A lot of the time, just going with the basics is best. That's certainly the case with the Apple iPad.

Why I like it

While we're still waiting for an updated iPad, the current model remains a great budget-friendly option. It uses the Apple A16 chip found in iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15, not one of Apple's more powerful M-series chips -- that's a performance bump from the A14 processor in the 10th-gen iPad. Just as importantly, the base version of the iPad 11th-gen comes with 128GB of storage instead of 64GB (hallelujah!).

Who's it for

The 11th-gen iPad remains arguably the best value, especially when it is discounted to less than $300. It's best as a media consumption tablet, but it can also be used for basic content creation, education, simple home office tasks and FaceTime chats.

Who should skip it

Alas, this new basic iPad doesn't get you Apple Intelligence (the chip doesn't support it), and it still works only with the simple USB-C Pencil or the first-gen Pencil (with a USB-C-to-Lightning adapter), not the Pencil Pro.

Why I like it

On the surface, Samsung's flagship Galaxy Tab Series doesn't seem like a particularly good value. But you should always take Samsung's tablet list prices with a grain of salt, as it frequently offers discounts and device trade-in options to bring the price down. Apple's latest iPad Pro models are more powerful devices, but in the Android tablet world, anyway, there really isn't anything quite as sleek or slim with a great display that offers excellent performance as the Tab S11, which is why we've awarded it an Editors' Choice (read our full review). 

You can certainly quibble with Samsung's choice of processor and argue that tablets like the OnePlus Pad 3 are a better overall value when you compare list prices, but the Tab S11 is still the Android tablet to beat. While the 14.6-inch Tab S11 Ultra has its advantages for certain applications and is unique in the tablet world due to its extra-large size, for most people, the smaller and more affordable Tab S11 makes more sense.

Who's it for

This is a versatile, high-performance tablet for non Apple users that's not only a good productivity tool but an impressive entertainment device that also works well for Cloud gaming. With the keyboard accessory, it's also a potential laptop replacement, though the larger 14.6-inch Tab S11 Ultra is better suited for that purpose.

Who should skip it

It's overkill for those looking for a tablet to primarily use as a device to consume content.

CNET reviewer Scott Stein has this to say about the iPad Air M4, which was released in 2026 and is equipped with an upgraded M4 processor: "Apple's midrange iPad Air is the only iPad to get an update in 2026 so far, and its mix of lower price compared to the Pro and higher-performance M4 processor gives it the best bang for the buck by far among iPads right now."

Why I like it

As nice as the fancier M5 iPad Pro might be, spending an extra $400 is a lot to ask (though if you're considering the 13-inch iPad Air, you might be better off moving up to the Pro). I'd consider the 11-inch model instead, and at the right config, this could very well be the futureproofed, more affordable iPad that's perfect for you -- especially if you're interested in pushing the iPad hard for tools that will need the M4 performance. Plus, there's an excellent keyboard for it.

Who's it for

It's a versatile tablet, just like the basic iPad, but with better performance. If you'd like to use a Pencil Pro and plan to power-use either AI or graphics features on the iPad, then the Air is your budget pick. 

Who should skip it
The iPad Pro offers a high-contrast HDR custom OLED display, a thinner design, a Face ID camera and Lidar on the back, though those features come at a price jump of $400. Still, if those features are important to you, you don't want an Air. Similarly, you don't need the Air's M3 chip for basics like streaming video and audio, playing less graphically demanding games and using thousands of apps.

If you can't afford Samsung's flagship Galaxy Tab S10 tablets, the company's step-down Galaxy Tab FE tablets are a value alternative.

Why I like it

Every year, Samsung comes out with "Fan Edition" versions of its flagship Galaxy Tab S series tablets that aren't quite as powerful and have less-advanced display technology -- but cost a lot less. Once again, that's true for the Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus, which start at $500 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. While the Galaxy Tab S10 FE retains the same 10.9-inch display of its predecessor, the larger Tab S10 FE Plus ($650) is equipped with a 13.1-inch display, which is larger than the 12.4-inch screen found in its predecessor and the standard Tab S10 Plus.

Both tablets run on an upgraded Samsung Exynos 1580 chipset instead of the more powerful MediaTek processors found in their standard counterparts (the Exynos 1380 chipset powers the Galaxy Tab S9 FE tablets). In our benchmarks, I can't say the Exynos 1580 offered blazingly fast performance (it was a tad middling, especially compared to the M3 chip in the latest Apple iPad Air), but the tablet's overall performance should be more than adequate for most folks and the LCD screen is bright and crisp with good color saturation (no, it's not quite as good as the AMOLED display on the standard Tab S10 Plus but I still liked it). Also, it has incredible battery life, hitting 17 hours and 45 minutes in our tests and earning a CNET Lab Award for Longest Battery Life for tablets.

