1. Amazon Fire HD 8 - $59.99 for the 16GB Model
The Amazon Fire HD 8 offers up to 10 hours of battery life, and comes with either 16 or 32GB of storage with the ability to add an SD card for up to 400GB of storage. It also has a reasonably decent processor at 1.3GHz, contains a front and rear-facing camera and offers dual-band Wi-Fi. At $60 for the 16GB version, it’s also extremely affordable. For those who want more storage, the 32GB model is only $90. Both of these prices are extremely reasonable. The only downside is the 8” screen, which is a little bit small in my opinion.
Amazon Fire 8 Accessories
2. Amazon Fire HD 10 - $119.99 for 32GB
The Amazon Fire HD 10 is another excellent choice for writers and authors. The big benefit to this tablet is that it comes with a 10” screen. Like the Amazon Fire 8, it also has a 10-hour battery life, which is essential for those long writing sessions in front of the TV or while you are away from your home. It has a rear and front camera, a 1.8GHz dual-core processor.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Accessories
3. Apple iPad Air 10.5” - 64GB $469.00
The Apple iPad Air is pretty pricey at $470 for the 64GB version. If you choose the 256BG version, you’ll be set back about $620. What the Apple iPad Air has going for it is the ability to use it on both Wi-Fi and cellular networks. This means you’ll never be without your Internet connection, and there’s no need to pair it to your phone in order to get Internet. However, the dual feature in the 64GB version is $600. It also has up to 10 hours of battery life and offers dual cameras. If you already own an Apple computer or laptop and iPhone, this may be the way to go if you need a tablet. Not to mention, if you’re looking to independently publish in the Apple Bookstore, you’ll need an Apple product, which is why I seriously considered one of these when I was looking for a good tablet. Yes, there are online publishers that offer access to the Apple Bookstore, but I didn’t find them to my liking. Not enough control, and they were definitely too slow in publishing the books and reporting sales.
Apple iPad Air 10.5” Accessories
4. Samsung Electronics Galaxy Tab S4 with S Pen, 10.5", Black - $529.94 64GB
The Samsung Galaxy S4 has a lot going for it. It’s another tablet with a 10” screen, and it comes with a stylus. It also has 10 hours of battery life, Wi-Fi and front and rear cameras. It has 8 processors with 2.35GHz and 4BG of RAM, which means this tablet is going to be fairly fast compared to the others on this list. Unfortunately, it is pricey at $530 for the cheapest model.
Samsung Electronics Galaxy Tab S4 with S Pen Accessories
5. Galaxy Tab E 9.6” - $145 16GB
The Galaxy Tab E is the tablet I chose because of its screen size and affordability. It offers a 9.6” screen, which is fine for working in Google Docs on any other online word processor or novel writing application. It’s very portable, and thus far, I haven’t had any issues with it. It does come with an SD card slot, and I have a 4GB card in it. (That happened to be the SD card I had on hand when it arrived.) It has dual cameras and an average battery life of 12 hours, which means it lasts longer than the other tablets on this list. That comes in handy. It does have Wi-Fi, and it can very easily be paired with a phone for cell phone Internet access. This tablet sees my LG phone hotspot with no problems. This thing to keep in mind with this tablet is that it is older. Most accessory manufacturers are going to the S4 10.1 Galaxy, so make sure you have the 9.6” Tab E compatibility for any accessory, especially cases and screen protectors.
Galaxy Tab E 9.6” Accessories
If you're wondering why no Microsoft tablets make it onto this list, it's because I cannot, in good conscience, recommend a product that I know will force updates upon you, leave your tablet useless for hours and lower your productivity. As writers, we have to write when we are in the mood and/or motivated. Walking over to a tablet that has spontaneously instigated a 4-hour update isn't good for productivity or creativity. In the future, I hope to be able to recommend a good Linux tablet, but as of right now, there are no good Linux tablets on the market. The one Linux tablet that I did find looks to be vastly interior to the tablets mentioned in this list.
