Straddling the gulf that looms between computers and smartphones, there sits the tablet. It’s become a gadget staple for work, creativity and entertainment.
Artists love to sketch and paint on their expansive screens, gamers spend hours prodding and swiping in pursuit of high scores. TV addicts stream content from their laps. Info junkies scroll through gorgeously rendered websites. All on a device so slim it makes the average laptop look positively unwieldy.
But which are this year’s best tablets? With price and specification varying greatly, we’ve split our awards into two distinct and self-explanatory categories: premium and affordable. So whether you’re willing to spend the big bucks or looking for a bargain, we’ve picked out a winner for you.
Premium tablet of the year: Apple iPad Pro M4
Yes, we know it costs almost as much as a MacBook, but the latest iPad Pro is just irrepressible, building powerful enhancements onto the excellent foundations laid down by previous generations. The last one was good, certainly, but this one makes a staggering number of improvements.
And it’s thinner too! No, really: at just over 5mm, this is the thinnest product Apple has ever made. There’s so much more to love too: the glorious colours, vibrancy and detail of the screen; the sizzling potency of Apple’s M4 chip, which serves up more oomph than most people will ever need; and the new Apple Pencil Pro, as capable a creative partner as this tab deserves.
Highly commended
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra
Does anyone need a 14.6in tablet? One that’ll cost more than a laptop when tricked out with all the trimmings? Samsung’s bumper slate may lack mass appeal but, with this much productivity muscle, who cares? The highlight might be the reflection-foxing 2960 x 1849 resolution OLED screen.
Also shortlisted
OnePlus Pad 2, Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro)
Affordable tablet of the year: Lenovo Tab Plus
We love the Tab Plus’s built-in kickstand and can’t fathom why more manufacturers don’t add one – but that’s far from the only reason it swept up this award. Team up that stand with a detailed 11.5in LCD screen and eight JBL-tuned speakers, and you’ve got a very serviceable portable entertainment system that’ll take your Netflix binges on the road. The speakers are a particular highlight, with volume that’ll put most cheap Bluetooth speakers to shame.
Sprinkle in impressive battery life, strong yet stylish build quality and the inclusion of expandable storage, and you’ve got a tasty slate stew going – the only unwelcome flavours being the average (even for an affordable tablet) performance and the fact that Lenovo is only promising support for two more generations of Android.
Highly commended
Honor Pad 9
For those on a truly limited budget, this tab is hard to beat. It’s respectable in all fields – screen, hardware – and while its average camera, battery life and wafty software update promise prevented it from securing this year’s top spot, it really does feel like a whole heap of tablet for a small mound of change. A solid Android alternative to the cheapest iPad.
