Best 8-Inch Android Tablets

You’re in the market for a tablet, specifically, an 8-inch one running an Android operating system, you have a quick search around and soon realize there are hundreds you can choose from, with new ones coming out every few months & the old ones dropping in price making them more appealing.

With the market being so flooded with a variety of different options, what exactly do you go for? How do you determine which option is going to be best serve the purpose you are buying it, whether that be for your child, to read with, game on, or even use as a portable alternative to a laptop for work?

Not all tablets are created equal, and that’s why we’re here. We’ve done the leg work, read the reviews, specifications, watched the review videos, even tested a few to determine some of the best 8-inch Android tablets we could find on the market today. We’ve also written this comprehensive buyer guide because we want you to be fully aware of what you’re buying and ensure you can determine whether it is fit for purpose.

Want to find out more? Keep reading.

Table of contents

What to consider when choosing your tablet
Why choose an Android tablet (Over Apple)?
Which 8-inch tablet is the best?
Is an 8-inch tablet big enough?
How many GB should you look for in a tablet?
Our best 8-inch Android tablet choices

What to consider when choosing your tablet

Right, so let’s say you’re starting from scratch, you’ve never owned a tablet & you aren’t particularly tech-savvy, so what exactly do you look for when you’re in the market to buy a tablet? What are the main specifications and factors that you should care about? Here’s a break down of the main things to be looking at, and why:

Identify purpose: If this is going to be for a young child, you don’t need something that is extremely fast, instead you need something that has a nice design (and runs Netflix). Whereas if you want something for gaming, you’ll be after a few more cores & RAM, or if you want it for work, you might want something that can run work programs comfortable and has a few additional accessories.
Budget: Something you will have to consider of course is your budget, don’t worry though, we’ve tried to include great options for a variety of different budgets. 8-inch tablets can range from $50-60 to $200+.
Storage: This is always something you should consider, the internal storage. A lot of tablets, specifically the smaller ones, can have small amounts of storage. It depends on personal preference and what you want on the tablet itself, but even a few apps & pictures would eat up an 8GB storage device relatively quickly, we would recommend 16GB at the very least. Some also have SD card slots, meaning you can expand the storage at a later date if required.
RAM: Like computers, and phones, tablets of course have RAM, or Random Access Memory. Essentially, well there’s a little more to it, but the higher the RAM the quicker the device will run. We wouldn’t recommend anything lower than 2GB, but if you want the tablet for gaming, we would aim for one that is around the 4GB mark at the very least.
Software Version: If you’re going for a device that is older, it might be running an older Android version, which might limit you in terms of being able to get some of the latest apps. This is something you should be aware of and look into, so you can ensure it’s still supported and has a recent Android system version.
Screen Size: This article is obviously about 8-inch screen size tablets, however, screen size is something you should obviously consider. At the top end, tablets can be as large as 12 inches, which is just a bit smaller than a laptop, on average there around 10 inches, and an 8-inch tablet is considered small.
Cores: This again is to do with speed, and generally speaking, the more cores, the faster it operates. Well that isn’t always true, it’s also the do with the GHz and threads, but generally on tablets, the more cores the better!
Design: This is also a big thing to consider and it ties into what you actually want to use it for. Some tablets just simply feel better than others, and with just images, this can be quite hard to tell, we would recommend you read through the reviews and find out what people’s opinion is. You can of course buy cases for these tablets, which will change the look and feel, and some of the cases can be quite intuitive, allowing you to hold the tablet at a certain angle for reading, or grip it better for gaming.

Why choose an Android tablet (Over Apple)?

If you’ve read this blog, you might know we’re as a whole not the biggest fan of Apple or their products. There are a few reasons we feel like Android tablets are generally better than Apple ones. One of the primary reasons is, of course, the price, generally speaking, Apple products are far more expensive and with Android ones you get a lot more options in terms of range from budget to premium catering for different financial requirements.

You’re also tied into Apple accessories which are obviously sold at a premium, there’s no USB port, in terms of Tablets there are far less expensive and higher quality options out there, you can only run software approved by Apple and it can’t be used as a standalone computer.

Now, this sounds like we’re just ranting about Apple, but the inconvenience of some of these features or lack of features on iPads for us would be a deal-breaker.

Which 8-inch tablet is the best?

