Top tablets and e-readers compared

About Top tablets and e-readers compared

Tablets and e-readers are bought for different reasons: a screen you can carry, or a long reading session with no subscription attached. This ranking puts 31 brands side by side on the things that decide that choice, namely entry price, warranty length, how long returns stay open, which markets each seller covers, and whether tablets or e-readers appear in the listed range at all. Prices in this category start low and stretch a long way. Entry prices across the set span €69 to €1,226, the median brand sits at €130.67, and the upper quartile reaches €286.76. Warranty length varies just as much, running from 0.02 to 2.5 years with 1 as the midpoint. Android dominates this ranking at 74.1%, and tablets are the most common category here at 61.3%. Most sellers in this ranking do not build to order, so you are choosing from stock rather than a configured machine.

How we picked

Every brand here is scored on three weighted inputs. Cost carries 40% of the score and decides how far a shopper's money stretches. Offer carries 40% and rewards the breadth and relevance of what a seller actually lists for tablets and e-readers. Trust carries 20% and is drawn from warranty length, the return window, support channels and the markets a brand ships to. Prices are compared at entry, on the lowest price each seller's own pages list, so a reader starts from the same figure the ranking scores. Warranty and returns come from each seller's warranty, refund and terms pages, and support channels come from contact and help pages. Markets are used exactly as each brand states them, so shipping limits follow the seller's own list rather than an assumption about where a company might ship. Partners are always listed first. Partners that serve your country are listed first in this ranking, then the rest by score.

Our top picks

1. 1. Coolblue Belgium

   Coolblue Belgium is in this ranking on after-sales rather than category fit. Its listed range covers headphones, earbuds and speakers, so tablets and e-readers are not what brings it onto this list. What it does offer is a 2 year warranty, returns open for 30 days, and support by email, phone and a help centre across BE, NL and DE, with entry prices from €22.99. ALTERNATE matches the return window and phone support and adds tablets to a range reaching more countries. Coolblue Belgium suits a reader who values phone support over having a tablet in the catalogue.

   • Free delivery threshold: €0
   • Return window: 30 days
   • Extended warranty: Yes

   Pros

   • You have 30 days to send an order back, which takes the risk out of a big purchase.
   • Every product carries 2 years of cover, and an extended warranty is available on top of it.
   • Delivery is free on every order, with the threshold at €0, and click and collect is offered for small items.
   • Refurbished is part of computers, phones and audio here, which the JBL range does not cover: its categories run audio, gaming and refurbished.

   Cons

   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre only, so there is no live chat in the list.
   • The noise cancelling earbuds listed run 8 hours on a charge, well under the 40 median across the products compared here.
   • A 30 days return window places Coolblue Belgium at 3 of 80 brands compared, so it is not the longest window in the field.

2. 2. Fossibot

   Fossibot follows Coolblue Belgium on entry price: its range opens at $119.99, under the €119 midpoint for this ranking, with 2 years of warranty and 30 days of returns behind it. The weakness for a tablet shopper is what it stocks, namely new phones and rugged phones only (new phones and rugged phones) on Android, and it does not build to order. Support runs on email and help centre, so there is no phone line to call, and it trades as NILESco INC. ALTERNATE, ranked next, does sell tablets.

   • Price from: $119.99
   • Warranty: 24 months
   • Return window: 30 days

   Pros

   • New handsets start at $119.99, close to Oukitel's $107.99
   • The warranty runs 24 months, well beyond the 12 months typical across the site
   • Returns run 30 days, ranking 2 of 42 brands on our data
   • The range spans new phones and rugged phones, covering standard and rugged handsets in one store
   • Memory goes up to 36 GB across the range

   Cons

   • Contact is limited to email and help centre, so a hardware fault means writing in and waiting
   • The range runs Android only, which narrows the choice for anyone who prefers another platform
   • Entry pricing places Fossibot 12 of 29 brands, above Oukitel at $107.99

3. B3. Blackview

   Blackview earns a place in this ranking on price position and support reach rather than category fit. Its listed range covers new phones and rugged phones, so tablets and e-readers sit outside what it sells, but its entry price of €149.95 lands mid-pack in this ranking and its warranty of 1 years sits at the shorter end. Support is the strongest part of the offer, running on email, phone, chat, a help centre and a community across DE, FR and IT. Returns open for 30 days, among the longer windows here. Against OTTO below, Blackview asks more at entry and lists no tablets, while OTTO lists tablets and e-readers with a 2 year warranty.

   • Price from: €149.95
   • Warranty: 12 months
   • Return window: 30 days

   Pros

   • Returns of 30 days rank near the top of the brands tracked, at 2 of 42.
   • Support covers email, phone, chat, the help centre and the community through email, phone and chat, so replies can come by whichever route suits.
   • Store categories span computers, phones and audio, so phones, audio, gaming and computers sit together.
   • Entry price of €149.95 keeps the range within reach for buyers comparing rugged models.
   • Product types list new phones and rugged phones, pairing everyday handsets with rugged ones.

