Tablets are the proper center floor between your telephone and laptop computer, providing you with one of the best of each worlds. Whether or not you need a light-weight machine to binge your favourite exhibits, a bigger display for cellular gaming or a transportable option to get some work executed on the go, a pill can do all of it. They’re additionally nice for holding youngsters entertained, managing work duties or sharing household moments by means of video calls. When a telephone feels too small and lugging round a laptop computer is simply an excessive amount of, that’s the place tablets match into the combination.
For a lot of, the Apple iPad is the go-to alternative, and it’s straightforward to see why with its clean efficiency and limitless app choices. However don’t fear if iOS isn’t your factor — there are many Android alternate options on the market, providing the identical degree of flexibility with out locking you into Apple’s ecosystem. Plus, in the event you’re on a finances, there are extra reasonably priced choices that also pack a punch. Whether or not you’re searching for a premium pill for work, a kid-friendly machine with parental controls or only a dependable on a regular basis companion, we’ve examined all the massive gamers (and lots of others) to seek out one of the best tablets value your cash proper now.
Desk of contents
Finest tablets for 2025
Nathan Ingraham for Engadget
Display screen measurement: 11- or 13-inch 120Hz tandem OLED XDR touchscreen | CPU: Apple M5 | Storage: As much as 2TB | Battery life: As much as 10 hours | Digital camera: 12MP rear, 12MP entrance
Learn our full Apple iPad Pro (M5) review
In numerous methods, the iPad Professional M5 is overkill for many. It has Apple’s latest M5 chip and the most effective screens you may get — a Tandem OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh price, to not point out help for each contact and stylus enter. It’s additionally obtainable in two sizes (11 and 13 inches), so that you get some management over how moveable you want it to be. Should you actually need a pill that may substitute a laptop computer, that is nearly as good because it will get, significantly on this facet of the Apple vs. Android/Home windows divide.
This era of the iPad Professional can also be shockingly skinny and lightweight, so it’ll principally disappear into your bag with out including a ton of heft. In the meantime, Apple’s Magic Keyboard is sleeker than earlier than whereas additionally that includes a bigger trackpad and a really useful row of operate keys. The one actual draw back is value, with the smaller, 11-inch mannequin beginning at $999, and the 13-inch mannequin beginning at $1,299. And that’s earlier than you consider the price of issues like extra storage or equipment. However in the event you’ve acquired the money and need a top-of-the-line pill, it’s onerous to go incorrect with the iPad Professional M5.
Alternatively, in the event you respect what the iPad Professional can do however don’t wish to shell out fairly that a lot cash, the iPad Air is a extra reasonably priced choice. We contemplate it to be one of the best iPad for most individuals. Its display isn’t as good and it’s not fairly as svelte. However its M3 chip is greater than sufficient energy for many, and Apple improved its Magic Keyboard accent not too long ago. Critically, it additionally prices practically half the value with the 11 and 13-inch fashions beginning at $599 and $799, respectively. — Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor
- M5 chip is a big replace for some GPU-powered duties
- Probably one of the best display I’ve ever seen
- Extraordinarily skinny and lightweight
- First iPad with quick charging
- iPadOS 26 is a significant enchancment
- Prohibitively costly
- Equipment just like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Professional make it value much more
Photograph by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Display screen measurement: 11-inch LCD, 12.4-inch or 14.6-inch Tremendous AMOLED | CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Storage: As much as 1TB (relying on mannequin) | Battery life: As much as 9 hours | Digital camera: S9: 13MP rear, 12MP ultrawide entrance / S9+: 13MP + 8MP ultrawide rear, 12MP ultrawide entrance / S9 Extremely: 13MP + 8MP ultrawide rear, 12MP + 12MP ultrawide entrance
Learn our full Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra review
Should you’re searching for a flexible Samsung pill, the Galaxy Tab S9 affords three display sizes: 11, 12.4 and 14.6 inches. We solely reviewed the 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S9 Extremely, however all three tablets have an identical specs apart from display measurement and some slight variations within the digicam array. Whereas the S9 Ultra is a bit too massive to be snug utilizing in your fingers for very lengthy, the 11- and 12.4-inch fashions are your most suitable option for an Android pill on the market, with excellent screens and an included S Pen stylus for note-taking and sketching that’s extraordinarily responsive.
