Notebookcheck's Top 10 Tablets

Apple has decided not to give the iPad Pro 10.5 a full makeover and instead made real improvements where it matters most. The new display is particularly impressive - its great reflective properties and HDR capabilities will be particularly interesting for fans of movies, TV series and gaming. With a size of 9.6 inches, the display could grow without making the device much bigger than the predecessor due to a narrower bezel. The storage has a capacity of up to 512 GB now and the SoC has once again been improved. The cameras stem from the iPhone 7 and could convince in the test. Unfortunately, the charging times of the battery are still very long, since Apple still does not use a fast charging technology.

While on paper, the Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2017) is simply a slightly bigger than the iPad Pro 10.5, it performs better than its smaller sibling in several respects. For example, the display is more accurately calibrated in our test sample and shows an exemplary color representation. The speakers are also better balanced and sound really good. Furthermore, the range of the Wi-Fi module is slightly higher and the battery life is longer. This variant can also have up to 512 GB storage and uses the cameras from Apple's current high-end smartphone. Due to the lack of fast charging technology, a full charge takes over 8 hours.

Not high-end, but a really strong combo is the best way to summarize Samsung's Galaxy Tab S3 LTE. The Korean manufacturer's premium tablet has a 9.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with HDR support. The S Pen is now also mandatory in the Tab S Series and is delivered with the tablet. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 that although it is not the latest model, still achieves a superb performance. Furthermore, 4 GB of working memory and 32 GB of internal storage are included. The latter can be expanded via a microSD card. The LTE version can be used as a phone and the Wi-Fi module is fast in the home network. The four speakers provide a decent sound and the battery life also convinced us in the test.

Unfortunately, there are some points that have to be criticised. Samsung does not install a high-end SoC, which excludes cutting-edge Bluetooth 5.0. The cameras are only average and the storage is relatively slow.

Apple's iPad (2017) is not a premium tablet but is a beefed-up iPad Air 2 that is offered at a low entry price of 399 Euros (~$448). Although a SoC from 2015 is installed, only a few chipsets manage to outperform it. The customer can choose between a 32 GB (from 399 Euros, ~$448) and 128 GB (from 499 Euros, ~$560) storage. An extra 160 Euros (~$179) is asked for the optional mobile network model, which can add up to a price of 659 Euros (~$740). Thus, the seemingly cheap iPad is not that affordable after all. It is also a bit too bad that the fully laminated screen known from the iPad Air 2 is not used, but rather the panel from the first generation that is highly reflective. Nevertheless, the product has a superb feel and its fast performance and long-lasting battery convince in everyday use.

With the Pixel C, Google has produced an in-house design similar to the Pixel Chromebook. The tablet features an unusual display size, but it looks good and, together with its optional keyboard, is a powerful device for writing. The tablet appears to be very high-end and shines especially with its high performance and long battery runtimes. Moreover, it provides a modern USB Type-C Gen. 1 port. You should consider the storage option carefully when buying the device since the storage capacity cannot be expanded. In return, you will get the latest version of the operating system with Google Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Prior to its presentation, the Apple iPad Mini 4 was almost considered a dying species. At the Keynote, Phil Schneider mentioned the small iPad in only two sentences. Wrongly, as our review shows. Although the iPad Mini 4 cannot fully reach the promised performance level of the Air 2, it brings more than sufficient performance for all current tasks. Even demanding 3D games are not too much for the Mini 4. Compared to its predecessor, which Apple has already removed from its portfolio, it shines with the right improvements. These include a slimmer and lighter case, faster WLAN modules and especially the anti-glare display that sets new standards in outdoor visibility. In addition, the GPS sensor works excellently.

The Huawei MediaPad M5 10.8 is a tablet that first and foremost tries to impress with its high build quality, its decent display, and its good performance. Despite the fact that the Kirin 960s is slightly slower than the 960 overall performance is still very decent. 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage are okay, however we would have wished for more storage space to be honest. At least the tablet features a microSD slot for storage expansion. The speakers were okay, LTE (optional), and Quick Charge to reduce charging times dramatically.

If you want more storage, LTE, a faster SoC as well as pen support, you should have a look at the larger sibling MediaPad M5 10.8 Pro. 

The smaller Huawei tablet from the MediaPad M5-series features an 8.4-inch 16:10 display with 2560 x 1600 pixels. It is powered by the Kirin 960s, which is not quite as fast as the 960 for smartphones, but the performance is still good nonetheless. The memory equipment with 4 GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage is okay and can be expanded via microSD, but it could be more generous. LTE, USB 3.1 aptX, good battery runtimes, and a pretty modern Android 8.0 Oreo complete the package of the compact tablet. The Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4 does, however, lack a 3.5 mm stereo jack.

Huawei's MediaPad M3 is an 8.4-inch multimedia tablet with a brilliant as well as high-resolution IPS display. The powerful processor ensures smooth system performance and browsing the web is also an enjoyable experience. Only the integrated GPU is brought to its limits in demanding games, which is also a result of the high screen resolution (2560x1600 pixels).

The tablet is perfectly equipped for media playback and strikes a good balance between weight and panel size. Huawei integrates good stereo speakers that provide decent sound on the go and the stamina of almost 10 hours is not bad either.

We also liked the well-built aluminum chassis as well as the good memory equipment and the handy fingerprint scanner. It is rather unfortunate that we only get a Micro-USB port.

With the Xiaomi MiPad 2 a tablet from the Far East has quietly entered our Top 10, which is not officially sold in Germany, but only available via imports. The look heavily resembles the iPad Mini, but the aluminum case does not house that much performance. Otherwise, the Chinese deliver a great tablet, which comes with a USB Type-C port. The colors of the display are not that good, but this is not annoying during everyday tasks. Moreover, the small storage capacity of 16 GB cannot be expanded. However, this is acceptable in view of the cheap price.