Why I’m not ditching the iPad for an Android tablet

Android tablets have improved by leaps and bounds in recent years. Still, I won’t give up my iPad for an Android tablet. Android tablets may seem better than iPads on paper and offer great value for money, but they falter in key areas, leading to a poor user experience.

1 I don’t want to sacrifice the durable build quality of my iPad

Apple products are known for their premium and durable build quality; iPads are no different. I got an iPad Air 4 soon after it launched in late 2020. Four years later, despite several drops and almost daily use, the tablet is still brand new.

Even more impressive is how well my 2016 9.7-inch iPad Pro has aged. Despite numerous drops and large dents on the body of the tablet, it does not look like it has fallen apart. This has never happened with any Android tablet I’ve used in the past. I remember getting a Nexus 7 back in 2013. Two years later the tablet started falling apart after a few drops.

2 My three-year-old iPad is still faster than most Android tablets

I got an 11-inch iPad Pro with an M1 chip in late 2021. Three years later, the tablet is still fresh with no signs of slowing down or lagging. Apps open as fast as the first day I got the tablet, with all new and graphically demanding games running smoothly. This comes after the tablet received three major operating system updates, including the addition of Apple Intelligence with iPadOS 18.1.

On paper, many Android tablets might seem to perform better than my M1 iPad Pro. The problem is that Android tablets don’t age as well as iPads. The first one starts lagging and skipping frames with heavy use after a few months of purchase. Like other Apple products, iPads will run as smoothly as the day you got them, even after years of use.

3 Android tablets do not offer good battery life

Android tablets have improved dramatically in recent years. Still, they fall behind the iPad in the battery life department. They mostly limp with idle battery consumption that is relatively higher than iPads. Even after four years of regular use, I can come back from a week’s vacation and start using my iPad without charging it first.

This is not the case with Android tablets, as even when fully charged, their batteries do not last that long in standby mode.

4 Lack of quality apps and developer support

One problem that continues to plague the Android tablet ecosystem is the lack of quality apps and developer support. Even after all these years and Google trying to get developers, there aren’t many quality Android apps optimized for tablets.

I use many powerful apps like LumaFusion, Notability and Procreate on my iPad almost daily. Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve are also available for iPadOS, making it easy to edit videos like a pro when needed. These apps complement numerous streaming apps, all of which provide a better experience on iPads than Android tablets.

If you’re an artist, you can use one of the many quality iPad apps to improve your drawing skills. Such options are not available for Android tablets.

5 Better software support for iPads

Many of the best Android phones now promise seven years of OS updates and security patches. However, Android tablets do not receive such long software support. Samsung is the only outlier, promising seven years of updates for its latest Galaxy Tab S10 series. Otherwise, all other Android tablets get about three to four OS updates, including Google’s Pixel tablet.

In comparison, like the iPhone, Apple has been providing iPadOS updates to iPadOS for several years. For example, iPadOS 18 is compatible with iPad mini 5th generation and iPad 7th generation that were released in 2019. The best part is that they receive major iPadOS updates on the same day as newer iPads.

Since people tend to keep their tablets much longer than smartphones, they should also get longer software support. But that’s not the case, at least in the Android ecosystem.

6 My iPad supports a wider range of accessories

In addition to high-end hardware, iPads also stand out with a wider range of accessory support. Even though my M1 iPad Pro is over three years old, I can still find plenty of cases for it on Amazon. Try searching the same for Android tablets from a few years ago, like the Galaxy Tab S7 or S8. You’ll have trouble finding quality options for him.

However, it is not just cases. There are plenty of other useful accessories available for iPads, such as a magnetic screen protector, stylus, portable keyboard, and more. As an Android tablet user, you won’t have such a wide range of options to choose from.

7 Higher resale value of iPads

Due to their longer lifespan, better software support and popularity, iPads enjoy a higher resale value than Android tablets. When you upgrade to a new iPad after a few years, you can still get several hundred dollars off your current iPad. And thanks to their popularity, you will sell them relatively quickly.

This is not the case with Android tablets, as they depreciate much faster. This is all due to how badly they age and poor software support. Plus, you’ll have trouble finding buyers for old Android tablets. I would recommend repurposing your old Android tablet as a secondary monitor or digital photo frame instead of selling it for cheap.

8 Deep integration with other Apple products

If you’re heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem and own an iPhone and/or Mac, getting anything other than an iPad doesn’t make sense. Thanks to the deep integration between devices in the Apple ecosystem, I can use my iPad as an external monitor for my Mac. Similarly, I can copy and paste content on my Mac and iPad without using a third-party app.

Some Android tablets, such as those from Samsung, offer similar features. However, they are limited to Samsung-owned Galaxy Book notebooks, which greatly limits their reach and usefulness.

There’s a reason iPads dominate the tablet market. While Android tablets may feature top-notch hardware, they fall short in the areas I mentioned above. That’s why I’m hesitant to give up the iPad for an Android tablet. While my iPad is by no means perfect, its hardware, software, and overall ecosystem are much better than Android tablets.