The Best Tablets for Work and Play

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  Photograph: Apple 

  Best for Most People

  Apple iPad (10.2-Inch, 2020)

  The standard iPad is the best tablet for most people. It's mostly the same as the 2019 model, but Apple's 2020 refresh added a more powerful chip—the A12 Bionic, the same processor that powers the iPhone XS from 2018. That makes it snappy enough to run almost every iPadOS app or game. The 10.2-inch screen can feel cramped at times, specifically if you're using it for light work, but it's great for watching movies or shows in bed. And yes, you can do some office work on it, thanks to its mouse and trackpad support. There's a Smart Connector hookup for attaching Apple's Smart Keyboard ($150 from Amazon) too.

  The only real gripe is the same as the 2019 model: There's a larger air gap between the glass and screen than on the iPad Air, Mini, and Pro. When you touch the screen, there's some discernible space between your fingertip and the actual pixels, which makes using the iPad feel just a little less natural. For this reason, the base iPad isn't our top choice if you're planning to make heavy use of the Apple Pencil, though the $99 accessory is compatible and works just fine.

• Photograph: Apple 

  A Good Upgrade

  Apple iPad Air (10.9-inch, 2020)

  If you want a more modern-looking tablet, try Apple's 2020 iPad Air. It brings many of the same features from the pricier iPad Pro, like slim bezels, no home button, USB-C for charging, and support for the second-generation Apple Pencil ($125 at Amazon), which magnetically attaches to the slate and wirelessly recharges while stuck there. The Air also adds similar performance, thanks to the latest A14 Bionic chip inside (the same processor in the iPhone 12). That makes it powerful for any task, even bulky video and photo editing. There's no Face ID, but Touch ID is integrated into the power button—a first for Apple.

  The 10.9-inch LCD screen gives you a slightly larger canvas to work off of compared to the iPad above, and the laminated display offers a more natural drawing experience because there's less distance between the glass and pixels. There are some complaints about the screen's backlight bleeding in from the edges, which is noticeable when watching movies. It's something WIRED writer Lauren Goode encountered in her review unit.

  ★ The Ultimate iPad: The 12.9-inch 2021 iPad Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is much more expensive at $1,099, but it's more feature-rich. The large screen makes it a great canvas for drawing. It has new Mini-LED backlighting technology that outputs a brighter display with better contrast, and the M1 chip delivers more power. You also get a 120-Hz screen refresh rate, two more speakers, 5G, Thunderbolt support, and Face ID, among other features. A cheaper 11-inch model is also available but it doesn't use the new Mini-LED display. 

• Photograph: Apple

  Best Portable Tablet

  Apple iPad Mini (7.9-inch, 2019)

  After letting it go stale for more than three years, Apple took the time to update the iPad Mini 4 in 2019. Predictably, we love it (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It's faster than the old model and now compatible with the first-gen Apple Pencil. The main reason to buy this is if you prioritize portability. Smaller kids have an easier time using it, and it's fantastic for travel. You may want to invest in a stand-up case.

• Photograph: Amazon

  Best Tablet Under $200

  Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021)

  Amazon's Fire tablets aren't for everyone. They really push Amazon Prime services and apps, and they're best for more passive tasks like playing games and watching movies. There's no Google Play Store, so not every Android app is readily available. But for $150, it's hard to beat the 2021 Fire HD 10 (7/10, WIRED Recommends), which is our favorite Fire Tablet. It has enough power for most tasks, even some light work if you snag the “Productivity Bundle” Amazon sells, which includes a Bluetooth keyboard case and a year of Microsoft 365. 

  There's a USB-C port, so there's a good chance you can charge it with the same cable as your laptop or Android phone, and it has hands-free Alexa support, meaning it can double as an Echo Show. If you snag the Fire HD 10 Plus model, you get an extra gig of RAM and wireless charging. With the latter, you can convert it into a smart display by pairing it with Amazon's official wireless charging dock.

  Note: Amazon steeply discounts its Fire tablets on Prime Day and Black Friday, so if you can, you should wait until those sale events to buy one. 

• Photograph: Amazon

  Best Tablet Under $100

  Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020)

  The newest Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 8 Plus tablets from Amazon bring many of the same improvements found on the Fire HD 10 from 2019, including better performance, a USB-C charging port, stereo sound, and hands-free Alexa. You get all that in the same travel-friendly 8-inch size. The screen isn't as nice as the Fire HD 10's, and it can be a little tough to see images and text clearly if you're outside, but this is the best tablet you can get without spending a lot of money.

  Paying the extra $20 for the Fire HD 8 Plus is wise, as it nets you extra RAM (which helps when you're scrolling the web or juggling multiple apps) and wireless charging, so you can recharge it on almost any wireless charger. You can also use Amazon's wireless charging dock, which also props up the tablet and turns it into an Echo Show while it's juicing up. Either way, consider picking up Amazon's magnetic cover to hold the tablet steady when you're binging TV shows.

• Photograph: Amazon

  Best Kids Tablet

  Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition

  When you're giving a tablet to a kid, you want something durable and cheap. That way if it breaks, a replacement won't be too costly. Amazon offers kid-friendly versions of all its Fire tablets, and the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition sits in the sweet spot of having a kid-friendly size and a wallet-friendly price. It's the exact same as the Fire HD 8 above, but the extra $50 gets you a bulky case to keep the tablet protected, and a two-year worry-free damage plan. That means if your kid breaks it, you can return it and Amazon will send you a replacement for free. You also get a year of Amazon's Kids+ service, which provides access to kid-friendly books, movies, games, and apps, all with parental controls. It's $3 per month after the first year.

