A guide on choosing the Perfect Tablet for students

Whether we like it or not, online classes are becoming the new normal, and parents and students need to find ways to adjust and adapt to it. There are multitude of tablets being sold online, some very cheap and some very expensive, but which one suit you the best?

Follow this guide to find the perfect tablet for you and your family.

Specifications:

Online classes usually require some sort of video conferencing app. Today, the most used are Google Classroom, Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Depending on the school, they may use all of these apps, or either one. Let's start with Zoom.

These are the system requirements according to Zoom's website:

For Android:

• Android Lollipop (5.0x) or better
• Any 1ghz processor or better, excluding Intel processors

Bandwidth recommendations:

• For one-on-one calls, Zoom recommends at least 600kbps up/down speed, and 1.2mbps for HD video
• For group calls, Zoom recommends at least 1.2mbps up/down speed, and 1.5mbps for HD Video/Gallery View

For iPad/iPhone

• iOS 8 or later, or for iPads, iPad 13.0 or later

Of course, these specs are low, but you may want allowance for your specs. Sure an ultra cheap tablet can run zoom, but because your device also runs different processes, it may have a hard time running Zoom well, and cause your tablet to crash and constantly bootloop. If not for these, your tab may lag.

Having a good tablet is great, but it all boils down to having good internet connection as well. Take note that having a tablet is futile when internet connection's reliability and speed are questionable.

As Google Classroom is a browser-based conference. Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge should work well with it

Microsoft Teams System Requirements:

For Android:

• Android KitKat (4.4x) or better
• 1Ghz Processor or better

Bandwidth Requirements:

• at least 1.2mbps for Peer-to-peer video calling 720p at 30fps
• 1mbps for Standard Group Calling
• 2mbps for HD Group Calling

Microsoft Teams runs better at laptops/desktops as the app is optimized for those, but as stated any modern tablet can run Microsoft Teams just fine

For any other purposes, we recommend the following specifications:

Android Tablets (Minimum):

• 2GB RAM or better
• At least a 1.3ghz processor or better
• Android 8.0 Oreo or better
• 32GB Internal Storage or better
• Screen size is a preference. Most tablets come with 8 inch screen size

Android Tablets (Recommended):

• 4GB RAM or better
• At least 2.0ghz processor or better, in the calibre of Helio P23 or Snapdragon 439
• Android 9 Pie or better
• 64gb Internal Storage or better
• 3G, 4G LTE access. These can be used for communication

If you want, you could also buy a stylus pen and keyboard for comfortability

iOS/iPads:

• iOS 8.3 or better
• any iPad including iPad Mini 2, iPad 5th Gen, iPad Pro 5th Gen
• any iPhone including iPhone 6s, 6s+, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and iPhone 10

We don't recommend buying tablets that are made by ODMs 

While these tablets are indeed affordable, they run on poor-performing processors and any application may lag or crash with them. That is why we choose you to choose recommended over minimum to avoid any mishaps and problems when buying your tablet.

Questions to ask when buying a tablet:

Before going out and buying your tablet ask the following:

1) Who will be using it, what are their purposes?

• Buy a tablet that suits the students' needs. Don't buy a tablet just because you saw a cheap tablet online. Be wary and be smart

2) What other qualities should you consider?

• While you may run productivity apps, of course, you would also probably install games in them, so consider the tablet's performance. While the main purpose is for online classes, you should also consider other aspects such as camera quality, build quality and servicing. ODMs usually have poor-quality service. Buy the brands that you trust most

3) What's the perfect tablet size for you?

• Like we said above, size is for preference. Choose the size that's perfect for you. You might get a tablet that's too big or too small for your liking

4) What accessories will I need?

• While buying a tablet, consider different accessories as well, such as earphones, keyboards and/or stylus pens. These accessories makes your tablets much more comfortable to use

Be aware of fake tablets, these are not worth your time and money

• You may have seen a lot of counterfeit tablets online some of which masquerade popular brands like Samsung and Huawei. These tablets have very poor performance and run an outdated version of Android. Some of these may have compromised battery life or may not even run at all.

That's all for our tablet guide. Hopefully this guide helped you find the perfect tablet for online classes, stay safe at home, and good luck to all students taking their classes online.

Sources: TomTalks blog, Microsoft.com