As seniors get more involved with technology, games, and apps, tablets are becoming increasingly popular. They’re much easier to use than laptops, are lighter, and use simple touch controls. That’s why today we’re talking about the best tablets for seniors.
But first, let’s talk a little bit about why tablets are so good and what you’re looking for.
Benefits of Tablets for Seniors
Tablets are an easy way to use apps, including ones for entertainment, video calling, reading, audiobooks, and much more. Other apps are designed to help people, like mindfulness apps, apps to track health goals, apps for selling stuff, and medication management apps.
Don’t forget about games either.
It’s easy to see games as a waste of time, but they’re actually very powerful. They help to keep seniors engaged and decrease stress. Some may even help improve memory and cognition.
Much like laptops, tablets can be used for video calling and social connection. This is especially important these days, as so many seniors are isolated.
Tablets are fantastic for reading too, as users can change the brightness, text size, and other features.
Whatever the goal, tablets are fantastic tools for seniors. They’re almost as powerful as a laptop but are more portable. They have a larger screen than a cellphone, which makes them easy to use. Most aren’t too heavy either and are perfect even for people with arthritis.
Finding the Right Tablet
If your grandparents or elderly relatives have never used a tablet before, choosing a good tablet might seem overwhelming.
There are so many out there. Tablets are often similar, but there are strong differences between them too.
The operating system is one feature to keep in mind. While the different operating systems are all easy to use, they’re slightly different, so learning a new one can take time. So, if your family member already uses an Android phone, for example, focusing on an Android tablet might be the best bet.
Some other attributes matter too when you’re looking at the best tablets for seniors, including:
- The tablet should be user friendly and have an interactive interface
- It should not be difficult to use
- The tablet should be compact and lightweight
- It should run well without lag, screen freezes or other issues
Keep an eye out for useful features too, like an anti-glare screen, a stylus, and the ability to use a keyboard with the tablet.
Now that we’ve got the basics out of the way, let’s dig into the best tablets for seniors. We’ve chosen 5 powerful tablets that should give you everything that you need.
The Best Tablets for Seniors
Apple iPad Mini
Overview:
The iPad Mini is a little tablet, so it’s light and easy to use. But, despite the small size, the tablet remains powerful. It has Wi-Fi and 4G LTE availability, along with contact ID for security purposes.
While the tablet is perfect for basic tasks, it’s also one you can use for more demanding apps and games.
The tablet runs Apple’s operation system, which is known for its user-friendliness. Apple tends to create high-quality devices that stand the test of time, making this a powerful investment.
Features:
The True Tone screen is one of the most important features of the iPad mini. True Tone screens are able to adjust their colors based on the surrounding light. The process makes the screen easy to see and cuts down glare, regardless of the background.
For example, when you are reading a page with a great deal of white in the background, the white background will almost seem like it is a piece of paper. This approach can decrease screen glare, making the tablet perfect for seniors.
The battery life isn’t terrible, but the iPad Mini doesn’t perform as well as competing tablets. The battery is fine for people who want to use the tablet here and there throughout the day. If you want to use it for extended periods, like a whole day, then you’d probably run out of charge.
And, like most Apple devices, this tablet multitasks very well indeed. You can run multiple apps at once without slowing the device well.
If you have an Apple Pencil too, the tablet can be used to take notes, doodle, and sketch.
The biggest problem is the screen size.
While the tablet does end up being light and very portable, the small screen size could be a serious problem for seniors with limited eyesight. Users will also need to zoom and pan more with this tablet than with most competing products.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Sturdy structure
- True Tone technology
- Good battery performance
Cons
- Smaller screen size
Microsoft Surface Pro 6
Overview:
The new Surface Pro 6 is the latest iteration of Microsoft’s characteristic detachable tablet PC, but with faster chips, better color, and a lower price. From the external overview, it would appear that almost nothing has changed, and that is because the Surface Pro 6 is practically indistinguishable from the previous device in the series.
The Surface Pro is easily one of the best Windows 10 tablets in the market.
Features:
The tablet has superb performance. It can handle multitasking well, even for resource-intensive websites and apps.
The coordinated Intel UHD 620 designs chip is the biggest limitation. This isn’t top-of-the-line, so you might need to turn down the settings for some graphically intense games.
However, the Surface Pro can deal with everything else efficiently.
For older people, movies, music, books, news, and other tasks are easily manageable on this powerful little beast.
Battery life has improved from previous versions, giving you an impressive 10 hours of battery life. The audio quality is as amazing as the tablet’s high-end competitors.
The 12.3-inch PixelSense display on the Surface Pro 6 is one of best the on the market. It has a sharp and vivid resolution of 2736 x 1824 pixels. It offers strong and vibrant colors, beginning with a brightness of 408 nits.
Color saturation is good as well, with dim zones of pictures not appearing dark.
Screen glare is a problem, as the tempered glass tends to reflect sunlight and any streaks. However, you’ll find this problem with most tablets and laptops.
Pros
- Great battery life
- Outstanding performance
- High-quality resolution
- Crisp color saturation
Cons
- Reflective screen
Lenovo Tab 10
Overview:
The Lenovo Tab 10 is a good all-round tablet. It offers stable battery life, sound quality, and screen size. It ends up being a great choice for seniors who need a tablet that performs well and isn’t too expensive.
The tablet doesn’t stack up against a laptop or PC in terms of functions, but it still allows users to do all that they need to, like browsing the internet, catching up on email, looking at media online, and taking photos.
Features:
This tablet isn’t top-of-the-line, so it doesn’t offer all of the features that you might hope for. Still, it does basic tasks without a problem and can be used in many ways.
