After analyzing several tablets available this 2021, we made the ranking of the 10 best tablet with thunderbolt 3 port of the moment. We have included devices from various brands: Apple, Samsung, Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Huawei.
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Best Tablets with Thunderbolt 3 Port
By keeping your requirements in mind, below are our suggestion on best tablet with thunderbolt 3 port in 2021, including cheap and small models.
1. Lenovo Yoga 720 Cheapest Tablet with Thunderbolt 3
Lenovo Yoga 2-in-1 convertible laptop at a more affordable price and with excellent technical characteristics.
Considered the little brother of the Yoga 920 . However, at a more affordable price for freelancers or graphic designers.
Lenovo Yoga 720 presents identical graphic characteristics to its older brother, a 13.3-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel screen as well as an Intel UHD Graphics 620 graphics card .
Its Intel Core i5-8250U processor will provide enough capacity to load and run different applications at the same time and perform office automation and navigation tasks with a high degree of fluidity.
To store all your applications, videos and digital content, you will have an 8GB RAM memory and a 256GB hard drive , enough space to store your work, projects and photos.
In other words, this 2-in-1 touchscreen convertible laptop is specially designed to enjoy its versatility and transport it from one place to another, where you can add a protective case and a stylus to your purchase for less than $1000 dollars.
Specifications
- Processor: Intel Core i7-8550U
- RAM memory: 8 GB
- Hard Drive : 256GB
- Display: 13.3 ″ Inches / 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Touch / Stylus: Yes / Yes
- Graphics card: Intel UHD 620
What's Right
- Powerful processor and RAM
- Excellent touch screen resolution
- Optical pencil
What's Wrong
- Not recommended for tight pockets.
2. Razer Blade Pro 17 Smallest Tablet with Thunderbolt 3
The XPS range is considered by many to have been the class-leading ultrabook for years running now due to its Infinity Edge display, decent battery life and good balance of professional level components.
This year's XPS 13 builds on these strong points with a new 13.4-inch SOOnit 4K display with such thin bezels that allow it to fit into a traditional 11-inch chassis form factor. You can choose from a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU catering to your pricing and performance needs and this is complimented by either 8GB or 16GB of RAM and various PCIe SSD sizes.
The new CPU offers a five percent performance bump over its predecessors and landed somewhere in the middle of the laptops tested here in overall computing performance (even though raw CPU performance was the highest scoring quad core chip). GPU performance was about what you'd expect from the Intel Iris Plus Graphics, capable of handling browser based gaming and essential graphical tasks easily enough.
At 1.5cm thick and just 1.27kg the XPS 13 is one of the most portable models here, but battery life is a little disappointing at just five hours and 50 minutes in 1080p movie playback. This means you won't get a full day of working out of it without seriously tweaking brightness and power settings. Stack it up next to the other devices here and you'll also notice it comes with a premium price tag, despite only offering quad-core CPU performance.
A decent ultraportable that is a little overpriced to be the laptop to beat anymore.
Specification
- 1.8 GHz Intel Core i7-8565U Quad-Core
- 8GB LPDDR3 RAM | 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD
- 13.3″ 1920 x 1080 IPS Display
- Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620
- microSDXC Card Reader
- Thunderbolt 3 | USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C
- Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Bluetooth 4.2
- 720p Webcam, Quad Mics & Stereo Speakers
What's Right
- Slim, lightweight design
- Strong performance
- Gorgeous 4K display
- Long battery life (on 1080p model)
- InfinityEdge bezels with properly placed webcam
What's Wrong
- Below-average battery life (on 4K model)
3. Lenovo YOGA 730 Best 2-in-1 PC Tablet to use with eGPU
This is the successor to YOGA 720, in terms of design, there is not much change, the overall look is the same. It's also a 2 in 1 notebook, so you can turn it upside down to get another position.
You can also buy a stylus to write and draw on the screen. In terms of durability, this is a well-made notebook, it just doesn't give people a refined feeling. I say this because of its very sharp border.
The interface is fairly awesome: on the left are two USB-Type-C interfaces, supporting Thunderbolt 3. There is also a full-size USB-Type-A interface on the right. The NVMe SSD with m.2 interface provides a good read and write speed, and can be upgraded.
