The 7 best tablets of 2025: Compare iPads, the Microsoft Surface Pro, and Amazon Fire
UPDATE: Oct. 3, 2025, 2:00 p.m. EDT We're in the midst of retesting our favorite tablets. For now, we've updated this guide to include our favorite iPads and the new Microsoft Surface 11.
Even if you have a very capable smartphone and a nice laptop, an excellent tablet can still be worth adding to your tech arsenal. A touchscreen that can be carried anywhere makes for a portable studio for creatives, a crucial sidekick for frequent travelers, and even an e-reader. These days, tablets are basically just laptops anyway.
Pretty much anyone can enjoy a tablet. 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?
Through testing a variety of different models, iPads are our preferred tablet, but that means jumping into the Apple ecosystem. If that's not your speed, there are plenty of other candidates here, including Samsung and Microsoft. Whatever your thoughts, we've rounded up the best tablets you can buy.
If you are ready to buy a new tablet, Amazon's upcoming Prime Big Deal Days presents a perfect time to do so. We've started to round up the best tablet deals for Amazon's October Prime Day, and once the event starts on Oct. 7, we expect even more great deals from Apple, Amazon, and Samsung.
