True, you do need good eyesight to spot these hidden clues, messages, or images embedded into movies and tv shows but what happens when you have a tablet with a poor resolution and all you can see are pixels or a reflection of yourself and to make things worse a dead battery all the time?
That’s why I think you need the best tablet for Netflix with a crisp, sharp display and solid battery life to enjoy Netflix on the go.
So, I rounded up some of the best and also detailed a guide on what tablet displays are all about.
Product Roundup
Product | Weight | Display Size | Resolution | PPI | Processor | Battery Capacity | Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.04lbs | 11” IPS | 1668 x 2388 pixels | 265 | Apple A12Z Bionic | 7812mAh | 6GB |
| 1.06lbs | 10.2” IPS | 1620 x 2160 pixels | 264 | Apple A10 Fusion | 8823mAh | 3GB |
| 0.93lbs | 10.5” SUPER AMOLED | 1600 x2560 pixels | 287 | Snapdragon 855 | 7040mAh | 6/8GB |
| 1.03lbs | 10.5” SUPER AMOLED | 2560 x 1600 pixels | 288 | Exynos 5420 Octa | 7900mAh | 3GB |
| 1.11 | 10.1” | 1920 x 1200 pixels | 226 | MediaTek MT8183 | 6300mAh | 2GB |
| 1.15lbs | 10.2” | 2560 x 1800 pixels | 308 | Nvidia Tegra X1 | 9240mAh | 3GB |
| 1.10lbs | 10.8” IPS | 2560 x 1600 | 280 | Kirin 960 | 7500mAh | 4GB |
| 1.61lbs | 12.5” | 3840×2160 | 352 | Intel Core m3/m5/m7 | 30WHR 2 Cell | 4/8GB |
| 2.09lbs | 13.3” IPS | 2560x1400 | 221 | Intel Atom Z3745 | 9600mAh | 2GB |
| 0.70lbs | 8” IPS | 1536x2048 pixels | 320 | Intel Atom Z3530 | 4000 mAh | 2GB |
The 11” iPad pro weighs 1.04lbs (471g) and is lighter than even some of the smaller 10” tablets. The crisp 1668 x 2388 pixels display is hands down one of the best displays in the world. The pictures are sharp and quite vibrant with a PPI of 265.
The best part about this tablet is that it can be used for work or entertainment and are equally good in both categories.
The 7812mAh battery can last around 10 hours on a continuous web surfing test.
Pros
- Fast Processor
- Good Battery Life
Cons
- Expensive
- No headphone Jack
The 10.2” iPad 7 is heavier than the larger iPad Pro, but you really can’t even feel it. 10.2” display uses the same technology as the iPad Pro but has slightly lower resolution and PPI.
The resolution is set at 1620 x 2160 pixels with 264 pixels per inch. Naturally, you’d expect the smaller device to have a higher PPI but it’s not the case here. However, the 2 advantages of this iPad over the older brother are the increased portability due to smaller dimensions and bigger battery capacity.
Pros
- Excellent Battery
Cons
- Not the fastest Apple processor
Moving on to Android, this is one of the best Android devices in the market right now. The screen size is a perfect compromise between portability and display size. The 10.5” SUPER AMOLED display from Samsung is a close competitor to Apple’s liquid retina display.
This display has a resolution of 1600 x 2560 pixels and a PPI higher than both the iPads on our roundup. Battery life is also pretty solid lasting around 11 hours on a continuous video loop test.
Pros
- Quad AKG speakers
Cons
- No headphone jack
Now, this device might be a bit old and outdated but the display is as good as the Tab S6, and it’s also quite affordable.
This device has a similar 10.5” display to that of the S6.
Usually, most of the tablets come in portrait mode in the sense that the front camera and home button are all in portrait mode. The Galaxy Tab S 10.5 comes in default landscape mode and hence the inverted 2560 x 1600 resolution. . It also has a much higher battery capacity.
Pros
- Affordable
- Solid Battery Life
Cons
- The processor is outdated
Now this extremely affordable tablet was made for entertainment but what baffles me is its weight. The 10.1-inch tablet weighs even more than the 11-inch iPad Pro and the entire casing is made of plastic.
It also has the lowest resolution for a 10-inch device on our list but the display quality is still pretty good and it does support HD quality streaming on Netflix.
The main selling point of this tablet is its price.
Pros
- Extremely affordable
Cons
- Relatively lower resolution
NVIDIA is known for its extensive history in the visuals game and this tablet from Google comes with the NVIDIA Tegra X1.
It might be a bit old, but it has one of the best displays on our list among the 10-inch options. It however is a bit heavy of its size at 1.15lbs (517g).
Thanks to the LPTS IPS display and the 9240mAh battery only second to the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro this is one of the best tablet for watching movies.
Pros
- Amazing display
- Power-efficient
- Massive battery
Cons
- Heavy for its size
If a tablet specifically called MediaPad doesn’t make it to the list of best tablet for watching Netflix, the idea of the device is lost.