Don’t want to go through our complete list of 8-inch Android tablets? We don’t blame you. Let’s cut to the chase, which is the best tablet on our list? Well, it’s a well-known device by the large brand Samsung.

SAMSUNG SM-T290NZKAXAR, Galaxy Tab A 8.0″ 32 GB Wifi Android 9.0 Pie Tablet

Is an 8-inch tablet big enough?

You might be having doubts as to whether you want to go for an 8-inch tablet or something a little bigger, so, is an 8-inch tablet big enough? Just like a lot of our answers, it depends on what you want the device for. The 8-inch tablet is considered to be the best of both, sitting between a phone and a laptop, it’s large enough to be productive but small enough to be easily portable. In our personal opinion, it’s the best size for a tablet, as any bigger and you’re getting into small laptop territory, which often has better options.

How many GB should you look for in a tablet?

We’ve touched on this previously and it really depends on the purpose that you want it for, but with the easily accessible apps readily available, which all need storage & not to mention the extra files they will often create, then if you want to use the camera for a few shots or have a bit of extra music on it, your memory soon gets swallowed up, so what should what GB do we recommend?

Generally speaking, we wouldn’t go for anything under 8GB in storage, and that’s if you don’t want a massive amount on the device. If you’re planning on having movies, music, and pictures, we’d recommend at the very least 16GB.

There are ways of getting around this however, you can go for a device with smaller storage but has an SD card slot (another reason you should choose Android over Apple!). SD cards are relatively inexpensive and you can expand the storage considerably.

Our best 8-inch Android tablet choices

Now the bit you’ve all been waiting for, after all our research, here are our favorite 8-inch tablets on the market with a tech specification, overview, and a link to look at them in further detail for you.

SAMSUNG SM-T290NZKAXAR, Galaxy Tab A 8.0″ 32 GB Wifi Android 9.0 Pie Tablet

Product Description
Surely you’ve heard of Samsung, right? So you should know straight off the bat that this is a reliable and quality product. This device is no exception and is part of its range of Galaxy Tab devices. It’s got a big-screen feel despite only being 8-inches, and it’s featherlight at just 0.76lbs. It’s a sleek and powerful device that will allow you to play games with ease using its quad-core 2.0GHz processor, watch your favorite shows and movies, and get work done with its long-lasting battery life of up to 13 hours of screen time.

The design is pretty beautiful too, with minimum bezels allowing for a maximum view. It has a premium metallic finish and is comfortable to hold due to its slim size, making it suitable for on the go. It’s also got a dual speaker set up to allow for surround sound and an immersive experience.

The device also features 32GB of storage making it suitable for just about everyone, and if that isn’t enough, it also has a MicroSD slot which can allow an expansion of up to 512GB in memory! Despite it not being the main attraction of most tablets, the camera isn’t too bad either, with an 8MP rear camera and a smaller front-facing camera too for those selfies or video chats.

Just as a bit of an added extra, at the moment they are offering this device with 2 months free YouTube premium.

Technical Features

Display Resolution: 1280 x 800
Processor: Quad core 2.0GHz
Storage: 32GB & expand with MicroSD
Android Version: 9.0
Battery: 13hr screen time

Lenovo Tab M8 Tablet, 8″ HD Android Tablet, Quad-Core Processor, 2GHz, 16GB Storage, Full Metal Cover, Long Battery Life, Android 9 Pie

Product Description
Lenovo is another brand you may perhaps have heard of if you are interested in tech, as they have several products on the market, from laptops to tablets. This specific tablet, the M8, offers a high-end design with its metal back cover and rounded edges, whilst also only being 0.32″, all of these features add up to a tablet that fits nicely in your hands and is comfortable to hold for hours on end.

The display itself uses 82% of the total area of the tablet, with a full IPS HD display it makes viewing movies and series a pleasant experience. The audio isn’t half bad either with Dolby speakers, it provides a high-quality experience all round. It also features something called a TUV certified display which cuts back on any blue light exposure making it less damaging for your eyes which is especially important for children.

It’s not too shabby when it comes to speed as well, running Android 9 with its quad-core processor it should keep up with all your latest gaming and entertainment needs with little trouble. The battery life is also worth a mention, clocking around 18 hours of web browsing according to Lenovo.

