Finding the Best LG Tablets

Welcome to our current buying guide to the best LG tablets on the shelves today, based on extensive research, customer feedback and online critic reviews.

Today, LG can be viewed as underdogs in a tablet market that is largely dominated by Apple and Samsung devices. However, this hasn’t stopped them from scrambling to make their mark. From the first Optimus series to the newer G Pad line, LG products have done well to keep up with current trends in technology. Thanks to friendly pricing, customers all over the world are now putting these products into keen consideration when out tablet shopping. With little pain to your wallet, you are likely to get yourself a tablet that offers features and performance to match and even outmatch higher-end products. It is because of this that we, your trusted pals at tabletninja have gone out of our way to give you the best tablets LG has to offer. Whether the reason you want to own an LG tablet is based on your budget, the desire for something out of the norm, or just a general liking to LG products, we are confident you will find what will please your heart right here.

Tablet Buying Guide

Before you get started on your journey be sure to check out our Tablet Buying Guide for a run down on tablet basics or if you would like to learn more of the ins and outs of what makes a tablet without being confused by a ton of technical jargon.

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LG Tablets – Top Picks

LG G Pad 10.1 LGV700

As an entry-level budget Android tablet, the LG G Pad 10.1 matches quite well to expected standards. Instead of the more premium metal casing of the G Pad 8.3 LGV500, LG has opted for a rather dull soft-touch plastic. Being 0.35 inches thick and weighing 1.15 pounds, it is chunkier than a good number of products in its class. The 10.1-inch LCD screen doesn’t have a lot to please the eye, and it would have clearly benefited from a resolution higher than the 1280 x 720-pixels offered. Viewing angles are solid, but colors are a bit dull and the maximum brightness is rather modest. Out of the box, the G Pad 10.1 runs Android 4.4.2, but you are now able to upgrade to Android v5.0.2 Lollipop. The impressive Optimus UI together with a variety of software tweaks make the tablet a delight to navigate. Also present are LG’s flexible multitasking options which allow split-screen mode where each app occupies half the screen, and QSlide where apps are launched concurrently in small floating windows. Performance-wise, the quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon is very reliable, and coupled with a 1GB RAM chip ensures that the device remains fast and responsive in day-to-day usage. Of the 16GB internal storage available, 10.82GB is usable and expansion of up to 64GB is made possible by the microSD slot onboard. Although the 5-megapixel rear-facing camera is below par, producing lifeless and overly grainy image, the 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera is decent enough for video-calling and selfies. In a battery rundown test which is performed by looping a video with maximum screen brightness and Wi-Fi on, the G Pad 10.1’s battery clocks a remarkable 7 hours and 37 minutes.

LG G Pad LGV480 8-Inch

The G Pad 8.0 LGV480 is one of LG’s more subtle responses to the increasing demand for smaller 8-inch tablets. Made entirely of plastic, the tablet probably won’t get eyes popping, but it is appealing enough. Unlike the larger G Pad 10.1, this tablet is designed for use in portrait mode by default. The display is an 8-inch 800 x 1280-pixel resolution LCD panel which delivers a pixel density of 189 ppi. Because of the smaller size, the colors are more vivid and the text seems sharper than on the G Pad 10.1. The G Pad 8.0 comes bundled with Android 4.4.2 Kitkat and as usual, LG has shown restraint when it comes to adding in bloatware. There are several pleasant features available including Knock Mode, which allows you to unlock the tablet by tapping a set sequence on the touchscreen, even when the display is off and Q-Pair which enables you to link your phone to your G Pad. The UI also allows you to run two applications simultaneously, side-by-side, although this is limited to only a small selection of apps. Performance is offered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset, which backed by 1GB of RAM provides fairly smooth user experience but will struggle with heavy multitasking. Gaming on the G Pad 8.0 will also be problematic, with heavy 3D titles pushing the Adreno 305 GPU to its limits. For internal storage, you have just under 11GB of the 16GB onboard, which can be expanded with microSD cards. The cameras here are nothing to be desired and it is advisable to not rely on this tablet as your main photo-capture device. Where the G Pad 8.0 really excels is battery life. LG has gone as far as to claim a 2 day battery endurance on the tablet, which is remarkable, to say the least.