   Cons

   • Entry price of €149.95 sits above Oukitel at $107.99, so it is not the cheapest way in.
   • Warranty of 12 months places Blackview mid-table on cover length, at 12 of 33.
   • Multiroom is a no, so the audio range does not cover whole-home linking.
   • Codec support runs to aac only, narrower than most rivals in the audio category.

4. X5. Xiaomi

   Xiaomi sits in this ranking as a narrow but well-run shop. It sells from a single market, RO, and its listed range is new phones on Android, so a tablet buyer will find the catalogue thin here. What it does offer is service: a 2 year warranty, returns open for 14 days, and support by email, chat, phone and a help centre, more routes than several brands above it. It does not build to order. Against antonline below, Xiaomi covers fewer product categories but adds chat and phone support, while antonline reaches US with tablets, chromebooks and PCs listed.

   • Warranty: 24 months
   • Return window: 14 days
   • Trade-in: Yes

   Pros

   • Warranty of 24 months places the brand at position 2 of 33 brands tracked, ahead of the 12 median in the smartphone group.
   • Trade in is accepted, so an older handset can be handed over to offset part of what a new phone costs.
   • Support covers email, chat and phone, so a question can be raised by email, chat, phone or the help centre.
   • Claims run through Xiaomi Technology Netherlands B.V. in NL, a named company rather than an anonymous seller.
   • The store covers phones, tv and appliances, so a phone and the rest of the household gear can be bought from the same place.

   Cons

   • Returns run 14 days, which puts the brand at position 31 of 42, so a buyer who likes time to change their mind has little of it.
   • The store covers a single market, RO, and the terms are listed for that market only.
   • Build to order is not offered, so no configured models appear in the range.
   • The product types listed are new phones, so refurbished and foldable handsets are not among them, unlike Mozillion at new phones, refurbished phones and foldables.

5. 6. Newegg

   Newegg completes this ranking as a broad electronics store that lists tablets (laptop, gaming laptop and desktop) on Windows, macOS and ipados, and it offers a student discount, which matters for anyone buying at the cheaper end of the range. Its opening price of $1,099.99 sits well above the €162.67 upper end of this group, which points to a catalogue skewed toward higher ticket kit rather than entry level tablets. It runs across US, AR and AU, with returns running 30 to 90 days, the longest window in this ranking, and help centre, phone and chat for support. Founded in 2001 and trading as Newegg Commerce, Inc., its device range is tablets and laptops (laptop, gaming laptop and desktop). BOOX, ranked above it, is the cheaper dedicated e-reader route.

   • Return window: 30 to 90 days
   • Price match: Yes
   • Extended warranty: Yes

   Pros

   • Return windows run 30 to 90 days, long enough to set a machine up properly before deciding to keep it.
   • Categories cover computers, phones and audio, so computers, phones, audio, gaming and refurbished kit come from one account.
   • Price match is offered, so a cheaper listing elsewhere gives you a number to hold the seller to.
   • Trade in is available, so an older phone or laptop can offset part of a new order.
   • Support covers help centre, phone and chat, so help is not limited to reading policy pages.

   Cons

   • Refurbished phones are graded excellent, very good and good, so a lower price can mean fair rather than excellent condition.
   • The refurb warranty runs 3 months, shorter than the usual 12 months for the sites in this group.
   • Support runs on help centre, phone and chat only, with email absent from the listed channels.

What to look for

Entry price

Entry prices run from €22.99 to €1,226 across this ranking, with the median brand at €130.67. Check the entry price against the device you actually want, since a low starting figure can sit well below the cost of a current tablet.

Warranty length

Warranties here run 0.02 to 2.5 years, and 1 years is the midpoint. Longer cover matters most on a refurbished device, where screens and batteries are the usual failure points.

Category fit

Tablets are listed by 61.3% of brands in this ranking and e-readers by 16.1%, so most of the list reaches tablets and only a few reach readers. Category fit is the fastest way to cut the list down.

Operating system

Android covers 74.1%, iPadOS 37%, Windows 55.6% and ChromeOS 33.3%. Match the system to the apps and accessories you already own before you commit.

Battery claims

Battery claims across this ranking centre on 25 hours, stretching from 8 to 70. Treat every figure as the seller's own claim rather than a measured result.

Support routes

A help centre is the most common support route at 96.7%, with email at 80% and phone at 66.7%. For a tablet that just cracked, phone support is worth as much as the warranty.

Frequently asked questions

Top tablets and e-readers compared by country

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV