Tablets & E-Readers

An e-reader’s e-ink screen is restful for hours and useless for anything else.

A tablet is versatile and tiring to read a novel on. People who want both are usually happier owning both cheaply than compromising expensively on one.

If it is a tablet, be realistic about laptop replacement. That depends less on the tablet than on the software you need and on whether you will genuinely tolerate a detachable keyboard. Storage is the specification people regret: tablets are poor at expansion, and video and offline media fill them fast, so buying one tier up is cheap insurance. Check how long the manufacturer promises OS updates, because software support, not the hardware, is usually what ends a tablet’s life.

Support windows and battery longevity get the most weight in these guides, which draw on manufacturer specifications, published testing and verified buyer reviews rather than on any tablet we have used.