Tablets may look like simple devices, but just like all other ever-evolving technology, there are increasingly abundant tablets to choose from nowadays. From high-end to budget, large-screen to smaller e-readers, the latest tablets come in a variety of sizes and features that can make choosing one a daunting task.
Plus, there's also the age-old question of whether you should even get one; is a tablet better than a laptop?
Different users have different needs; some may prefer a tablet with a keyboard for productivity purposes, while others might prioritize portability and entertainment features. That's why we've curated this list of the best tablets in Malaysia to ensure that there's something for everyone.
Whether you're a student, a professional, or a tech enthusiast, our tablet recommendations are designed to help you find the perfect device that fits your lifestyle and budget!
Editor
Jennifer chevron_right
Table of Contents
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9 Best Tablets in Malaysia
Why It’s Our Top Pick
“Samsung’s latest flagship tablet proves once again why Samsung is the often called the king of Android tablets. Their Galaxy Tab S8 Plus has a 12.4 inch screen that is perfect for multitasking. It also comes with an in-house S-Pen to offer you a greater note taking or drawing experience. You can say that this tablet is out to achieve everything!”
Overview
The S8 Plus is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, along with 8GB or 12GB of RAM, depending on the variant. Although onboard storage is only 128GB, there’s a microSD card slot that can support up to a 1TB of extra storage.
Its 1752x2800 resolution screen runs at a refresh rate of 120Hz for bright and clear visuals. Working alongside the screen are four AKG tuned speakers located around the sides of the device to boost your entertainment experience. Speaking of which, you can enjoy the tablet all day with its massive 10,090mAh battery capacity, which has support for quick charging.
In addition, the Galaxy Tab S8 has also been optimised to run Samsung Dex; an integrated PC software within the tablet, giving it the ability to be used as a second screen for your PC or the other way round. There’s also an under display fingerprint reader for ease of access.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus Specs:
- Year: 2022
- Processor (CPU): Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm)
- Graphics (GPU): Adreno 730
- Display: 12.4” Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM
- Rear Camera: Dual camera, 13MP (Wide), 6MP (Ultrawide)
- Front Camera: 12MP
- Battery: 10090mAh
- Operating System: Android 12, upgradable to Android 12L, One UI 4.1.1
- Weight: 567g (Wi-Fi), 572g (5G)
- Dimensions: 285 x 185 x 5.7mm
Who Is This For?
Multitasking is a breeze with this tablet, not only because of the latest Snapdragon processor, but also due to its sizeable 12.6 inch screen, which allows for up to three apps to be displayed at once.
The 120Hz refresh rate allows for both a great gaming and stylus experience. Not to mention, the included S-Pen is the most responsive one yet, with a 2.8ms latency. Pairing all that with the 10,090mAh battery, the device will last you all day and then some.
Overview
The 5th-generation iPad Air is powered by the Apple M1 chip and offers a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with advanced technologies like True Tone, P3 wide colour, and an anti-reflective coating. Featuring a 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Centre Stage, you can make more engaging and dynamic video calls wherever you are!
With up to 60% faster performance, the iPad Air is a creative and gaming powerhouse. It also boasts a 12MP Wide back camera, perfect for capturing photos and 4K videos. Besides that, the iPad Air works seamlessly with Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard, and is available in five stunning colours!
Apple iPad Air (5th Generation) Specifications
- Processor: Apple M1
- OS: iPadOS 16
- Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina, 2360x1640, True Tone Display, 500 nits brightness
- Storage: 8GB + 64GB/256GB
- Rear Camera: 12MP wide camera with ƒ/1.8 aperture
- Front Camera: 12MP ultrawide with 122° field of view
- Video: 4K video recording at up to 60fps
- Dimensions: 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 6.1mm
- Weight: 461g
Who is this for?
The iPad Air (5th generation) is the perfect tablet for students out there who like a little entertainment in between studying. It's relatively affordable (by Apple's standards), and is even compatible with the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil, making it a great laptop substitute too!
Overview
Apple's next-generation iPad Pro is a game-changer, as it is by the M2 chip, delivering up to 15% faster performance than the M1. It offers a next-level ProRes video capture, superfast Wi-Fi 6E, and powerful features in iPadOS 16.
The iPad Pro also introduces a new dimension of interaction with the Apple Pencil, which is now detected up to 12 mm above the display. It supports the fastest Wi-Fi connections with Wi-Fi 6E and 5G networks, ensuring fast and reliable connectivity. The iPad Pro is available in silver and space grey finishes, with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB configurations!