You can upgrade the WiFi network to the latest standards, but the memory, CPU and graphics card are built in. The screen is 13 inches, but there are also 15 inches variants available, if you prefer a large screen.
There is a full HD screen (1080P), support touch If you need, you can also use a stylus pen, as this is a 2-in-1 notebook. The keyboard feels great and is one of my favorite laptop keyboards. In addition, the button layout is great. The touchpad area is great, enough area to slide your finger.
The battery life of this product is a bit unsatisfactory, it does not mean that its battery life is terrible. It's just that it's a bit lower than the average level. Recently, ultrabooks using Intel 8thGen processors can basically reach 910 hours of battery life.
Lenovo YOGA730 did two things right: touchpad and thermal management.
4. Dell XPS 13 9380 Laptop 2020 The Best Windows Thunderbolt 2-in-1 Tablets
Do you want to purchase a laptop with a phenomenal screen and a highly efficient processor? Be happy, this one's for you.
It has 17.3 inches IPS-Grade with 120Hz 4K UHD touch display. The resolution of the screen is 3840 x 2160, that shows real to life visuals. Play games, do web surfing and creativity with its remarkable smooth touch screen comfortably.
The high-quality processor Intel Core i7-10875H has 8 cores that provide speedy and better performance. It has a base clock speed of 2.3GHz and turbo boost frequency up to 5.1GHz. So, you will enjoy your games as never before with this amazing processor.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super has a dedicated VRAM of 8 GB. The GRRD6 is the type of VRAM, this graphics card has. With its 496 GB/s bandwidth and 1650 MHz base speed, it performs superbly while gaming.
The RAM is 16GB DDR4 with 2933 MHz speed. Digital painting programs. The storage of Blade Pro 17 is a 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD that transfers data fastly.
The Wi-Fi 6 and multiple ports like USB 3.2 Gen 2, UHS-III SD card reader, Thunderbolt 3, and 2.5 GB Ethernet are available. The battery life of this laptop is up to 4 hours.
What's Right:
- Up to 5.1 GHz clock speed of CPU.
- 17.3 inches wide screen with 3840 x 2160 resolution.
- Faster processor.
- Durable anodized aluminum body.
- Custom Vapour Chamber for quicker cooling.
What's Wrong:
- It is an expensive device.
5. Lenovo Yoga 920 Best Tablet PC with Thunderbolt 3
For lovers of quality and power, this Lenovo Yoga convertible will be the best purchase option. This Lenovo Yoga 920 convertible laptop is one of the most advanced of the Lenovo generation, especially for its avant-garde design , lightness and power.
Recorder and voice changer. As we say, it incorporates a state-of-the-art Intel Core i7-8550U processor , as well as a very efficient 8GB RAM, this means being able to download, run and use several programs at the same time with extreme fluidity.
In addition to its power, within its 13.9 inches it hides an FHD image quality, reproducing video and images up to 1920 x 1080 pixels, which together with its Intel UHD Graphics 620 graphics card will guarantee an excellent visual experience.
If you are a student with a budget of more than 1000 dollars or you need something powerful to work, this Lenovo Yoga 920 is undoubtedly the best purchase option.
Additionally, if you require a 2-in-1 touch laptop or you like graphic design, you can include a stylus with which you can freely draw and sketch.
Since it has few ports for external connections, you can also include an adapter with a lower price in your purchase than if you make the purchase separately.
Specification
- Processor: Intel Core i7-8550U
- RAM memory: 8 GB
- Hard Drive : 512GB
- Display: 13.9 ″ Inches / 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Touch / Stylus: Yes / Yes
- Graphics card: Intel UHD 620
What's Right
- High resolution touch screen
- Great Processor
- Optical pencil
- Excellent external connections
What's Wrong
- Expensive
6. Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Best Windows Tablet with Thunderbolt 3
The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is a very powerful tablet that you can also use as a more than decent laptop if you complement it with the Type Cover. It's fair to say, though, that wearing it on your lap will be practically mission impossible.