You must have already noticed that most tablets on this roundup are below 11-inches and I believe this is the best size for a tablet. The Huawei MediaPad M5 10 Pro is perfect sized at 10.8-inches with a crisp and sharp display. The resolution is set at 2560 x 1600 pixels and the PPI is solid at 280.
The battery can last around 10 hours under a video loop test.
Pros
- Ideal size for portability and usability
- Affordable
- Harman Kardon Tuned Speakers
Cons
- Kirin chipset is old
Moving on to the windows devices. Now we all know that no will specifically buy a windows device to watch Netflix. The main purpose will be for work while entertainment will be a secondary purpose.
One of the best windows convertibles right now it the Microsoft Surface Pro 7. However, when it comes to watching Netflix and movies, the Dell Latitude 12 has a bigger screen and better resolution.
The surface 7 has a 12.3-inch display with a PPI of 267 while the dell has a 12.5” inch display with a whopping 352PPI.
Note that they have two models one with a higher resolution than the other.
Pros
- Big sharp screen
- Convertible ideal for work as well
Cons
- Relatively Heavy
Wondering what a massive tablet with a relatively standard display is doing on the list of best tablets for Netflix?
This 13.3” Lenovo convertible can bring the cinema right to your doorstep! How?
The tablet has an inbuilt projector. Yes, you heard that right.
The 13.3” display has a high resolution but a low PPI due to its size. It’s the biggest screen on a roundup and it also has the largest battery capacity at 9600mAh.
Despite its large battery it can only last for around 8 hours under a continuous web surfing test.
Pros
- Build In projector
- Good display
Cons
- Battery life is subpar even with a massive capacity
Last but not least the smallest display on our roundup comes from Asus. As a personal preference, I dislike small screens when it comes to watching movies but some readers do like small lightweight tablets to carry around and watching Netflix on the go.
So, I thought I’d include an 8” display.
This small tablet has a resolution of 1536 x 2048 and a good PPI of 320 thanks to its size. However, battery capacity is quite poor.
Pros
- Lightweight and Portable
- Affordable
Cons
- Poor battery capacity
Tablet Display Guide
When it comes to watching Netflix and streaming probably the only thing to pay attention to is the display quality. This is true for TV sets, laptops, and monitors but for tablets you also need to pay close attention to the battery capacity.
So, in this quick guide, I’ll mainly discuss the different aspects of a tablet display and also on the battery capacity.
Display Size
Usually, the display size will determine the overall tablet size but there is the possibility of having two tablets with similar display sizes but different dimensions. This is due to the bezels around the screen and screen to body ratio.
When you see the tablet, size advertised they are talking about the diagonal length.
Tablets start from around 7-inches and can go up to 20-inches. Now a 20-inch tablet is impractical because I’d rather buy myself a CPU and hook it up to a monitor. Tablets are known for their portability so therefore it is quite important to strike a good balance between size and portability.
When it comes to tablets, I prefer something around 10 to 11-inches. Above that, you lose portability and convenience.
It’s true larger the tablet better the viewing experience but I think you’d want a tablet for Netflix mainly because it easier to watch on the go.
Resolution
After size, this is the most important criterion to consider when picking a tablet for entertainment.
Resolution is measured in pixels and is the amount of detail at a given time displayed on the screen. HD videos are often in either 720 or 1080 pixels measured vertically. All the devices on our roundup support HD streaming on Netflix.
However, 4K is quite hard to come by in a tablet and not all tablets can support 4K streaming on Netflix.
It’s quite hard for someone to notice the difference between 1080p and 4K on a small tablet screen. This difference matters when you are moving on to larger screens like television sets.
Aspect Ratio
Tablets usually have an aspect ratio of 16:10, so you’d want to watch Netflix on landscape mode for the optimum viewing experience.
But sometimes this wide aspect ratio makes the tablet top-heavy in portrait mode.
Apart from this usual aspect ratio you also find some tablets in the 4:3 ratio which is very traditional and used by many e-book readers. These types of displays are perfect to be used in portrait mode.
PPI
Pixel per inch is a good indicator of the display sharpness. Usually, small displays have high PPI because it’s quite dense. The larger the display the more spread out the pixels are so therefore you need to put more pixels per inch to get a high PPI.
A good PPI for a tablet is above 200. Above 250 is brilliant.
Viewing Angles
Now like I said before getting a tablet to watch Netflix is ideal if you travel a lot and will be outdoors most of the time if not you can just watch it on your TV.
If you fall into the first category you should pay close attention to viewing angles and brightness.
There are two things to note when looking at viewing angles: the brightness and color shift. Usually, you see the color of the display shift when you move the device from the straight angle. A good display should maintain a goof brightness without color shift when viewed from the widest angles.
That’s it from me on this quick roundup of the best tablets for Netflix. I hope you learned something and will make an informed choice.