Mashable reviews and ranks the best tech products, including laptops, e-readers, and more.

If you're looking for a tablet for kids or a compact laptop replacement, there are many great options. To help you choose, ask yourself: Are you an Apple fan? We tested iPads and other tablets from Samsung, OnePlus, and Microsoft, and we have recommendations for all preferences.

Topics include Apple, iPad, Lenovo, Microsoft, and Samsung.

This guide is always being updated with new tablets. We're constantly testing new devices to include in this guide. At the end of 2025, we added the Samsung Galaxy S11 Ultra.

As of March 2026, we've updated this guide with the new iPad Air and iPad Pro. We also added the OnePlus Pad Go 2 as the best budget Android tablet.

In June 2026, we added the Lenovo Yoga Tab as our favorite Android tablet. We also added the Amazon Fire HD 8 as our favorite Amazon Fire tablet.

Our latest update in August 2026 includes the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5.

Our guide features the latest tablets tested by Mashable reviewers based on speed, design, display, and ease of use.

We looked at the specs of each product, including processors, operating systems, and memory. We couldn't use Geekbench tests to compare computing power.

Tablets have big screens, so displays are important. We assessed the GPU and resolution of each device, and considered refresh rates for gaming tablets.

We tested each tablet's usability through daily use, looking at screen size, camera placement, ports, weight, and special features.

Not all tablets are the same, so we assessed special features like parental controls and smart home compatibility.

We compared the best tablets of 2026, including iPad, Samsung, and Lenovo, to help you choose the right one for your needs.