Which is the best tablet for 2020?

It’s been a good few years for tablets. High-end options, in particular, have seen powerful processors and stunning displays with recent generations, and they show no sign of slowing down.

While Apple continues to round out our list with its iPad line, it isn’t the only tech brand making tablets these days and its worth considering devices from other brands, especially if you don’t feeling like splashing out on Apple’s pricing. This roundup includes options from Samsung and Microsoft, to name a few.

That said, our rankings could be shaken up very soon. Apple recently announced updates to its regular and Air ranges with the iPad 8 and the iPad Air 4. Updates to both lines include a boost in performance, improved graphics and a neural engine for better machine learning capabilities.

You’ll find a summary with our edit of the best tablets below, with options based on what you require from your next device. Scroll down further to read full reviews with pros, cons, images and our comprehensive verdicts.

How do we test tablets?

We’ve tested every product on this list thoroughly and there are links to our full reviews at the end of each summary.

Our expert reviewers use a test model as their primary tablet for at least a week to see how it performs in the real world before they give it a final score. For bigger devices we also run long-term reviews – our expert keeps the product for a prolonged length of time and updates our review with any new issues they encounter.

We also run every tablet we use through a series of synthetic benchmarks to gauge its performance. We then test its battery by looping a locally stored video until it dies.

Related: Surface Go 2 review

Looking for more tablet-buying advice?

Check out our round-ups below for the best tablets for specific uses.

1. iPad Air 2019

The best tablet for most buyers

Pros:

Great display

Solid performance

Long battery life

Super-intuitive software

Cons:

Design is beginning to look a little dated

First-generation Apple Pencil and older Lightning charge port

The iPad Air 2019 is a fantastic all-round tablet for browsing, entertainment and note taking, and the best option for most people.

The tablet sits somewhere in the middle of Apple’s iPad lineup, above the iPad Mini 5 and iPad 7th generation and below the iPad Pro (2018). While it lacks some of the flashier features of the Pro, the Air does a decent job of replicating that premier tablet experience in a more affordable package.

Compared with the Pro, the Air is limited to the first-generation Apple Pencil and sports a more dated design (and Lightning port) than its premium sibling. However, there is plenty to be exciting about here. For about £300 less, the iPad Air 2019 boasts a stellar display, great performance, long battery life and takes advantage of Apple’s advanced app ecosystem, making it a compelling option for most people.

If you just want to binge on Netflix or grab an entertainment station for your sprog, there are cheaper options available – albeit not as good.

It’s also important to note that Apple has recently announced the iPad Air 4. So if you’re set on getting the Air, it’s worth visiting our guide to see which version is right for you.

Read our iPad Air 2019 review

Buy Now from TobyDeals for £385.99

Also available at John Lewis & Partners (£463), Currys (£479), and Argos (£479)

2. iPad Pro (2020)

Best tablet for digital artists

Pros:

Amazing ProMotion Display

Great design

USB-C

Second-generation Apple Pencil is great

Cons:

Very expensive, and the accessories are even more so

The iPad Pro is a stunning piece of engineering, even if it looks just like the 2018 version it is replacing. It’s also enormously powerful too, with 6GB RAM, storage options ranging from 128GBG to 1TB, Apple’s own A12Z Bionic chipset and the choice of Wi-Fi only or 4G and Wi-Fi. there’s also a USB-C port rather than Lightning, which allows devices such as SD card readers and cameras to be plugged in directly, although you can’t plug in expandable storage.

Many will also find the price hard to swallow. The 11-inch version starts at £769/$799 and the 12.9-inch version costs £969/$999. If you also purchase the Smart Folio Keyboard and the Apple Pencil 2, you’re spending a lot of money. The trackpad-packing Magic Keyboard is at least another £299.

The Liquid Retina display, however, is gorgeous, as is the ProMotion tech that switches refresh rates to ensure smooth scrolling – it looks really great.