LG G Pad II 8.0 LGV498

The G Pad II 8.0 LGV498 is the newer version of the G Pad 8.0 LGV480, and it comes with impressive improvements under its belt. Among them are stylus functionality and a full-size USB port. The RAM has also been dialed up a notch and the microSD slot can now support card of up to 128GB. However, the design has seen little change since its predecessor hit the shelves last year. The build quality is good and the device generally feels solid, but there is little wow factor. Weighing 0.76 pounds and with a thickness of about 0.35 inches the device is rather cumbersome, but for the price, it is best not to complain. Although we had hoped for an improvement in the display, it is still the same 8-inch IPS panel with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels on the earlier G Pad 8.0. Picture quality is decent and text is crisp, but colors tend to appear washed out when the screen’s brightness nears maximum level. Running Android v5.0 Lollipop underlain in the familiar Optimus UI, the G Pad II 8.0 excels software-wise. Navigating through apps and screens is fast and enjoyable, thanks to a variety of software tweaks, including the unique LG Knock Mode and the QSlide function which lets you multitask by splitting the screen into two. A new G Pad II comes with Microsoft Office pre-installed and there is free 100GB of cloud storage for two years. A quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon sits under the hood, and is backed by 1.5GB of RAM to provide decent performance for general tablet use. The stylus comes in handy for navigating the display and you can do some office work on the G Pad II. On moderate to heavy use, expect up to a remarkable 15 hours of battery endurance.

LG G Pad 7.0 LGV410

The G Pad II 8.0 LGV498 is the newer version of the G Pad 8.0 LGV480, and it comes with impressive improvements under its belt. Among them are stylus functionality and a full-size USB port. The RAM has also been dialed up a notch and the microSD slot can now support card of up to 128GB. However, the design has seen little change since its predecessor hit the shelves last year. The build quality is good and the device generally feels solid, but there is little wow factor. Weighing 0.76 pounds and with a thickness of about 0.35 inches the device is rather cumbersome, but for the price, it is best not to complain. Although we had hoped for an improvement in the display, it is still the same 8-inch IPS panel with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels on the earlier G Pad 8.0. Picture quality is decent and text is crisp, but colors tend to appear washed out when the screen’s brightness nears maximum level. Running Android v5.0 Lollipop underlain in the familiar Optimus UI, the G Pad II 8.0 excels software-wise. Navigating through apps and screens is fast and enjoyable, thanks to a variety of software tweaks, including the unique LG Knock Mode and the QSlide function which lets you multitask by splitting the screen into two. A new G Pad II comes with Microsoft Office pre-installed and there is free 100GB of cloud storage for two years. A quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon sits under the hood, and is backed by 1.5GB of RAM to provide decent performance for general tablet use. The stylus comes in handy for navigating the display and you can do some office work on the G Pad II. On moderate to heavy use, expect up to a remarkable 15 hours of battery endurance.

LG G Pad F 8.0 LGV496

Low cost 8-inch tablets come with more than a few compromises on looks and performance, and the LG G Pad F 8.0 LGV496 is no exception. The design is rather simple and somewhat boring, but the curvy edges and silvery backside adds a slightly premium look. At 0.35 inches thick, the 0.76-pound LG is heavier than most other devices in its class. The 8-inch LCD sports a resolution of 1280 x 800-pixels, which given its size is rather modest. Picture quality is passable for general use, but there is noticeable fuzziness especially on the edges of images. Maximum brightness is also below par, relative to the competition. You will be surprised by the amount of sound the two tiny speakers on the back of the G Pad F will produce. However, distortion becomes more and more profound as the volume rises towards maximum. Another hardware feature worth mentioning here is the full-sized USB port at the top edge of the tablet that offers easy and direct data transfer to-and-from a USB flash drive. The OS running on the G Pad 7.0 is Android 5.0 Lollipop. LG’s Optimus interface is easy to navigate and features like Knock Mode and dual-window make using the device a pleasant experience. With a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 and 1GB of RAM, performance is adequate for basic tablet functions but will struggle with heavy multitasking and gaming. For secondary storage, there is a 16GB memory chip on board, from which 11GB is allowed for use. 4G users will be pleased to hear that SIM connectivity works very well. You will have no trouble staying connected to 4G anywhere. And talking of staying connected, LG claims a 9 hours and 30 minutes of battery life, enough to get you through a whole day’s work.