Apple iPad Pro 11" (M2, 2022) Specifications
- Processor: Apple M2 with ProRes encode and decode engine
- OS: iPadOS 16
- Display: 11" Liquid Retina, 2388x1668, 600 nits brightness
- Storage: 8GB + 128GB/256GB/512GB, 16GB + 1TB/2TB
- Rear Camera: 12MP wide camera + 10MP ultrawide
- Front Camera: 12MP ultrawide with 122° field of view
- Video: 4K video recording at up to 60fps
- Accessories: Apple Pencil (2nd Gen), Magic Keyboard
- Dimensions: 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 5.9mm
- Weight: 466g
Who is this for?
It's no secret that Apple devices are great for graphic tasks. The iPad Pro M2 is no exception—in fact, we'd call it the best tablet for drawing and graphic designing overall, thanks to its brilliant displays and powerful chip. Plus, the massive storage that goes up to 2TB will allow you to draw to your heart's content without worrying about running out of space to store your masterpieces!
Overview
The Lenovo Tab M10 Gen 3 is a versatile tablet that is cheap, yet offers pretty decent performance. Powered by an Octa-Core processor, it ensures smooth multitasking and an immersive viewing experience with the 10.1" display.
Plus, the tablet comes with a Kids Mode, providing a safe environment for children. It also boasts dual speakers with Dolby Atmos, delivering rich and clear audio. The Lenovo Tab M10 Gen 3 is equipped with a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera, perfect for capturing moments and video calls. It offers a long-lasting battery life, ensuring uninterrupted usage.
Lenovo Tab M10 (Gen 3) Specifications
- Display: 10.1” WUXGA IPS Display
- Processor: Unisoc SoC processor
- Memory: 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM
- Connectivity: 4G LTE Voice & Data
- Rear Camera: 8MP
- Front Camera: 5MP
- Weight: 460g
- Dimensions: 239.84 x 158.62 x 8.5mm
Who Is It For?
The Lenovo Tab M10 is a great family tablet, especially for families with kids! Not only is it great for watching movies and YouTube, but the integrated Kids Mode also ensures that parents can keep a close eye on the content their children consume as well. However, it's not the best tablet when it comes to gaming, but that's to be expected for its price.
Overview
Sporting a vibrant 10.1" 1080p Full HD display, the Amazon Fire HD 10 is powered by a 2.0 GHz octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM. It features 2 MP front and rear cameras, and provides up to 12 hours of mixed-use battery life, ensuring you can have enough juice to entertain your little one for as long as you need!
The tablet is available in 32 or 64 GB of internal storage, expandable up to 1 TB via microSD. With hands-free Alexa, you can pause videos, play music, open apps, display the weather, or control smart home devices. The Fire HD 10 tablet is a versatile device that delivers high performance for its price.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Specifications
- Processor: MediaTek MT8183 Helio P60T
- Display: 10.1" IPD LCD, 1920 x 1200
- OS: Android 9.0
- Camera: 2MP + 2MP
- Weight: 465g
- Dimensions: 247 x 166 x 9.2mm
Who Is This For?
The Amazon Fire HD 10 is a great tablet for kids. Affordable and simple to use, it has a long battery life and most importantly, is extremely durable to stand up to rowdy children!
Overview
The Xiaomi Pad 6 stands as a flagship tablet, bringing significant enhancements compared to its predecessor, the Pad 5. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G chip, the table delivers snappy performance without lags or slowdowns, even with extended use. The thermals are managed properly as well, giving you an enjoyable gaming experience aided by strong on-battery time lasting up to a week.
Regarding the display, it boasts vibrant colours and strong contrast typical of an LCD panel. The screen automatically adjusts its refresh rate according to on-screen content, ensuring a seamless user experience while using apps and navigating the interface so you don’t have to think twice about opening a few apps too many times.
Xiaomi Pad 6 Specifications
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 870
- GPU: Adreno 650
- Display: 11” IPS LCD, 1800 x 2880 pixels, 550 nits brightness
- Storage: 8GB+128GB, 8GB+256GB
- Rear Camera: 13MP OV13B 1/3.06" sensor with 1.12µm pixels
- Front Camera: 8MP 1/4" SK Hynix Hi-846 sensor with 1.12µm pixels
- Video: 4K video recording at up to 30fps
- Dimensions: 254 mm x 165.2 mm x 6.5 mm
- Weight: 466g
Who is this for?
The tablet excels in gaming as it is equipped with a former flagship SoC and a dynamic refresh rate ranging from 30Hz to up to 144Hz. It can handle a wide array of popular Android games and even supports emulators for older consoles.
