Balance of price and quality: TOP-5 tablets with large screens under $500

The Lenovo Yoga series of tablets stand out from their peers with a massive base along one of the long sides of the case and a built-in folding stand. As a result, a wide variety of use of such devices is provided - from the convenient viewing of video while eating, to hanging the tablet on the wall.

The front panel of the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 is available to the IPS-screen with a resolution of the broadcast picture of 2000x1200 pixels. The number "11" in the naming of the model indicates the corresponding display caliber in inches. Under the screen are two of the four stereo speakers from JBL with support for Dolby Atmos surround sound for an IPS-panel immersive experience.

The silicon heart of Yoga is the MediaTek Helio G90T mid-range mobile processor with gaming ambitions. The eight-core chipset is supported by 4/128 GB of memory with the possibility of increasing the space in the internal storage with a microSD card (up to 256 GB inclusive). In the conditional battle royale of PUBG Mobile, the hardware of the tablet produces a stable 60 fps in the lobby and 45 fps in the rinks at smoothly extreme graphics settings.

Another feature of the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 screen is the recognition of 4096 levels of pressure with the Lenovo Precision Pen 2 pen. The appearance of the tablet did not let us down either: the fabric upholstery of the back makes the device stand out from the hordes of the same type of solutions. From the rear, you can see the lens of 8 MP of the main camera, in the same resolution, filming is being done on the front camera. And frankly, there is nothing more to say about the tablet's cameras - they just exist, nothing more. To complete the picture on the model, it is necessary to mention a 20-watt 7500 mAh battery charging, which acts as a guarantor of a decent autonomy of the device - up to 15 hours of operation in video player mode.

After a 3-year pause that lasted since the release of Xiaomi Mi Pad 4, a new Pad 5 tablet appeared on the shelves of electronics stores without a "mi-shnoy" prefix in the name. They did a great job with it, and in the mid-low-cost segment of tablet devices, the model has a very high chance of success.

The popularity of the model among a wide audience is determined by the overlap of several factors. The first of these is a powerful hardware platform consisting of an octa-core Snapdragon 860 processor, Adreno 640 graphics and 6/128 GB of non-expandable memory. The tablet easily turns games and heavy applications, effectively distributes power while holding several resource-intensive programs in the background and quickly switching between them. The model has sufficient power reserves with an eye to the future.

Xiaomi Pad 5 has an 11-inch IPS-matrix with a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels. It is updated at a frequency of up to 120 Hz. The display is covered with protective glass Gorilla Glass 5, in addition, support for work with the Xiaomi Smart Pen stylus is declared for it. A juicy picture on the screen is accompanied by a well-developed sound of a quartet of stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos technology.

Of the usual things, the tablet does not have a GPS module, so the device is not destined to work as a navigator in the area. But charging the battery with a capacity of 8720 mAh in the model is fast - it is supported at a power of 33 W. The tablet usually comes with a 22.5 W block. The model will fit for study and work, games and viewing content, and in general for performing any tasks, mostly at home.

Does life flicker in Huawei smartphones and tablets without pre-installed Google services? Definitely yes. The branded “Huawei” AppGallery store is constantly updating the list of new applications, and the Harmony OS system also supports the installation of apk files.

In the context of American sanctions imposed on Huawei, access to popular "Google services" like YouTube or Gmail is opened through web services or emulator applications. This is exactly how it is implemented in the Huawei Mate Pad 11 2021 tablet. In response to compromises on the software side , the device was equipped with excellent hardware and equipped with a fast 10-95-inch diagonal IPS screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz.

In the bowels of the plastic case of the tablet is a balanced “iron” combination of components from the top-end Snapdragon 865 processor, Adreno 650 graphics and 6 GB of RAM. Games on such a "stuffing" are launched with pre-top graphics rendering settings, and there are no problems when working in multitasking mode. For applications and user data, the tablet provides a built-in 128 GB drive. Its capacity is expanded by microSD cards(up to 1 TB inclusive).

In the role of a multimedia device for watching movies and listening to music, the tablet relies on the high-quality sound of Harman Kardon stereo speakers. The list of positive features of the model is reinforced by support for the Huawei M-Pencil 2nd gen stylus, fast charging of a 7250 mAh battery (at a power of 22.5 W), the presence of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth v 5.1 wireless adapters in the on-board equipment. In fact, there is no equal to the tablet in terms of equipment, but only if you are ready to put up with some compromises in the software shell without the usual Google services.

The basic iPad from Apple's 2021 model portfolio will suit absolutely everyone - the model is positioned as a bedside tablet for reading, studying and entertainment. Also on it you can comfortably spend time in virtual gaming battles.

The 9th iPad remains almost the only "apple" gadget that remains faithful to the traditions in the field of design. On the one hand, it is still equipped with a convenient Home button with a built-in fingerprint scanner, and on the other hand, large bezels around the display spoil the aesthetic design of the device. You can’t call the design of the model otherwise than old-fashioned. Also, Apple will not abandon the Lightning connector in favor of the ubiquitous USB C.

The front panel of the Apple iPad 2021 is headed by a 10.2-inch Retina screen with a resolution of 2160x1620 pixels, True Tone technology to “adjust” the color temperature of the display to the ambient lighting conditions. From the frame above the screen, if you hold the tablet in portrait orientation, the 12 MP selfie camera lens looks at the user. A distinctive feature of the character of the front camera is the function of automatic centering of the face during the Center Stage video call.

Electronic components migrated to the device from the Apple iPhone 11 family of smartphones. This is a productive A13 Bionic chip and 3/64 GB of memory(previously, the basic iPads were supplied in a minimum configuration with a 32 GB drive). The tablet also has stereo speakers, but they are located on one of the short edges of the case - if you turn the device horizontally, the sound will come from only one side. The model is well suited for the role of a home multimedia device and is suitable for simple drawing or writing handwritten notes using the first generation Apple Pencil stylus.

Fan Edition smartphones and tablets were developed in accordance with the wishes and requests of the user community of Samsung Galaxy devices. In 2021, the line of "fun" gadgets of the South Korean vendor was replenished with a large-caliber tablet computer Tab S7 FE.

In terms of design and dimensions, the FE model is almost indistinguishable from the flagship Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. It installed a screen of the same caliber with a diagonal size of 12.4 inches, AKG stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, a capacious 10090 mAh battery with fast 45-watt charging. A 15W adapter is supplied with the device, a more powerful charging box must be purchased for an additional fee.

The difference between the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 12.4 2021 and the older "brother" was the characteristics of the screen and hardware platform. The tablet was equipped with a standard 60 Hz TFT display, and in terms of hardware, the device is powered by the Snapdragon 750G mid-range mobile processor. Games and applications run on the gadget without much thought on the part of the system, and in general, the smooth operation of the Android 11 operating system interface with the One UI 3.1 add-on is ensured.

The model comes with an S Pen used to control the interface, create handwritten notes, draw and work in graphic editors. During inactivity, the stylus is attached to the body of the tablet. In addition, the device received a dual main camera 8 + 5 MP, supported by a 5 MP front camera for video communication. Due to its size, the tablet is designed for home use and it plays the role of a multimedia gadget for a solid "five".