A decade ago, when we started to consider having tablets at home, they were definitely a luxury item, something for watching videos and browsing social media when phones were too small and laptops were too bulky.
But little by little tablets have become perfectly valid replacements for laptops.
Even the most affordable options are capable of handling complex tasks.
That's what makes the process of finding and buying a tablet so difficult, especially as the market continues to grow.
This year alone we have seen new models of the iPad Pro, Galaxy Tab and Fire HD.
With that in mind, we have decided to look for the best options.
While we regularly test hitting tablets, we decided to put nine models head-to-head with a focus on the following: Can you really multitask?
Can you
stream
from all your favorite services?
Does the screen resolution leave something to be desired?
And, all that considered, does its price reflect its performance?
Here are the three devices that stood out from the set:
Best Tablet Overall:
8th Gen iPad
Best performance:
iPad Pro
Best Android tablet:
Galaxy Tab S7
Best if you're on a budget:
Fire HD 8 Plus
A quick look at the winners
Like the seventh-gen model before it, the eighth-gen iPad quickly emerged as the best overall choice during our tests.
With it, you can send emails, FaceTime group chat, and multitask between two apps without even experiencing a slight delay.
This tablet screams efficiency, allowing users to seamlessly transition from work-focused tasks (like creating a presentation or working on spreadsheets) to boredom-busting activities (think bingeing on Netflix and the like).
It's all thanks to the A12 Bionic chip inside.
IOS runs super smooth.
Better yet, you can pair it with the Apple Pencil for note-taking, and a keyboard can make this device suitable for work.
And at $ 329.99, it's more wallet-friendly than most powerful tablets.
If you are looking for a tablet that will make you forget your laptop, the iPad Pro 2020 may be more suitable for you.
Simply put, it is the fastest tablet we've ever tested.
The iPad Pro can handle the same tasks as the 7th generation iPad, but with its added power, it can do some complex tasks much faster, like a bulk Photoshop export with dozens of layers.
The vibrant screen of the iPad Pro, combined with four incredibly loud speakers, also make it a true center of entertainment.
The only reason it didn't get first place is because its $ 799 price tag puts it a bit out of reach for the average tablet buyer.
Android fans already know that their options are limited when it comes to tablets, but that hasn't deterred Samsung from rolling out updates to its tablet lineup on a yearly cycle.
In this limited space, however, the Tab S7, at $ 649.99, is the clear winner.
It offers long battery life and enough power to keep up with whatever you throw at it.
Android apps as a whole leave a lot to be desired when used on a tablet, but with Samsung DeX, you can turn the tablet into a laptop-like device, with trackpad support and windowed Android apps.
And while opting to spend less generally means severely sacrificing performance, that's not the case with the $ 109.99 Fire HD 8 Plus.
This inexpensive tablet can cope with day-to-day running with no problems, including
streaming
movies and TV shows, email, heavy content consumption, reading, and even some light games.
The only downside here is FireOS, which limits you to only using the Amazon app store.
While you have a limited selection, the top
streaming
, social, and gaming
apps
are here.
A deeper dive into the winners
Best Overall Tablet: 8th Gen iPad ($ 329; amazon.com)
Compared to the 7th generation iPad, the 8th generation iPad introduces a faster processor.
It maintains the classic design and a quality screen.
But we found that the A12 Bionic chip inside increased performance and improved the iPadOS 14 experience.
We ask a lot from the 8th-gen iPad during a whole work day.
During our tests, he had no trouble handling lighter workloads like emailing, browsing the web, writing, streaming content, and even playing light games.
Rendering video edits in iMovie or making minute changes to a series of photos in Photoshop resulted in a slight slowdown of the tablet.
The eighth generation handled multitasking like a champ, even with three apps - Pages on the left, Safari on the right, and Messages hovering above - running simultaneously.
The 8th-gen iPad is the best for everyday tasks (think emails and web browsing, with a dash of games aside).
Anything more technical, though, and you'll want to go for the more powerful iPad Pro or the next iPad Air.
And while we can bog you down with aspect ratios and other tech jargon, we'll get straight to the point: the quality of the iPad screen shines through.
