truly worth it.
Our testing of kid's tablets is divided into six metrics:
Ready to Go Content (20% of overall score weighting)
Durability (20% weighting)
Battery (20% weighting)
Parental Control (15% weighting)
Display (15% weighting)
Camera (10% weighting)
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A kept our kids entertained during a long summer road trip, and the battery lasted for eleven hours of continuous use.
We assessed multiple devices side-by-side, took them on long trips, and measured the cushion of each case to give you a comprehensive set of tests to help aid in your buying selection.
Why You Should Trust Us
This review was spearheaded by our Senior Research Analyst, Austin Palmer and Senior Review Editor Elizabeth White. Austin is a parent of two young kiddos and has extensive experience testing a variety of electronics, ranging from the best gaming keyboards to the best smartwatches. As a father, he thinks critically about the importance of play and cognitive thinking in children, especially as it pertains to screen time. Elizabeth has worked as a software quality assurance specialist. She has also spent several years working in daycares and youth camps, lending her expertise in helping build a summer curriculum. She knows how to navigate the delicate balance between providing a fun yet educational experience in the digital world. Becca Glades joins the team as a mom with a background in software engineering. Her knowledge of technology allows her to dive deep into these devices and understand the ins and outs of how they operate. This team's combined experiences have come into play to help determine the best user experience for children of all ages. We also surveyed other parents from our team, determining any specifics they would like to see in their quest for the perfect tablet.
How to Choose a Tablet for Kids
Choosing a tablet for your child doesn't have to be a painstaking process. Below, we outline the most important features you should consider to make sure you and your little one are happy with the device.
Should you get a tablet for your kids?
There is some worry in the parenting community around the usage of tablets for their children's extracurricular activities. We're worried, too. This is fully valid as many studies have shown both negative and positive effects of excessive screen time with tablets. Specifically, the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages the use of any tablet use to young children under the age of two years. While there is some sensitivity to this topic, tablets can be helpful for educational development when experienced in short, timed sessions. Look to our Parental Controls metric to find the best device to help counter these concerns.
Who will be using the tablet?
Understanding this will help you prioritize what features matter most. If you have a younger child who will be the sole user, it's easy to choose a budget option with a small screen. But don't skip the case! Conversely, if adults plan to use the device, you'll want to prioritize performance and a large screen to ensure you aren't continually running into glitches or squinting your eyes. If tweens or teens are involved, pay attention to the parental controls to make sure they align with your family's values, though you can always purchase an app if the tablet isn't up to par.
Younger children and older teens will require different features in a tablet.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
What's your budget?
Like most electronics, you generally get what you pay for when it comes to kid's tablets. The prices can range anywhere from below $100 to over $500, so it's important to understand what features you need. If you're on a tight budget and have an old tablet lying around, consider buying a durable case and letting your child use the old device. Nearly all tablets come with some sort of parental control. And, with the abundance of content available from app stores you can set up the device to be a safe and child-friendly environment without shelling out a ton of cash. And here's another tip for saving money - purchase an older-generation tablet.
Should you consider the ready-to-go content?
With the unlimited amount of apps, games, books, and more available from app stores, it's easy to tailor any tablet to suit your child's age and interests. So, preloaded content is not strictly necessary. It does have value, however, in saving parents time in continually researching and downloading apps to satisfy their kid's ever-evolving needs. Still, if you prefer strict control over the content presented to your child, your best bet is to stay clear of tablets with tons of preloaded content.
Ready-to-go content can save parents time curating a home screen.
Credit: Austin Palmer
Do you need a case?
Yes! Seriously, we can't stress this enough. If you want to protect your investment, absolutely make sure it's in a case before handing it over to little hands. For younger kids, thick foam cases are ideal because they can handle frequent drops. We take the time to get measurements of the front, back, and corners of each case to gauge the security a case can provide. For teens, you can get away with slimmer silicone or plastic cases that are easier to stuff into a backpack.
Does battery life matter?
Well, that depends. Are you planning on using the tablet for long travel days? Then yes, a long runtime will make your trip a little less chaotic. While most vehicles and airports will have plugs to let you charge on the go, it can add an extra burden on an already stressful day. Do you plan to mainly use the tablet at home for short sessions? Then no, most tablets will have plenty of battery life to get your child through a couple of hours of constant play.
The GearLab team thoroughly tests each device to find the best kids' tablet for your budget.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Analysis and Test Results
On a long road trip or flight, a tablet can be a saving grace. It's also a great education tool and can help with schoolwork. To help you find the tablet that best suits your and your child's needs, we extensively tested kid's tablets across six different metrics: display quality, parental controls, durability, battery life, ready-to-go content, and camera quality. Each one is discussed in-depth below.
What's the Best Value?
