Android fans know that the best tablets are Android tablets. Sure, the Apple iPad may have a powerful Apple chip inside, but what else can it do? Android tablets are packed with features and built to last - whether that means a water resistant design like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S family or incredible battery life like the OnePlus Pad lineup.
The best premium Android tablets come from Samsung, and I love the Galaxy Tab S10 FE as an all-arounder with features that make productivity second nature. Unlike Apple, Samsung includes its precise drawing tool in the box - the S Pen - and all of its top tablets have a water resistant design.
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This is the best premium Android tablet, with a water resistant design, performance built for gaming, and Samsung's signature S Pen features. You can even get work done with an extra monitor, mouse and keyboard attached.
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The third time is charming with the OnePlus Pad 3, a high-powered Android tablet that finally pushes Android to the forefront of premium tablets. The Pad 3 has the best display, the fastest processor, and the biggest battery of any Android tablet, making it an easy pick for serious tablet users who want a powerful, portable Pad.
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The Amazon Fire HD 10 isn't the most impressive tablet until you realize it costs less than $100, and Amazon has put this tablet on sale for 25% off a half dozen times since it launched. For that low price it makes a great screen to offer the kids on a long car ride.
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The OnePlus Pad Go 2 is a great looking tablet that somehow matches its superlative sibling OnePlus Pad 3 for incredible battery life. If you want a knockout bargain that beats Apple's iPad in surprising ways, don't sleep on this slate.
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The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra may be a bit too big for everyday use, but it's a great pick for artists and folks who need a large canvas. With an S Pen in the box, Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra makes a great big screen Android creativity tool.
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The Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus are incredibly durable tablets loaded with productivity features that make them some of the best multitaskers around. For a tablet you'll want to use at work for years, the Tab S10 FE family is your first pick.
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The best Android tablets 2026
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We've thoroughly tested and individually reviewed every tablet on this list, so you can trust our recommendations and know that each entry has earned its place. Check out our full summary below, with a link to our review with final scores.
The best premium Android tablet
Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is a premium tablet that comes loaded with features, including many benefits you won't find on any iPad or other Android tablets. It's made for gaming, with a MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ processor that excels at graphics performance, but Samsung's software and the included S Pen also make it perfect for multi-tasking and getting things done.
Samsung has wisely continued to build IP68 certified tablets that are water resistant and durable. You can take the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus into the bath or wash it in the sink if it gets dirty. It's still a very attractive tablet, it doesn't look like a tank, but that durability makes it more versatile than an iPad Pro, if you carry your tablet around in the world with you.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus costs the same as an iPad Pro 11-inch tablet, but you get a much larger display, which also means a bigger battery inside, and Samsung happily gives you an S Pen, it's not an expensive accessory like the Apple Pencil.
Samsung also makes the best tablet software around. It's very easy to open multiple apps side-by-side, and you can even connect the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus to a monitor and keyboard to create a desktop-like experience. This is the best Android tablet you can buy, and easily one of the best tablets all around.
Read our hands-on Galaxy Tab S10 Plus review
The best Android tablet for most people
The OnePlus Pad 3 finally endows an Android tablet with the fastest Qualcomm processor around, the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. With Qualcomm's push, the Pad 3 is the fastest Android tablet you can buy, with amazing battery life to boot. In fact, like recent OnePlus phones, it's hard to find anything I don't like about this tablet.
The OnePlus Pad 3 has the best display on any tablet in this price range. It's more sharp than the Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus, and it draws faster than the Samsung tablet or the iPad Air 13-inch, with a 144Hz refresh rate. In our tests, this display was exceptionally bright and clear, but the Pad 3 still had amazing long battery life.
You don't need a OnePlus phone to appreciate the OnePlus Pad 3, though it might help. OnePlus doesn't add as many cross-device features as Samsung or Apple, but if you buy an accompanying keyboard, you can quickly tap your phone to pair the two devices and share content across each.
The OnePlus Pad 3 is a premium tablet with a high price tag, so it isn't for everybody. If you don't need this much power or such a huge display, there are better options available. If you want the absolute best, most stunning Android tablet I've seen, with power that pushes performance over the top, the OnePlus Pad 3 should be the top tablet on your list.
Read our in-depth OnePlus Pad 3 review
The best budget tablet
The Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) is not a great tablet, but it is certainly a cheap tablet, and for the price it gives you plenty to like. While it starts at $139.99 / £149.99 (roughly AU$220) for the 32GB version (with a microSD card slot, nice!), Amazon regularly drops the price on this tablet, and we've seen it cut lower than $80 in the US in the past year. For that price it's not just a great budget tablet, it's a real no-brainer if you need a tablet cheap and now.
The Fire HD 10 (2023) has a nice, big screen at 10.1-inches. It's not as big as an iPad or Galaxy Tab, but it will be large enough to watch your favorite shows and streaming movies, or for browsing the web. You'll be restricted to Amazon's App Market instead of the Google Play Store, but all of your favorite streamers and most of the biggest productivity apps are there. You may miss your favorite games, if your favorite game isn't Fortnite.
