The Best Tablet
We looked at the top 24 Tablets and dug through the reviews from 140 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best Tablets.
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Our Picks For The Top Tablets
- The Best Tablet
- 1. Apple iPad Pro, 12.9-inch (256GB)
- 2. Apple iPad, 9.7-inch (128GB)
- 3. Samsung Galaxy Tab A, 10.1-Inch 16 GB
- 4. Huawei MediaPad M5
- 5. Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, Wi-Fi, 64GB)
- 6. Apple iPad Pro 10.5 inch
- 7. Apple iPad 6
- 8. Apple iPad mini 4
- 9. Samsung Galaxy Tab S2
- 10. Apple iPad Pro
- 11. Samsung Galaxy Tab S4
- 12. Amazon Fire HD 10
- 13. Samsung Galaxy Tab S3
- 14. Amazon Fire HD 8
- 15. Samsung Galaxy Tab E 9.6-Inch
- 16. Amazon Fire 7 Kids
- 17. Amazon Fire 7 Tablet
- 18. Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2
- 19. Samsung Galaxy Tab A, 7-Inch
- 20. ASUS 10.1” Transformer Mini 128GB
- 21. Samsung Galaxy Tab E Lite
- 22. Apple iPad 4
- 23. Apple iPad Pro
Storage SpaceThe top-of-the-line tablet on the market, which comes with tons of useful features. It's also incredibly thin, which keeps it lightweight and easy to transport.
Lots of FeaturesTons of storage, two awesome cameras and an impressive 10-hour battery life.
Long Battery LifeFor Android lovers, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A can't be beat. Can run for up to 13 hours without needing a charge.
Affordable Yet EffectiveA stellar value for the money. Features hands-free Alexa built in.
Why we recommend these tablets?
Products Considered
Products Analyzed
Expert Reviews Included
User Opinions Analyzed
Our experts reviewed the top 24 Tablets and also dug through the reviews from 140 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best of the best Tablets.
DWYM is your trusted roduct review source. Our team reviews thousands of product reviews from the trusted top experts and combines them into one easy-to-understand score. Learn more.
The Best Overall
Apple iPad Pro, 12.9-inch (256GB)
Our Take
Though it's expensive, the 12.9-inch Apple iPad Pro is so worth it if you need tons of storage space, two stellar cameras and cool features, like the Apple pencil. It's the thinnest iPad ever, so you won't feel like you're lugging around a mini computer here.
What other experts liked
What other experts didn't like
The Best Bang For Your Buck
Amazon Fire HD 10
Our Take
The Amazon FIre HD 10 is a great value for the money, which is why it's our Best Value pick for tablets. It comes with Alexa hands-free built in, which means you can use your voice to pause shows, play music, open apps and more.
What other experts liked
What other experts didn't like
Our Tablet Findings
Apple iPad Pro, 12.9-inch (256GB)
What We Liked: Though it’s expensive, the 12.9-inch Apple iPad Pro is so worth it if you need tons of storage space, two stellar cameras and cool features, like the Apple pencil. It’s the thinnest iPad ever, so you won’t feel like you’re lugging around a mini computer here.
Amazon Fire HD 10
What We Liked: The Amazon FIre HD 10 is a great value for the money, which is why it’s our Best Value pick for tablets. It comes with Alexa hands-free built in, which means you can use your voice to pause shows, play music, open apps and more.
Apple iPad, 9.7-inch (128GB)
What We Liked: With the 9.7-inch Apple iPad, you’ll get an incredible 128 gigs of storage and tons of bells and whistles for a price that won’t break the bank. This iPad has an 8 megapixel back camera and a 1.2 megapixel FaceTime front camera, plus it can run for up to 10 hours without needing a charge.
Our Tablet Buying Guide
Whether you’re bored on the train or stranded in your doctor’s waiting room, a tablet can keep you entertained. Depending on the apps you’ve downloaded, you can work, read, catch up on your favorite TV show or just play a quick game of Candy Crush Saga.
But when it comes to tablets, not all are created equal. The iPad may have become synonymous with the model, but there are many other versions available. Amazon’s Kindle, which started out as a simple e-reader, has expanded to include apps, games and video streaming. Over time, this has put it on par with all the other tablets on the market.
If you’re shopping for a tablet, though, there are plenty of things to consider. First of all, where will you be using it? If you see yourself lounging by the pool this summer and catching up on the latest beach reads, outside screen visibility is a huge factor. On the other hand, if you think you’ll be downloading hours of Netflix movies to watch on your overseas flight, storage is a must.
In most areas, you can’t go wrong with an iPad. But whether you choose the standard or Pro model also depends on your own unique needs. The newer Pro releases feature the much-touted liquid retina display, which offers a viewing experience like no other. But you’ll have to pay extra for that, so it’s important to know in advance how much the feature matters to you.
Headphone jacks are also an important issue if you’re buying a tablet. As with the iPhone, newer iPads feature only a lightning port, which makes it difficult to charge your tablet and listen to audio at the same time. You’ll also need to consider what accessories you need, including whether you need a keyboard or what type of case you want.
As important as the viewing experience is, though, portability is also a significant factor. Unless you’re going for an iPad Mini, you’ll get the smallest and most lightweight tablet with the Amazon Fire HD 8. It may not seem like much at the moment, but when you’re sliding your tablet into your backpack to take with you on vacation, every extra ounce will matter.
Lastly, your budget will factor heavily into the type of tablet you buy. Although tablets are largely more affordable than laptops, there is still a wide variation in price between the Kindle Fire and any of the latest iPads. If you’re simply looking for a device for reading books and playing a few games, the Fire may do the trick. However, for fuller functionality, you may want to save enough to go for the pricier iPad.
