5 iPad Limitations You Won’t Find on Android Tablets

After all these years, the iPad can still be considered the pinnacle of what a modern tablet can do. But that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect device. Having owned several iPads over the past decade, I’ve seen many people switch to Android tablets for several reasons, including the iPad’s price, lack of software customization, and lack of an SD slot. Whatever the reason, the iPad still has limitations that Android tablets get around, which is likely because it’s facing more competition in the market and companies are trying to differentiate themselves by offering additional benefits.

Although Apple has done a very good job of offering a wide range of iPad models at different price points, ranging from just over $300 on the base model to two versions of the iPad Pro costing a few thousand dollars in its most sophisticated configuration. There are still several reasons why an Android tablet might be a safer choice for users who don’t want to spend as much as a MacBook Pro on a device that won’t be able to perform the same tasks as efficiently as another.

One of the main limitations of the iPad is that Apple requires developers to use WebKit to develop their browsers on iOS and iPadOS systems. While Europe’s Digital Markets Act requires Apple to allow third-party web engines for iOS and iPadOS, sources familiar with the matter tell BGR that updating and/or building an engine from scratch for use on the iPad for a limited number of users simply isn’t worth it. This is one of those cases where the legislation may have good intentions, but its practicality doesn’t make sense for companies to roll out their own versions, so users are limited.

For Android, on the other hand, Google’s software does not have this limitation. While it’s true that most browsers run on Chromium, Google allows and welcomes third-party engines on Android, so you can have more options. If you really want to take advantage of a non-Safari browser, an Android tablet could make your life much more in sync than Apple.

Another feature that is slowly evolving globally is the ability to use third-party app stores. Apple must already offer them in Europe, and Brazil is doing everything possible to follow the same path. However, depending on the country you reside in, it is not possible to download third-party apps or search for them in different markets. Apple says not offering third-party marketplaces is a way to protect users from malware, companies trying to exploit their data, and more. Still, given that Mac users can download apps from any store they want, it doesn’t make much sense that iPhone and iPad users are still limited to Apple’s App Store rules.

For Android users, the primary method of downloading apps is using the Google Play Store, but if they own a Samsung tablet, they are likely using the Samsung Store. Google, unlike Apple, has always offered the ability to allow more providers to distribute apps on its platform, meaning you can get a wider variety of games, tools, and other software. That said, users have more options to choose from on Android tablets. Although iPad users have some very good exclusive apps, the overall offering is broader on Android and customers can decide how they want to experience their favorite apps.

Since March 2025, Apple has started to be more generous with storage on its tablets. However, if you have an iPad that’s a few years old, chances are it still only has 64GB of storage. A tablet with this amount of storage not only fills up quickly, but the only way to update its software is to factory reset it or use a Mac to update. With this, even though users could theoretically still update their iPads to like-new, they simply don’t because it requires a lot of effort for something that should have been simpler.

Fortunately, Apple now sells all iPads with a minimum of 128 GB of internal storage, which is usually enough to get the most necessary apps and fill it with photos, plus enough space to update their devices with the latest software update. Android users, on the other hand, generally have more generous storage options. And if they’re worse than Apple’s 64GB, there’s usually an expandable SD or microSD card slot, so a considerably affordable Android device can suddenly have 512GB of storage. This is especially useful for budget clients, photographers, editors, etc.

Android devices offer many customizations to their users. Even though Apple has come a long way in allowing users to change icon colors, themes, and more, the level of customization available on Android remains unmatched. Google lets Android users choose core apps, truly changing the way Android looks (for manufacturers and users), while Apple still requires iPhones and iPads to look a certain way, use a certain amount of memory, and even requires certain apps to truly be the default, like the Wallet and Phone app.

As governments try to get Apple to open up its system, with Europe being the main force behind these changes, Android users have for years had the ability to choose what they actually want on their devices. Even though iOS and iPadOS are different than they were five years ago, the changes are still very slow compared to what users can do on Android.

Widgets, for example, have been available on the Google platform for a very long time, as has the ability to personalize the home screen. For Apple, some of these changes only arrived with iOS 17, iOS 18, and iOS 26. That doesn’t mean users are free to do whatever they want on their own iPad, and customers who appreciate that extra level of customization will be happier with their Android counterparts.

Finally, one of the major limitations of the iPad is its overall price. Although Apple offers a wide range of iPads at different prices, getting an Apple tablet can still be very expensive. For example, Samsung offers a tablet and its accessories for about the same price that Apple charges for the iPad Pro. For example, if you want a big iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard, a little more storage, and an Apple Pencil Pro, you’ll pay almost $2,000, while Samsung will offer a similar deal for less than $1,000.

The same goes for Apple’s cheaper offerings. The iPad may cost $349, but if you add an Apple Pencil USB-C and a Magic Keyboard Folio, it’s like buying two tablets, more than a MacBook Neo, which will be able to do more than Apple’s iPads. Since the Android Marketplace offers a wide range of tablets from different brands, customers can get a highly equipped device with several accessories costing the same, or sometimes less, than a simple iPad.

What makes these tablets so appealing is that if you want to use them for writing, drawing, or working, you’ll need a keyboard or pencil. If these accessories come bundled with the product, then you can have a more enjoyable experience right out of the box, but Apple requires customers to pay significantly more to actually unlock its tablet’s capabilities.