The 7 best tablets of 2025: Compare iPads, the Microsoft Surface...

Yes, we love iPads but there are great alternatives out there.

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on October 4, 2025

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Overview

UPDATE: Oct. 3, 2025, 2:00 p.m. EDT We're in the midst of retesting our favorite tablets. For now, we've updated this guide to include our favorite iPads and the new Microsoft Surface 11.

Even if you have a very capable smartphone and a nice laptop, an excellent tablet can still be worth adding to your tech arsenal. A touchscreen that can be carried anywhere makes for a portable studio for creatives, a crucial sidekick for frequent travelers, and even an e-reader. These days, tablets are basically just laptops anyway.

Pretty much anyone can enjoy a tablet. Whether you're looking for a kid-friendly tablet or a compact laptop replacement, there are plenty of excellent options out there. If you're not exactly sure which tablet you should buy, we've got one simple question to help narrow down your search: Are you an Apple person?

Through testing a variety of different models, iPads are our preferred tablet, but that means jumping into the Apple ecosystem. If that's not your speed, there are plenty of other candidates here, including Samsung and Microsoft. Whatever your thoughts, we've rounded up the best tablets you can buy.

If you are ready to buy a new tablet, Amazon's upcoming Prime Big Deal Days presents a perfect time to do so. We've started to round up the best tablet deals for Amazon's October Prime Day, and once the event starts on Oct. 7, we expect even more great deals from Apple, Amazon, and Samsung.

As of 2025, we're in the midst of retesting the top tablets available in 2025. Our new guide will feature the latest tablets tested by Mashable reviewers based on their speed, design, display, operating system, and ease of use.

Our Pick

Apple iPad, 11-inch (11th Generation) showing lockscreen

The Good & The Bad

Well-priced
Plenty of storage space
Decent processor and multitasking capabilities
Touch ID
Compatible with iPadOS 26

No M-series chip
Cameras are so-so

When you think about tablets, chances are the standard Apple iPad comes to mind first. While the current base model, the 11-inch, 11th-generation iPad, is a bit of an antique at this point, it's far more affordable than the alternatives and remains our top recommendation for most people.

While it lacks even an M1 chip, the classic iPad still offers enough processing power for everyday use thanks to its A16 Bionic chip. You'll be able to multitask without the system sputtering out, whether you're watching YouTube videos, playing your favorite high-res games, or just have a habit of leaving your apps running in the background. It also packs a decent amount of storage space. The base model starts at 128GB, so there's no need to pick and choose what apps and pictures you want to keep. Speaking of, it sports 12MP front and rear cameras with Center Stage, a feature that keeps you in frame during FaceTime calls.

Combine all these features with the functionality of iPadOS 26 (yes, the A16 iPad is compatible with iPadOS 26), and you have an iPad that looks unassuming but is anything but — and all for a pretty unbeatable price point. It's a fine choice to go for before splashing out on an iPad Air or Pro.

Details

apple ipad air with clouds on lock screen

The Good & The Bad

Powerful M3 chip lets you edit videos and play games
iPadOS 26 works and looks great
Super sleek
Great cameras
Often on sale
Touch ID

Can get pricey fast with accessories and storage upgrade

Read our full review of the iPad Air (7th generation).

Three Mashable reviewers have tested the newest iPad Air, and we all agree: It rules. With double the RAM of its predecessors, the seventh generation of the Air is faster and sleeker than ever before. If you just want to use your iPad for light gaming and streaming, opt for the base iPad. But if you plan to do any work on your tablet, then upgrade to the Air. Thanks to iPadOS 26, you can multitask like never before with the iPad.

We also think the Apple iPad Air is the best tablet for creatives and artists. Content creators can get plenty done on the go with the featherlight and ferocious Apple iPad Air, and it works well as a drawing tablet. Our biggest complaint is that like the Microsoft Surface Pro line, you have to pay extra for the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard. On the plus side, the new Magic Keyboard is much improved.

The iPad Air's 11-inch Liquid Retina display features True Tone, P3 wide color, and ultralow reflectivity, so all your work, art, and entertainment will come through with vivid visuals. We do wish it offered better cameras, as it matches the base iPad's 12MP front and rear cameras.

