Will Android tablets make a comeback in 2021?

The android tablet market has been stagnant for the last four to five years. 

Innovative functions introduced by Samsung with their proprietary S-pen and Dex support were hard to notice due to their steep pricing. For customers, it generally made more sense to purchase an iPad for their commitment to long term software updates.

Tablet and smartphone markets' flagship segment lacks hype; blame it on the price or failure of OEMs (original equipment manufacturer) to bring in significant upgrades expected by consumers or the slow incremental upgrades, you be the judge of it. 

Most of the excitement garnered nowadays is about mid-range to budget range phones for all the vast array of features they offer for the price or how good a device is for an average consumer's daily usage. 

The android OEMs failed to capitalise their success using their smartphone business's strategy into the tablet market as most budget to mid-range tablets were of sub-par quality at best.

However, Xiaomi's recent unveiling of the Xiaomi Pad 5, Pad 5 Pro and Realme's Pad release announcement has heated up this market segment because these are good tablets being offered at a price similar to mediocre tablets previously released. 

In this article, we shall be comparing the above mentioned devices' base variants as it is mainly the pricing that makes these tablets difficult to ignore. 

Realme Pad 

Priced at about USD190 for the Indian market, for the base variant - 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, powered by Mediatek's Helio G80 - what makes the Realme Pad an excellent deal is its aggressive pricing and premium design. 

The G80 will win no specification war but considering the price is under USD200, the only choices are slow and unreliable tablets often coming in with 2GB of RAM which is simply outdated in this day and age. 

The G80 is a far better performing alternative tried and tested by budget phones in the past year. Paired with a clean Realme UI 2.0 operating system based on Android 11, it has performed well as we have seen with Realme Narzo 10 and Samsung Galaxy A32. 

It comes with a 10.4-inch 1200 x 2000, or FHD+ LCD Display; although not an amoled screen, Realme phones' LCD screens have served users well and the Realme Pad inherits this trait. 

Despite the 10.4-inch screen, Realme Pad is only 6.9MM thick and weighs just 440G which makes it easy to hold for a long period of time. This is an impressive feature if you consider it packs a huge 7,100 mAh battery inside which should last you over a day easily. 

For the audio department, it comes with a 3.5MM (yes, this is considered an additional feature in 2021). Additionally, it packs quad stereo speakers. 

At a base price under USD200, the Realme Pad is a killer deal, but it is no flagship tablet. Therefore, it would be an ideal choice for media consumers and light to medium gamers out there. 

If priced similarly in the international market, it will dominate the sub USD200 price segment as there is no competition in this segment considering the price to performance value the Realme Pad is offering. 

However, please note Realme Pad does not support keyboard, mouse and stylus input.

#BOX

Reasons to buy 

• Most competitive pricing in the Android tablet segment with the best specifications. 

• Stylish and ergonomic 6.9MM thickness. 

• Aluminium frame body.

Estimated Price: Tk19,500

*Price may fluctuate depending on availability.

Xiaomi Pad 5

The Xiaomi Pad 5's base variant - 128GB (UFS 3.1) internal storage paired with 6GB RAM - is available at USD310 in the Chinese market. Considering the flagship class UFS 3.1 storage speeds paired with a rebranded older Snapdragon 860 processor, this device offers excellent value for money and is a fast, responsive tablet.

Making it even faster is the 11-inch 1600 x 2560 pixels resolution 120Hz refresh rate, HDR 10, Dolby Vision 2.5K LCD screen.  

It appears that the MIUI 12.5 based on android 11 OS has been optimised specifically for tablet use in supported apps. Furthermore, it supports Xiaomi's magnetic stylus and keyboard input which can be purchased separately. Lim Reviews on YouTube has a dedicated video on how to turn the Xiaomi Pad 5 into somewhat of a makeshift laptop.

With an 8,720mAh battery, it offers long battery life with a fast charging option of up to 33W. 

Unfortunately, the Xiaomi Pad 5 does not have a headphone jack so you will have to invest in bluetooth audio options or depend on its quad stereo speakers which are adequately loud.

Please note the Xiaomi Pad 5 does not support 4G/LTE connectivity. 

At under USD500, for the hardware, the Xiaomi Pad 5 is amazing and I would advise opting for this tablet if you are looking to invest in a fast tablet for the long run. Your money will be well spent on this device as Xiaomi has a good track record of updating its devices. 

This is a great device for media consumption, productivity as well as mid to heavy gaming as the processor can pretty much still handle whatever you can throw at it. 

#BOX

Reasons to buy

• All round well built budget Android tablet.

• Powerful flagship grade performance.

• Excellent speakers. 

• 120Hz refresh rate screen.

• Keyboard/Stylus input support.

• No competition in this price segment in terms of value for money.

Estimated Price: Tk35,000-40,000 for the base variant - 6/128GB.
*Price may fluctuate depending on availability. 

Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro

The Xiaomi Pad 5 pro variant has pretty much all in common with the Xiaomi Pad 5, except in two key areas which may be points to consider if performance and speaker audio quality are your top priorities.

The Pro variant comes with a Snapdragon 870 SoC arguably making it the strongest android tablet available in the market right now. 

However, I would advise not relying on its strongest SoC on a tablet unofficial tagline simply because you will not get to enjoy the full potential of it due to the occasional unreliable nature of MIUI 12.5 which is powering the device.

Now, while the Snapdragon 860 is no slouch, the difference in performance the 870 offers over the 860 will be noticeable mainly while gaming. So, if gaming is your highest priority, the Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro is an easy recommendation. 

Another change in the pro variant is that it comes with stereo speakers (eight speakers) instead of the four offered by the standard Xiaomi Pad 5. Expect them to sound more vibrant and louder than the Xiaomi Pad 5 and unlike the Xiaomi Pad 5, the pro variant does support sim card and 4G connectivity.

#BOX

Reasons to buy 

• Fastest Android Tablet in the market right now.

• Excellent speakers. 

• 120Hz refresh rate screen.

• Keyboard/Stylus input support.

• No competition in this price segment in terms of value for money.

Estimated Price: Tk45,000-50,000 for the base variant - 6/128GB.
*Price may fluctuate depending on availability.