It's typical to get what you pay for with many electronic devices, and kid's tablets are no exception. We also know that different models offer different features, and you may value a certain feature over another. Yet, there are still some affordable options that offer great performance. When considering all metrics, the Amazon Fire 7 Kids offers great all-around value for its price. If you're willing to stretch your dollar a little further in exchange for better display quality and a speedier processor, the Fire HD 8 Kids is a great value. For bigger kids, we like the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ as an affordable option. When we start to dabble into tablets that aren't necessarily meant for little ones, they tend to spike in cost. The A9+ has many commendable features that don't require a high price tag. Included subscriptions, free-trial periods, and preloaded apps could be a big factor in value, so it is recommended to consider what content your child will most likely use when making a value-based decision.
Ready-to-go Content
Children are sponges and constantly absorb information from what they see. Thus, the content that they consume matters. We spent hours diving into the preloaded content of each tablet, exploring the educational content that is offered. We also analyzed the built-in advertisements and the age-appropriateness of each tablet's preloaded content. One of the main selling points of these child-focused devices is that they come with age-specific content and/or give you access to this content via a subscription app. In the case of the Amazon Fire Kids models, it includes one year of their Kids+ plan, which is the most comprehensive content platform in this review. You set your child's age and have access to a seemingly unlimited number of games, books, and videos tailored to them.
If you already pay for Amazon Prime, Netflix, or other streaming apps, you may be reluctant to pay for yet another service, but in some instances, it may be worth it. While there is a lot to choose from on the Amazon Kids+ app, it didn't feel like we were getting much more than what is already available on Prime Video, and there are usually many children's books available in Prime Reading. The benefit of subscription plans is that they usually include ad-free viewing and no in-app purchases, which we prefer for our child's development and our wallet. After the initial year of Amazon Kids+, there's an option to continue the subscription or use the tablet with the free Kids plan that lacks all the premium content.
The home screen of Amazon tablets with Kids+ will feature preloaded content separated into categories.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Some devices, like the Samsung Tab A9+, have preloaded content that does not require a plan but is littered with prompts to pay for access to full game features. The Contixo V8 probably has the best subscription- and ad-free content for learning and growing via the RosiMosi Grade apps, but it is limited because there is no app store. App stores will give you access to anything and everything that your child could want. So, don't be worried about tablets like the Apple iPad that do not come with any preloaded kid-specific content. Via the app store, you can customize the content your child has right from the start. This may be preferable to having content set up for them that you might want to get rid of later on. On the other hand, the disadvantage of no preloaded content is having to upload the content yourself or allowing your child to do it.
Some built-in apps may encourage your child to pay to unlock full features - a design we could go without.
Credit: Austin Palmer
Durability
There's nothing more nerve-wracking than putting an expensive device into a three-year-old's hands. Even the likelihood that an older child will drop their tablet is high, so having a sturdy case is key. One of the main characteristics that distinguish the models in this review from other non-kid tablets is the included case. To calculate the durability of the tablets, we carefully measured the thickness and coverage of each case. We also judged each case by its material and used it to assess its protective qualities.
The Amazon Fire Kids tablets received some of the highest scores for durability, with the Fire 10, 8, and 7 (but not the Pro) tied for top spots. The Anyway.Go followed shortly behind but lost points because the screen is more susceptible to front-facing falls. All four cases are made of foam and are nearly an inch to an inch and a half thick.
We felt far more comfortable dropping these products on the ground than we would with an Apple iPad, which did not come with a sturdy case. While it is still possible to crack the screen — say, on the corner of a table — it's our hope that these cases should protect against most falls, even when dropped face-down.
Contixo 7-Inch is designed with smaller kids in mind due to its smaller screen size, but when compared to others in our selection, it resides near the bottom when looking at the thickness of its case. At first glance, the case looks sleek, a design we usually like in other products at Gearlab, but not in these products. Extra bulges at the edges and thick foam are our main goals for this metric. We want to help save you time and hassle with talking to customer support to exchange for a new product or having to buy an entirely new one if the warranty has expired.
The LeapFrog has a unique case that covers sensitive sections like the sides and corners in a silicone exterior. The rest of the case is made out of hard plastic that doesn't fully cover the back but has two open cutouts on each side. Although it has a larger thickness for the front and back compared to others, we would much rather prefer a case that has better shock absorption materials for all surfaces, like foam or more silicone, while also fully covering the whole tablet, providing more extensive durability.
Tablets with a thick foam case give parents peace of mind.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Battery Life
For anyone heading on a long road trip without enough plug-in options, having enough battery life to last for at least a day-long trip is important. Have you ever woken up and realized that you didn't charge your phone overnight? If you plan on staying around a plug most of the day, this may not be an issue, but let's be honest - nobody wants to be glued to an outlet. As such, it's important to compare battery life across the board.
We tested each battery by running videos continuously, measuring how long they would last with sustained use. Long weekend family road trips or more at-home time might translate to your kid “plugging in” and not surfacing for hours. Again, the Amazon Fire Kids did great, lasting at least nine hours. Thus, we find these tablets are perfect for long flights and road trips. The Apple iPad and Samsung Tab sit relatively standard for most tablets, whereas the Pritom ran for a short two hours.