The text is crisp, which means you won't have to strain while reading, whether you're on your couch or at the beach.
We had a pleasant experience using the 8th generation iPad to make FaceTime calls, watch movies, surf the web, or read a book, even in difficult lighting conditions.
That's thanks to its True Tone capability, which means that the iPad will adjust the screen's color temperature based on its surroundings.
The screen accurately reproduces colors, making streaming content a completely enjoyable experience.
Watching
Avengers: Endgame
, for example, we were struck by how everything was displayed on screen: the bright orange and yellow of the explosions, and the raw reds, blues and whites of the characters.
While it's an immersive experience, our only complaint is that the display doesn't really go edge-to-edge.
But those noticeable borders around the screen aren't wasted, as it includes the familiar home button.
You'll also find a camera at the top in a vertical position, which can take selfies and FaceTime calls when you use the iPad horizontally.
(The iPad Pro uses this same location for the front camera)
Arguably the most exciting addition lives on the left side.
The Smart Connector gives you a dedicated connection for accessories like a smart keyboard or the Logitech Combo Touch.
No more frustrating pairing or the need to charge multiple devices, so you can easily pair accessories to improve productivity.
Trackpads and mice are also fully compatible with iPadOS, along with touch, a keyboard, or a stylus.
You also don't have to worry about being tied to a plug.
We got about 11 hours of active use with the 8th generation iPad.
However, the heaviest days with many calls and streaming resulted in about nine and a half hours.
During our most formulaic battery test, in which we adjusted the brightness to 50%, activated airplane mode and looped a video until the device died, we found that the device lasted for nine hours and 30 minutes.
That's an additional two hours compared to the previous generation model.
Whichever way you look at it, the 8th-generation iPad continues to deliver an exceptional blend of performance and value.
We'd be willing to bet that this tablet will perfectly suit your needs, whatever they may be, and at a very good price.
Best performance: iPad Pro ($ 799; amazon.com)
Apple has really let the iPad Pro mature and grow over the years.
Now, it can completely replace a laptop for most consumers.
The iPad Pro boasts impressive processing power thanks to an A12Z chipset.
It's one of the reasons the iPad Pro outperformed every other tablet we've tested (and a few other laptops as well).
This tablet really lives up to each and every task you can throw at it.
Photo export happens in milliseconds.
Saving and sharing a PDF is effortless.
And we can continue: render 4K movies, export massive photos from Photoshop, export data… everything worked smoothly and at a rapid pace.
The large screen gives plenty of room for multitasking.
You can wedge email on one side, an app like Trello on the other, and comfortably have Slack floating around for messaging.
While the display performance of the 7th generation iPad is truly impressive, the iPad Pro ups the ante with its ProMotion display.
That basically gives the Pro a higher refresh rate, leading to a silky-smooth viewing experience.
Image quality is excellent and outperforms the 7th generation iPad, iPad Air and iPad mini.
Colors appear more thanks to a higher resolution, and a wider gamut of color support leads to a seamless viewing experience.
Like the 7th generation, the Pro has True Tone capabilities, which means that the Pro will adjust the color temperature of the screen based on your surroundings.
The performance and quality of the screen make it a true portable competitor even before you consider the accessories available.
Pairing the iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard, while expensive, makes it feel like a true 2-in-1, or even a full computer.
The trackpad is a perfect way to interact with large spreadsheets.
Plus, you can still use your finger, a stylus, or even a keyboard.
That functionality is compatible with any iPad running 13.5, but it really shines on the iPad Pro thanks to its unprecedented performance.
Bottom line: The iPad Pro is a beast.
The processor speed paired with iPadOS lets you shred through exports, easily multitask with tons of apps, and really accomplish anything without a hitch.
Add the big screen and accessories on top of all that and you've got a winning recipe for a solid laptop replacement.
Best Android Tablet: Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 ($ 649.99; amazon.com)
When it comes to Android tablets, there aren't many options.
Samsung is the only company that consistently releases new Android tablets every year.
Amazon's Fire tablets are based on Android, but they run a highly customized version of the operating system that leaves behind support for Google apps and services.
