The iPad Is the Best Tablet on The Market. Period.
The competition isn’t even close, as much as I'd like it to be.
I’m a huge fan of Android. I think it’s a fantastic operating system with huge potential. And it has a lot going for it. I fell in love with it back in the days of the Nexus 5 - a fantastic phone from Google.
Today, there are some undeniably fantastic Android phones out there — and they’ve come a long way over the years. And in years past, there were some excellent Android tablets. I loved my Nexus 7. And I really wanted stock Android tablets to give Apple a run for its money and really challenge the iPad.
But still, Apple’s tablet lineup seems so far ahead that it’s barely a competition anymore in my opinion. Yes, I know there are some good offerings from Samsung, but can they really compete with Apple’s? In my opinion, no.
Let’s look at why that is.
App availability
A computer with no software is a worthless computer. It doesn’t matter how sleek the design is or how fast the intervals are. If the software is lacking, the computer’s usefulness is limited.
And as a creative person, I care very much about which apps are available to me. On my iPad, I enjoy using Adobe Illustrator, Procreate, and Affinity Designer. Each of these apps is a professional quality, fantastic design tool.
But none of the three is available on Android. Not one.
Yes, there are content creation and design apps available for Android. No question.
But for serious content creation on a tablet, I’m going for an iPad every time.
Even the popular video editor DaVinci Resolve is now available as an iPad app, and we’ve had LumaFusion for iPadOS for a while.
And you won’t find Adobe Illustrator in the Google Play Store.
Now, does that mean that Android tablets don’t have hardware good enough to run these apps? Of course not. There are some great options out there, but the fact is that the iPad has received most of the attention from high end app developers.
Accessory availability and variety
One thing I tend to consider when I buy a gadget is this: how easily and how quickly could I get accessories for it if I wanted? For example, if I buy a new phone, how quickly can I get a decent case for it? Could I get one at my local Best Buy or Walmart? Or would I be stuck ordering something from Amazon?
Certain devices — like the iPad — enjoy special treatment when it comes to availability of accessories.
For example, if I needed a case for a Pixel 7 phone, my local Best Buy might have one or two. Maybe three. But if I didn’t find something I like, I’d have to order something from Amazon most likely. But if I need an iPhone case? Even Walmart has those. Now they may not all be the best, and I might find something I like better on Amazon, of course, but the fact that I can go to a local store and pick up a decent case in the meantime is something to be considered.
The same is true for iPads when compared to the competition. Some stores will have cases for the Samsung line of Android tablets — but I highly doubt there are many — if any — that have as many for Samsung or Android tablets as they do for the iPad.
There is a far greater variety of accessories available for iPads.
Integration with the Apple ecosystem
One of the best “features” of Apple’s products is the fact that they work together surprisingly well. Other companies have tried to mimic this interoperability — with varied levels of success. But whether you love Apple or hate them, what they’ve managed to achieve with their products working together is remarkable.
An iPad can be a second screen for a Mac or be controlled with a Mac’s keyboard and mouse (or trackpad) through Universal Control. Using Handoff, you can copy on one device and paste on another.
AirDrop makes transferring files and pictures super easy. And being able to send iMessages and SMS messages from the iPad is a huge bonus.
Someone who already has a Mac or an iPhone will certainly appreciate the added functionality an iPad brings.
A uniform experience across models
With slight variations here and there, one iPad works just like the next. The iPad Pro models have more processor and GPU power and higher refresh rate screens, but you essentially know what you’re getting from one iPad to the next.
There are some excellent Android devices out there, and there are some that feel slower than molasses in the middle of a winter storm in January. When I pick up a recent model iPad, I don’t wonder if it’s going to be slow or stuttery. Even with a 60Hz display on the non-Pro models, I know that the iPad experience should be relatively fluid and enjoyable no matter which iPad I use.
Even a base model, basic iPad still feels smooth and snappy compared to many Android devices out there. (Of course that’s not to say that some Android tablets don’t blow the plain iPad out of the water in terms of features and performance. No doubt they do.)
Apple designs the hardware and the software
Android is like Windows in some ways. It’s expected to be able to run on a wide variety of devices — each with varied levels of performance and features from a dizzying array of brands. This can lead to some… interest results at times.
Apple’s software, on the other hand, doesn’t have to deal with hardware from other manufacturers. MacOS is designed to run on Macs. iPadOS runs on iPads. iOS runs on iPhones. And each of these is designed by Apple. This allows for a tight integration between the hardware and software which tends to result in a smoother, more seamless experience for the end user.
Years of support
The uneven, non-standardized support cycles of Android devices is frustrating to me. Some devices get OS and security updates for just a few years. Others are supported longer. My Pixel 2, which I loved, only received three years of updates.
I loved that phone.
But that’s not uncommon.
Fortunately, today, many devices get more years of support than a pathetic three, but it still varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Samsung commits to providing only a couple of OS/UI upgrades over a period of at least four years, along with monthly, quarterly, or biannual firmware updates. That’s not terrible, but it’s not quite up to Apple’s standard.
Apple, on the other hand, has a great habit of supporting devices for five, six, or even seven+ years. The iPhone 6S, for example was released in September of 2015, and it still received a free launch-day upgrade to iOS 15 in September of 2021. And that’s not unusual for Apple.
Who should buy an Android tablet?
That doesn’t mean, at all, that Android tablets are bad. After all, there are some great options out there. I’m certainly curious to hear more about the new OnePlus tablet for example.
And for some people an Android tablet may be just fine - even perfect - especially if:
He only uses Android apps or knows that all of the apps he’ll want to use are indeed available for the OS.
She doesn’t own an iPhone or Mac - or doesn’t care about the Apple “ecosystem” or any of the Apple-OS-only features that connect Apple devices, like AirDrop or Handoff.
He’s only looking for a basic tablet experience and isn’t locked in to any specific app or app ecosystem and is happy to find “close enough” equivalents on the Google Play Store or other app stores.
She’s on a budget. Some Android tablets are relatively cheap - to the tune of a couple hundred bucks. Right now, the cheapest new iPad you can buy from Apple is the last generation iPad 9th generation, coming in at $329. On the other hand, a cheap Android tablet can be had for under $200 if you know where to look. (Now that cheap Android tablet probably won’t be a good Android tablet, but it’s still an option.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 on sale at Best Buy at the time of writing.
Android is still a great OS
I don’t want anyone to misunderstand me here. I do love Android and what it is. As a competitor to iOS and iPadOS, I love it. It’s a lot more open and more free than Apple’s products would ever dream of being — for better or for worse.
And I love some of the things you can do with Android that are currently impossible with iOS out of the box. Even though I personal prefer iOS and iPadOS, I still recognize the serious value that Android is and the great benefit that it’s been for the mobile market as a whole. Over the past decade, mobile operating systems have advanced far more than anyone could have predicted, and that is thanks in no small part to Android and its competition with Apple.
Android had a copy and paste function before iOS did, believe it or not. Widgets, a notification center, and the like all started with Android and Apple stole — er… I mean, borrowed without intent to return — the ideas.
For developers, Android is an obvious choice because it enjoys the attention of a huge chunk of the mobile computing market, and you don’t need a Mac to get started. Apple, on the other hand, wants iOS and iPadOS developers to use macOS. Rude.
I would love to see a real iPadOS competitor, but right now I just don’t think there are many compelling reasons to go for an Android tablet over an iPad. I really hope that changes soon, though.
Competition is good for the market, and it’s good for consumers like you and me.