The perfect fusion of professionalism and day-to-day; tablets are the ideal medium for any work you can think of–from designing and drawing to taking notes on the go—they are almost always being improved to make them even more versatile than the year before. And 2023 certainly did not disappoint, with top brands like Xiaomi, Apple and Samsung delivering a long shelf of versatile tablets equipped with some of today’s newest features and upgrades; a great way to start your year off just right!
Amongst the huge additions to CGM’s favorite tablets, we followed every last detail from drawing to gaming, in order to compile the top picks of this year just for you—with one special tablet in particular performing exceptional in all categories—you’ll definitely find the perfect accessory to up your game this year.
Here are CGMagazine’s nominees for Best Tablet 2023:
Veikk Studio VK1200 Drawing Tablet
Writer: Andrew Wilson
Score: 8.5
Price: $239.99
Veikk has made a name for itself by offering a variety of different drawing tablets ranging from more basic versions all the way up to large 22” display tablets. I recently had the opportunity to try out their 11.6” Studio VK1200 model. While on the smaller side, the Studio VK1200 is aimed at portability for users who want to take their drawing tablet wherever they go.
n the box, you will find the Veikk Studio VK1200 itself, the cables to connect the tablet to your computer, 2 drawing pens with cases, several replacement pen tips with removal tool, a pen holder, a cleaning cloth, and even a drawing glove to minimize smudges on the tablet during use. Using the Veikk Studio VK1200 was as simple as hooking up the USB and HDMI cables to my laptop and pressing the power button the pens themselves are built with 8192 pressure levels and made for an incredibly accurate experience. I feel most users should have no issues with picking the Veikk Studio VK1200 up and using it with a minimal learning curve once properly set up.
For the beginner starting out and learning how to create digital artwork, the Veikk Studio VK1200 offers a great degree of flexibility and makes the experience easier.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+
Writer: Joe Findlay
Score: 9
Price: $979.99
The Galaxy Tab S8+ is slightly lighter than its predecessor and is built with Samsung’s new Armor Aluminum technology that Samsung says is 40% less likely to bend as a result. On the inside, the Galaxy Tab S8+ packs some punch with the 4 nm Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 gen 1 chipset, the 128 GB model offers 8 GB of RAM (The maximum for the S7 series), and the 256 GB model comes with 8 GB or 12 GB options.
The cameras got some upgrades on the Galaxy Tab S8+, the biggest being the selfie Camera, which is now 12 Megapixels as opposed to the 8MP on the S7+. The selfie lens on the S8+ is an f/2.4 compared to the S7+’s F/2.0, so lighting conditions become more of a concern (only slightly) for the newer model and offers an LED flash and video resolutions of up to 4K 60fps for the front-facing and selfie cameras. In terms of overall performance, it has a spectacular, bright, and beautiful display with a sound quality that still astounds me. The performance of the S Pen is still great, and the new features only make it better.
The Samsung Galaxy S8+ is a step in the right direction in almost every way. It’s as beautiful as ever but built better, it’s prepared for the future and it hasn’t priced itself out of the competition. Samsung lovers rejoice!
iPad Air (5th Generation)
Writer: Chris De Hoog
Score: 10
Price: $949
From a design standpoint, the 5th generation iPad Air splits the line between the current powerhouse Pro and budget standard models. It has a 10.9” screen, slightly bigger than the 10.2” standard, but that slight difference goes a long way. Internally, the iPad Air runs the same M1 chip as the latest Pro, with next-gen Neural Engine and 64-bit desktop-class architecture. Side by side, the Air is practically a match for the Pro, and a class above the standard iPad. It sounds impressive on paper, and it lives up to it in practice.
The Pro retains the edge when it comes to its camera suite. However, the Air is no slouch. Both cameras are 12 MP; the front (FaceTime) camera is ultra-wide, and the outward-facing camera is just wide, but both have capable apertures and zoom options. The video recording options steal the show, as does the Center Stage feature for FaceTime. Additionally, the 5th-generation iPad Air offers the best environment I’ve encountered for mobile games to thrive. Years of iOS releases and some recent blockbusters make this hardware an incredibly robust alternative to console gaming.
The 5th generation iPad Air truly fulfills the potential of tablet devices, thanks to its mighty M1 chip. All the power of the iPad Pro or a comparable laptop is now in users’ hands, at a relatively accessible price.
WINNER: Best Tablet 2023
Xiaomi Redmi Pad
Writer: Dayna Eileen
Score: 9
Price: $278
The Redmi Pad has 128 GB total storage, with a few games and all the apps from my phone I’m sitting at 64.5 GB left over, plus the device has a MicroSD slot, something you don’t always see in newer devices and at a 10.61” display it’s the perfect size if you intend to use the Redmi Pad for anything other than light social media. I was able to enjoy TikTok and Facebook, but could also enjoy streaming Disney+ from the bath or bed. The picture on the Redmi Pad is really sharp. With over one billion colours and 400 nits brightness, everything was incredibly vibrant compared to the tablets we usually use for our kids. The 90hz refresh rate was fine for regular use, though diving into any gaming isn’t exactly recommended.
The Redmi Pad’s cameras leave a lot to be desired, but this is a tablet. Who buys a tablet for its camera? They are both 8MP and the front camera is ultrawide. They are sufficient for silly pictures with your kids, or a quick video chat, but you won’t be using them to capture anything important. Even with music playing, apps running, and constant texting, the Redmi Pad’s 8000 mAh battery lasted more than 48 hours before needing a charge, If you’re someone who plugs their electronics in at night, you’ll never be left with a low battery on this tablet.
Xiaomi’s Redmi Pad is everything you could need in a tablet with more storage, better sound and a cleaner display than most of its competitors.