LG Optimus Pad 8.9 3D L-06C 8.9-inch

It has been a while since LG made its tablet debut with the LG Optimus 8.9 L-06C, yet the device still manages to throw some punches at even more recent competitors. Starting with its design, the Optimus 8.9 is well-built and sturdy. Its back panel will feel grippy and com
fortable to hold in your palms. However, measuring 0.709 inches in girth and weighing 1.36 pounds, it is rather chunky compared to newer tablets. Display is served by a standard TFT screen with a modest resolution of 1280×800 pixels. While picture quality is fair and text is considerably crisp, viewing angles are poor and maximum brightness is insufficient for use in the bright outdoors.The LG Optimus 8.9 comes with two rear cameras which in addition to 2D capture allow sho
oting 3D videos at 720p HD resolution. However, the 3D shooting process is buggy and unpleasant. Running on the device is Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS which is several generations behind the current Android systems. Regardless, the Optimus UI overlay manages to offer a variety of customization features that help to keep things interesting. Applications are plentiful, but like many older devices, the Optimus 8.9 struggles to keep up with the ever-growing Android market where newer apps are almost always incompatible with earlier OS versions. Powering the device is a dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra CPU and a 1GB RAM chip. Normal tasks like document-viewing and web-browsing are handled well, but expect the device to sweat through heavy multitasking and gaming. Although lacking an SD-card slot, we found the 32GB internal storage sufficient. This cannot be said about the battery life, which at about 5 hours is below par.

More LG Tablets

LG G Pad III 8.0 LGV525 8-inch

LG released the G Pad III 8.0 in the 2nd quarter of 2016 as an improved version of 2015’s G Pad II 8.0 and to be honest, it blows the doors off it. It comes in a black plastic design that is both attractive to look at and structurally rigid. It is only 7.9mm thick and weighs only 309 grams, making it comfortable to hold and a breeze to handle. LG went with the Snapdragon 617, which packs an octa-core processor, and paired it with 2GB of RAM for a blazing fast computing experience; games and apps run well, and the LG-customized Android Marshmallow is as fluid as can be. You will love the 1920 x 1200-pixel screen that delivers vibrant images and crisp text, and LG included a Reader Mode that reduces eye strain by filtering out blue light and can be assigned its own dedicated button on the right edge of the device. The beefy 4800mAh battery lasts a full day, and even though the 8/5 MP camera combo will not be winning any awards, they take quite decent pictures and video.

LG G Pad LGV940N II 10.1-inch

The LG G Pad II 10.1 isn’t the best tablet around, it never claimed to be, but what it offers makes it a great all-rounder that will leave you wondering whether you really need the best tablet in the world. It comes in an attractive glossy black plastic casing which is only 7.8 mm thick and just shy of 490 grams; it looks sleek and is very pleasant to hold. Inside is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, which is a bit old we admit, but games and apps run so smoothly that you will rarely require more grunt. Probably the highlight of the tablet is its screen; a 10.1-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel IPS screen which produces stunning images and is bright enough for comfortable outdoor usage. The battery also lasts a lifetime, well, 13 hours, which means most of the time charging will be a “want to” instead of a “need to.” Indeed, you will want to charge this tablet while not in use, as the charger cannot quite keep up with the chipset under full load, meaning the battery will still be draining even when plugged in. A 5/2 megapixel camera combo does not provide the best photography experience either, and the high price tag is well, high. Overall the LG G Pad II 10.1 is a great tablet, and we highly recommend it despite its minor shortcomings.

