Tablets have become the all-purpose gap-fillers of the gadgets world. If you’re on a plane and you want something portable but slightly bigger than your phone for reading comics or watching movies, there’s nothing better. Alternatively, if you want a shared device for the living room to control smart home stuff, do a bit of shopping or doomscrolling (it’s ok, we’re not judging), having a slim little slate that lives on your coffee table is super convenient. And if you want something sleek to carry around for work or school, tablets can totally replace laptops now, too.
That said, one change we’ve made to this guide for 2025 is adjusting some of the categories, because let’s be honest: If you’re an Android person, no amount of browbeating is going to convince you to switch ecosystems and buy an iPad. The same goes for all the Apple people or Windows die-hards out there. And that’s more than OK. So instead of crowning a best overall, we’re simply recommending the most powerful and best tablets for each OS, alongside some additional picks for other use cases.
Table of contentsImportant things to consider before buying a tablet
Before you start looking at specific devices, the number one thing you should do is figure out what you plan to use your new tablet for. That’s because if all you need is something to keep a kid busy, buying a brand new iPad Pro doesn’t make a ton of sense. On the flip side, if you want to use a tablet for video editing or drawing, you’ll need to take things like performance and stylus support more seriously.
You’ll also want to think about stuff like how often you plan on traveling with the device and if it’s more for productivity, or for less demanding stuff like browsing the web or streaming shows. There’s also an important trade-off to consider when it comes to battery life as well. Larger devices tend to have longer runtimes, though an increase in size may make it less portable.
What size screen do I need?
Figuring out the best screen size for you will also be related to the kind of work (or play) you intend to do. Larger displays make it much easier to view two apps side by side, and big screens also deliver a more immersive movie viewing experience. But at the same time, the larger the tablet, the less likely you’re going to want to move it around. That means you’re not only going to want to take stock of your workspace (i.e., if you have a desk or instead plan to work from a couch or even your bed), but you’re also going to want to think about how the device will fit into your everyday routine or commute (if you have one).
Best tablets for 2025
Apple
Display: 11- or 13-inch 120Hz tandem OLED XDR touchscreen | CPU: Apple M4 | Storage: Up to 2TB | Battery life: Up to 10 hours | Camera: 12MP rear, 12MP front
Read our full Apple iPad Pro (M4) review
In a lot of ways, the M4 iPad Pro is overkill for most. It has a more powerful chip than anything you can currently get in a MacBook Air and arguably a better screen thanks to an OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, not to mention support for both touch and stylus input. It’s also available in two sizes (11 and 13 inches), so you get some control over how portable you need it to be. If you really want a tablet that can replace a laptop, this is as good as it gets, particularly on this side of the Apple vs. Android/Windows divide.
This generation of iPad is also shockingly thin and light, so it’ll basically disappear into your bag without adding a ton of heft. Meanwhile, Apple’s new Magic Keyboard is sleeker than before while also featuring a larger trackpad and a very handy row of function keys. The only real downside is price, with the smaller, 11-inch model starting at $999, and the 13-inch model starting at $1,299. And that’s before you factor in the cost of things like additional storage or accessories. But if you’ve got the cash and want a top-of-the-line tablet, it’s hard to go wrong with the M4 iPad Pro.
Alternatively, if you appreciate what the iPad Pro can do but don’t want to shell out quite that much money, the iPad Air is a more affordable option. We consider it to be the best iPad for most people. Its screen isn’t quite as nice and its M2 chip is a couple generations old, but all the important things are there including Apple Pencil compatibility and the ability to attach a Magic Keyboard (though you’ll have to use an older model). Critically, it also costs nearly half the price with the 11 and 13-inch models starting at $599 and $799, respectively.
ProsPossibly the best screen I’ve ever seenM4 chip is extremely powerfulThinner and lighter than before, making it easier to holdFront camera is now on the landscape edgeMagic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro include significant new featuresConsProhibitively expensiveNot backwards compatible with old accessories, and new ones are still pricey$949 at Adorama
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Display: 11-inch LCD, 12.4-inch or 14.6-inch Super AMOLED | CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Storage: Up to 1TB (depending on model) | Battery life: Up to 9 hours | Camera: S9: 13MP rear, 12MP ultrawide front / S9+: 13MP + 8MP ultrawide rear, 12MP ultrawide front / S9 Ultra: 13MP + 8MP ultrawide rear, 12MP + 12MP ultrawide front
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra review
If you’re looking for a versatile Samsung tablet, the Galaxy Tab S9 offers three screen sizes: 11, 12.4 and 14.6 inches. We only reviewed the 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, but all three tablets have identical specs other than screen size and a few slight differences in the camera array. While the S9 Ultra is a bit too big to be comfortable using in your hands for very long, the 11- and 12.4-inch models are your best choice for an Android tablet out there, with outstanding screens and an included S Pen stylus for note-taking and sketching that’s extremely responsive.
