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13 best tablets for 2023 tried and tested, from Apple iPad models to Samsung Galaxy

These sleek, smart tablet models have come a long way since Apple’s breakthrough product

David Phelan
Tuesday 20 June 2023 16:51 BST
<p>We considered how easy it was to set up and use, the display, battery life and speeds in our testing </p>

We considered how easy it was to set up and use, the display, battery life and speeds in our testing

Tablets have come a long way since Apple launched the iPad over a decade ago. It wasn’t the first tablet on the market, but it was – and remains – the most important. Its sleek design, unbelievably intuitive interface and its carefully optimised apps made it an immediate hit, and successive releases have added to all of these.

The range of available apps is now around 1.8 million, and the ones for the iPad are either unique to, or optimised for, the larger display a tablet offers. Apple’s range still dominates, but there are plenty of other brands that have made tablets of their own.

For value, it’s hard to beat the basic but highly useful fire range from Amazon. Samsung makes tablets with high-end OLED screens. And Microsoft squeezes a full-on Windows computer into a thin glass-and-metal slab. All have wifi connectivity and a few, mostly from Apple and Microsoft, have options with cellular connectivity so you can stay online wherever there’s a mobile signal – though these cellular options have a price premium.

No longer is a tablet just a convenient way to consume video or read an ebook. Now, you can use it like a regular laptop with a keyboard option, a digital canvas with the addition of a stylus or play thousands of video games.

How we tested

The first test was how easy it was to set up, and how quickly you could use it after opening the box. How straightforward was it to use, and, if this isn’t your first smart device, how quickly it could transfer your personal data to it. Apple’s system was almost impossible to beat in this regard: place the iPad near to your old iPhone or iPad and leave the two gadgets to get on with it.

We asked how good the screen was, how rich and detailed, how easy it was to see in sunlight, and how faithful an experience it was when it came to video playback, including how it sounds. Other concerns were battery life, of course, and how fast and responsive the processor is. Some tablets really struggle if you make a halfway decent demand of them, others soaraway whatever you throw at them.

And then there’s price: since the fastest tablets are nearly always the most expensive, do you need all that processing power or should you manage with something cheaper but still fast enough? Read on for the answers.

These are the best tablets for 2023:

  • Best overall – Apple iPad pro 12.9in: £899, Apple.com
  • Best Amazon tablet – Amazon fire hd 10 plus: £189.99, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best Google tablet – Google Pixel Tablet: £599, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best value Apple tablet – Apple iPad tenth-generation: £499, Apple.com
  • Best Android tablet – Samsung galaxy tab s7 fe: £479, Samsung.com

Apple iPad pro 12.9in

Apple iPad pro 12.9in.jpg
  • Best: Overall
  • Operating system: Apple iPadOS 16
  • Screen size: 12.9in
  • Screen resolution: 264 pixels per inch
  • Storage capacity: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
  • Wifi or wifi and 4G? : Both available, cellular goes to 5G
  • Colour choices: Space Grey, silver
  • Dimensions: 280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.4mm
  • Weight: 682g
  • Expandable storage : No
  • Battery life: 10 hours

This tablet is far from cheap, but its outlandishly fast processor, striking display and cutting-edge design make it easily the best you can buy. Apple’s latest iPad pro uses, in the larger 12.9in display version only, a whole new screen technology. It’s still an LCD screen, like every other iPad, but it has 10,000 tiny backlights. This means the backlights can be turned on and off in zones, in turn yielding greater contrast, deeper black tones and more eye-catching colours. And, as on the latest iPhones, it also uses Face ID.

This was the first Apple tablet with 5G compatibility, in those models with cellular connectivity, though this is now on almost every model. Apple has used its own silicon to power the iPad pro and this has now reached the latest chip, the Apple M2. It is amazingly capable and is faster than many high-end laptops, not to mention any other available tablet. For many people, this could be overkill, but for those who need the fastest, most powerful device, or for anyone who wants the best display, this is your standout choice.