Samsung bumped up each the RAM and processor on the Galaxy Tab S9 collection. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip is greater than highly effective sufficient for every part I wished to do, and the 12GB of RAM is a giant bump over the 8GB on the earlier years’ tablets. These tablets are even rated IP68 for water and mud resistance – so if you wish to take your S9 within the bathtub and watch a film, you don’t have to fret about destroying it if it slips into the bathtub. Add in a strong accent ecosystem with a number of totally different keyboard covers plus the Dex multitasking mode and the S9 is usually a highly effective productiveness device, too.
Really nice Android tablets are few and much between, and Google stepped again into the ring with its personal Pixel Tablet. Whereas it’s not compelling sufficient as a pill to knock the Galaxy Tab S9 out of our prime spot, it may very well be an intriguing choice for people who need a machine that can be utilized as each a pill and a sensible show. Admittedly, it shines because the latter, which makes it a superb factor that Google contains the bottom within the $500 value. There’s additionally an $80 case you may get for the Pixel Pill, which provides a really helpful kickstand that you need to use everytime you don’t wish to dock the machine however nonetheless wish to prop it up.
- Stunning display
- Nice audio system
- Highly effective {hardware}
- S Pen is extraordinarily responsive
- Dex mode is a surprisingly highly effective multitasking interface
- Costly
- Too many Android apps aren’t designed for a giant display
Photograph by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
Display screen measurement: 13-inch OLED touchscreen | CPU: Snapdragon X Plus/X Elite | Storage: As much as 1TB | Battery life: As much as 14 hours | Digital camera: Quad HD front-facing Floor Studio Digital camera, 10MP rear digicam
Learn our full Microsoft Surface Pro Copilot+ review
The Surface Pro is every part we’ve wished the Floor pill line to be for years. It’s extremely quick and environment friendly, because of Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips. Its neural processing unit (NPU) additionally allows doubtlessly highly effective AI options, although the present crop received’t be helpful to everybody. We’re additionally nonetheless ready to see Microsoft’s controversial Recall function in motion, which has been delayed to deal with its many safety considerations.
The brand new OLED display choice appears to be like great: It makes colours pop off the display and likewise ensures inky darkish black ranges. Coupled along with surprisingly highly effective audio system, the Floor Professional is a strong choice for watching video on the go.
When it’s paired along with the brand new Floor Professional Flex keyboard ($350), you’ll be able to kind and mouse across the Floor utterly wirelessly, which opens up fully new methods of utilizing it. So long as there’s a small desk close by, or someplace to prop up the pill, you’ll be able to work with only a skinny and lightweight keyboard in your lap. It’s additionally good to see Microsoft pack in 16GB of RAM with the bottom Floor Professional mannequin.
Whereas we’d nonetheless wish to see the corporate bundle in a keyboard and refine its kickstand, the Floor Professional stays one of the vital modern PCs obtainable at the moment. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter
- Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips are splendidly quick
- Stable battery life
- Wonderful OLED display choice
- NPU permits for highly effective AI options
- Flex keyboard makes it extra versatile
- Stable AI options
- All keyboards offered individually
- Nonetheless onerous to make use of in your lap
- Will get costly rapidly
Apple
Display screen measurement: 11-inch, 2360 x 1640 LED | CPU: A16 | Storage: As much as 512GB | Battery life: As much as 10 hours | Digital camera: 12MP entrance, 12MP rear
Learn our full Apple iPad (A16) review
If all you need is a pill for streaming motion pictures, taking part in the occasional recreation or doing mild work from time to time, the entry-level iPad (A16) will likely be lots. Its A16 chip isn’t as highly effective for enhancing high-res movies or operating probably the most graphically intense video games because the iPad Air, and it’s much less prone to obtain each new iPadOS function down the highway. It already lacks Apple Intelligence and the Stage Manager multitasking mode at the moment. However for teenagers and most informal iPad customers, these actually aren’t enormous losses.