Samsung bumped up both the RAM and processor on the Galaxy Tab S9 series. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip is more than powerful enough for everything I wanted to do, and the 12GB of RAM is a big bump over the 8GB on the previous years’ tablets. These tablets are even rated IP68 for water and dust resistance – so if you want to take your S9 in the bath and watch a movie, you don’t have to worry about destroying it if it slips into the tub. Add in a solid accessory ecosystem with multiple different keyboard covers plus the Dex multitasking mode and the S9 can be a powerful productivity tool, too.
Truly great Android tablets are few and far between, and Google stepped back into the ring with its own Pixel Tablet. While it’s not compelling enough as a tablet to knock the Galaxy Tab S9 out of our top spot, it could be an intriguing option for those that want a device that can be used as both a tablet and a smart display. Admittedly, it shines as the latter, which makes it a good thing that Google includes the base in the $500 price. There’s also an $80 case you can get for the Pixel Tablet, which adds a very useful kickstand that you can use whenever you don’t want to dock the device but still want to prop it up.
$669 at Amazon
Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
Display: 13-inch OLED touchscreen | CPU: Snapdragon X Plus/X Elite | Storage: Up to 1TB | Battery life: Up to 14 hours | Camera: Quad HD front-facing Surface Studio Camera, 10MP rear camera
Read our full Microsoft Surface Pro Copilot+ review
The Surface Pro is everything we’ve wanted the Surface tablet line to be for years. It’s incredibly fast and efficient, thanks to Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips. Its neural processing unit (NPU) also enables potentially powerful AI features, though the current crop won’t be useful to everyone. We’re also still waiting to see Microsoft’s controversial Recall feature in action, which has been delayed to address its many security concerns.
The new OLED screen option looks wonderful: It makes colors pop off the screen and also ensures inky dark black levels. Coupled together with surprisingly powerful speakers, the Surface Pro is a solid option for watching video on the go.
When it’s paired together with the new Surface Pro Flex keyboard ($350), you can type and mouse around the Surface completely wirelessly, which opens up entirely new ways of using it. As long as there’s a small table nearby, or somewhere to prop up the tablet, you can work with just a thin and light keyboard on your lap. It’s also nice to see Microsoft pack in 16GB of RAM with the base Surface Pro model.
While we’d still like to see the company bundle in a keyboard and refine its kickstand, the Surface Pro remains one of the most innovative PCs available today. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter
ProsSnapdragon X Elite and Plus chips are wonderfully fastSolid battery lifeExcellent OLED screen optionNPU allows for powerful AI featuresFlex keyboard makes it more versatileSolid AI featuresConsAll keyboards sold separatelyStill hard to use in your lapGets expensive quickly$999 at Microsoft
Apple
Display: 10.9-inch, 2360 x 1640 LED | CPU: A14 Bionic | Storage: Up to 256GB | Battery life: Up to 10 hours | Camera: 12MP front, 8MP rear
Read our full Apple iPad (10th generation) review
If all you need is a table for watching movies, playing casual games or doing a little bit of work every now and then, the basic 10th-gen iPad is what you want. Sure, it’s a touch thicker and heavier than an iPad Air, it uses an A14 chip instead of a beefier M-series processor and you don’t have any additional screen size options (a 10.9-inch IPS panel is all you get), but this thing still handles all of your everyday needs with ease.
Battery life is solid with it lasting around 10 hours on charge. There’s a USB-C port for charging and a handy Touch ID sensor on the lock button in case you’d prefer not to use your face. And if you want, it still works with some of the older Apple Pencils. Plus, it’s available in a handful of fun colors including blue, pink, yellow and silver. But most importantly, starting at $349, it’s the cheapest way to get a new iPad (and that includes the smaller but pricier iPad mini).