Still, even in a limited field, the Tab S7 shines brightly.
It runs Android with full Google support and some Samsung customizations.
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor powers the experience (which is quite snappy) and is paired with 6GB of RAM, which means it's made for a ton of multitasking.
The processing power is enough to power the Samsung DeX, which transforms the standard Android interface into a laptop-like interface, although we did experience some lag in this mode.
App compatibility, like Android apps on a Chromebook, was spotty, although it's still useful for when you need to work in a different environment.
You can activate it automatically by connecting the S7 to the Samsung keyboard accessory, which is sold separately for $ 199.
The Tab S7 has an 11-inch screen in a 16: 9 aspect ratio.
It is slightly taller and thinner than, for example, the 11-inch iPad Pro.
It's an LCD screen and it looks sharp when streaming movies, browsing the web, and even editing photos.
Better yet, it supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate, delivering a butter-smooth viewing experience.
Now, the Tab S7 isn't the only tablet Samsung dropped this year.
There's the larger Tab S7 + with a 12.4-inch Super AMOLED screen - that higher-quality screen is the main difference, but in our tests, it didn't come off as a clear winner by offering brighter colors or more vivid images.
The two screens looked almost identical.
Powering the S7 is an 8,000 mAh battery.
During our benchmark battery test of playing a video loop repeatedly with the tablet in airplane mode and the screen brightness set to 50%, the S7 lasted 15 hours and 22 minutes.
In other words, the S7's battery will last all day and well into the next.
Tab S7 starts with 128GB of internal storage and even supports 5G connectivity on the cellular model.
It supports 45-watt fast charging via the USB-C port and comes with an S Pen digital pen in the box.
Compared to previous Galaxy tablets, the Tab S7 offers a more complete package.
From battery life to performance to screen quality, it's unmatched on Android.
If you want a premium Android tablet, the $ 649.99 Tab S7 is your best bet.
Best on a budget: Fire HD 8 Plus ($ 109.99; amazon.com)
From the moment we unpacked Amazon's Fire HD 8 Plus, we noticed its modern design, similar to that of the Kindle Paperwhite.
The rounded edges are a worthwhile improvement over the dated and heavily boxed design of previous Fire HD tablets.
The front camera has been moved so that it is at the top of the screen when you hold the tablet in landscape mode, one of the few tablets to do so, and in turn, it makes your video calls look better.
Arguably the biggest novelty in the Fire HD 8 Plus is wireless charging.
You can place the 8-inch tablet on any Qi-compatible wireless charging pad, or order the tablet along with Amazon's own wireless charging stand for $ 139.99.
And there's no reason for separation anxiety while charging, as once in the dock, Show mode kicks in, turning the tablet into a makeshift Echo Show smart display.
You can interact with Alexa, just like any other Echo device, asking for weather updates, controlling smart home devices, and asking random questions.
Let's be honest: This isn't the fastest tablet we've tested, but it's powerful enough to handle common tablet tasks.
For example, you will have no problem using Amazon's Silk browser to shop on your favorite sites, have Zoom video calls, and scroll through your social networks.
You can even play some light games, but don't expect to be surprised by how fast the games load or how the graphics look.
In our battery life tests, the Fire HD 8 Plus lasted almost 10 hours, which is more than enough to watch the latest Amazon Prime Video series on a flight, with enough power left over to fill a couple of hours with your favorite Kindle readings.
The biggest hurdle you'll have to overcome is learning how to navigate Amazon's FireOS.
It is based on Android, but bypasses any Google services.
That means you won't find Google's Gmail or YouTube apps, for example, and you'll be forced to use Amazon's own app store and its limited selection (although many big-name apps, including Netflix, Minecraft, Disney +, and Instagram, They're available).
The interface has a steep learning curve, but once you get used to its design, you shouldn't have any problems.
Even though apps can take longer to load, multitasking isn't the smoothest, and the lack of Google apps can be annoying.
But the Fire HD 8 Plus is by far the best tablet we've used near this price point, and the fact that it performs like an Echo Show while charging provides added value to a device that would normally be nothing more than a paperweight.
Note: The above prices reflect the price at the time of publication of the article.