Samsung says the Tab S10 FE is 4% lighter than its predecessor, and both tablets are equipped with a newly upgraded 13-megapixel high-resolution rear camera, though the Tab S10 FE Plus no longer has a second ultrawide camera.

Who's it for

While the Tab S10 FE screen sizes don't correlate to the standard Tab S10 Plus and Ultra screen sizes, the bottom line is that you're getting about 75% of the tablet that you get with the standard Tab S10 series for significantly less money. And if you have an older Samsung tablet to trade in, the price becomes even more affordable. If you want a larger screen, battery life and saving some money are most important to you, the S10 FE Plus is the way to go.

Who should skip it

For artists or anyone else who needs the best display quality, or those who require the best possible performance, you'll want to get the full-fledged S10 Plus or the newer S11 models.

If money were no object, Apple’s M5 iPad Pros would clearly be the best iPads for anyone. Very similar to last year's M4 iPad Pro except for the processor bump, they're "closer than ever to the future of the Mac," according to CNET's Scott Stein. Read CNET's iPad Pro (M5, 2025) review.

Why I like it

Not only are Apple’s M5 iPad Pros incredibly fast with new M5 processors (the iPad Pro M5 is about 10% faster than last year's M4 version and about 38% faster than the iPad Air M3), they have vivid OLED displays with excellent contrast and brightness (it's actually the brightest screen we've tested, earning it a CNET Labs Award), as well as improved Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard accessories (still sold separately). The M5 chip works with Apple Intelligence, Apple's set of AI features, and has plenty of power to last for years of OS updates to come. The Pro is a thinner tablet too.

Who's it for

Anyone who craves the best Apple tablet for creating and entertainment -- and doesn’t care about a budget -- this is your pick.

Who should skip it

The downside to the iPad Pro is its price: it starts at $999 for the 11-inch model or $1,299 for the 13-inch model. That's outside a lot of people's budgets for a tablet.

Despite a few small shortcomings, the OnePlus Pad 3 is one of the best premium Android tablets. It certainly makes for an excellent entertainment device, offering strong performance for gaming (it's also well-suited for Xbox Cloud Gaming). Plus, it can handle light productivity. 

Why I like it

Last year's OnePlus Pad 2 was considered one of the better tablet values, combining premium performance with a midrange price: $550, which would sometimes dip to $500. To a certain degree, the new-for-2025 OnePlus Pad 3 follows the same playbook. Equipped with a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and a bright, 13.2-inch, 3.4 K-resolution display with 315ppi pixel density and an adaptive refresh rate up to 144Hz, this is a high performance Android tablet that gives off premium vibes for a lower price than Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. The OnePlus Pad 3 puts up impressive performance numbers across benchmarks, with especially strong results from the GPU. It's available for preorder now, with a choice of two "free gift" accessories as an incentive to purchase, and it ships July 8. Read full review.

Who should skip it

Folks looking for a premium Android tablet at more of a midrange price. At $700, the Pad 3 costs $150 more than the Pad 2, edging it into premium pricing territory that's outside some people's tablet budgets. It's also not quite a laptop replacement if you're looking for that in a tablet.

Although the Google Pixel Tablet has been out for a while, it remains a good value as a midrange tablet, particularly for folks who've already bought into the Google device ecosystem.

Why I like it

Google's versatile, dockable Pixel Tablet doubles as a home hub and a speaker dock-enabled assistant, and its multitasking features work great. You'll have to find your own stylus and keyboard options, but Google has otherwise served up a good family iPad alternative for anyone in the Android ecosystem. Google's currently offering the tablet for $299 without the dock now, but that dock is one of our favorite parts of the tablet.

Who's it for

The Pixel Tablet is one of our favorite family tablets. The dock keeps it in a central location, like a kitchen or living room, so it's always handy for sharing. A relatively zippy Google Tensor G2 processor, a good front camera for video chats, a crisp display (16:10 aspect ratio) and a clean Google Android software experience all add to the appeal.

Who should skip it

If you're looking for a little zippier, better-performing tablet, there are better midrange options, though they cost a little more.

Microsoft shrunk the price and screen of its Surface Pro for people who view the tablet PC not as a primary daily driver but as a versatile secondary machine for browsing the web, watching YouTube and Netflix and playing the occasional mobile game. Read full review.

