Tablets are nowhere as popular as they used to be five to seven years back and several people are of the opinion that they will continue to lose their value in the market. As market analysts will tell you, that is not entirely true. While it is an undeniable fact that the sales figures have gone down for Android tablets in particular, it actually bodes well for the segment in general.
If that puzzles you, then you will need a better answer that’s more than just a statement. To provide you with a better explanation of what is actually going on in the market and how you should choose your next gaming tablet, the answer has to be broken down into several smaller parts.
What Crashed the Android Tablet Market?
Until a few years ago, the market was flooded with cheap tablets from both reputable and previously unheard-of manufacturers. Despite being such a reputed company, Samsung was in fact the leading manufacturer of tablets across all segments. The idea that most Android tablet OEMs had was that of capturing the low-end and mid-end markets, as Apple’s iPads already had a firm grip on the high-end market from day one.
The average buyer was initially lured in by the prospect of owning a larger screen that was sometimes priced lower than a mid-range smartphone. As was to be expected, the long list of cheap tablets turned out to be just that. They were mostly cheap products with cheap internals that often stuttered while attempting to render any demanding game on their dim, low resolution screens.
The modern consumer is a fast learner and they soon learned that it was better to invest more money into even an old iPad Mini than to buy one of the numerous Android tablets that littered the market. All OEMs learned their lesson the hard way as the Android tablet market almost became extinct soon after, due to a lack of demand. The iPads in all their iterations, however, continued to grow after a few hiccups every now and then.
How Did the iPad Survive?
The iPad survived quite simply because Apple did almost everything right while Android tablet OEMs and Google managed to all the wrong boxes! For a better understanding, simply consider the following:
- Even the experimental Android 12L OS is not yet suited to properly support tablets, while Apple is on its way to perfect their dedicated iPadOS
- Most app developers are still manufacturing Android apps exclusively for Android smartphones with no regard to Android tablets
- Several iPadOS apps are designed especially with even the specific model of iPad in mind by developers
- Apple sends updates to iPads for a significantly longer period than any Android tablet OEM
- Even entry level Apple iPads are powered by a series of bionic chips which are at least two generations ahead of flagship Android chips at the time of their release
- There is a larger selection of games on the iPad than on any Android tablet, and all of them run well on even older iPads
Did Things Change in 2022?
Monopoly in any market is not good for consumers, so it was nice when things started to change from late 2019 onwards. Not that iPads become any less popular, mind you, but at least now gamers had proper, viable options to select from. Once the trend of releasing inferior products for a cheap price died down completely, some of the remaining Android OEMs realised the fact that they needed to improve their software, hardware and focus.
From 2021 onwards, we are seeing a refinement in tablet alternatives to the iPad because several tech companies have completely stopped manufacturing tablets altogether. As a result of that, the tablet segment is now a refined market which caters primarily to gamers and digital artists with a select number of well-made devices. Also, Microsoft is now coming in with some seriously powerful Windows 11 tablets, some of which are even outpowering the latest iPad Pros. As the year progresses further, we are expecting to see some awe-inspiring gaming tablet releases from both Microsoft and Apple in 2022.
Which are the Best Gaming Tablets Right Now and Should You Buy One?
If you have the budget, you can be privy to some amazing visuals and gaming experiences on the comparatively larger screen of a tablet, which smartphones simply cannot deliver. This holds true for a number of devices in 2022, which we will get to soon. Before you go ahead and invest in a new iPad, Microsoft Surface tablet, or a Samsung Galaxy Tab though, at least consider a few realities first.
Casino Gamers
If you like playing games like roulette, blackjack, video poker, online slots, and other casino games, you can play them from almost any decent iPad, iPhone, Android smartphone/tablet, Windows device, or Mac. All you need to do is pay a visit to OnlineCasinos and find out which online casino apps and sites are secured, reputed, and registered under the UKGC.
This is the most important part as OnlineCasinos ensures that players are not cheated out of their hard-earned money, while also keeping them updated with the latest bonus offers from legit casinos. You don’t have to worry much about requirements of any kind to simply play at an online casino. However, you will still enjoy your slots and live casino games a lot more on the bigger, better, brighter, and powerful gaming tablets.
PC Gamers
If you are a PC gamer who plans to run AAA games in high resolution, there is no Windows tablet that can yet stand up to a desktop and would cost half as much as the latest Microsoft Surface Pro tablet. PC gamers should wait for the Steam Deck to get a proper release, but the following tablets should at least be able to run a few low-end games with minimal requirements at respectable FPS averages.
- Microsoft Surface Pro 8
- Lenovo ThinkPad X1
Android Gamers
Android gamers have only to choose from the Galaxy Tab S7 and the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus at the moment, but you may want to save your money for the upcoming Galaxy S8 Ultra. As you can imagine, Samsung is the only OEM catering to the high-end Android tablet market now, with a special focus on gamers and artists.
Apple Gamers
Well, you can play any iPadOS game from any of the iPads released between 2020-2022. They are in fact the best gaming tablets in the market by a country mile. However, if you want the best experience and the highest FPS, the following comes recommended:
- iPad Pro 11” (2021) or the 12.9” (2021) with the M1 Chip
- iPad Mini (2021) with the A15 bionic chip
By now, you should have a clear idea regarding exactly what to buy. Set your budget, decide what kind of games you like and just in case you don’t have the budget to buy the tablet you want yet, wait until you save up more. By that time, there will likely be even better products for you to buy in that same price category.
