6 Best Tablets for Watching Movies

For the modern-day user tablets offer an excellent way of enjoying movies and shows conveniently on the go. They serve as an excellent compromise between laptops and smartphones. This is because they offer a big screen for watching content but remain lightweight while doing so. In this list, we will look at the best tablets for watching movies and shows.

Best Tablets for watching movies

By their very nature, tablets make for good portable entertainment devices. They not only offer better visual experiences than smartphones but also better audio quality. The latter in some cases is also true for comparisons with laptops.

But unlike buying a smartphone or a laptop, options remain limited in the world of tablets. In this list, we’ve put together information about the best tablets you can buy for watching movies right now.

Before we start though, check out these posts on tablets.

1. Amazon Fire Max 11

The Amazon Fire Max 11 is the most affordable tablet on this list. But at the same time, it’s also Amazon’s biggest and most expensive tablet to date. It is a FireOS-running 11-inch tablet that offers plenty of real estate for comfortably watching movies and shows on the device.

It is also a bright 410 nits display that runs at a resolution of 2,000 x 1,200 pixels. Under the hood, there’s 4GB of RAM paired with a MediaTek SoC clocked at 2.2 GHz. There are also two cameras, both 8-megapixel, on the front and the back of the device.

For audio, Amazon has equipped the tablet with stereo speakers, which can get decently loud. However, they aren’t very bass heavy so the quality of the audio does suffer as a consequence. Overall, it’s an interesting tablet, and at its price, definitely worth checking out.

What We Like

  • Big display
  • Sleek design

What We Don’t Like

  • Basic speakers

2. OnePlus Pad

After years of perfecting smartphones, OnePlus has hit it out of the park with its first tablet. In our opinion, it is a very solid buy for the price. It’s powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor, 8GB of memory, and plenty of storage for all the photos, movies, and shows you may want to keep on the device.

The MediaTek 9000 Dimensity SoC ensures that the tablet can be used for gaming. And the multitasking features built into OxygenOS help make this a good productivity device. However, the best use for the OnePlus Pad in our opinion is as a portable entertainment device. It is a very useful tool for watching movies on streaming platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video.

Much of this is because the device flaunts a big 11.61-inch display capable of a resolution of 2800 x 2000 pixels. This is also a high refresh rate panel capable of refreshing at 144Hz. The device is kept alive using a big 9,510mAh battery which can easily get you through hours of usage.

What We Like

  • Aggressive price
  • Gorgeous display

What We Don’t Like

  • Sub-par multitasking experience

3. iPad Air (5th-Generation)

Best tablets for watching movies iPad Air 2022

The iPad Air (5th-Generation) is arguably the most value-for-money offering on this list. It offers great value and brings with it a lot to like. It has a big display, promises very good battery life, and has a design that’s sleek and ergonomic. But above all, a clean and fast operating system.

But since this list is about the best tablets for watching movies, let’s just circle back to the display. After all, we’re here to talk about why the iPad Air (5th-Generation) is good for watching movies.

So, on the iPad Air (5th-Generation), we get a big 10.9-inch liquid Retina LCD display. This is supplemented using Apple’s True Tone feature. It can automatically optimize the screen’s color temperature based on ambient light. This is a 60Hz display, so it may not be the best for playing games. But the color accuracy of the panel ensures it provides a very enjoyable and immersive experience while watching movies.

Apart from this, it’s also important to note that the iPad Air 2022 is powered by Apple’s M1 chip. This has been proven to be one of the most powerful mobile chipsets for portable devices.

What We Like

  • Lightweight design
  • Clean OS

What We Don’t Like

  • The display could have been bigger

4. Samsung Galaxy S8+

The Samsung Galaxy S8+ is an option that’s a good fit for both work and play. It is powered by a flagship chipset and the lights on it are kept on using a big battery pack. But its main feature is certainly the massive 12.4-inch pixel-dense display which can run at a maximum resolution of 2800 x 1752 pixels.

Like most Samsung displays, this one is capable of reproducing rich and punchy colors which makes consuming content on the Tab S8+ a treat. Support for HDR and the panel’s high peak brightness also ensure that this tablet stands out as an ideal choice for watching movies and videos on the go.

But that’s not it. To make this an even better Android tablet, Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S8+ with a quad-speaker set-up. This combined with the fact that it also brings Dolby Atmos support, provides an impressive proposition to listen to music, streaming shows, and movies.

What We Like

  • Big, vibrant display
  • Powerful speakers

What We Don’t Like

  • No Dolby Vision

5. Microsoft Surface Pro 9

Best Tablets for watching movies Microsoft Surface Pro 9

The Surface Pro 9 is primarily a productivity tool that doubles up as a device for watching movies and shows as well. While it’s not the most lightweight and sleek, it is still very ergonomic and also houses a big display.

Its 13-inch touchscreen panel is bright and produces vibrant colors and can run at a maximum resolution of 2880 x 1920 pixels. It runs at a 60Hz refresh rate by default, but the display can be set to operate at 120Hz for games and other applications that can take advantage of this feature.

Depending on your usage, the Surface Pro 9 can be purchased with either an Intel Core i7 chip or an ARM-based mobile SoC. However, it’s important to note that the i7 variant of the Surface Pro 9 does not offer as good battery life as the other variant.

What We Like

  • Vibrant display
  • Powerful performance

What We Don’t Like

  • Average battery life

6. iPad Pro (6th-Generation)

Best Tablets for watching movies iPad Pro 6th-Generation

The latest generation iPad Pro is the ultimate work-and-play tablet that money can buy. It’s not the most affordable tablet on the list, but it brings enough in terms of features and hardware under the hood to justify the price.

For instance, it is powered by Apple’s M2 chipset. It’s the most powerful SoC available for tablets and smartphones at the moment and is capable of handling any and everything without any trouble that the App Store can throw at it.

Then there’s the 12.9-inch XDR mini-LED screen which offers support for HDR content. This display is the brightest on an iPad to date at 1600 nits. It is also extremely crisp because of its high pixel density. This display can cover the entire gamut of the DCI-P3 color space and also offers excellent dark scene performance. Making it one of the best, if not the best tablets for watching movies and shows.

What We Like

  • Powerful M2 chipset
  • Gorgeous display

What We Don’t Like

  • High price tag
What is the best tab to watch movies on Netflix?

All tablets mentioned in this list are good options and will provide an enjoyable viewing experience on Netflix. However, if you have to choose one, our recommendation would be to go for the Galaxy S8+ as it offers punchy colors and vibrant visuals to match the content mastered for Netflix.

What is the best tablet for watching movies outside?

If you want to watch movies on the go, the best bet from the list would be the iPad Pro (6th-Generation) It offers a big 12.9-inch display which is also plenty bright for use even under direct sunlight. It also comes with good speakers which can improve the experience of watching movies and shows on the tablet.

Time to Decide

So if you’ve decided to get yourself a new tablet for watching movies and shows, then we hope this list helped. But if you’re still left undecided, let us help. The iPad Air is arguably the best tablet for watching movies and that too without breaking the bank. But if you’re ready to spend a little extra, then the Samsung Galaxy S8+ or the iPad Pro are also good options.

Last updated on 05 July, 2023

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