  The Fire HD 10 Kids Edition comes in two variants. One for kids aged 3 to 7, and a Kids Pro Edition for kids aged 6 to 12. Both are pricier and might be too big for younger children to comfortably use.

  $140 at Amazon
• Photograph: Walmart

  Best Cheap Android Tablet

  Walmart Onn 10.1 Tablet

  My expectations were low for this ultra-cheap 10.1-inch tablet from Walmart's in-house Onn brand, but I was pleasantly surprised. Despite the quad-core MediaTek processor and paltry 2 gigabytes of RAM, performance is decently smooth. Mind you, I wasn't doing particularly intensive tasks—just browsing Twitter, Reddit, and some news apps—but I was able to run games like Alto's Odyssey without any game-disrupting stutters, and it even juggled multiple apps when I was planning an upcoming trip. That's nuts for a $105 price tag.

  It has a USB-C port, battery life that lasts several days (if you don't use it 24/7), and you can expand the 32 gigabytes of storage with a MicroSD card. It does have a few weak links: The LCD screen's 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution isn't sharp, but I still found it OK for watching YouTube and shows before bed. There's a persistent Walmart icon near the Android navigation buttons that you can't remove. (You'll see ads from the Walmart app too, but you can disable it.) Software updates are the real problem. It's currently outdated, running Android 10, and it hasn't seen a security update since November 2020. But it's slim pickings for Android slates with the Google Play Store, and this is about as cheap as they come.  

  Another Cheap Option: Lenovo's Smart Tab M10 HD ($156) is weirdly a little more stuttery than the Onn, but it's good enough for casual browsing. I used it to follow a recipe in the kitchen with no trouble, and despite the low-res screen, I watched Mulan before bed. (It has decent speakers!) It comes with a dock that turns it into a Google Assistant smart display while it's charging.

  $105 at Walmart

• Photograph: Samsung 

  Best Android Tablet

  Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ and S7

  If you're firmly anti-iPad but you want something powerful for work and play, the Tab S7+ is our top-performing Android pick. It has a quad-speaker setup that rivals the iPad Pro's audio, and the 12.4-inch OLED screen with its 120-Hz refresh rate turns it into one of the best tablets for consuming media and playing games. Samsung's S Pen is included, so you can start drawing and sketching right away without having to spend extra on accessories. This tablet comes with Samsung's DeX software that converts Android into a desktop-like computing interface when you need it. Run DeX mode with the keyboard cover ($131) and the Tab S7+ becomes a decent productivity tool.

  Like the iPad Pro, the Tab S7+ is spendy. If you don't mind a smaller 11-inch screen that uses an LCD panel instead of OLED (blacks won't look as deep nor colors as vibrant), get the Tab S7. The rest of the features are nearly the same, but you'll save some money. Both models have a version with LTE/5G, in case you need connectivity outside the house or office.

  Another Alternative: You can save a little if you go with Lenovo's P11 Pro. It's cheaper than the S7+ and has a nicer 11.5-inch OLED screen than the standard Tab S7. It performs well, has good speakers, and comes with a keyboard and trackpad combo for around $500. It's not a laptop replacement, but it's great for media consumption and maybe some very light work. 

• Photograph: Microsoft 

  Best 2-in-1 Tablet

  Microsoft Surface Pro 7 (12.3-Inch, 2019)

  If you're looking for a tablet that can slot more seamlessly into your business life, the Surface Pro 7 is worth a look. It's one of Microsoft's premium devices and is basically a big 12-inch tablet that runs a full version of Windows 10, so it runs all the same apps as your Windows laptop. It also has a really nice adjustable kickstand, and it magnetically connects to Microsoft's Type Cover, the best tablet keyboard on the market. (The keyboard costs an extra $160.) Sometimes you'll wish the Surface Pro's kickstand was less awkward to use in your lap, and Windows 10 still isn't the best for touch-controlled apps, but the tablet is more powerful than a lot of laptops, and it beats any iPad for desktop-grade tasks.

  We also like the Surface Go 2 as a cheaper option. It's not as powerful, so it's better suited for simpler tasks like writing emails, browsing the web, and watching Netflix.

  We recommend the Surface Pro 7 with the Intel Core i5 CPU, 8 GB of RAM, and 128-GB SSD for most people.

• Photograph: Microsoft 

  Most Powerful 2-in-1

  Microsoft Surface Book 3

  This is a more extreme option, but if you want a powerful machine that runs desktop Windows and has the option to use it as a tablet for watching Netflix, the Surface Book 3 is the way to go. Just keep in mind that it's a laptop first, with a wonderful keyboard, a nice trackpad, and a beautiful 13.5-inch screen. It also lasts a long time between charges, thanks to the batteries in the keyboard and the screen.

  Detaching the screen is quite simple, but unfortunately, there's no built-in kickstand like the one you'll find on the Surface Go 2. So you'll have to get creative when you want to prop it up in tablet mode. No stylus is included either, so you'll have to pay extra if you want to sketch on it. A stylus is worth it too, as Windows doesn't have the best touch interface. Still, it's perfectly fine for reading and watching movies. If you're looking to replace your laptop and want the keyboard-free experience of a tablet, you can't go wrong with this upscale Surface.

  We recommend the Surface Book 3 with at least the Intel Core i5 CPU, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256-GB SSD.