Powered by MediaTek Helio P22T Octa-Core and 2GB RAM, which together provides promising performance, this tablet can offer older people a great value. You can browse the web while listening to songs in the background, watch videos on YouTube or simply, you can switch between the apps without any lagging, thanks to its new app-switcher on Android 9.0 Pie.
The tablet features an impressive battery life of 12 hours on a single charge. Overall, the Lenovo Tab 10 has all the essential features and accessibility what seniors can expect; a big screen, good overall performance, dual cameras with good clarity, and long-lasting battery life.
The screen size is large enough to make the tablet ideal for seniors. However, the large screen size does make this tablet heavier than some others and a little more difficult to manage in one’s hands.
Seniors who are unsure about how to use one of these tablets can easily use Lenovo manuals to get up to speed. This way they have all the information they need at the tip of their fingers.
Pros
- Long-lasting battery
- Effective cameras
- Speedy performance
- Ideal screen size
Cons
- Heavier than rival tablets
Samsung Galaxy Tab A
Overview:
From its shockingly generous camera to its robust structure and incredible processor, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A is an extraordinary option for seniors who need a more modest Android-controlled tablet.
It runs Android 9 Pie, which means that users will get all the most recent updates.
The tablet was designed to compete with the iPad and does so well. It can be used in countless ways, including note-taking, web browsing, reading, and other productivity tasks.
Features:
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A has given a tough time to Apple, delivering a really flawless performance.
In particular, the tablet is lighter and slimmer than the iPad, making it very easy to use.
The back uses a metal completion, which makes the device feel high-quality.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A has a 10.1″ TFT capacitive screen that works well at most viewing angles. It is particularly useful for older people because they can even enjoy using the tablet when lying down in bed.
The color contrast is brilliant with distinctive yet sharp colors.
This tablet’s main drawback is the low capacity with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage (however, there are other higher versions with 64 GB or 128 GB of storage). This is less powerful than many other products and could impact performance.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A beats all other 10″ Android tablets concerning when it comes to structure. With greater battery efficiency, it doesn’t cost any more, either.
The software is similar to that of an Android phone, ensuring a user-friendly interface, an essential feature for older people.
The 8MP back camera and 5MP front camera makes this an easy tool for communication and video chats. The battery life is an impressive 10 hours, making the tablet a brilliant all-rounder for anyone on a budget.
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Vibrant colors
- 13 hours long battery
- Solid structure
Cons
- Limited storage capacity
Huawei MediaPad M5
Overview:
A sleek and good-looking android tablet, the Huawei MediaPad M5 offers many powerful features. It also offers a large screen, which is ideal for watching movies, playing games, or reading books.
However, this tablet is best suited for our international readers, as it is not targeted at the United States.
Features:
The MediaPAd 5 boasts a 10.8-inch screen, providing you more screen space than most other tablets in the same category. The design is minimalist, with almost non-existing bezels, which gives it a sleek and modern look. It’s just a screen, a little selfie camera, a Huawei logo, and a fingerprint scanner.
The tablet only weighs 0.7-pounds and measures only 0.3″ thick, making it lightweight and compatible for elderly people to carry around. It’s unusual to find a tablet this large that isn’t too heavy.
The Huawei MediaPad M5 tablet offers strong picture quality and extensive details, with 2k resolution.
This tablet boasts four speakers, all Harman Kardon, promising a high-quality audio experience. This powerful little beast is fueled by 3GB RAM and Kirin 659 Octa-Core chipset, helping it to perform well for all kinds of tasks.
It comes with 32GB of internal storage, which can be further extended through a microSD card.
With a robust structure, Huawei MediaPad M5 is resistant to regular wear and tears.
It also offers a 13MP back camera and 8MP front camera, along with many shooting modes. The cameras make this a fantastic device for video calls and taking photos. However, seniors may need to be careful, as the large size of the tablet can make it unwieldy for using as a camera.
The battery is long-lasting, giving you around 9 hours at a time.
Pros
- Excellent sound quality
- Vibrant colors
- Decent performance
- Lightweight and compatible
Cons
- Average camera quality
Comparing the Tablets
We’ve featured 5 different tablets, so which one do you choose? If you’re unsure, check out the table below for a feature-by-feature comparison.
Apple iPad Mini | Microsoft Surface Pro 6 | Lenovo Tab 10 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A | Huawei MediaPad M5 | |
Screen size | 7.9″ | 12.3″ | 10.1″ | 10.1″ | 10.1″ |
Weight | 0.66 lbs | 1.75 lbs | 1.06 lbs | 1.03 lbs | 1.01 lbs |
OS | Apple | Windows | Android | Android | Android |
Storage | 64 or 256 GB | 128, 256, 512 GB, or 1 TB | 16 GB | 32, 64, or 128 GB | 32 GB |
Battery Life | 10 hours | 13.5 hours | 15 hours | 10 hours | 11 hours |
Price | Check Here | Check Here | Check Here | Check Here | Check Here |
And finally, be aware that many of these tablets come in various models. For example, the Apple iPad mini comes in Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + Cellular versions. You can also choose from three colors and between 64 GB and 256 GB.
Then, of course, there are all the other iPads, including 10.2 inch, 11 inch, and 12.9 inch versions. If you like the features of the iPad mini and not the size, one of the larger versions could be perfect.
Final Thoughts
These aren’t the only tablets to look at, not by a long shot. There are many others to choose from.
The trick is to pay close attention to reviews and to the specs of any tablet. You’re looking for reliable products that behave like they’re meant to.
You don’t need to go for top-of-the-line, but try to avoid exceptionally cheap tablets too. Most of these don’t have good specs. They’ll often be slow, frustrating, and laggy. Slow tablets are no good for anyone and they’re even worse for seniors, who might not understand what is happening or know how to troubleshoot.
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