We also measured the time it takes to charge a fully depleted battery. Kid's tablets are a lifeline for educational and entertainment purposes, so a fast charge time ensures your child can get back on track when the tablet eventually dies. The Apple iPad 10th Gen and Anyway.Go excelled in this metric, fully recharging in a little over two hours, while the older generation Galaxy Tab A8 took four-and-a-half hours to charge.
Heading out on a long road trip with everything but the kitchen sink. This car only has one plug in the rear, so we need devices that have a long battery life and can last for at least a day of use.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring
Parental Controls
For this metric, we evaluated time limits, customization, and how easily we could access adult content. We also assessed the user-friendliness of each control feature. Digital devices are a largely unavoidable part of our current lives, and developing good habits early on is key to keeping kids active between media breaks.
A pre-set time limit can take some of the difficulty and constant pressure out of enforcing it - the device shuts off when they've reached the limit! When put to the test, the parental controls of the Amazon Fire Kids line of tablets easily trumped the competition. The age range filter automatically adjusts content for kids ages two to 13+. We can set limits for the total time used daily and the time of day, and then also “insist” that they read or listen to a book before they've “earned” access to unlock the “fun” stuff. It also has superb web browser customizations.
The advanced parental controls on the Amazon Fire allow you to fully customize your child's access to content, and you can even “make” them read or use an educational app before it unlocks the “fun” stuff.
Credit: Amazon
The Apple iPad also has extremely customizable parental controls for kids ranging from under five to 18 years old. You can block specific apps and web content or set age-related content filters when customizing your child's restrictions. And you can set app and website limits by category. Parents can restrict just about anything on their child's tablet for any amount of time.
Web filters can drastically change the content your child views on a browser. Shown here is the restricted version on the left and the adult version on the right.
Credit: Austin Palmer
Display
Perhaps the most important quality you want in a tablet (for children or yourself) is a high-quality screen that is also responsive to touch. The Amazon Fire 10 and 8, Samsung Tab A9+, and Apple iPad have some of the best display quality in this review. Animated movies are bright and detailed, and we feel these tablets are using advanced technology rather than something from the early 2000s.
The Apple iPad has an outstanding 11-inch display quality, with a resolution of 2360 x 1640. The Tab A9+, Fire 10 Kids, and 10 Kids Pro have a 1920 x 1200 resolution, with the A9+ featuring an 11-inch display and the Fires featuring a 10-inch screen. While it's not the highest resolution option out there, this is more than sufficient for a kid's tablet that a discerning parent might also occasionally use. The Fire HD 8 Kids is an excellent option for all ages, but its lower screen resolution of 1280 x 800 and smaller size makes it well suited for smaller hands.
If you're only looking at the specs, you might think that the Amazon Fire 7 Kids is equivalent to the Android models that all have 1024 x 600 screens, but the Fire 7's picture quality is still better, though not quite as good as the Fire HD 8. Many of the Android models received lower scores due to older-looking display qualities with stronger blue light and poor viewing angles.
Most tablets in our review have a vibrant display. We notice subtle differences in the overall warmth and saturation of the image as well as the ability to view the screen from different angles.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Camera
For years, tablets have notoriously had low-resolution cameras, and the latest crop of models is no exception. The standard currently seems to be around the two-megapixel mark, which, compared to the 12-megapixel (and up) cameras found on most smartphones today, is laughable in its quality. It seems as though manufacturers are assuming that the most you'll be doing with your device is a video call with the camera facing out, and for that, a two-megapixel usually suffices.
If you have a teen who wants to take Instagram-worthy photos with their tablet, the Apple iPad 10th has the best overall camera quality thanks to its 12-megapixel front and rear cameras. The Galaxy Tabs and Fire 10 and 8 Kids are next line with cameras ranging from five- to eight-megapixels. The rest of the tablets in our lineup come with two (or less) megapixel cameras and the quality of the photos directly correlates to the resolution of their cameras. Although grainy, a two-megapixel should still suffice for a younger child taking endless streams of photos of their toes.
The Apple iPad had the best camera quality in this review.
A higher megapixel camera will take higher quality photos. Above are photos taken with a 12 (left) or 2 (right) megapixel camera.
Testing the camera quality also allowed us to see how easy it is to get content off the devices. All of the Amazon models can share directly to the Amazon Photos feature via Bluetooth to another device, or via email. The Apple iPad allows you to share photos via airdrop, messages, email, and any downloaded social media apps.
Our trusty little tester playing his heart out, helping us find the best tablet for kids.
Credit: Laura Casner
Conclusion
It can be a daunting task to find a tablet that can stand up to the regular use of a child while also offering excellent screen quality and features. You don't want the device to break easily, and you also don't want to spend an arm and a leg. Luckily, we've researched, purchased, and tested each tablet side-by-side, bringing you our in-depth results. We hope our research will help you gain confidence in your next purchase and bring a smile to your child's face.
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Austin Palmer, Elizabeth White, and Becca Glades