This tablet manages to shine with its internal components and its improved graphics. It's certainly much more powerful than the Pro X and is a big step up from the Surface Pro 6. If you want more power as a laptop, there are better models, but they are not as versatile.
Going for the Surface Pro 7 will be worth considering if you're going to maximize its portability and flexibility as a 2-in-1 device. As we've said, however, there are more powerful laptops that are priced similarly.
The Surface Pro 7 is a powerful tablet that makes for a decent laptop if you opt for the Type Cover, although trying to actually use it on your lap is a challenge that not many will succeed with.
Guide to buy the best tablet in quality-price
The best tablet doesn't have to be the same for everyone. It depends on the use you are going to give it.
As with all products, there are several ranges and the highest ones offer wonders, but don't lose sight of the point: your ideal tablet will be the one that, for a good price, meets your needs. Or better, a little above your needs, so that your purchase is more profitable.
Making a generalization, we can say that:
- The high ranges: they are recommended for educational or professional uses
- The medium or low ranges: for navigation, movies or series, games, etc.
With this in mind, let's see what you have to look at in a tablet to find a good value for money.
1. Display
It is usually the first thing we look at for obvious reasons: the screen is what marks the user experience that we are going to have with the device from minute one .
Because how long are you going to spend in front of her? Based on that, we will pay attention to several aspects:
A. Size
It is calculated according to the length of the screen diagonal in inches (each inch is 2.5 cm). The standard is about 10 inches (there are from 9.7 to 10.5, for example). It is an intermediate size, comfortable for the eyes and manageable.
Less than 8 inches may be small, but we return to the initial question: it depends on the use you are going to give it. If you need a lot of mobility or are going to use it as an electronic book , it can be perfect because it will also be lighter and easier to keep up.
Tablets for professional or academic use are usually 12 inches. With that size they can be difficult to handle with one hand (and they also weigh a lot to do so comfortably), but in return you can look at the possibility of incorporating a keyboard.
B. Resolution
There are those who place great importance on having a high resolution, and there are those who do not, as long as the tablet has a good general response and an acceptable processing speed.
Since we are looking for good value for money, an HD screen will be fine, even if it is Full HD.
An HD screen has 720 pixels (minimum) on the narrow side, while a Full HD has a minimum of 1,080.
An acceptable resolution would be 1,200 x 800, or at least the starting point for a 10-inch tablet.
C. Panel
What does this refer to? Basically, to the technology used for the illumination of the screen. This aspect can also make a difference, beyond what (perhaps) we are more used to looking at, which is the number of pixels.
The vast majority of those on the market use LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), the most common technology. The pixels are located in front of the light source and modify it. That way the image and the color vary.
If we switch to LED technology, we change the light source for backlighting, which is more efficient.
But the advance is in OLED panels , which will soon become more widespread outside of the high ranges. These screens illuminate the pixels individually and have a lower consumption. But above all (and possibly the most appreciated by consumers) is that they improve the range of colors, especially blacks.
2. Operating system
It is a whole world within tablets. Each model (and manufacturer) chooses its own. Here is a quick review to give you an idea of the main types that you are going to find:
A. Android
It is the operating system developed by Google and the most widely used by far. That's because it has many points in its favor :
- Most of the applications are adapted for this operating system
- It is cheaper (the inevitable comparison is with Apple iPads)
- It is more flexible and versatile, has many applications, good support and has a large community behind it.
In the other sense, the most tedious are the constant updates. It also tends to slow down with usage time and you have to do cache flushes, etc. And sometimes the security of the applications is not very clear, even if you download them from the Google Play Store.
B. iOS
It is the other great operating system, compatible with all Apple devices. It is more expensive, but it is efficient and stable. It beats Android in security and its updates remain valid for longer. But it is also less versatile than Android, and it can cause compatibility problems with other devices.
C. Windows
Microsoft's bet. It may interest you if you are going to give your tablet a professional use , especially since it is perfectly compatible with all Office tools. Their models tend to have larger screens and can be used with a built-in keyboard.
In practice they are like mini laptops. If you are looking for a good quality / price ratio, it may not be what interests you the most, except if you are going to use it for work. They are more expensive tablets and the operating system consumes a lot of battery.