  1. £899 from Apple.com
Prices may vary
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Amazon Fire HD 10 plus

Amazon fire hd 10 plus indybest.jpeg
  • Best: Amazon tablet
  • Operating system : Amazon Fire OS
  • Screen size: 10in
  • Screen resolution : 224 pixels per inch
  • Storage capacity : 32GB, 64GB
  • Wifi or wifi and 4g?: Wifi only
  • Colour choices : Slate
  • Dimensions : 247mm x 166mm x 9.2mm
  • Weight: 468g
  • Expandable storage : Yes
  • Battery life : 12 hours

The Fire HD 10 plus tablet has a 10.1in display and the latest version has a more powerful processor and improved operating memory to make it extra-fast. Not to mention that the battery life is excellent.

Overall, this is a highly enjoyable tablet to use. It has a wake screen with ads on it, but you can choose to pay an extra £10 so you never see these, or pay £10 at any time after purchase to banish them forever. The Amazon Fire OS is based on Android but has a much smaller range of apps – though there are still over half a million to choose from – but each one has been tested to ensure there are no nasty surprises.

The Fire HD 10 Plus, rarely for a tablet, can be charged wirelessly with a compatible charger. There’s also a Plus Productivity bundle which is remarkable value. It includes the tablet, a keyboard case and a year’s subscription to Microsoft 365 so you can use it like a full-on laptop with Microsoft Office apps. This set-up costs from £249.97.

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Google Pixel Tablet

google pixel tablet
  • Best: Google tablet
  • Operating system: Android 14
  • Screen size: 9.8in
  • Screen resolution : 2560 x 1600 pixels
  • Storage capacity: 128GB or 256GB
  • Wifi or wifi and 4G? : Wifi only
  • Colour choices: Porcelain, hazel, rose
  • Dimensions: 25.8cm x 16.9cm x 8.1 cm
  • Weight: 493g
  • Expandable storage: No
  • Battery life: 12 hours

Google’s first tablet since it gave up on the Pixel Slate back in 2018, the Pixel Tablet is a genuinely clever hybrid of a smart home display and a traditional tablet. It comes with a stylish fabric-wrapped charging stand included. Pop the tablet on it when you’re not using it and it becomes a digital photo frame, smart home hub and smart speaker in one. It easily detaches from its magnetic mount and recognises multiple users’ fingerprints, so anyone in the house can pick it up and see just their own data on the device. There’s a guest mode too, which is convenient if you’re hosting people and you’re not around.

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Apple iPad air

best tablet
  • Best: For design
  • Operating system: Apple iPadOS 16
  • Screen size: 10.9in
  • Screen resolution : 264 pixels per inch
  • Storage capacity : 64GB, 256GB
  • Wifi or wifi and 4G: Both available, cellular goes to 5G
  • Colour choices: Space grey, starlight, pink, purple, blue
  • Dimensions: 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 6.1mm
  • Weight: 461g
  • Expandable storage : No
  • Battery life: 10 hours

The latest iPad air was released in March 2022, and it looks tremendous. It has a similar design to the much pricier iPad pro (from £899, Apple.com) and it’s available in five colours: space grey, starlight, pink, purple and blue, all of which are eye-catching.

The iPad air display is slightly smaller than the one on the 11in iPad pro, measuring 10.9in. But, like the pro, this is an all-screen device, which you unlock using a touch ID fingerprint in the power button on the top edge. Like all current iPads, except the ninth-generation model, the lightning socket which charges iPhones has been switched to the more common USB-C. This means it’s simple to find the right cable and it can output what’s on screens to other displays easily.

The flat-edge design means it works with the second-generation Apple pencil stylus which snaps magnetically to the right side. It’s also compatible with the new magic keyboard accessory which offers a backlit keyboard with highly comfortable keys and a useful trackpad. With this in place, the air becomes a decent laptop substitute.

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Microsoft surface pro 9

best tablet
  • Best: Windows tablet for power
  • Operating system : Windows 11
  • Screen size: 13in
  • Screen resolution: 267 pixels per inch
  • Storage capacity: 128GB, 256GB, 512 GB, 1TB
  • Wifi or wifi and 4G?: Both available, cellular goes to 5G
  • Colour choices: Sapphire, forest, platinum, graphite
  • Dimensions: 287mm x 209mm x 9.3mm
  • Weight: 878g
  • Expandable storage : Yes
  • Battery life: 15.5 hours

Microsoft’s trademark design for its surface tablets, which is on the back, is a panel that folds out to be a kickstand so you can stand the screen at lots of different angles. Where the iPad pro has one USB-C socket, the surface has two, which adds to versatility. You can also configure the RAM which helps the tablet run faster – this is something you can’t adjust with the iPad, for instance. And, like the iPad, it can work as a laptop alternative if you add an optional type cover, from £159.99. A surface slim pen 2 lets you write or draw on the display and costs £119.99. These push the cost up but give you an especially capable Windows device.