Additionally, you can also rely on it for productivity and creative tasks. Unlocking its full potential is effortless – just pair it with Xiaomi's smart pen and keyboard accessories, and you’ll have a smooth and intuitive workflow.
Overview
The Kindle Paperwhite (11th Gen) is a reader's delight, offering a larger 6.8" display and adjustable warm light for a comfortable reading experience. With a waterproof design, it's perfect for reading anywhere, even by the pool. The 16GB storage can hold thousands of books in several formats, so you can read just about anything while you're on the go!
Have a long trip? The battery life of the Kindle Paperwhite is impressive, lasting weeks on a single charge. Most importantly, you can have up to 32GB of storage to hold all your books, ensuring you never have a bored minute during your travels!
Kindle Paperwhite (11th Gen) Specifications
- Display: 6-inch glare-free E Ink display, 300 ppi, touchscreen
- Storage: 8GB, 32GB
- Ports: USB-C charging port
- Dimensions: 174.2 mm x 124.6 mm x 8.1 mm
- Weight: 205g
- Other features: Waterproof, comes with inbuilt warm light
Who is this for?
Kindle is a classic brand for e-readers, and the Kindle Paperwhite is perfect for avid readers everywhere! This e-reader is a great way to get yourself to work through that long to-be-read pile as it's a device that's made for reading and reading only (well, okay, you can annotate too). The long battery life and large storage ensures that you can bring it on the go without worrying about running out of juice.
Overview
Looking at the specs, this tablet is blessed with a 10.3-inch Full HD IPS display with 10-point multitouch and runs on an octa-core MediaTek P22T processor. It has 4GB of RAM and 64 eMMC storage which can be expanded up to 256GB using a microSD card. For cameras, both the rear and front sports 8.0MP and 5.0MP shooters respectively.
Running everyday tasks, namely web browsing and operating Microsoft Office applications are suitable enough. But the MediaTek P22T processor feels laggy when it comes to heavy gaming or multitasking. Battery life, in the meantime, can last up to 8-10 hours on a single charge.
Lenovo Smart Tab M10 Specs:
- Year: 2022
- Processor (CPU): Unisoc T610
- Graphics (GPU): Adreno 610
- Display: 10.1” WUXGA IPS
- Memory: 3 GB + 32 GB; 4 GB + 64 GB
- Rear Camera: 8MP
- Front Camera: 5MP
- Battery: 5000mAh
- Operating System: Android 11
- Weight: 460g
- Dimensions: 241.5 x 149.4 x 8.3mm
Who Is This For?
The Lenovo Smart Tab M10 is an ideal tablet for students, combining performance and affordability. Visuals are appealing too as it comes in a sleek-looking Iron Grey design.
Overview
While it’s not the most impressive, the Realme Pad Mini has a few things going for those looking for a cut down in size. Under its hood, this tablet is equipped with the Unisoc T616 SoC, delivering satisfactory performance for tasks like web browsing and light gaming. The IPS LCD’s colour and contrast are solid and with the design and build quality of the original Realme Pad, it stuns the affordable tablet segment.
There’s also an Eye Comfort mode that adjusts the colour temperature, a dedicated Reading mode turning everything monochrome, and a system-wide Dark mode that displays white-on-black text so you can have a viewing experience that doesn’t hurt.
Realme Pad Mini Specifications
- Processor: Unisoc T616
- Display: 8.7-inch IPS LCD, 1340 x 800 pixels
- Storage: 3+32GB, 4+64 GB
- Rear Camera : 8MP
- Front Camera : 5MP
- Video: 4k video recording at up to 30fps
- Dimensions: 254 mm x 165.2 mm x 6.5 mm
- Weight: 372g
Who is this for?
The Realme Pad Mini stands out as a unique addition to the compact tablet category, featuring an aluminium unibody design, an 8.7-inch display, and a substantial 6400mAh battery. It's an excellent option for those always planning for their next trips, especially if intensive gaming isn't on your agenda.
FAQ:
- Tablet vs Laptop - Pros & Cons
Can’t decide whether you should buy a tablet or laptop? Both of these mobile gadgets are practical no matter for work, study or play. Here are some pros & cons of using a tablet vs laptop. Let’s start with the tablets first.
Pros for Tablets
- In terms of portability, tablets win hands down since most of them usually weigh under 1kg, making them suitable for those who are frequently on the go.
- Unlike laptops, tablets have better battery life capable of running around 8 hours and above, depending on uses due to low power consumption.
- Most tablets are compatible with a SIM card, where you can use mobile data instead of relying solely on a WiFi network.