Technical Features

Display Resolution: 1280 x 800
Processor: Quad core 2GHz
Storage: 16GB & expand via MicroSD up to 512GB
Android Version: 9.0
Battery: 18hr screen time (Avg 8hr)

VANKYO MatrixPad S8 Tablet 8 inch, Android 9.0 Pie, 2 GB RAM, 32 GB Storage, IPS HD Display, Quad-Core Processor, Dual Camera, GPS, FM, Wi-Fi

Product Description
This tablet is the MatrixPad S8 which is perhaps by a lesser-known brand that goes by the name of VANKYO. This 8-inch tablet has made it in our list because it has some of the great features of the more expensive versions but is available at a fantastic price point.

It’s got a vibrant display that has rich colors and fantastic detail with its 1280×800 resolution that is full HD and offers a viewing angle of 178 degrees. The display will be able to deliver your online videos, gaming, and surfing the web in great detail. It’s also designed with comfort in mind, with low blue light, a flicker-free screen and it even has an “Eye Comfort Mode” which will make the screen turn yellowish but means your eye strains less.

the 2GB RAM quad-core processor is enough to deliver fast and responsive performance on all the latest apps, allowing you a smooth gaming experience, or movie watching if that is your preference. The camera is by no means the main appeal of this tablet, but it’ll do the job with 5MP at the rear and 2MP front-facing, however, if you are looking to take a lot of pictures and videos with the device, I would spend a bit more and go for the Samsung further up this list.

There are several additional features that this tablet offers such as an in-built GPS system, FM radio, and a Google assistant.

Technical Features

Display Resolution: 1280 x 800
Processor: Quad core 2GHz
Storage: 32GB & expand via MicroSD up to 128GB
Android Version: 9.0
Battery: 10hr screen time

Dragon Touch Notepad Y80 8 inch Tablet, 2GB RAM 32GB Storage, Android 9.0 Pie Android Tablet, Quad-Core, 8″ IPS HD Display, 8MP Rear Camera

Product Description
Following on at a similar price point is this 8-inch tablet by Dragon Touch, named the Notepad Y80. These are US-based manufacturers that specialize in budget tablets specifically and they are highly rated on the web for their quality at affordable price points.

This well-reviewed 8-inch tablet offers a high-quality sharp display with a resolution comparable to the others at 1280×800. It’s HD and offers a wide viewing angle with great brightness and clarity, which just like the others in this list will allow you to watch your movies or play games with a crystal clear picture.

It offers large storage of 32GB which can also be expanded by a maximum of 128GB using the MicroSD slot available. The performance is pretty good too with a quad-core processor running at 1.5GHz allowing for a smooth user experience. The camera is a little better than the previously mentioned, but again not really anything to write home about and most smartphones offer better, with a rear camera of 8MP and front-facing one of 2MP, good enough for a video call!

It also has a couple of cool additional features such as the Google Assistant, an eye health function for the night time, and Bluetooth to name a few.

Technical Features

Display Resolution: 1280 x 800
Processor: Quad core 1.5GHz
Storage: 32GB & expand via MicroSD up to 128GB
Android Version: 9.0
Battery: 4hr screen time, but this seems lower, we think you should be able to achieve more with the 4,000mAH battery stated

Winnoyo Android 10.0, Quad-Core Processor, MediaTek MT8167, 32GB Storage, Expandable up to 128GB TF Card, HD IPS Display, WiFi Bluetooth GPS, WinTab M8

Product Description
I’ll start this off by saying, please forgive us because this is the curveball, it’s not branded and simply states it’s by Winnovo and is called the MediaTek which we know very little about, however… it’s at a much lower price point than the others in the list and is the only one to be running Android 10.

The 8-inch display like the others to feature in the list is an HD IPS touchscreen with a resolution of 1280×800 that will provide a high-quality picture and good clarity for your movies & gaming needs.

It’s running a quad-core 64-bit MediaTek process called Cortex A35, which has a frequency of 1.3GHz which is admittedly a little slower than a few of the others we’ve put on the list. We would typically only recommend this if you are watching movies or reading because it’s likely that larger games won’t be able to run smoothly on this device.

The stated battery life provided by the 4,000mAh battery is between 6-7 hours. It also comes with a 12-month warranty courtesy of Winnovo, which shows they of course have confidence in the product itself and its durability.

That being said, this is a budget tablet and is suitable for children, readers, movie watchers and light gamers.

Technical Features