ProsInexpensiveModern designUSB-C chargingSolid battery lifeConsScreen isn’t the bestKeyboard folio is extremely expensiveFirst-gen Apple Pencil charging is even more ridiculous$296 at Amazon
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
Display: 10.1-inch 1080p display | CPU: 2.0 GHz octa-core processor | Storage: 32GB, 64Gb (expandable up to 1TB) | Battery life: Up to 12 hours | Camera: 2MP front camera, 5MP rear camera
If you’re in the market for a new tablet for your child, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is the easy pick, especially for first time users. Amazon Fire tablets are pretty user-friendly, and the HD 10 Kids Pro is no different. Starting at $200, it’s the cheapest tablet on this list, and unlike more adult-oriented fare, it comes with an included “kid-proof” case and a two-year warranty. Amazon says if your kid breaks the tablet, the company will replace it for free.
Other useful add-ins include a free one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, which unlocks more than 20,000 games, books and apps designed for children. There’s also a handy dashboard for parents that allows you to set time limits, content filters and educational goals. And even though its 3GB of RAM and 32GB of base storage aren’t much, its 1080p display is plenty sharp and it has a microSD card slot for expandable storage. And if you want a slightly smaller and more affordable option, there’s the $140 Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro too.
$190 at AmazonHow we test tablets
When evaluating different tablets, there are a few important things we look for above all else: solid performance, a good screen and long battery life. For performance, we run a handful of synthetic tests like Geekbench 6, while also performing a number of hands-on, real-world use cases such as editing photos and playing games. And with tablets often serving as hybrid devices, we also consider how easy it is to multitask and switch quickly between various apps. The more responsive a device feels, the better.
Because a tablet’s display is such a critical component, we also view a wide range of content to gauge things like brightness, color gamut and dynamic range. It’s important to take into account the difference between various panel types like OLED, which typically produce richer colors and excellent contrast but may not be as bright as a mini LED display. Recently, refresh rate has become an increasingly important spec as 90Hz and 120Hz screens can make scrolling smoother and graphics appear sharper in games.
We also consider a tablet’s design (including things like size, weight and water resistance), its connectivity (WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, 5G, et cetera) and special features like stylus support or the ability to serve as a secondary display. That’s because, while tablets were often viewed as content consumption devices in the past, higher-end devices like the Surface Pro and iPad Pro are more than capable of replacing a laptop for a lot of people.
Finally, we test battery life by running our standard local video rundown test, which involves playing a single video on a loop from 100 percent until it runs out of juice. Ideally, a tablet should be able to last an entire working day, but longer runtimes are always welcome.
Other tablets we testedApple iPad mini
Apple updated the iPad mini for 2024 with some under-the-hood changes including a new processor and additional RAM to help support Apple Intelligence features. While the iPad mini is one of the best iPads you can buy, its small size makes it a bit niche. Only if you prefer your tablet be the size of an ereader should you consider this one.
Google Pixel Tablet
The Google Pixel Tablet excels as a smart display rather than a simple tablet. As the latter, it’s unexciting, but when paired with its speaker/charging dock, it becomes much more useful. It could be a good option for those that already live within the Google ecosystem and use the Google Assistant often, or those who like the idea of a tablet that can be docked and used as a smart display as well.
OnePlus Pad
The solid OnePlus Pad is let down by Android because there aren’t many Android apps designed to be used on a large display like this model’s 11.6-inch panel. Otherwise, the hardware is well-designed, its companion stylus is comfortable to use and it has an excellent battery life.
Tablet FAQsWhat is the best brand for tablets?
The best brand for tablets is really the brand you feel most comfortable with. We recommend taking stock of the gadgets you already have — do you live in the Apple ecosystem already? An iPad might be best for you then. Do you have a Samsung phone? If so, a Galaxy Tab will likely be the most convenient choice. There is no one “best brand” for tablets; you’ll find good options made by companies including Apple, Google, Samsung, Microsoft and Amazon.
Can a tablet replace a laptop?
It’s possible for a tablet to replace a laptop, but you’ll need a few accessories to truly make the experience as close as possible to that of a traditional notebook. A keyboard is a must, be it a keyboard case or a Bluetooth accessory that you keep with you. Some keyboard cases, like apple’s Magic Keyboard for the iPad, have a built-in trackpad, which will be more ergonomic than tapping on your tablet’s screen for input. Additionally, you could go one step further and use a wireless mouse that connects via Bluetooth to your tablet. If you’re primarily looking for a tablet to replace your laptop, consider buying a 2-in-1 laptop since those systems typically consist of high-powered tablets that are designed to work well with (and without) keyboards.
Tablet accessoriesRecent updates
February 2025: Updated to include clarification around our top picks and new buying advice.
October 2024: We updated this list to include information on the new iPad mini 7.
June 2024: We updated our top picks to include the Microsoft Surface Pro Copilot+ edition.