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Apple iPad tenth-generation

best tablet
  • Best: Apple tablet for value
  • Operating system: Apple iPadOS 16
  • Screen size: 10.9in
  • Screen resolution: 264 pixels per inch
  • Storage capacity: 64GB, 256GB
  • Wifi or wifi and 4G?: Both available, cellular goes to 5G
  • Colour choices: Silver, pink, blue, yellow
  • Dimensions : 248.6mm x 179.5mm x 7mm
  • Weight: 477g
  • Expandable storage : No
  • Battery life: 10 hours

There are now two versions of the entry-level tablet. Unusually, Apple has kept the previous, ninth-generation model in the range. It’s a lot cheaper, and you can read about it below, but the tenth-generation model is arguably the winner in the range, especially for value.

First, it has upgraded the design to match the air, pro and mini (from £569, Apple.com) tablets, with cliff-edge flat sides and an all-screen front. Like the air, the tenth-generation iPad has a touch ID sensor mounted in the power button, which works quickly and flawlessly. It also uses a USB-C connector instead of lightning one. And the display is bigger, matching the size of the air at 10.9in while barely increasing the tablet’s overall dimensions.

Like the ninth-generation model, though, it is only compatible with the first-generation pencil, not the improved version used on the air, pro and mini. Because the tablet’s connector doesn’t match the one at the top of the pencil, it means it links by cable to the tablet to charge it, which is a less elegant solution.

This apart, the tenth-generation iPad is stunning value thanks to its great looks and outstandingly fast processor which is easily powerful enough for most users. It’s also the only iPad with the front-facing camera on the long side, not the short, making it excellent for video conferencing.

  1. £499 from Apple.com
Prices may vary
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Amazon fire 7

Amazon fire 7 indybest.jpeg
  • Best: Amazon tablet for value
  • Operating system: Amazon Fire OS
  • Screen size: 7in
  • Screen resolution: 171 pixels per inch
  • Storage capacity: 16GB, 32GB
  • Wifi or wifi and 4G? : Wifi
  • Colour choices: Black, rose, denim
  • Dimensions : 181mm x 118mm x 9.7mm
  • Weight: 282g
  • Expandable storage: Yes
  • Battery life: 10 hours

The latest entry-level fire tablet is pricier than the last one, but it has a faster processor and much longer battery life, now matching the iPad. It’s still hard to find a cheaper tablet from a decent brand. The 7in display means this is lightweight and effortlessly portable. The screen is fine, though others have higher resolution. It works especially well for books and audio books, though the e-paper screen of Amazon’s dedicated Kindle ebook readers is easier on the eye. If you’ve bought Amazon movies, Kindle books and Audible audiobooks, they are automatically available. Storage is less than on many rivals but enough for most users. And at £64.99, the price is the real thing to notice here.

  1. £64 from Amazon.co.uk
Prices may vary
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Microsoft surface go 3

best tablet
  • Best: Windows tablet for value
  • Operating system : Windows 11
  • Screen size: 10.5in
  • Screen resolution : 220 pixels per inch
  • Storage capacity: 64GB, 128GB
  • Wifi or wifi and 4G?: Both available
  • Colour choices: Platinum, matte black
  • Dimensions : 245mm x175mm x 8.3mm
  • Weight: 544g
  • Expandable storage: Yes
  • Battery life: 10 hours

Microsoft’s range of surface tablets can also double as laptops if you add the typecover (£124.99, Microsoft.com), a sturdy keyboard that fits to the front of the tablet which is separately available. This is the smallest surface, with a 10.5in display. Even so, it runs a full version of Windows, so has access to a huge range of programs and apps.

It comes in what’s called S Mode, meaning it only works with apps available in the Microsoft Store. If you want other programs, or prefer Chrome to Edge as your browser, for instance, you can choose to switch out of S Mode. It’s free to do this but it is a one-way switch. Notable for their great build quality, Surface tablets also have a distinctive style which includes a built-in kickstand so you can use the tablet in a variety of positions.