Details

a close-up of the amazon fire max 11's screen

The Good & The Bad

Large, crisp display
Expandable storage
Can capture 1080p video
Long battery life

No access to the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store

Read Mashable's full review of the Amazon Fire Max 11.

Amazon's biggest and most iPad-y tablet to date, the Fire Max 11 is "the bougie-on-a-budget tablet we’ve been waiting for," said Mashable contributor SaVanna Shoemaker. It's got a crisp 11-inch display, 8MP cameras that support 1080p video, and some pep in its step thanks to an upgraded octa-core processor — plus plenty of storage that you can expand by up to a whole terabyte. Its biggest downfall is its limited app selection (all Fire tablets suffer from this malady), but that wasn't enough to keep it from winning a Mashable Choice Award.

Details

a child reading an e-book on a Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids tablet while sitting in a car seat

The Good & The Bad

Two-year replacement guarantee
Screen is streaming-ready
Includes a year of Amazon Kids+
Expandable storage
Web browser has built-in parental controls
$10 cheaper than the previous version

Processor is barely powerful enough for Roblox
Amazon app store is missing some popular stuff

The newly updated Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids has a faster processor, a better front-facing camera, and a longer battery life than its predecessor, but comes in at $10 cheaper. Mom and Dad will love that new price tag — and the fact that it still has intuitive parental controls baked right into its operating system, making screen time limits, age filters, limited access to specific apps, and schedules easy to find and customize. (There's also a two-year worry-free guarantee in case of accidental drops or spills.) Kids won't even notice those guardrails because there's that much content to explore; it includes a year's worth of educational (and ad-free) books, shows, movies, games, and apps via Amazon Kids+.

The standard Fire HD 10 Kids is geared towards little tykes ages three to seven, while the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is designed for ages six to 12.

Details

microsoft surface pro 11 tablet with case on desk

The Good & The Bad

Vibrant touchscreen display
Fully customizable Copilot+ PC
Built-in kickstand
Nice cameras
Lots of RAM and storage options
Great battery life

Keyboard and stylus not included
No headphone jack
Expensive (as are its accessories)

Read our full review of the Microsoft Surface Pro 11.

We recently reviewed the new Microsoft Surface Pro 2-in-1, and just like the previous models, we believe it's one of the most impressive 2-in-1s on the market. If you're looking for a tablet that can act as a true laptop alternative, then the Microsoft Surface Pro really is in a class of its own. There's just one big problem: The keyboard and stylus are sold separately. We've been complaining about this for years, and probably will still be complaining five years from now.

As reviewer Adam Doud wrote, "The 13-inch Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition is lightweight, powerful, and has really great battery life. It can handle almost any task you can throw at it. It is also easily upgradable — the SSD is placed under a small door in the back that has toolless removal. That's the kind of user friendliness you don't often see in laptops this thin."

If you want to spec out this Microsoft tablet, you can. Upgrade the standard Snapdragon X Plus 10-Core processor to the lightning-fast Snapdragon X Elite 12-Core processor. You can also upgrade the display, RAM, and memory — and that optional OLED display looks phenomenal.

Details

the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 with its s pen against a light gray background

The Good & The Bad

Vibrant AMOLED display
Dolby Atmos support
Good battery life
Comes with an S Pen
120Hz refresh rate

No headphone jack
Expensive

The anti-Apple (and Amazon) community can rock with Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9, a premium and polished Android device that includes a compatible stylus — what a concept. This older Android tablet can be hard to find in stock, so if you're looking for something newer and less specced-out, try the Galaxy Tab S9 FE, which starts at $349.99.

The classic S9 has an 11-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate is the other highlight of its spec sheet, and what makes it especially great for entertainment (along with some built-in speakers that support Dolby Atmos). While it's not nearly as fast as one of the newer iPad's chips, its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip can zip between projects.

Details

the Google Pixel Tablet against a purple background

The Good & The Bad

Included charging speaker dock turns it into a smart display/mini TV
Intuitive UI
Tensor G2 chip runs smoothly

A meh tablet on its own (without the dock)
Kind of expensive for what it is

Why We Like It

The new Google Pixel Tablet is a just-OK tablet on its own. Its real asset is the charging speaker dock that comes with it, which turns it into a smart display or a desktop TV when it's plugged in: "It just…works, especially if you’re like me and don’t want two or three big-ass monitors on your desk," said Mashable tech and games reporter Alex Perry. It's a weird little device, but a useful one nonetheless. You'll find a smooth Google Tensor G2 chip with 8GB of RAM under its hood and 8MP cameras on the front and back of it.

