The 5 best tablets for kids you can buy right now

The 10th-generation iPad is more than just a good tablet; it’s a good tablet for kids. Apple’s default settings mean you don’t need to think about parental control apps (which the company banished in 2019 for using invasive methods). And the iPad’s screen, sound and performance all set a standard that every tablet maker should aspire to achieve. The only real problems come in actually buying (and sharing) iPads, as all of the Android-based tablets we’ve put on this list are hundreds of dollars cheaper and allow for multiple user profiles. Apple only allows the latter on iPads sold to schools.

Oh, and while you could save and get the ninth-gen iPad, the newer model’s faster chip and USB-C port help make it future-proof. The connector is much more important, especially because you don’t want to be scrambling for one of your Lightning cables when the slate won’t turn on and your kid needs their cartoons ASAP. It’s likely so much easier to plug in the same cable you use to charge your phone (if you've got the new iPhone 15) or laptop. Also, iPads get an average of five to six years of updates, which leads the industry.

A simple tablet that does enough right at an affordable price, the Fire HD 8 Kids offers acceptable performance and decent enough display and audio (your little one can’t keep their kid-friendly headphones on forever). But parents love Amazon’s Kids tablets for two other reasons: They’re sold with a colorful protective case and a worry-free two-year warranty. The latter explains why Catherine Teitelbaum, Amazon’s head of family trust, told me about how a customer service agent once casually sent out a replacement unit after hearing a Fire Kids tablet broke after falling three stories. Kids 6 to 12 years of age, though, will probably be ready for the slightly more refined experience of the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro.?

Amazon also includes a year of its Kids+ digital subscription, which includes books, games, videos, apps and more that aim to be both fun and educational. After that, though, you will be charged $5 per month if you don’t cancel first. Amazon, to its credit, is very good on guaranteed security updates, as it notes that “your Fire tablet receives guaranteed software security updates until?at least?four years after the device is last available for purchase on our websites.” This means the Amazon tablets we recommend here will get security updates at least through 2028.?

Beyond how their screens and performance don’t compare to those of the iPads, the biggest flaw with the Fire tablets is their lack of real Google apps. These tablets run Amazon’s Fire OS, which has its own app store — one that doesn’t have YouTube and the rest of the Alphabet applications.

If you want to give your kids an all-around solid Android tablet that has all the apps you’d expect for less than $250 (heck, less than $200 at the time of publishing), Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A9+ is a slate you need to check out. Over the years, Samsung’s earned a great reputation for making well-built tablets across all price points, and we’ve tested many of them. And unlike those Amazon Fire tablets, the Tab A9+ lets you download YouTube and all the other Google apps (what kid doesn’t want to dive into Sheets?). And while I get why some parents may not want their kids to have YouTube, teens will practically demand it. There’s also the Samsung Kids app, which provides additional parental controls, games and educational content.

The Galaxy Tab A9+’s 11-inch display has earned thumbs-ups from multiple critics for its solid performance and front-facing 5-megapixel camera that will help your kid keep in touch with faraway relatives. The Tab A9+ starts with 64GB of storage (twice as much space as the Fire Kids tablets begin with), which means they can download more TV shows and movies for your next trip. In addition to for-kids content from the Samsung Kids app, the tablet offers parental controls for profiles, screen time, bedtime restrictions and app restrictions. I also need to applaud Samsung for guaranteeing years of updates, so it will be secure through October 2027 and get version updates through Android 16. Other tablets with full Android may promise three years of security updates, but Samsung’s the only one claiming anything close to Android 16.?

The biggest downside for this tablet is that it costs more than the Amazon Kids tablets and doesn’t include the protective case or warranty. That said, older kids will probably like this tablet more, as it looks more like what adults use.

The iPad Mini is my personal pick here, as it has everything I applaud the 10th-gen iPad for but in a smaller, lighter form factor that’s friendlier to little hands. Oh, and that size also makes it perfect for reading, so parents of burgeoning bookworms may see it as a screen they want to hand their kids. And unlike with the Fire HD 8, the iPad Mini gives you a super-sharp display. The only knocks against it (just like with the regular, larger iPad) are its higher price and lack of multiple-user support. Don’t expect much difference between this and the regular iPad in terms of everyday performance, though; battery life tests on these tablets have had similar results and their processors are only one generation apart.?

You get the Fire HD 10 Kids if you want more, and that includes endurance. While Amazon rates both the Fire HD 8 Kids and Fire HD 10 Kids as offering “up to 13 hours” of battery life, the latter seems to uniformly last longer on third-party tests. Amazon also offers little upgrades across the board for this tablet, with the most obvious one being a bump up to a higher-resolution Full HD screen for watching their favorite shows. It also offers a sharper set of cameras, a slightly faster CPU and a little more memory. The major drawback, naturally, is that the Fire HD 10 Kids is heavier, weighing 30% more than the Fire HD 8. Otherwise, you get a very similar tablet, with the same operating system, protective case and two-year warranty. Kids above 6, however, may find this model too juvenile and want the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro instead. It’s the same price, so why not?