Read our iPad Pro 2020 review

Buy Now from EBay for £550

Also available at John Lewis & Partners (£749), and Currys (£749)

3. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

The best high-end Android tablet

SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 10.4” Tablet - 64 GB Oxford Grey - Currys £349 In Stock View £599.97 View at Amazon About our deals

Pros:

Long battery life

Loud speakers

Bold screen

Powerful processor

Fun stylus

Cons:

Cheaper S5e has several of the best features

No headphone jack

Not just the best high-end Android tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is also virtually the only current high-end Android tablet and, as such, is the best Android alternative to an iPad Pro. It has a large display, high-end specs, a great sketching stylus – and it costs quite a lot.

You’ll pay £619 for the Wi-Fi version and £689 for the 4G option. If this sounds like too much, don’t forget the 11-inch iPad Pro, with half the amount of storage, will end up costing you £269 more when you add the Apple Pencil.

It’s big but not a monster, extremely thin (5.7mm) and fairly light at 420g. The main design annoyance is the same as the Galaxy Tab S5e’s – there’s no headphone jack.

This is the best Android tablet around, but if the stylus isn’t a big factor, you should consider the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e. It costs a lot less and still performs all the usual tablet jobs perfectly well.

Read our Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 review

Buy Now from EBay for £349

Also available at Amazon (£599.97), John Lewis & Partners (£619), and Argos (£619)

4. Apple iPad Mini 5 (2019)

Best tablet for powerful features in a small package

Apple iPad Mini (2019) MUQW2 64GB WiFi - Space Gray (with 1 year official Apple Warranty) £299.99 In Stock View £349.00 View at Amazon About our deals

Pros:

Good display

Extremely powerful

Works well with the Apple Pencil

Cons:

Same design

Visually, the iPad Mini 5 (or iPad Mini 2019) looks identical to the previous model, which is a bit of a shame. Under the hood, however, is where the magic happens.

This new mini iPad is powered by the same A12 Bionic chip you’ll find in the iPhone XS and iPhone XR, which means it’s very, very fast. There’s enough grunt to tackle any iOS game without any fuss and it’s a real joy to play titles like Fortnite or Asphalt 9 on the 7.9-inch display. Battery life is great too.

Added Apple Pencil support turns the iPad Mini into an excellent notebook.

Read our iPad Mini 5 review

Buy Now from TobyDeals for £299.99

Also available at Amazon (£349.00), EBay (£399), and John Lewis & Partners (£399)

5. Amazon Fire HD 8

A really good tablet at an impressive price

All New Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8 Tablet with Alexa , 32GB Latest Model UK Stock £89.99 In Stock View £89.99 View at Very About our deals

Pros:

Affordable

Hands-free Alexa

Show Mode is a nice addition

Cons:

Ad-riddled interface

Basic navigation a little slow

The Amazon Fire HD 8 is a really good tablet at an impressive price. Amazon’s budget tablets have always been good and the addition of Show Mode makes this edition a much more interesting device.

Its screen is fair, the build quality is fine and there’s plenty of storage. While it doesn’t feel incredibly fast, it has enough power to do justice to some the most impressive Android games – plus Alexa on a tablet is a nice touch.

This is one of the best budget tablets you can buy from a well-known brand. It costs just £79.99 for the tablet on its own or £109.99 with the nifty new Show Mode charging dock. To get the most out of the device, definitely consider picking up the latter and this is a great package at the price.

The Fire HD 8 is perfect for those who want a cheap, basic tablet primarily for media consumption and reading. There’s more on offer here than with a Kindle Paperwhite or Kindle Oasis and it’s a lot more compact than the very large Fire HD 10. It’s a great way to binge on some Prime content and the addition of hands-free Alexa gives it something other tablets simply don’t have.

