Whether you're looking for a kid-friendly tablet or a compact laptop replacement, there are plenty of excellent options out there. If you're not exactly sure which tablet you should buy, we've got one simple question to help narrow down your search: Are you an Apple person? We tested the entire iPad lineup, and though iPads are our preferred tablets in 2026, we also love some of the best tablets from Lenovo, Samsung, and Microsoft. So, whatever your preferences, we've got a tablet to recommend.
It hasn't been the best year for tech prices either. With RAMaggedon, nearly all tech brands have raised prices on their products. Tablets have not been immune, and many of the models on this list were impacted. While we still stand by our picks, no one likes rising prices.
What's new in this guide?
Amazon dropped three new tablets in October 2026. We're currently testing the new Alexa Tablets and will update this guide once we've vetted them.
August 2026, we added the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5 to this guide as the best tablet for gaming.
June 2026, we added the Lenovo Yoga Tab as our new favorite Android tablet. The Amazon Fire HD 8 was also added as our favorite Amazon Fire tablet.
March 2026, we updated this guide to include the iPad Air with M4 chip, replacing the previous Air model. We also added the iPad Pro (M5) as the best iPad for professionals, as well as the OnePlus Pad Go 2 as the best budget Android tablet.