LG G Pad F 8.0 LGV495

The LG G Pad F 8.0 undoubtedly has to make some compromises to accommodate its small price tag, but it fairs well, regardless. It features a matte black finish which is not awe-inspiring but still attractive in its own right. You get a 5-MP rear shutter which takes some decent photos, a 2-MP front camera and a flap at the top hides a full-size USB port and a stylus. The 8-inch, 1280 x 800-pixel screen offers beautiful colors and wide viewing angles, but the low resolution makes some text and images look fuzzy. It features a Quad-Core 1.2-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 with 1GB of RAM which provides a smooth experience while browsing and switching through tabs, however, newer games and heavy multitasking will result in significant lag. LG added a bunch of apps which are actually quite useful, the QPair app allows the tab to send/receive notifications to/from other LG phones, QuickRemote allows you to use the tab as a TV remote via the IR blaster found at the top, and there is a split-screen view option which has its own dedicated touch button. The tablet will run for slightly over 7 hours on a single charge which is commendable for a budget device.

LG G Pad 8.3 LGV500

The LG G Pad 8.3 received rave reviews when it launched back in 2014, and it still continues to do so two years later. Made from a mix of glass, aluminum and plastic, it gives you the cool and premium feel you get from devices that cost much more. It is compact and light, with a very high screen-to-body ratio, making it easy to grasp and pleasant to use. The screen itself, 8.3 inches with a 1920 x 1200-pixel resolution, offers a great viewing experience for both images and text. You get stereo speakers on the back that sound great, and combined with the screen, turn the tablet into a mini-cinema. Apps and games run smoothly on the Snapdragon 600 with 2GB RAM, and LG has included some apps in its customized Android interface that turn out to be extremely useful. The battery also lasts a little over 7 hours on a single charge, which is not too shabby. However, like most tablets, the LG G Pad 8.3 has an uninspiring 5-MP rear camera, with no flash, and a 1.3-MP front camera, resulting in pictures that are passable at best.

LG G Pad F 7.0 LK430 7-inch

The LG G Pad F 7.0 offers some great features for a budget tablet. It features a relatively simple design that is functional, with a smooth matte black finish. The 7-inch screen might not look like much on paper with its 800 x 1280 resolution, but it is actually quite pleasing, producing vibrant colors and sharp text, and the small size makes the tablet extremely easy to handle and light. Housed inside is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset, it is not much; the interface is bit choppy and especially lags with heavy tasks. LG customized the Android interface and added a few extra apps that prove to be quite useful, like QPair, which allows you to sync with most smartphones and receive notifications and calls on the tablet. There is a multi-window feature, an IR blaster to use the device as a remote, and the user interface offers a wide variety of customization options allowing you to tweak it to your liking. The LG G Pad F 7.0 doesn’t quite excel in any areas due to its budget nature, but it is perfect for basic tasks and offers acceptable functionality.

LG G Pad E7 LGV400W

It boasts a clean, reserved matte black design with rounded edges; it is easy to hold and has good grip. You probably will not be keeping it in your pocket, but the slim and light design mean it can be easily tucked away in a small bag. Despite the low 800 x 1280 resolution, the IPS display really makes colors come alive; it also boasts wide viewing angles and significant brightness. Like most LG tabs, it comes pre-installed with some LG exclusive apps that prove to be useful enough not to be branded as bloatware. They can also be uninstalled if you find no use for them, a luxury most other manufacturers do not offer. Performance-wise, the Snapdragon 400 will let you get away with light 2D games but not much else, the customized Android KitKat interface runs smoothly, however. The tablet supports up to an extra 64GB of memory in addition to the internal 8 GB of storage, and depending on how much you use it; it can last to up to a few days on a single charge.

Conclusion

With that, we end our buying guide, and it is our hope that you now have adequate information regarding LG tablets. There is no doubt that other manufacturers like Apple, Samsung and Microsoft are ahead of the tablet game. While LG tablets are doing well in the market, they still pale in comparison to these dominant manufacturers whose devices rival even modern laptops. However, most of them come with exorbitant price tags and when it comes to value for the money, LG wins more often than not. Therefore, if you are bent on buying a tablet, it is wise to put LG somewhere in your mind.