The A16 chip is lots quick for most typical iPad Issues, whereas battery life stays strong at roughly 10 hours per cost. The aluminum body continues to be splendidly skinny, mild and durable, plus it’s obtainable in a bolder set of colours than the pricier iPads. We do want the show was laminated, and the truth that it doesn’t help one of the best Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard is annoying. However the $349 price ticket helps paper over points like these — that is your most cost-effective route into the iPad expertise by far. —Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter, Shopping for Recommendation
- A16 chip is lots quick for many issues individuals do with iPads
- Double the storage and 2GB extra RAM than earlier mannequin for a similar value
- Construct high quality and battery life stay strong
- iPadOS nonetheless has one of the best app library and richest function set for tablets
- No Apple Intelligence
- Show is due for some updates
- Apple Pencil state of affairs continues to be annoying
- Magic Keyboard Folio is overpriced and never superb on a lap
- iPads with M-series chips are in all probability extra futureproof
- No Apple Intelligence
Will Lipman Images for Engadget
Display screen measurement: 10.1-inch 1080p show | CPU: 2.0 GHz octa-core processor | Storage: 32GB, 64Gb (expandable as much as 1TB) | Battery life: As much as 12 hours | Digital camera: 2MP entrance digicam, 5MP rear digicam
Should you’re available in the market for a brand new pill on your little one, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is the straightforward decide, particularly for first time customers. Amazon Fireplace tablets are fairly user-friendly, and the HD 10 Children Professional isn’t any totally different. Beginning at $200, it is the most cost effective pill on this listing, and in contrast to extra adult-oriented fare, it comes with an included “kid-proof” case and a two-year guarantee. Amazon says in case your child breaks the pill, the corporate will substitute it free of charge.
Different helpful add-ins embody a free one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, which unlocks greater than 20,000 video games, books and apps designed for youngsters. There’s additionally a useful dashboard for fogeys that means that you can set cut-off dates, content material filters and academic objectives. And although its 3GB of RAM and 32GB of base storage aren’t a lot, its 1080p show is lots sharp and it has a microSD card slot for expandable storage. And if you would like a barely smaller and extra reasonably priced choice, there’s the $140 Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro too.
Vital issues to think about earlier than shopping for a pill
Earlier than you begin taking a look at particular units, the primary factor you must do is work out what you propose to make use of your new pill for. That’s as a result of if all you want is one thing to maintain a child busy, shopping for a model new Apple iPad Air or iPad Professional doesn’t make a ton of sense. On the flip facet, if you wish to use a pill for video enhancing or drawing, you’ll must take issues like efficiency, versatility and stylus help extra significantly — particularly in the event you’re contemplating utilizing it as a laptop computer alternative.
You’ll additionally wish to take into consideration stuff like how typically you propose on touring with the machine and if it’s extra for productiveness, or for much less demanding stuff like net looking or streaming exhibits. There’s additionally an necessary trade-off to think about with regards to battery life as nicely. Bigger units are inclined to have longer runtimes, although a rise in measurement might make it much less moveable.
How we take a look at tablets
When evaluating totally different tablets, there are a couple of necessary issues we search for above all else: strong efficiency, a superb display and lengthy battery life. For efficiency, we run a handful of artificial checks like Geekbench 6, whereas additionally performing a lot of hands-on, real-world use instances comparable to enhancing photographs and taking part in video games. And with tablets typically serving as hybrid units, we additionally contemplate how straightforward it’s to multitask and swap rapidly between varied apps. The extra responsive a tool feels, the higher.
As a result of a pill’s show is such a vital part, we additionally view a variety of content material to gauge issues like brightness, shade gamut and dynamic vary. It’s necessary to bear in mind the distinction between varied panel varieties like OLED, which usually produce richer colours and wonderful distinction however is probably not as vibrant as a mini LED show. Lately, refresh price has turn into an more and more necessary spec as 90Hz and 120Hz screens could make scrolling smoother and graphics seem sharper in video games.
We additionally contemplate a pill’s design (together with issues like measurement, weight and water resistance), its connectivity (WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, 5G, et cetera) and particular options like stylus help or the flexibility to function a secondary show. That’s as a result of, whereas tablets have been typically seen as content material consumption units prior to now, higher-end units just like the Floor Professional and iPad Professional are greater than able to replacing a laptop for lots of people.
Lastly, we take a look at battery life by operating our normal native video rundown take a look at, which entails taking part in a single video on a loop from 100% till it runs out of juice. Ideally, a pill ought to be capable to final a complete working day, however longer runtimes are all the time welcome — particularly for customers counting on them for productiveness, leisure and storage choices on the go.