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Samsung galaxy tab s7 fe

Samsung galaxy tab s7 fe.jpg
  • Best: Android tablet
  • Operating system: Android
  • Screen size: 12.4in
  • Screen resolution : 243 pixels per inch
  • Storage capacity : 64GB, 128GB
  • Wifi or wifi and 4G?: Both available, cellular goes to 5G
  • Colour choices: Mystic black, mystic pink, mystic silver, mystic green
  • Dimensions: 285mm x 185.3mm x 6.3mm
  • Weight: 608g
  • Expandable storage: Yes
  • Battery life: 13 hours

Samsung’s tablet looks glorious, with a pin-sharp LCD display and a fast processor which is highly responsive. With its flat edges, rounded corners and a stylus which attaches to the tablet magnetically, it bears a passing resemblance to the iPad pro or iPad air. However, the Samsung S pen, which is colour-matched to the tablet, is bundled in the box, unlike Apple’s optional pencil. Here, it clips to the rear of the tablet which is not quite as secure a storage place as the pencil which clings to the iPad air’s side. Still, there’s an optional rear cover which protects the metal back of the tablet and holds the S Pen safely.

The design is light and thin and the pastel colour options look great. The FE is a more affordable version of the S7+ but, apart from the switch from OLED to LCD for the screen, few corners have been cut. Although the range of apps fully optimised for a tablet are far fewer than the iPad boasts, this tablet makes them look and perform their best.

  1. £479 from Samsung.com
Prices may vary
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Nokia T21

best tablet
  • Best: Value Android tablet
  • Operating system: Android
  • Screen size: 10.36in
  • Screen resolution : 224 pixels per inch
  • Storage capacity : 64GB, 128GB
  • Wifi or wifi and 4G? : Both
  • Colour choice: Charcoal
  • Weight: 466g
  • Expandable storage: Yes
  • Battery life: 13 hours

The bright, high-resolution display, matte metal back and the presence of a SIM card tray for 4G connectivity makes this appear far from a budget choice – until you look at the price tag. Nokia’s tablet looks good and feels light and comfortable in the hand. Unlike many tablets, it has a headphone jack, which is handy if you don’t want to use wireless headphones.

Although the bezels around the display are wide, there’s a classy look to the tablet thanks to curved corners to the screen. Battery life is good, lasting a full day’s usage with ease. But if there’s a downside, it’s that this is not the fastest tablet around, with a short pause before an app or a web page opens, and this can grow annoying. But for a good-looking tablet with a sim card slot it’s hard to beat.

  1. £199 from Nokia.com
Prices may vary
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Honor pad X8

best tablet
  • Best: For tight budgets
  • Operating system: Android
  • Screen size: 10.1in
  • Screen resolution : 224 pixels per inch
  • Storage capacity : 64GB
  • Wifi: Wifi or wifi and 4G?
  • Colour choices : Blue hour
  • Dimensions: 240.2mm x 159mm x 7.6mm
  • Weight: 460g
  • Expandable storage: Yes
  • Battery life: 12 hours

The Honor pad X8 is very keenly priced, partly because the built-in storage is just 64GB. However, since much content such as video is often streamed rather than stored, that might not be a deal breaker. Also, you can add extra storage through a memory card slot if you come to need it.

The display is decent enough, looking similar to Nokia’s T21 (£199, Nokia.com), though it’s not quite as big and has sharp corners to the screen (not to the tablet itself, obviously). The design is demurely understated, though the deep blue colour of the back looks good. The home screen looks very similar to an iPad, with a dock of popular apps at the base. Performance is reliable, but not supremely fast.

This is the lowest-cost tablet here, apart from the smaller Amazon fire 7 (£64.99, Amazon.co.uk), and it performs better than the price tag would suggest.

  1. £139 from Hihonor.com
Prices may vary
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Oppo pad air

best tablet
  • Best: For slim design
  • Operating system: Android
  • Screen size: 10.36in
  • Screen resolution : 225 pixels per inch
  • Storage capacity : 64GB, 128GB
  • Wifi or wifi and 4G? : Wifi
  • Colour choices: Silver, grey
  • Dimensions: 24mm5 x 155mm x 6.9mm
  • Weight: 440g
  • Expandable storage: Yes
  • Battery life: 10 hours

Try not to get the names confused here, but like the iPad Air, Oppo’s pad air is slim and has sharp edges and flat sides. The Oppo has a textured top panel on the back, which looks good next to the aluminium panel. It’s light and slim, but feels solid, with no flex if you try to twist it. The display is good, very similar to the Nokia model, and makes video and games look good (though more advanced games such as 3D titles may stutter). Battery life is average, which also applies to performance.

