12 best tablets for 2024, from Apple iPad models to Samsung Galaxy

The iPad pro has just had a makeover and it’s leagues ahead of its already-impressive predecessor. The display, which comes in 13in and 11in options, now uses OLED technology for the first time. OLED is punchy and contrasty with faithful colours. But it’s not that bright, a problem which Apple has successfully overcome by using something called Tandem OLED, where two displays are used together to boost brightness. It looks glorious.

The design has been upgraded to be light and thin: the new pro is the thinnest Apple product ever, thinner even than the iPod nano in fact. It feels remarkably light and portable. And it’s very fast, introducing an all-new processor, the Apple M4, which should be capable of AI features predicted to land on Apple products later this year. There’s only one rear camera now, instead of two, but the front camera has moved to the long, landscape edge, which is much better for video calls. It’s also compatible with lush new magic keyboard and pencil options. It’s really not cheap, but it packs so much in, that it’s good value.

Read our full review of the Apple iPad pro 2024

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. At £65, the price is the real thing to notice here.

The Galaxy tab S9 ultra is the most powerful and most expensive tablet Samsung makes, featuring a truly breathtaking 14.6in, 120Hz OLED display. This is a brilliant tablet, with a gloriously rich and vibrant screen that has to be seen to be appreciated – watching movies on this thing feels like holding an IMAX screen in your hands. The implausibly thin device, complete with narrow bezels, beats even the iPad pro in pure design terms.

Samsung’s thrown the kitchen sink at the S9 ultra, producing a premium Galaxy tablet that does everything you could reasonably need it to. Powered by the fastest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, backed up with 12GB of RAM, it can handily replace your laptop when coupled with a keyboard case or Bluetooth mouse and keyboard (sold separately). The S9 ultra still lags behind the iPad range when it comes to raw performance, however, as well as the general availability of industry-standard creative software on Android.

Sill, it comes with the excellent S Pen stylus included, which enables professional design work, thanks to the pen’s fine pressure sensitivity and tilt sensors. The software experience throughout feels slick, premium and intuitive, and multi-tasking between multiple app windows is frictionless.

The iPad air offers many of the functions, design and power of the iPad pro but for much less money. And now, it comes in two sizes, with an 11in or 13in screen. The price of the 11in is unchanged but the storage has doubled from 64GB to 128GB. While it doesn’t have the OLED display or super-fast M4 processor of the pro, the display here looks great and the M2 processor is enough for almost everyone (it was fast enough for the last-generation iPad pro). It’s light and highly portable, even in the larger size. It uses Touch ID in the power button rather than the Pro’s Face ID, but I find this convenient and effective. This is the Goldilocks tablet, offering stunning design and great performance but for a price which is a real bargain.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 FE (short for ‘fan edition’) is the pared-back version of the most premium tablet Samsung makes. Still impressively speedy, responsive and powerful, it trims away some of the more expensive features, while retaining most of the same functionality and design as the top-of-the-line model.

Samsung’s opted for a much lower-quality camera array, compared with the regular Tab S9, which makes a lot of sense for users who don’t plan on using their tablet for much more than the occasional video call. As a result, you get what is otherwise a premium tablet at a mid-range price.

You also get the pressure-sensitive S Pen stylus included, which is good news for illustrators and note-takers. While you miss out on the rich OLED display found in the most expensive Galaxy tablets, the 10.9in LCD screen is impressively bright and vibrant.

Want something bigger? The Samsung Galaxy tab S9 FE+ is a larger 12.4in variant of this tablet with extra RAM, a larger battery, but no 5G option available (£599, Amazon.co.uk).

Microsoft’s trademark design for its surface tablets is a panel on the back 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 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.

Like the iPad, it can work as a laptop alternative, if you add an optional type cover, while a surface slim pen 2 lets you write or draw on the display. These push the cost up but give you an especially capable Windows device.

The 10th-generation iPad is arguably the best iPad in terms of value. First, it has upgraded the design to match the air, pro and mini (from £499, Apple.com) tablets, with cliff-edge flat sides and an all-screen front. The 10th-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 a lightning one. Plus, the display is bigger, while barely increasing the tablet’s overall dimensions.

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 10th-generation iPad is stunning value, thanks to its great looks and outstandingly fast processor, which is easily powerful enough for most users. It also has the front-facing camera on the long side, not the short, making it excellent for video conferencing.

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 friends or family.

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.

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, as is the performance.

Apple’s iPad mini had its biggest redesign and update with this latest model. By removing the Touch ID Home button from the front and putting it in the power button, Apple expanded the display to 8.3 inches while keeping the tablet compact (it can still slide into a jacket pocket). Where other iPads have a display resolution of 264 pixels per inch, the mini has always had a higher pixel density, 326ppi. Battery life, like all the other iPads, is around 10 hours. The mini has a more powerful processor than the regular iPad, which helps with the performance.

But now the entry-level iPad has dropped significantly in price, it’s £150 cheaper than the mini, meaning this tablet is best for those who really want the most compact iPad.

The Fire Max 11 has the same strengths (and weaknesses) as the Fire 7. It’s exceptional value, but the special forked version of Android called Fire OS has a more limited range of apps, though they’re all comprehensively tested. This is the most powerful in the Amazon range and it has the largest display, matching the size, though not the resolution, of the iPad Air. Battery life is very strong, at around 14 hours. It’s good for video playback, especially if you have an Amazon Prime subscription with its TV shows and films. The display is bright and colourful. This model also has a slicker, slimmer and more premium design than other Fire tablets.