D. Fire OS
Amazon has its own tablet with a unique operating system. Its use is minor because it is not compatible with Google Play applications and it does not have the strength and pull of Apple. Considering that, it works quite well.
3. Processor
The processor is the 'brain' of the tablet and on which the performance it is going to give you depends to a great extent.
There are two, four and eight core processors. And those with 10 and 12 cores are beginning to be seen, although they are still a minority.
Greater processing power allows the device to perform multiple operations simultaneously. A good processor will make you speed up in all processes without the device crashing.
The quality of the processor influences the battery life . The cheaper processors have a higher consumption and are therefore less efficient. A bad processor can significantly decrease the autonomy of the computer. They also tend to get hotter than those in higher ranges.
If the use that you are going to give your tablet is mainly recreational (watching series, browsing, etc.), a mid-range processor would be enough.
It is quite possible that when you read the technical characteristics of a tablet you will come across the brand name directly. These are the most common:
- Qualcomm has Snapdragon , which has been on the market for several generations of processors. They are considered high-end (800 series and above), although in the mid-range it is possible to find the Snapdragon 600, which offers acceptable performance
- Nvidia will sound more like PC hardware, but it also has the Tegra processor for tablets. Again, high end
- Intel, used in both Android and Windows, its Intel Core and Intel Atom ranges can raise the price of your tablet … but you will notice it favorably in use
- Samsung has the Exynos processor , with different ranges. From a series 5 the operation begins to be reasonable; from there you can get to an Exynos 9, so there is room for improvement
- MediaTek are the most used in the mid / low range, as they have focused on achieving a reasonable balance between performance and price. Think that to maintain the same speed as a better (and more expensive), they consume more energy and operate at higher temperatures…. but thanks to that there are Android tablets at a very affordable price
- Huawei has Kirin , which is usually found in the lower-middle range. Still, the Chinese company is offering increasingly complex products, such as the Kirin 980, which aims to stand up to Apple himself.
- Apple , as always, goes on its own. Its processors are exclusive to the brand (although manufactured by Samsung and TMC, depending on the model) and offer great performance as always.
4. Memoria RAM
The more the better right? In principle yes, of course, but you don't need all the gigabytes that are on the market if you are not going to use them.
RAM is built into the device and allows you to run applications in the background. For example, you may be browsing while listening to music and your device checks for new emails. The more RAM your tablet has, the more applications you can have open and running without losing performance.
In short, RAM is key for multitasking activity.
The simplest tablets fluctuate between 1 and 2 GB of RAM, but if we are going to bet on value for money, you can try to find a 4 GB (and even 6 or 8) to have optimal performance.
Bearing in mind that the trend is always to increase the number of applications we use, having a RAM margin will extend the useful life of your device.
5. Storage
Tablets that allow us to increase internal storage when we need it are more interesting . If the model you want to buy has that possibility, you can perhaps save a few dollars. So you can choose the memory that is sufficient for you at the time of purchase and increase it in the future if you need more.
We recommend you not to buy a device of less than 16 GB, but if you do not have the possibility of increasing the storage, you are just right. Ideally, start at 32GB and make sure you have a margin, usually by buying a separate micro SD card.
If your option is Apple, keep in mind that the brand does not allow increasing internal storage. So evaluate this option carefully: you can take the simplest iPad model with 32 Gb, although my recommendation is to make sure and keep, at least, a 64 Gb version.
6. Autonomy
We are all interested in our device having many hours of autonomy, and that is why we immediately look at what the manufacturer tells us about how many hours the battery will last us.
Keep two things in mind:
- Stay below 7,000 mAh for large (10-inch) tablets, and 5,000 mAh for 8-inch or smaller tablets. You will find them with less capacity, but it is the minimum if you do not want to be hung more times than you would like
- Do not just look at the battery capacity, also look at the processor, because it is what is going to affect energy consumption the most on a day-to-day basis. The better the processor, the less power consumption
7. Camera
We all carry a smartphone in our pocket, so we don't usually use the tablet's camera to take photos. Therefore it is not a priority that your tablet has the best camera on the market, and that will also allow you to save a few bucks.