Why I like it

Compared to the larger and more expensive 13-inch Surface Pro, the 12-inch model does sacrifice some things to hit a lower price but maintains the excellent Surface Pro design: a thin aluminum chassis with a great kickstand and an "optional" keyboard that neatly snaps into place magnetically. Despite using the lower-powered Snapdragon X Plus, the 12-inch Surface Pro managed to produce scores competitive with the higher-powered 13-inch Surface Pro. Its benchmark results were in line with the HP OmniBook 5 and Acer Swift Go 14, which feature the same Snapdragon X Plus processor. That is to say, it did well on Geekbench 6 scores, trailing the 13-inch model by 15% on the multicore test and actually outpacing it on the single-core test.

Who's it for

Someone looking for a slim tablet that's able to do double-duty as full Windows laptop, though not necessarily one you'd want to use as your primary laptop.

Who should skip it

Those looking for a true Windows laptop for work. While the Surface Pro offers a full Windows experience, it's better suited as a secondary device to have around your house or apartment for browsing the web, watching shows and playing casual tablet games on a screen that's larger than your phone's. Also, adding a keyboard -- and even a power adapter -- increases your final cost, though Microsoft often offers decent discounts on its Surface Pro models.

TCL is mainly known for its excellent-value TVs, but it also has an interesting line of Nxtpaper tablets with matte displays that can mimic color and monochrome E Ink e-readers fairly convincingly.

Why I like it

The 1.08-pound Nxtpaper 11 Plus has an 11.5-inch, 120Hz display with Nxtpaper 4.0 display technology (the base display technology is LCD). I was pleasantly surprised by that display, which has a 2,200x1,440-pixel resolution at 229 pixels per inch. It's not super sharp or super bright, but the colors appear accurate, and it has something that TCL calls "3-in-1 VersaView Modes."   

Yes, the key selling point of the Nxtpaper 11 Plus compared to other Android tablets is the ability to switch between three display modes. Regular mode is the brightest and makes the tablet look most like your typical tablet with an LCD screen, though this isn't the brightest due to the matte layer on the screen.

Ink Paper mode turns the screen into a Kindle-like monochrome E Ink display "for extended reading sessions and note-taking." And Color Paper mode mutes the screen to mimic color E Ink tablets like the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft and ReMarkable Paper Pro, offering "soft, low-saturation colors ideal for reading comics or magazines." Both Paper modes are designed to reduce eye strain, and there's also some blue-light filtering (the Paper modes are not E Ink technology). Note that those large color E Ink models cost over $600.

Where it does excel is for reading indoors, and it's a budget-friendly tablet for taking notes and drawing. I should point out that while the matte screen does help reduce glare in brightly lit environments, unlike E Ink e-readers, the display still has trouble with direct sunlight. In other words, don't expect to take this tablet to the beach and have the same glare-free, nonwashed-out viewing experience that you get with an E Ink e-reader in direct sunlight. But there's still a lot to like about it for the price.

Who's it for

Someone who's interested in a color E Ink tablet but can't quite afford one and also wants a more versatile real Android tablet.

Who should skip it

This tablet is powered by a midrange MediaTek Helio G100 processor, making it noticeably less zippy than a high-end tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11. It doesn't have the greatest cameras either -- they're just 8-megapixel front and rear. It's fine for everyday tasks like watching videos, web browsing and Zoom calls. You can play games on it, but it has its graphics limitations and is not a tablet I'd recommend to serious gamers.

Amazon keeps updating its Fire HD 10 tablet every couple of years, bumping its processor speed and RAM. It delivers acceptable performance at a very affordable price.

Why I like it

In 2023, Amazon introduced a slightly lighter and 25% faster Fire HD 10. It comes in a few different versions, including a standard version with a list price of $140 with 32GB of storage, along with the Fire HD 10 Kids (intended for children aged 3 to 7) and Fire HD 10 Kids Pro (targeted at 6- to 12-year-olds). Aside from its larger 10.1-inch display compared to the Fire HD's 8-inch display, this model's screen is sharper, with a pixel density of 224 pixels per inch, which is the best for any Amazon tablet, including the flagship Fire 11 Max.

The non-Pro model has a Disney theme option. As with all Fire Kids tablets, these are bundled with padded cases, a 12-month subscription to the Amazon Kids Plus service, which offers kid-friendly apps and content, and an included two-year free replacement policy should the tablet get damaged. Battery life is rated at up to 13 hours.

Who's it for

When it goes on sale, the Fire HD 10 is arguably the best budget tablet value, and it often is. It's a great option for media consumption and online shopping, naturally.

Who should skip it

While the Fire HD 10's screen offers 1080p resolution, if you're looking for a tablet with a very sharp display, the entry-level iPad is a better bet. This also isn't a good choice for content creation.

CNET's iPad reviewer Scott Stein was pretty pleased with the updates to the latest generation iPad Mini, though its high price remains a concern.