• Read our Amazon Fire HD 8 review

Buy Now from EBay for £89.99

Also available at Very (£89.99), Currys (£89.99), and Argos (£89.99)

6. Microsoft Surface Go

Best tablet for Windows

Pros:

Windows 10 gives users lots of freedom

Extremely portable

Kick-out stand offers versatility

Cons:

Pricey considering type cover isn’t bundled in

Low-powered performance

Dated design

If you’re not a huge fan of Android or iOS, the Surface Go is a solid alternative. It boasts Windows 10 in S mode, giving much more freedom for downloads and customisation. If you’re a student or an office worker, you’ll probably find it hugely beneficial to have the option of Microsoft Office too – you can stuff this tablet full of spreadsheets and documents.

The kick-out stand turns the Go into an ultra-versatile machine that makes it easy to watch Netflix at your desk or hammer away at the keyboard. Given the steep price, however, it’s disappointing that the type cover isn’t bundled in the box.

While the Surface Go doesn’t have the performance, display or even the price advantage to rival the 9.7-inch iPad, it’s still a great alternative if you’re looking for a versatile, workaholic machine and are happy to shell out for Microsoft’s separate accessories.

Read our Microsoft Surface Go review

Buy Now from EBay for £355

Also available at John Lewis & Partners (£399), Currys (£399), and Argos (£399)

7. Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e

Looks great, has a fantastic display and is affordably priced

Pros:

High-quality aluminium design

Loud, punchy speakers

Excellent battery life

Great OLED screen

Ultra-slim

Cons:

GPU lacks power

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e Android tablet is one of the best alternatives to an iPad. A cheaper version of Samsung’s flagship tablet, it brings a thin bezel and a gorgeous AMOLED display to the more affordable end of the market.

In some ways this is a successor to the Galaxy Tab S4, but it uses a lower-end processor to help bring down the asking price to below £400 (for the 64GB version). This means it will appeal to those looking for a straight tablet rather than a device to replace their laptop. Its design and screen are delightful.

The main issue is the current standstill state of Android tablet progression. Tablets are great devices to entertain younger kids, but the Samsung Galaxy S5e is arguably far too fancy to fulfil that demand. A new feature such as Google Stadia support would give tablets in general a renewed sense of meaning.

The Galaxy Tab S5e looks great, has a fantastic display and comes in at a price that’s easy to swallow. Samsung has finally made an Android tablet worth buying – but an iPad is more powerful.

Read our Galaxy Tab S5e review

Buy Now from TobyDeals for £329.99

Also available at EBay (£379), John Lewis & Partners (£379), and Currys (£379)

How do I choose the right tablet?

When picking a tablet there are a few key issues you should bear in mind. The biggest are which operating system is right for you and what you need the tablet for, as these issues will affect your budget.

Understand the different tablet operating systems

Currently, there are tablets running a variety of different operating systems. The two biggest are iOS and Android, and some people would also list Windows, which runs on top-end devices including the Samsung Galaxy Book and Microsoft Surface Pro.

However, given their emphasis on being used with an attachable keyboard, we classify these models as convertibles and list them in our separate best laptops guide.

iOS vs Android: In general, we find iOS is better suited to tablets as Apple has invested significantly into optimising it for larger screens. Android is still very good but issues generally arise when companies add custom skins to the OS, which usually cause annoying bugs, needlessly rework the user interface, and delay how quickly the devices can receive software updates.

Even if you are firmly embedded in Google’s software ecosystem, you should still consider an Android tablet as many options are significantly cheaper than Apple iPads and are generally fine for basic functions like web browsing and video streaming.

Decide what you need your tablet to do

Before you buy a tablet, you should consider your specific needs. There’s no point shelling out for a top-end tablet with a digital stylus if you just want to watch TV or to distract the kids during long journeys. The extra investment is only really worth it if you’re a designer or you plan to use your tablet for work or at school.

If you just want something to read on, you’d do well to avoid tablets entirely and invest in an e-reader.

Max is one the longest-serving members of the Trusted Reviews team. He was features editor but his expertise on mobile phones and tablets meant he transitioned to the role of mobile, wearables and tab…