Different tablets we examined
Apple iPad mini
Apple up to date the iPad mini for 2024 with some under-the-hood adjustments together with a brand new processor and extra RAM to assist help Apple Intelligence options. Whereas the iPad mini is among the finest iPads you should buy, its small measurement makes it a bit area of interest. Provided that you like your pill be the dimensions of an ereader must you contemplate this one.
Google Pixel Pill
The Google Pixel Tablet excels as a sensible show somewhat than a easy pill. Because the latter, it is unexciting, however when paired with its speaker/charging dock, it turns into far more helpful. It may very well be a superb choice for people who already dwell throughout the Google ecosystem and use the Google Assistant typically, or those that like the concept of a pill that may be docked and used as a sensible show as nicely.
OnePlus Pad
The strong OnePlus Pad is let down by Android as a result of there aren’t many Android apps designed for use on a big show like this mannequin’s 11.6-inch panel. In any other case, the {hardware} is well-designed, its companion stylus is snug to make use of and it has a wonderful battery life.
Pill FAQs
What’s the finest model for tablets?
The perfect model for tablets is basically the model you’re feeling most snug with. We advocate taking inventory of the devices you have already got — do you reside within the Apple ecosystem already? An iPad is perhaps finest for you then. Do you could have a Samsung telephone? If that’s the case, a Galaxy Tab will possible be probably the most handy alternative. There isn’t any one “finest model” for tablets; you’ll discover good choices made by corporations together with Apple, Google, Samsung, Microsoft and Amazon.
Can a pill substitute a laptop computer?
It’s attainable for a pill to interchange a laptop computer, however you’ll want a couple of equipment to actually make the expertise as shut as attainable to that of a conventional pocket book. A keyboard is a should, be it a keyboard case or a Bluetooth accent that you just maintain with you. Some keyboard instances, like apple’s Magic Keyboard for the iPad, have a built-in trackpad, which will likely be extra ergonomic than tapping in your pill’s display for enter. Moreover, you might go one step additional and use a wi-fi mouse that connects through Bluetooth to your pill. Should you’re primarily searching for a pill to interchange your laptop computer, contemplate shopping for a 2-in-1 laptop since these techniques usually encompass high-powered tablets which are designed to work nicely with (and with out) keyboards.
What measurement display do I would like?
Determining one of the best display measurement for additionally, you will be associated to the type of work (or play) you plan to do. Bigger screens make it a lot simpler to view two apps facet by facet, and massive screens additionally ship a extra immersive film viewing expertise — particularly when paired with an OLED show or Liquid Retina show. However on the identical time, the bigger the pill, the much less possible you’re going to wish to transfer it round. Which means you’re not solely going to wish to take inventory of your workspace (i.e., in case you have a desk or as a substitute plan to work from a sofa and even your mattress), however you’re additionally going to wish to take into consideration how the machine will match into your on a regular basis routine or commute (in case you have one).
Pill equipment
Lastly, you’ll wish to contemplate any add-ons or equipment you’re planning to make use of, which may vary from removable keyboards to issues like exterior mics or a stylus. The excellent news is that lots of the finest tablets these days provide some type of keyboard accent, which permits the machine to operate extra like a 2-in-1 as a substitute of merely being a content material consumption machine. Some tablets additionally function issues like microSD card slots that help expandable storage, or non-obligatory 4G or 5G connectivity, which is usually a actual boon to frequent vacationers. And in the event you’re planning to make use of the pill primarily for work, you would possibly wish to seize a USB hub for connecting all of your favourite peripherals so your units don’t need to battle for the charger.
Latest updates
October 2025: Up to date so as to add the latest iPad Professional.
July 2025: Up to date to make sure our prime picks and shopping for recommendation stay correct.
Might 2025: Up to date to make sure our prime picks and shopping for recommendation stay correct.
March 2025: Up to date to incorporate the most recent base iPad in our prime picks,
February 2025: Up to date to incorporate clarification round our prime picks and new shopping for recommendation.
October 2024: We up to date this listing to incorporate data on the brand new iPad mini 7.
June 2024: We up to date our prime picks to incorporate the Microsoft Floor Professional Copilot+ version.