In general, tablets do not have their strong point in the camera, and looking for it could greatly increase the final ticket. However, it is worth looking at the quality of the model you are going to choose and trying to get the best possible camera.
First, choose whether you want a rear and front camera or only a rear camera (for example, if you are going to use it to make video calls, you need a front camera yes or yes).
The best camera is usually the rear one, which should not go below 5 Megapixels. If it has 8 Mpx, all the better. The front camera usually has a lower resolution, proportional to what the rear one offers you.
Do you already have ideas to choose a tablet with a good value for money?
There are more things you can look at, but these are the main ones and the ones that can skyrocket the price of a tablet.
To get the best value for money you have to find the balance between the features you need and what the different models offer.
Tablet with Thunderbolt 3 Black Friday Deals 2021
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Frequent questions
What is the best tablet on the market?
Right now surely the choice is between the Samsung Galaxy Tab 5 and the iPad Pro. The Galaxy Tab 5 is an Android tablet with a 10.5-inch screen at 2,560 x 1,600 pixels of resolution and a recommended price of $500, while The iPad Pro works under Apple's iOS system and is sold in two sizes: 11 and 12.9 inches, with a minimum RRP of 879 and 1100 dollars respectively.
What is the difference between a tablet and an iPad?
An iPad is a tablet, but in this case it is the model marketed by Apple. Unlike Android or Windows tablets, it works with its own operating system, iOS. IPads are typically more powerful but are also more expensive than other manufacturers' tablets.
What is the best tablet for children?
Children need a simple, lightweight and durable tablet. In this case, the Amazon Fire 7 tablet is usually recommended, a 7-inch tablet that works with the Fire OS operating system and has a recommended price for under $100.
1. Akitio Node Pro
Editor's Rating: 4.4/5
The Akitio Node Pro is a stylish enclosure that has been developed primarily for use with a MacBook. This is evidenced by its Space Grey color scheme and aluminum chassis, so if you are a Macbook user who cares about design continuity across your devices, this is already a nice option.
As mentioned, the Akitio Node Pro is an enclosure style eGPU. This means that you have the option to use a wide variety of different graphics cards with the device. The laptop you have will play a part in this as you will need to be sure the card is compatible but generally speaking, enclosures are a much better way to go if you are after a fully tailored setup.
If you prefer devices that work straight out of the box, however, then you might want to give this one a miss. It doesn't come with a GPU, meaning you will have to buy one separately and, therefore, you will also need to set the eGPU up yourself which can be a hassle if you have never done this sort of thing before.
I/O
The Akitio Node Pro comes with three ports. These include two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a DisplayPort. This isn't the greatest selection of ports, with many eGPUs offering more but it does have two Thunderbolt 3 ports which is a bonus. One of these will, of course, be needed to connect the eGPU to your laptop but the other one can be used to charge devices as it provides a power delivery of up to 60w.
The DisplayPort can be used for passthrough between your laptop and monitor and it is something that is missing on the original Node. The DisplayPort is a great option to have, especially if you wish to keep your setup as clean as possible.
Construction
As mentioned the Node Pro is made from aluminum. This gives the device a decent level of durability which should be desired if you are planning to transport the device often.
There is also a retractable handle on top of the Node Pro that works really well and makes transporting the device a lot easier. Considering these devices are supposed to promote portability to a certain extent, it is surprising not to see more eGPUs equipped with handles, so props to Akitio for making sure to implement one on this device.
Support
External Thunderbolt 3 Gpu
The Node Pro is able to support most Nvidia and AMD graphics cards, but it cant house 3-slot wide GPUs. This isn't a huge deal but it is something to be aware of if you are thinking of purchasing this device.
You should also be sure to check which cards your laptop is compatible with as this can often trip people up. For example, there is no official support currently available when it comes to using Nvidia cards with a Mac. There is now unofficial support though so it is possible with the right configuration.
External Ram Thunderbolt 3.0
Easily one of the better-looking eGPUs available. It is, however, a bit lackluster when it comes to I/O compared to the other eGPUs in this guide.
