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

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. 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 of any iPad, this is your standout choice.

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 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.

Measuring 10.9in, the iPad air display is slightly smaller than the one on the 11in iPad pro 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 that 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.

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.

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 10th-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 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, matching the size of the air (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 10th-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.

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.

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). The storage levels on board have recently increased to match the pricier 10th-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 with the rest of the range.