Notebookcheck's Top 10 Tablets

Apple completely redesigns its iPad Pro models with the 2018 generation. The tablets get a new design, which is now based on recycled aluminum and slim bezels. The iPad Pro 12.9 is powered by the fastest ARM-SoC on the market (by quite a margin). The storage size is between 64 GB all the way up to 1 TB in combination with 4 GB RAM (the high-end SKU even gets 6 GB RAM). 

Contrary to the smaller model, the Californian company do not use a bigger panel in the same chassis size, but leave the panel and make the case smaller. The iPad Pro 12.9 is still a huge tablet, though. The panel is once again very convincing during the review and also supports the new Apple Pencil 2. Face ID is now included as well. The good speakers and the long battery runtimes complete the overall package. However, we don't think the tablet is the advertised notebook replacement, because the USB-C port and iOS limit the use as a productive tool too much. 

Apple completely redesigns its iPad Pro models with the 2018 generation. The tablets get a new design, which is now based on recycled aluminum and slim bezels. The iPad Pro 11 is powered by the fastest ARM-SoC on the market (by quite a margin). The storage size is between 64 GB all the way up to 1 TB in combination with 4 GB RAM (the high-end SKU even gets 6 GB RAM). 

The panel size is increased to 11 inches thanks to the slimmer bezels. It is very convincing during the review and also supports the new Apple Pencil 2. Face ID is now included as well. The good speakers and the long battery runtimes complete the overall package. However, we don't think the tablet is the advertised notebook replacement, because the USB-C port and iOS limit the use as a productive tool too much.

The iPad Mini 5 is Apple's refresh for its smallest tablet, but the design is still the same. The display (7.9-inch, 2048 x 1536 pixels) also seems to be identical, but it now supports the True Tone functionality and it covers the wider DCI-P3 color gamut. The iPad Mini now also works with the Apple Pencil (Gen. 1) and is powered by the modern Apple A12 SoC in combination with 3 GB RAM as well as 64 or 256 GB internal storage. Corresponding SKUs with LTE are also available.

Our review shows that you do not always need the best to create a good tablet, especially with the very limited competition in this screen size. Advantages of the iPad Mini 5 are the strong performance as well as the long update cycle.

The Apple iPad Air (2019) is positioned between the iPad 6 and the Pro models. It starts from 549 Euros and comes with a 10.5-inch IPS panel (2224 x 1668 pixels, 4:3), a fast Apple A12 SoC, 3 GB RAM and 64 or 256 GB internal storage. SKUs with LTE are available as well. The 3rd generation iPad Air is also compatible with the Apple Pencil (Gen. 1) and you can attach a keyboard.

The iPad Air is basically a great tablet, which sacrifices some features compared to the more expensive Pro models, but this should not be an issue in practice. If you like to take pictures with your tablet, you will have to live with mediocre results and the charging time is very long due to the weak power adapter.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 from the Korean manufacturer is a very successful fine tuning of the flagship tablet, which finally offers a high-end SoC and it is much slimmer than before. The Super AMOLED screen has a diagonal size of 10.5 inches with 2560 x 1600 pixels and convinces in our review with good brightness and high color accuracy. 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage is a good combination and a version with LTE is also available.

The S-Pen is once again included and can be stored at the back of the tablet via magnets, where it is also charged (induction). The optional keyboard is a good accessory and with the combination of DeX, the Galaxy Tab S6 is a powerful business companion.

The 7th generation of the Apple iPad is the least expensive entry into the tablet line-up from the Californian company and starts at 379 Euros for the Wi-Fi model with 32 GB storage. You can also get models with 128 GB and LTE, which increases the price all the way up to 619 Euros, so it is more expensive than lats year's model.

The design is similar to the typical iPad, but the screen size was bumped from 9.7 to 10.2 inches. The SoC is from 2016, but still very fast. The tablet also supports the Apple Pencil (1st Generation) and you can get an optional Smart Keyboard. All in all, the iPad is a great tablet if you do not need the latest and greatest.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is mostly fine tuning of the previous model. The display size is increased to 10.5 inches thanks to slimmer bezels and you get a more modern SoC. It is still a last year's model, but at least supports Bluetooth 5.0. The internal storage size is increased to 64 GB and can be expanded via microSD card. The USB-C port now supports USB 3.1 (Gen.1) transfer speeds and can also be used to output wired display signals via optional adapter.

Samsung DeX is now directly integrated into he tablet, so a productive usage scenario in combination with a keyboard cover makes sense. Both the keyboard as well as the S-Pen unfortunately suffered in terms of quality impression. The Pen is still included though and does not require a battery.

An update to Android 9.0 Pie is expected sometime next year.

The highlight of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e is its special design and the device is not only very slim at juts 5.5 mm, but also very light at around 400 grams. The Samsung Tablet is equipped with a 10.5-inch (26.67 cm) Super AMOLED panel, which ensures brilliant pictures, but it does not support HDR. You get a modern SoC with the Snapdragon 670 as well as 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage, and the latter can be expanded via microSD card. It is also possible to use Samsung's own desktop mode DeX and attach an optional keyboard.

During the review, we liked the good performance of the Galaxy Tab S5e, the good list of features as well as the powerful speakers. The battery runtime is not bad, either, but we are not convinced by the cameras.

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 has an 8.4-inch 16:10 display with a high resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. It is powered by a Kirin 960s, which is not as fast as the 960 from the smartphones, but the performance is still good. The memory equipment with 4 GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage is decent and can be expanded via microSD card, but more internal storage would still be nice. LTE, USB 3.1, aptX, long battery runtimes and the pretty modern Android 8.0 Oreo complete the package. However, the MediaPad M5 8.4 does not offer a 3.5 mm stereo jack.