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Apple iPad ninth-generation

best tablet
  • Best: iPad for affordability
  • Operating system: Apple iPadOS 16
  • Screen size: 10.2in
  • Screen resolution : 264 pixels per inch
  • Storage capacity : 64GB, 256GB
  • Wifi or wifi and 4G? : Both
  • Colour choices: Space grey, silver
  • Dimensions: 250.6mm x 174.1mm x 7.5mm
  • Weight: 487g
  • Expandable storage: No
  • Battery life: 10 hours

Even though this is the cheapest iPad in the range, it has a lot in it, making it excellent value. There’s nothing basic about it, with its premium build quality and materials (glass and aluminium). And the storage levels on board have recently increased to match the pricier tenth-generation model (from £499, Apple.com).

It’s now the only iPad with a fingerprint sensor on the front of the screen, but as well as working as a tablet, by adding a keyboard and Apple pencil, it becomes a light, affordable laptop. The display is 10.2in, an increase to the 9.7in screen on most previous iPads. The design was also refined to make the iPad slimmer and lighter – though it arguably looks old-fashioned when compared to the rest of the range.

  1. £369 from Apple.com
Prices may vary
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Tablet FAQs

What is a tablet?

A tablet is a small, portable computing device that has a touch screen interface and is designed to be held in one or two hands. It lets you do many of the same things you’d do on your computer or laptop, such as browse the Internet, use social media apps, emails and video calls, and much like your mobile, a tablet can have apps installed on it and you can watch videos. They provide a convenient way of accessing content on-the-go.

How to connect a tablet to a TV

Connecting your tablet to your TV differs per device. If it’s an Android tablet you can use a mini HDMI cable (£5.99, Amazon.co.uk) and mirror the content onto your television screen. As for an Apple device, this process is similar, except you’ll need a lightning cable (£49, Apple.com). If you have Apple TV (£149, Apple.com), you can use screen mirroring and use your television as the playback destination.

Android vs. Apple iPad tablets

The biggest difference between these tablets is the fact they have different operating systems. Apple’s iPad runs on iPadOS, while Android tablets, such as Samsung, run on Google’s Android. Often those who have an iPhone will find an iPad’s interface more familiar and vice versa.

Apple currently only has four different iPad devices on offer, iPad, iPad pro, iPad air and iPad mini, whereas, with Android, there’s far more to choose from, including Amazon tablets.

As for software, we think Apple iPads pip Android since they tend to be more stable and easier to use – Apple approves each app in the App Store, while Android’s Google Play has a lack of supervision in comparison. Similarly, while Android has made strides with its devices, Apple’s remain easier to use owing to their simplicity.

What size tablet do you need?

The size of the tablet you buy is very much down to personal preference and depends on what you want your tablet for. For example, you may choose to opt for something smaller if the main purpose for the device is for entertainment while travelling. While, if it’s for more extended use and work purposes, a larger device will be better suited.

On one end of the size scale, you have a 7in tablet, which is the smallest you can buy and often the cheapest – it’s an ideal choice if you want to be able to hold it in your hand and use it for reading. Some devices are 8in, such as the iPad mini, which you can still hold in one hand, but tend to be a little heavier.

If you’re looking for something a little larger, we’d suggest reaching for a device that is somewhere between 9in and 11in, there are plenty of tablets within this range and cater for different budgets. For example, the fire 10 retails (£189.99, Amazon.co.uk) while the iPad air is a more costly purchase (starting at £669, Apple.com). These larger tablets are more suitable for use over extended periods of time, for example for work purposes, making them a great alternative to a laptop or computer.

As for those larger again, some tablets measure more than 11in and are again ideal for work when you can connect them to keyboards.

The verdict: Tablets

The iPad pro is the ultimate tablet, with a stunning display and astonishingly fast performance. For most people, though, the more affordable iPad air will be sufficient. And for the last word in value, Amazon’s fire 7 is the best tablet in terms of value and portability, if a seven-inch display is enough for you.

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We’ve also rounded up the best tablets for kids that will keep them entertained and help them learn too

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