Cons for Tablets
- Their processors are no match with laptops.
- Built-in storage capacity is limited.
- Lacks multiple ports.
As for laptops, their pros and cons include:
Pros for Laptops
- Laptops have bigger displays, averaging between 14” and 15.6” screens.
- They have a physical keyboard for typing purposes, unlike the tablets where you usually have to spend extra money to buy a separate keyboard.
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Laptops have better processing powers and contain multiple ports from USB to others like HDMI, RJ-45 Ethernet and SD card reader.
Cons for Laptops
- Laptops are generally more expensive than tablets, particularly if you are looking for decent models.
- More often than not, upgrades are necessary for better laptop hardware.
- Battery life for laptops is generally erratic, depending on the models and how you choose to use them on a daily basis.
- For instance, heavy-duty tasks like streaming videos and playing games may cause laptops to last only 4-5 hours before you need to plug in for charging purposes.
Should our suggestions not fit you, here are quick tips on how you can choose the best tablet for your criteria:
- How to Choose a Tablet
Intended use
The first thing to identify is what you'll use your tablet strictly for. If your uses are mainly tied to browsing, reading news and watching shows, any tablet that has at least 2GB of RAM with a quad-core processor should suffice. And of course, when you're looking to game, a stronger processor and a higher RAM will benefit you way better. But you'll also need to take into account the tablet brand's capabilities in handling its hardware. For example, Apple's known to handle multitasking very well despite having lower specs on paper.
Size of a tablet
This seems small but plays a big factor. For many people, the main reason to get a tablet is to view content in a bigger picture (no pun intended). So, understand how big you need to go depends on what you want to do. At a minimum, 7-inches are the smallest tablet size available now. They're great for simple browsing and reading. But for a clearer scale, if your 5 to 6 inches phone is not big enough, chances are that a 7-inch might not enough as well. So going at least 2 to 3 inches up should be your best bet.
Take note that your tablet's weight is also just as important. If your tablet is going to be used for reading or watching often, a lighter table should do the trick. otherwise, you'll need to consider the availability of accessories to support your tasks.
Budget
Strictly speaking, tablets are a secondary device and not a necessity. As the technology industry tends to move fast, you'll have to take in the possibility that a budget model will not be supported for long. Ideally, your tablet should last you at least a minimum of 3 to 4 years. In many reviews, a mid-tier model should be where you start from to ensure longer reliability/stability. This fact is reflected in our list of the best tablets which balances between price and performance fit for the Malaysian market.
If you can't spare more than the prices below but still want a powerful device, consider upgrading to a bigger and powerful phone to fit your needs.
Preferred OS
Even if a model meets your needs, you might not like their operating system (OS). For starters, we always believe that Apple's OS has a better edge for the general audience who wants something simple, and is ideal for kids or the older audience who don't want to fret on tech issues.
But Apple is also not as customizable as Android devices. So if you (or the intended user) can handle it, Android offers a lot of value for the hardware you get. If you need something for work, we think Windows tablets are worth looking into. These days, Windows tablet offers unique hybrid features to cover both a laptop and a tablet. Their store is not as expansive as Android and Apple, but they're good for work purposes.
And finally, there's actually Amazon. While Amazon uses its own Fire OS where the latest version (Fire OS 7) is based on Android's 9.0, the selection of apps is not as many compared to the other 3. Hardware also seems to be weaker than what the others have, but the tablets (including Kindle) are said to have stable and good performance, especially for their price. If you don't mind the smaller pool of apps and just want a simple tablet for multimedia purposes (excluding heavy gaming), Amazon is good too.
Special features
Maybe you actually want your tablet to come with a stylus, or you want a reliable camera. Understand that since tablets are meant to be secondary devices to offload tasks that your phone can't do, you should pay attention to whether the tablet's special features are good. For example, stylus support is currently strongly present in Samsung and Apple tablets, but the latter's stylus support is pricier to own. Meanwhile, the camera is not a strong suit on tablets. But one of the few smart devices that has a decent camera is the iPad 2019.
If anything, we recommend at least a front camera for webcam purposes, especially if you'll be making calls often.
- Wi-Fi vs LTE Tablets
We are lucky to be blessed with affordable internet services. While they are not the fastest, but Malaysia still has the internet readily in many places. So tying back to your tablet's purposes; do you need it for offline or online most of the time? If your tablet is constantly needed to go online especially for work, then an LTE version of the tablet is obvious. If not, Wi-Fi is the better choice, and all you have to do is use your phone's Hotspot when you're out.
Take note that our suggested tablets are Wi-Fi models by default.