DWYM Fun Fact
If you’re going to invest in a tablet, you may as well learn all the cool things you can do with it. Yet many owners have their devices for years without knowing all of their capabilities. You can use an app called Splashtop to get to your other computers from wherever you are and stream photos and video from your tablet to your TV. If you have an Amazon Fire Stick, you can see what’s on your Fire HD 8 tablet on your TV screen using Display Mirroring. And this doesn’t even include the many extra activities and features you can access once you download the right apps.
The Tablet Tips and Advice
- One of the best things about a tablet is that you can take it on the go. If you want to slide it into a purse or laptop bag, though, size does matter. The Amazon Fire 10 is smaller than the latest iPads on the market, with dimensions of 10.3” X 6.3” and thicknesses of 0.4.” If you’re looking at iPads, though, the standard iPad will be the smallest, at 9.4” X 6.6” and 0.29” thickness.
- As crucial as portability is, you also need an adequate screen size for screening videos, playing games or whatever activities you plan to do on your tablet. The nearly 10-inch height of the iPad Pro is designed for that reason. On the latest iPad Pro, you’ll get an 11-inch display, compared to the 10-inch display of the more compact Amazon Fire HD 10.
- Size isn’t the only factor when considering a tablet’s screen. iPads feature a liquid retina display, which uses a larger number of pixels to create a screen as smooth as print on paper. Although the Fire HD 10 boasts a 1920 X 1200 high-definition picture, the difference is very noticeable when compared side by side with an iPad.
- As you’re toting your tablet around, weight becomes an increasingly important issue. Weight is pretty straightforward with the iPad and iPad Pro, which all measure 1.03 pounds with the Wi-Fi model. Add an additional 0.02 pounds for the cellular-enabled model. You’ll save a little weight with the Amazon Fire 10, which totals only 17.7 ounces.
- One weakness of tablets has been outdoor readability. If you’re planning to pack up your tablet and take your favorite beach read to the actual beach, that’s an important feature. Although nothing beats a paper-based book or even the Kindle Paperwhite, the retina display on the iPad 7 and 8 comes close. You’ll also find the Fire HD 10’s automatic lighting adjustment works well when you’re outside.
- Today’s top tablets automatically adjust to the lighting in the room you’re in. If this is important to you, stick with the Fire HD 10 or iPad Pro since the regular iPad doesn’t have that feature.
- If you’re planning to watch movies or play games on your tablet, power is everything. The Kindle Fire falls short in this area, but you can take your pick of the iPad editions. For best results, splurge on the latest iPad Pro, which promises to be three times faster than previous editions.
- Tablets can be great for storing music and photos. You can even download movies and TV shows to watch when you’ll be away from Wi-Fi for a while. But you’ll need plenty of storage for this. The latest iPad offers up to a full terabyte of storage, provided you buy the most expensive version. The Fire HD 10 offers only 32 GB of storage, but you can expand up to 400 GB using a MicroSD card.
- You’re probably planning to watch films or TV series on your new tablet. For that, you’ll need a headphone jack, especially if you’ll be listening in public. One negative to the latest iPads: the lack of a headphone jack, which means you’ll need a special lightning-equipped set of earbuds to listen. Even then, if you’re trying to charge and listen, you’ll run into trouble since there’s only one jack for that. If headphones matter to you, consider the Fire HD 10, which has a standard 3.5mm stereo jack.
- Before you buy, decide whether you’ll need to be able to move files from your tablet to another device. Much of this sort of thing is done through the iCloud these days, but with Apple, it can be complicated if your other devices aren’t Apple products. The Kindle Fire isn’t much better. In either case, you’ll need to connect your device using a USB and move the files manually.
- Apps are an important part of tablet ownership. It’s important to note that with any Amazon tablet, you’ll need access to an Amazon Prime membership to listen to music and watch movies. The iPad, however, lets you download whatever apps you need, although you’ll still need to pay for many of them. With the Samsung Galaxy tablet, you can download apps through Google Play.
- Every tablet needs accessories. Look into the options for keyboards and covers. If a keyboard is important to you, you’ll want to stick with the iPad Pro, since the standard version doesn’t have the keyboard connector.
- Tablets can find themselves in some precarious situations, often landing in the hands of children or enduring adventure-filled vacations. That makes ruggedness an important consideration. Neither Amazon’s nor Apple’s models are waterproof, nor are they designed to withstand extreme conditions. However, you can buy cases that will offer protection.
- If you’re heading out for the day, it’s important to have a tablet that will last. The latest iPad Pro promises up to 10 hours of battery life. The Fire HD 10 promises the same, but the battery tends to drain much faster if you’re doing activities like streaming video.
- When your battery does run down, it can help to have a battery that charges fairly quickly. The newer iPads feature Apple’s quick-charging capabilities, but you’ll need the right accessories.
- Digital pencils are all the rage. If you want to draw, handwrite or just make gaming a little easier, consider an iPad. The latest models are all compatible with the Apple Pencil.
- All that aside, though, price is perhaps the biggest differentiator. You can get a new Amazon Fire HD 10 for around $120 — even cheaper if you catch it on sale. The standard iPad goes for around $350, while Pro versions tend to be more in the $1,000 range.
- It’s worth noting that tablet design hasn’t changed much since Microsoft revealed the first one in 2000. The design was very similar to what’s seen on the market today. In 2002, Microsoft launched a version with Windows XP that continued the design.
About The Author
Stephanie Faris is a former information technology professional who spent most of her career working with computers and printers. Now a novelist and professional writer, her writings on electronics have been published on top tech sites. When she isn't writing about technology, she's often checking out the latest news on the upcoming iPhone release.
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