There are also plenty of accessories available, including a fancy Amazon Stylus Pen, a ton of cases, and more. If you need to step up to a keyboard, you might also check out the Amazon Fire Max 11, Amazon's recent step into more-premium Android tablets.
Read our full review of the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023).
The best battery life
The OnePlus Pad Go 2 is our pick for the Android tablet with the best battery life because it packs a massive 10,050mAh cell that goes the distance. During our testing, we ran the tablet through a gauntlet of high-intensity tasks, and tested the battery thoroughly in Future Labs. The Pad Go 2 beat nearly every other tablet, including every iPad and Android rival (the OnePlus Pad 3 beat it by less than 60 minutes).
This longevity is due to an efficient MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultra chipset, a surprisingly efficient mid-range processor. We were impressed to see that even with the screen set to a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, which typically drains power much faster, the Pad Go 2 never felt like it was bleeding juice.
Whether managing multiple windows through Open Canvas or playing demanding titles like Honkai Star Rail, the system remained efficient and cool, ensuring that the hardware wasn't wasting energy as excess heat.
A feature on the Pad Go 2 we rarely see on other tablets: reverse charging support. This tablet can also be a massive power bank. If your phone or earbuds are running low, plug them into the Pad Go 2 to bridge the gap. For anyone who needs a tablet that won't quit before the end of a long flight or a busy workday, this is the one to beat.
Read our full OnePlus Pad Go 2 review
The best drawing tablet
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is a fantastic large screen Android tablet, perfect for drawing with its Wacom pen technology built in (and the S Pen included in the box). It has some features you can't find on any iPad or most other Android tablets, like its water resistant design, and Samsung software excels at multi-tasking.
Unfortunately, Samsung opted for a MediaTek 9300+ processor in this tablet, which is great for drawing tools and Android tasks, but it falls short of our expectations for an all-around laptop replacement. Samsung's keyboard options are also flimsy, though that won't bother artists looking for a huge screen to unleash creativity.
Samsung has the best tablet software if you want to keep windows open side-by-side and get things done, and the Tab S10 Ultra has a great design that focuses on the amazing display. Hopefully the next version will be much faster, but for drawing and using the S Pen, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is a great choice.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra review
The best tablet for work
The Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus is a standout choice for anyone who needs a serious workspace on the go. Its massive 13.1-inch display is a total game-changer for productivity. We especially appreciate the 16:10 aspect ratio, which provides a wide canvas that feels closer to a small laptop than a tablet.
What really sets this tablet apart as a workhorse is Samsung’s class-leading DeX environment. It is hands-down the best multitasking system we have used on any tablet, and it's even better than some desktop machines when it comes to multi-window support.
We were able to organize our workflow in a way that felt truly professional, typing up notes on one side of the screen while browsing research on the other. When paired with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, the Tab S10 FE Plus transforms into a light, all-in-one productivity hub that is perfect for getting things done outside of the office.
All this utility is protected by a build that is literally built like a tank. With its all-metal chassis and an unusually strong IP68 dust and water resistance rating, we had total peace of mind taking this tablet into any environment without worrying about a splash or a drop.
For professionals who want a premium, large-screen experience with the most flexible software on the market, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus is the ultimate durable multitasker.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus review
How to choose the best Android tablet for you
When you're buying an Android tablet, the first thing to consider is not the tablet, but which phone you carry. Samsung tablets have features that only work with Samsung phones, and the OnePlus Pad also has features that work exclusively with OnePlus devices. Before other considerations, you might want to match your phone to your tablet to get the most out of both.
The next thing to consider is how much you want to spend. If you can spend on an Android tablet what you might spend on an iPad, you can get our favorite Android tablets from OnePlus and Samsung, with robust features, a great display, and plenty of extras like an included stylus.
If you only have a hundred bucks or so, you'll be looking at Amazon Fire tablets, which don't run Android with Google Play but instead rely on Amazon's own App Market. You still get plenty of your favorite apps and streaming services, so hopefully, you won't have to miss much to save money.
Is mobile data important?
No, if you buy an Android tablet that matches the brand of your phone, your tablet will probably be able to use your phone's network connection without much trouble. Even if you buy a different brand, it isn't hard to connect an Android tablet to your phone's network signal.
Of course, buying a tablet from a mobile carrier often means you can get a discount or a deal that lets you buy a more expensive device, but this usually comes with a multi-year commitment to stay a customer until you've paid off the price of the tablet.
How we test
Every tablet included in this guide has been reviewed in full or in a long hands-on session, so we've spent plenty of time with each working out what's good, what's bad, and how they compare.
We've made sure to fully test tablet performance with apps and games, productivity software and social networks, and especially our favorite streaming services. We compare how content looks on each screen, whether their interface is intuitive, how long the battery lasts, and all of the extra features each offers, as well as assessing design and build quality.
We only consider tablets that are available to buy new, directly from the manufacturer or at major retailers. Tablets that are older may still be available, but we are looking for tablets with the longest support.
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