Photo by Henry Ascroft on Unsplash
With Christmas fast approaching, figuring out what to buy parents, or other older relatives, can be tough.
If this is happening to you, then consider a tablet. Tablets are easy to use, with even the biggest technophobe finding it easy to browse the internet, watch movies, download music or play games.
In this article, we’ll review some of the best tablets that you can buy for your elders this Christmas.
Fire HD 10
One of the key characteristics that the older generation tends to look for is a device that does the basic things well.
The Fire HD definitely ticks that box, with a long battery life; a large, clear screen; and simple navigation. The 10.1-inch Full HD display in particular is excellent for passive tasks like reading e-books and watching TV series. The latter is made easier with a special Show Mode that introduces a smart screen capability that even the biggest technophobe can master.
The one downside is the lack of support for the wide range of Google apps on the device, with a clear focus on Amazon instead. But you do get an assistant Alexa on hand: whether you find that a good or bad thing is a different matter!
Galaxy Tab A10
As a much cheaper alternative to the Galaxy Tab S5e, the A10 is a great budget option that contains many features of its more illustrious cousin.
It has a fantastic battery life, a pleasing aluminium casing and does the basics extremely well: perfect for an older user.
The one clear downgrade is screen quality, as this model comes without the OLED screen that marks out the S5e and iPad. As such, games are a little less immersive, unless you’re playing something low-resolution, like an online casino game. This is unlikely to bother your grandma, but there are some older gamers out there!
But on the plus side, you’ll also be paying much less for a device that does everything an older relative needs. They probably won’t be as bothered by the lack of high-tech features, so it could turn out to be the bargain buy of the festive season.
Apple iPad Mini 6th Generation
The 6th generation of the iPad Mini packs a surprising punch that belies its size. Its speakers are crisp and loud (perfect for those hard of hearing) and it has a powerful performance that rivals many much bigger devices.
Add to that an 8.3inch Liquid Retina Display with True Tone, Apple’s A15 bionic chip, a handy 4GB of RAM, and a potential 256GB storage, and you have a miniature beauty in your hands.
It does mean that this model is more expensive than most rivals; and there’s no headphone jack, which might be annoying for some; but you’re basically getting a fully functional iPad packed into a handy, much smaller device. Perfect for relatives who find holding bulky tablets a bit of a burden.
Grandpad
Excuse the pun, but the Grandpad really is a great device for grandads (and grandmas) out there, with its large buttons, intuitive interface and apps geared towards the older user.
Designed for the over-75 market, the Grandpad makes the important tasks much simpler. It’s easy to set up a video call to stay in touch with loved ones, and the tablet comes with in-built 4G connectivity for those without Wi-Fi access.
Its subscription service is a little expensive, but it does come with round-the-clock support, with a special red ‘help’ button that puts users through to a direct line, if needed. It also has a private family network feature so relatives can get in touch, share photos, and send voice emails.
Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab
For older relatives who love being in the kitchen, the Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab is perfect. It doubles as a smart speaker and has a kickstand that allows you to hang it where you like as you cook or prop it up on the counter.
The display, too, is excellent considering what you pay for it, just make sure you keep an eye on the knife while chopping vegetables for a ratatouille recipe.
It’s not perfect, though: Performance can be a little slow sometimes, and Lenovo pack a lot of software onto such a small device.
For kitchen-lovers, however, you can’t do much better than this smart tablet.
Dragon Touch Notepad K10
The Dragon Touch stands out from the crowd with its amazing visibility that includes a vivid display and image quality. This is because it’s powered by a 64-bit quad-core processor that’s designed to deliver an optimal user experience.
Despite this, it does still have an Eye-Care mode that automatically tweaks itself for comfortable viewing at night. Dual speakers, too, mean that this is accompanied by a quality audio experience.
It comes with the outdated Android 9.0 Pie, but it makes up for this with access to Google Store, so you should still be able to get what you need.
