The best 10-inch tablet money can buy – updated November 2021

The entry-level of the iPad line got refresh this September and the new iPad 10.2-inch (2021) has a lot to offer. There are upgrades across the whole platform – with the iPad 10.2 (2021) you’re getting the same iPadOS features baked in the Pro model. The base storage has been bumped up to 64GB (a long overdue upgrade), and you can use the tablet with Apple Pencil (1st Gen). 

The Apple A13 is a bit old now, but you’re getting at least 3 whole years of this baby, so no reasons to worry. The battery life is great – you can get around 8 hours of mixed use, and to top it all up, the Center Stage feature is present too. This feature uses the ultra-wide front-facing camera to follow you around, and it takes video calls to another level.

If you’re using an iOS device of any kind, then you’ll be better off with a tablet made by Apple. You can go and get the latest iPad Pro, of course, but its display spans 11 inches, which kinda disqualifies it from our list. If you don’t mind the extra 0.8-inch increase, you should definitely go and get the iPad Pro. Otherwise, the last generation Apple iPad (2020) is your best choice.

You’re getting the familiar 10.2-inch LCD display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, which may seem odd at first but it’s really comfortable for general productivity. Watching movies on the other hand will result in big black bands on the top and bottom, but it is what it is.

The performance is great, and if you factor in the price it becomes even sweeter. It’s an iPad and the user experience is predictably smooth. Even though this one uses the old A12 chipset, you won’t notice hiccups or lag. Multitasking is good, and the battery can easily get you through one whole day.

If you want an Android tablet, you face the same conundrum regarding the size. The new Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is an 11-inch device, and if you strictly want to keep things below that threshold you’ll have to settle for the previous generation.

Nothing wrong with the Galaxy Tab S6, though – it’s a great Android tablet with thin bezels, metal construction, one of the best Super AMOLED 10.5-inch displays on the market, and quad speakers powered by AKG.

What’s more, there’s a Bluetooth-enabled S Pen that comes in the box and magnetically attaches to the rear of the Galaxy Tab S6. The performance is also excellent, even though the device uses a Snapdragon 855 chip coupled with 8GB of RAM.

There are two storage options available (128 or 256GB) but thanks to the microSD card slot you can expand the onboard memory by up to 1TB. The battery life is also pretty good, the Galaxy Tab S6 beats its Apple counterpart by more than an hour.

All in all, the Tab S6 is one of the best 10-inch Android tablets on the market, out shadowed only by its bigger and more modern sibling, the Galaxy Tab S7.

Now that we’re done with Apple and Samsung, it’s time for something completely different. Amazon also offers its own line of tablets, and even though it might not be the most powerful out there, the price tag will make you smile.

Take the Amazon Fire HD10 for example. It covers all the basics, and you can find one for basically pocket money. There are deals on these models practically anytime you visit Amazon, and for half the price of a Galaxy Tab or an iPad, you can get a pretty solid tablet.

The Fire HD10 features a 10.1″ 1080p full HD display; 32 or 64 GB of internal storage (you can expand it by up to 512 GB with microSD), and it has a 2.0 GHz octa-core processor and 2 GB of RAM.

All these specs might sound a bit underwhelming but at that price, the Fire HD10 is absolutely the best deal out there. Also, you can get up to 12 hours of battery life out of this bad boy.

Microsoft Surface tablets bring something unique to the table – Windows. No matter how good the iPad OS or Android might be, there’s nothing like the good old Windows when it comes to multitasking. The Surface Go 2 is one of the entry-level devices in the lineup but it still offers a lot. It comes equipped with a 10.5” display, 4GB/8GB of RAM, and 64GB/128GB of SSD storage. You also get an 8th generation Intel Pentium Gold processor inside, plus the aforementioned Windows operating system (Windows 10 Home, upgradable to Windows 11).

This tablet is not cheap but it will get you that “laptop” experience anytime you need it. With the optional keyboard cover, mouse, and Surface Pen, you can transform the Surface Go 2 into a full-fledged laptop or a sketching art machine. It is the best 10-inch Windows tablet you can get!

For all of you, who just want a backup tablet or a secondary device, there’s no need to cough up hundreds of dollars. The Lenovo Tab M10 Plus is the best budget 10-inch tablet, and it will get the job done.

This one features a 10.3-inch FHD (1080×1920) display, an octa-Core processor with up to 2.3 GHz main frequency, and several memory configurations. You can get it with 2GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB, and 4GB/128GB.

And we’re back to Apple. This time around we’re looking at the Apple iPad Air (2020). This should be your choice if you want a feather-weight device. It’s 30 grams lighter than the iPad (2020), yet sporting a bigger 10.9-inch display (just below that 11-inch threshold).What’s more, the iPad Air (2020) features the A14 Bionic chipset, coupled with 4GB of ram, so it’s iPad Pro-fast. One possible downside is that the onboard storage is only 64GB but the price reflects that nicely.

You also get great stereo speakers, support for accessories like Magic Keyboard and 2nd-gen Apple Pencil, and last but not least, there’s USB Type-C onboard! Welcome to the 21st century, Apple. But seriously, this means better support for third-party accessories. While this tablet is far from cheap, it offers the raw power of the iPad Pro without the price tag.

If you want the best 10-inch tablet but you’re neither prepared to spend hundreds of dollars nor to settle for something cheap and underpowered, there’s still a solution. Behold the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 – it’s the best bang for your buck.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 features a Snapdragon 662 processor, 3GB RAM, and either 32GB or 64GB expandable storage. It’s not the fastest chipset but it’s substantially better than our budget entries on this list.

The 10.4-inch display is very bright and vivid, and you also get Dolby Atmos surround sound for the perfect multimedia experience. The build quality and battery life are also top-notch, and the price is unbeatable – you can get the Galaxy Tab A7 for as little as $199.

So there you have it! The best 10-inch tablets you can buy in 2021. Of course, this list is “work-in-progress”, and we’ll be adding devices as they get announced. Meanwhile, you can check out our Best Tablets pick, and see if there’s something you like outside of the 10-inch display bracket.