The best business tablets in 2024: our top picks from Apple, Android, and Microsoft

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REASONS TO BUY
REASONS TO AVOID
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An Apple iPad Pro 12.9, the best business tablet, against a techradar background

(Image credit: Future / Apple)

1. Quick list
2.
FAQs
3.
How to choose
4.
How we test
5. Top picks
Best Apple
Best Windows
Best Android

The best business tablets, crucial for productivity at home, the office, or on the move, cater to various professional needs from accounting and email checking to graphic design and content creation. 

With a range of options from leading brands like Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft, identifying the top models hinges on their portability, speed, and performance. We've tested the best of the best, including the Apple iPad Pro 12.9, with a powerful Apple M2 chip offering desktop PC performance on a tablet. Then there's the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G, which offers a full Windows 11 experience in an always-connected tablet. 

We've reviewed everything from the best business laptops and computers to the best tablets over the years, and we've pulled together the best business tablet offerings based on their specs, build quality, size, weight, and design, ensuring they offer the utmost in thin, lightweight, and feature-rich portability for business professionals.

Quick list

Best business tablets: FAQs

What are business tablets?

Business tablets are mobile devices that allow professionals to get important work done on-the-go, whether it be during a long commute or during a flight for an important work event.

While these generally won't have the same functionality as business laptops, it trades some functionality for better connectivity, battery life, and portability while still offering professionals access to all of their important work apps and accounts.

Which tablet is best for working professionals?

Generally, the iPad Pro 12.9-inch is the best business tablet if you're talking about features and performance, but the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G and Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus are also great alternatives.

How to choose the best business tablets for you

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When deciding how to choose the best business tablet, remember that these days, for a tablet to prove itself genuinely useful, it needs to boast performance that is almost on a par with the top laptops. 

These kinds of tablets need to have enough processing power to manage demanding tasks, long battery lives to power you through long work sessions and lightweight builds.

Thankfully, the tablets featured on our list are incredibly versatile devices, and thanks to the combination of power and form factor, they are excellent devices for business use. The best 2-in-1 laptops, however, offer even more versatility if you're looking for a true tablet-laptop hybrid. 

The best business tablets you'll find on this page can be used for various professional tasks, whether that's reading documents on the go, being creative in a range of ways, or managing different systems and channels at the same time. You'll therefore need to consider what tasks you plan to use your tablet for, whether you prefer working with iOS or Android, and also what budget you have to play with.

How we test the best business tablets

Our team of reviewers have expertly tested a massive range of the best iPads and best Android tablets for work, school, and play.

There are no shortage of contenders out there when it comes to selecting the best business tablets on the market. Since Apple changed the game with the launch of the iPad in 2010, the market has been swamped with the biggest names in tech looking to claim a chunk of the pie.

So we've been ruthless in whittling down our list, and among the areas we've sought to analyse include key factors one might expect, like graphics, processing speed, storage space and screen size. But we’ve also taken into account some considerations that can often be forgotten about. 

Given the smaller size of tablets compared to desktop PCs and laptops, connectivity options aren’t always in high supply, which is why we’ve noted where tablets have managed to cram in an impressive variety of connectivity options and ports. 

We’ve also tested what were previously deemed luxury features but now should be considered as standard, such as cameras, docking stations, and styluses. Finally, given the importance that Apple placed in design when launching the iPad, we’ve also made sure to consider the look and feel of each tablet.

The best business tablets in depth

Best business tablet in 2024

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Below you'll find full write-ups for each candidate for the best business tablet. We've tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted. 

An Apple iPad Pro on a table, with a keyboard

The iPad Pro (2022) (Image credit: Future)

The best Apple tablet for business

For the professional Apple user

Specifications

Operating system: iPadOS 16
Processor: Apple M2
RAM: 8GB - 16GB
Screen size: 12.9in
Resolution: 2732 x 2048
Storage: 128GB - 2TB
Battery life: Up to 10 hrs
Weight: 1.51lb / 6.82kg

Reasons to buy

+
Beautiful mini-LED screen
+
Future-proof M2 chip
+
The best range of tablet apps

Reasons to avoid

-
128GB is small for the price
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Battery life isn't huge
-
Steep price rise in some countries

The iPad Pro 12.9" is the best iPad available today. This iPad Pro saw an update in 2022 to bump it to an Apple M2 chipset, giving this piece of glass even more power under the display. Additionally, the larger storage sizes allow for an increase in RAM, topping out at 16GB.

The large screen size is perfect for content editing or creation and multitasking. Much like the iPad Air, this iPad has a few keyboard options, giving way to another level of productivity. 

The impressive cameras on the back, with LiDar, included, can pave the way for immersive AR functionality at a job site or in an office. Powerful speakers can project important content to a mass of people, and the Center Stage front camera can keep the focus on whoever is involved in a virtual meeting.

There is also an 11-inch model with the same great chip, with a slightly smaller screen and, in some cases, a little less RAM. If you are looking for the best of the best but don't need the largest screen, this might be a great solution.

Read our full Apple iPad Pro (M2, 12.9) review

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The best Windows tablet for business

The smoothest Surface yet

Specifications

Operating system: Windows 10 / 11
Processor: Microsoft SQ3 3.00 GHz
RAM: 16GB
Screen size: 13in
Resolution: 2880 x 1920
Storage: 256 GB
Battery life: Up to 10 hours
Weight: 1.95lb / 883 g

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent design
+
Big, responsive screen
+
Great battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
ARM Introduces some system compatibility and stability issues
-
Keyboard and pen cost extra
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Expensive

The best business tablet isn't necessarily the newest, which is why the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G doesn't top this list, but it's still a decent device that could be useful for you, depending on what you need from your slate.

We didn't find the Surface Pro 9 a huge upgrade on the impressive and dependable Surface Pro 6. The fact that the older slate is more affordable now is why we don't believe the newer tablet will topple its predecessor. The Surface Pro 9 5G takes a continued step in the progression of Microsoft's tablet lineup.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G features a quality array of cameras on the front and back, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a surface connector port. Another element that makes this stand out among competitors is including Windows 11 as the operating system.

Read our full Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G review

The best Android tablet for business

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 (Image credit: Future)
A top Android for work and school

Specifications

Operating system: Android 12L
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM: 8GB - 12GB
Screen size: 11in
Resolution: 1600 x 2560
Storage: 128GB / 256GB
Battery life: Up to 13 hours
Weight: 1.1lb / 5.03kg

Reasons to buy

+
Premium-feel design
+
S Pen stylus included
+
Clear, bright display

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited upgrade
-
Lacks in-screen fingerprint
-
Cameras are 'good enough'

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is the best option for business use and beyond if you're looking for a tablet outside of the Apple Ecosystem. The included S Pen unlocks so much for designers and those who prefer to handwrite meeting notes, sign many documents, add some red pen to a written document or draw diagrams.

These tablets can expand their storage thanks to a microSD card slot. Alternatively, if you want to expand your screen size, you can opt for the Ultra, adding 1.4 inches of diagonal display. We use our Tab S8 as our daily driver, finding it impressively fast, with a sharp, bright screen ready-made for watching Netflix. Armed with the stylus, we've found the tablet more than capable of photo editing and digital art - although it does sometimes struggle with very large canvases. For handwritten notes, though, it's a delight. 

This tablet packs a good amount of power while also having an impressive battery life. You shouldn't be disappointed if you choose this tablet for your professional endeavors.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 review

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John Loeffler
Components Editor

John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY. 


Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.


You can find him online on Threads @johnloeffler.


Currently playing: Baldur's Gate 3 (just like everyone else).

With contributions from