Tablet 2017 — Best Buy Android

"The dark horse," Marcus nodded. "Great for movies, even better for the wallet. But if you’re looking for the absolute best value this year..." he led Leo to a smaller, sturdier-looking device. "The . It’s the survivor of the bunch. Great battery, clean software."

The year was 2017, and the local was a cathedral of glowing screens and blue shirts. For Leo, a college student with a cracked laptop and a dwindling budget, the tablet aisle was the promised land.

He didn’t need a $700 status symbol; he needed a workhorse. He walked past the iPads—beautiful, but locked behind a price tag that felt like a month's rent—and found himself staring at the section.

Leo spent an hour comparing specs—, AMOLED vs. LCD , and the novelty of USB-C charging. In 2017, the Android tablet market was a wild frontier of "just good enough" and "surprisingly great."