Why I like it

I've always liked the iPad Mini because it's smaller and lighter than the entry-level iPad and more travel-friendly (yes, the screen is smaller, but it's still decent for watching videos and reading). It has a newer A17 Pro chip that supports Apple Intelligence, it works with the Pencil Pro stylus, and now comes with 128GB of storage in its base $499 model (instead of 64GB). The Mini hasn't changed its basic looks, although this tablet got a total facelift in 2021.

Who's it for

It's a great, small but powerful tablet. It'll work well for everything from content creation and notetaking to streaming video, reading and gaming.

Who should skip it

The iPad Mini just seems a little overpriced for what it is. Yes, the A17 Pro processor is better than what you get with the entry-level iPad A16 chip, but it's not the M3 processor that powers the iPad Air and allows you to run extra apps on an external monitor like M-series iPads can.

This 8.8-inch gaming-focused tablet is slightly larger than the iPad Mini but in the same ballpark on price at around $450. For the money, you get strong performance, solid build quality and an overall excellent set of specs and features. Read review.

Why I like it

Jason Cockerham, who reviewed this tablet for CNET, says that at 8.8 inches diagonal, the Legion Tab Gen 3 is larger than the best large phones but still smaller than most tablets made for entertainment. "You might not expect it to be great for gaming, but the more I used it, the more I realized it's nearly the perfect size. Larger tablets get too heavy to hold for long sessions, and unless you've got a kickstand case, propping them up can be a hassle. Being larger than a phone makes it easier on your eyes, though. Plus, some of the best mobile controllers, like the Razer Kishi Ultra, even fit the Legion Tab for an incredible mobile gaming experience."

Who it's for

This is a good choice for someone who's looking for a compact, lighter tablet with premium performance that's excellent for mobile gaming and video viewing.

Who should skip it

If you're looking for a larger, more versatile tablet, this may not be for you.

Lenovo bills its Android-based Tab Plus as a "premium entertainment tablet," it mostly lives up to that description though we could debate how premium it really is.

Why I like it

While Tab Plus' MediaTek Helio G99 processor delivers pretty middle-of-the-road performance, it was zippy enough. Its 11.5-inch 2K LCD (2,000x1,200 pixels) essentially provides 1080p resolution, though its 90Hz refresh rate helps create a smoother image and overall, the display seems like a small step-up from the screens you get with many budget Android tablets. All that said, the Tab Plus' standout feature is its sound. Equipped with JBL speakers, this tablet produces bigger -- and better -- sound than most of the tablets I've tested.

The built-in speakers add some girth to the tablet, which also has a retractable kickstand, so it's a bit chunky. Battery life is solid at around 12 hours, and I appreciate the included carrying case. The case is a little cheap-looking and feeling, but it is protective.

Who's it for

With its built-in kickstand and higher-grade JBL speakers, the Tab Plus is appealing for consuming media on the go. It's also a decent value, especially when discounted.

Who should skip it

If you're looking for a little svelter, sleeker tablet with more premium performance, this may not be for you.

Amazon continues to make the best inexpensive tablets for media consumption. The Fire HD 8 is the middle of the lineup, hitting a sweet spot for price and performance.

Why I like

The biggest reason to like the Fire HD 8 is its price. Also, the 2024 version is a slight refresh from the 2022 model and includes a performance boost thanks to an upgraded six-core, 2GHz Arm processor and 3GB of RAM (up from 2GB). The step-up model with 64GB of memory instead of 32GB is equipped with 4GB of RAM.

While its 1,280x800 pixel display isn't terribly sharp and remains a weak point, the Fire HD 8 is a good low-cost option for streaming video, reading ebooks and web browsing. The key is to wait to pick it up when it's discounted, which it often is, selling for $65 or less.

Who's it for

Amazon Prime members looking for a cheap tablet for themselves or their kids to consume media since Amazon includes a lot of "free" content, including movies, games and ebooks, with Prime accounts.

Who should skip it

If you're looking for a tablet with a sharp display, zippier performance and a premium look and feel, you'll likely be disappointed.

The 11-inch Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a pen-enabled ChromeOS tablet with a detachable keyboard. The Duet line is one of the bestselling Chromebooks of all time, according to Google's John Maletis, vice president of ChromeOS product, engineering and UX. That doesn't surprise me in the slightest, considering its versatility and because of what you get for its $350 starting price (and it's regularly available for less). 

Why I like it

It's an excellent option for an inexpensive basic laptop for travel and at home. This is a smart choice if you're looking for something for pure mobility or as a secondary device.

Who's it for

With an included keyboard cover -- and sometimes a bundled pen -- it's good for basic office tasks, sketching out ideas, taking notes, web browsing, gaming, video chats and streaming media. It's a great second-screen couch companion.

Who should skip it

As your main computer, its performance and size may be too limiting.