The Eight Best Tablets You Can Buy in 2026

When talking about tablets, it’s hard not to say “get an iPad.” While Android has made strides with its large-screen experiences over the years, Apple is still the place where you can be sure everything will just work. That alone makes the iPad the best tablet for most people, unless you already own a lot of paid Android apps. Apple’s entry-level 11th-generation iPad—often called iPad (A16)—is a good, affordable pick at $349, with a bright and colorful 11-inch screen, Apple Pencil support, and an A16 chip with performance roughly on par with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. It might falter a bit with the most demanding apps, but it’s great if you just want to read some comics or watch a movie on a flight.

The iPad Air is the next step up from the iPad 11th-gen, and for the extra $350, it comes with a lot more. As its name implies, it’s about 1mm thinner and just a touch lighter (assuming you don’t bump up the screen size), but the biggest difference is the M3 chip. Using Apple’s own custom silicon, the M3 chip is generations more powerful than the A16 Bionic, and makes the iPad Air a competitive gaming machine or video editor. It also comes with up to 1TB of storage, which is 2x more than you get with the max storage on the 11th-gen iPad. Plus, there’s the option to upgrade to a 13-inch screen, and while that will run you $200 extra, it’s still a cheaper way to get a big iPad screen than going for an iPad Pro.

Do you miss the iPod Touch? Are you willing to get your kid a tablet, but not a cell phone? The iPad mini is for you. With an 8.3-inch display, it’s barely bigger than an iPhone 15 Pro Max, making it more portable than other tablets by far. It’s also more powerful than an iPad 11th-gen, coming with an A17 Pro, the same chip that Apple used for the iPhone 15 Pro. It doesn’t skimp out on Apple Pencil support or brightness and color, either. But at $499, it is a bit pricey for so little screen space.

Apple had so much faith in the iPad Pro 4th-gen that it used it to introduce the M4 chip, which had yet to come to the Mac when it launched. That easily makes this iPad the most powerful laptop replacement on this list, with performance rivaling a current-gen MacBook Pro. It’s also the thinnest and lightest iPad at 0.2 inches and just under one pound, beating out the Air at its own game. But this iPad Pro’s true claim to fame is its OLED screen, the first in an iPad. Apple has actually stacked two OLED layers on top of each other here, which gives this tablet remarkable contrast while maintaining brightness. The catch here is price: The iPad Pro performs like a laptop, and with its price starting at $999, you can see why.

The Pixel Tablet is Google’s own attempt to improve Android’s big-screen experience, coming with a redesigned UI and a build that feels something like an undocked Google Nest Hub. Starting at $399, it’s one of the more affordable options on this list, with its Tensor G2 chip offering performance roughly on par with the Pixel 7 line of smartphones. It also has a bright and colorful 10.9-inch display with resolution rivaling an iPad’s. Uniquely, the Pixel Tablet can be bundled with a speaker dock for $499, making it a strong option for smart home control (again, it’s like an upgraded Nest Hub) or watching TV.

It's a generation behind now, but the Galaxy Tab S10 series has a bit of a broad goal in mind, with models stretching from affordable to luxury. You'll have to be careful to check the specs on the specific model you're looking at before clicking buy, since they can vary quite a bit (only the S10+ and S10 Ultra models have OLED screens, for instance), but all come with the same basic strengths. These include the trusted Galaxy Android skin, Galaxy exclusive apps like Galaxy AI, and S Pen stylus support. Generally, if you're looking for an Android laptop replacement, you'll find something to like here, and that includes multiple size options. Just know that, if you're eyeing a more premium option, you might actually get a better machine and save some cash if you get an S11 tablet instead. For other budgets, though, an S10 model is still the best pick Samsung has to offer.

This is Samsung's most recent tablet line, and it's currently only got two models—the Galaxy Tab S11 and the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. That means there are fewer options than with the S10 line, especially on the cheaper side of the spectrum. But while the S11 line might not have a direct replacement for every S10 model, there are unique strengths here, so long as you're willing to spend a starting price of $800. The base S11 offers the smallest OLED screen on any of Samsung's recent tablets, while the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra comes in a little cheaper than the S10 Ultra and offers more power. Plus, you get all of the usual Samsung tablet benefits here, including the S Pen and Galaxy Android skin. Generally, if you're looking for one of Samsung's more premium tablets, start here, and only opt for an S10 model if you can't find what you need with an S11 yet (for instance, the S10+ has a unique 12.4-inch OLED).

And then there’s Windows. Not everyone wants to fuss with a mobile operating system, and if you’re a student who wants maximum control or maybe the chance to occasionally play a lightweight PC game, getting a tablet with Windows on it is a great way to get the best of both worlds. I’m not a big fan of Copilot+ PCs, and Windows 11 can be a bit less intuitive with a mouse and keyboard than Windows 10, but in a tablet form factor, both of these problems become strengths. Windows 11 is way more touch-friendly than prior versions, and the Snapdragon chips that power Copilot+ are great for the kind of power efficiency a mobile-adjacent device like a tablet needs. An LCD, 12-inch model is also affordable enough at $799, although an OLED model will run you $1,299 and only comes in a 13-inch size. Still, a Surface Pro is also the closest you’re going to get to a laptop-style experience on this list.