Read Mashable's review of the Google Pixel Tablet.

Details

Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn't the newest iPad Pro with the M4 chip featured in this guide? While the iPad Pro is undeniably impressive thanks to the M4 processor, it's actually too advanced for the vast majority of users. You only really need to buy the M4 iPad Pro if you're going to benefit from its Ultra Retina XDR Display. So, unless you're a professional editor or filmmaker who needs to view footage in true HDR (or if you don't know what HDR video even means), this tablet is overkill. Still, there's no denying it has the best processor and display available in a tablet in 2025.

Taking a refurbished device off the market is a great way to save money — and save that device from going where e-waste goes to die. Refurbished or renewed tablets are often next to impossible to tell apart from a brand new one. Cosmetic dings are a possibility, but unless stated otherwise, the devices have been reworked and tested to run like new. iPads are probably the easiest tablet to find refurbished (at Amazon, Best Buy, and the Apple Store).

Most tablets made specifically for kids will already be equipped with built-in parental accounts, timers, and pre-selected websites or apps that are strictly for kids.

General-purpose tablets aren't a bad choice, either — many sites name the Apple iPad as one of the best tablets for kids even though it's an everyone tablet. These won't have any parental guardrails baked in, so you'll need to get creative if you'd rather your kid not have unlimited access to the internet. Apple and Android have features that can filter or block content and prevent purchases, but the closest thing you'll be able to get to close monitoring is by installing parental control software. Such monitoring features are easy to toggle off or uninstall as your kid gets older or if the family is sharing the device. In the latter case, Osmo is a neat snap-on kit that connects to iPads and Fire tablets for augmented reality-ish learning exercises and games. When your kid moves a physical piece in real life, the same piece moves on the screen. There's always the option of a kids edition tablet too or simply finding the most robust android tablet for younger children.

Apple is a commanding presence in the best tablet field, offering the high-end iPad Pro, the lightweight iPad Air, and the compact iPad mini, but its models come at a premium. They also don't ship with their own accessories (like Apple Pencils or Magic Keyboards), which is an additional cost to consider if you plan on doing a lot of writing or drawing.

In contrast, some Android tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 include a stylus pen (the $59.99 Samsung S Pen); there's no additional fee to pay there.

You also need to think about what operating system you prefer. iOS is great to use, but if all your other devices are Android-based, you may prefer to stick with Android. A third option is to consider a ChromeOS-based tablet — but again, you probably want it to play nicely with other devices. Go with what you're comfortable with.

Tablets are a great middle-ground between laptops and smartphones. If you've ever felt like you need more real estate than your smartphone's screen to watch your favorite show, draw a design, or simply browse the internet, a good tablet means you don't have to worry about digging out your laptop. The best tablet blends the convenience of a laptop with the lightweight nature of a phone. Easy to toss into your bag and take traveling, they can entertain your kids or give you something to do while on the move, all without being as full-on as a PC.

If you buy an Apple iPad, you can use FaceTime to call friends and enjoy video chats with them. You can also use iMessage through your iPad with such functionality extending across the range from iPad mini to iPad Pro. However, if you go for an Android tablet, you will need to use a third-party app like WhatsApp, Skype, or Signal to call friends and family.

Leah Stodart

Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers and tests essential home tech like vacuums and TVs, plus eco-friendly hacks. Her ever-evolving experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.

headshot of timothy beck werth, a handsome journalist with great hair

Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage and assignments for the Tech and Shopping verticals. Tim has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, and he has particular experience covering and testing consumer technology, smart home gadgets, and men’s grooming and style products. Previously, he was the Managing Editor and then Site Director of SPY.com, a men's product review and lifestyle website. As a writer for GQ, he covered everything from bull-riding competitions to the best Legos for adults, and he’s also contributed to publications such as The Daily Beast, Gear Patrol, and The Awl.

Tim studied print journalism at the University of Southern California. He currently splits his time between Brooklyn, NY and Charleston, SC. He's currently working on his second novel, a science-fiction book.