The best Samsung tablets are about as close as you can get to an Android-powered iPad. They have sleek designs, impressive specs and a nicely tuned version of Android actually designed for tablets (instead of just stretching the phone interface).
And, just like with the best Samsung phones, there are a lot of models to choose from. Fortunately, we’ve been testing Samsung tablets for more than half a decade, so know what separates a good one from a great one.
The quick list
Best overall
1. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus gives you that awesome big-screen experience with a massive 13.1-inch display, and enough of the premium features to feel like an upmarket experience — all at an impressively reasonable price.
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Best iPad alternative
2. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is massive, making it best for those want a tablet as big as a laptop. This 14.6-inch monster is among the largest slates we’ve ever reviewed, but it has the speed, accessories and screen space to help you get work done on the go.
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Best laptop replacement
3. Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is a fantastic dual-purpose tablet if you want something that can (finally) replace your laptop. It’s powerful, long-lasting and has Samsung’s DeX desktop interface for improved productivity.
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The best Samsung tablets you can buy right now
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Best Samsung tablet overall
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
The best Samsung tablet for most people
Specifications
CPU: Exynos 1580
Display: 13.1-inch
Storage: 128GB, 256GB, microSD support up to 2TB
Memory: 8GB, 12GB
Ports: USB-C, microSD
Dimensions: 7.67 x 11.83 x 0.24 inches
Weight: 1.5 pounds
Reasons to buy
+
Great value for money
+
Large
+
Surprisingly good battery life
+
Seven years of updates
Reasons to avoid
–
Low-powered chipset
–
Lacks Galaxy AI features
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus really impressed us with what you get for your money. The large 13.1-inch display makes it ideal for streaming and watching videos, it’s bright at 782 nits peak brightness, and super vivid, making the colors pop even more.
Most surprising is the stereo speakers on here too. Normally, the small space for audio means you get tinny speakers, but in our testing, there’s a nice warm bassy punch alongside all the details being represented nicely across the sound space.
Then throw in that big battery for all day use (lasting 15 hours and 43 minutes in our test), and you’ve got something with real staying power across all your films, web browsing and casual gaming.
Notice how I said casual gaming? The chip inside is certainly not the most powerful for intense tasks. Under significant pressure, you can see slowdown, but if your use cases are casual (ie, not editing videos or playing AAA games), you won’t see it break a sweat.
Throw in that included stylus for whenever you’re feeling creative, a decent camera system for video calls and snapping quick pics, and One UI 8 (launched in October 2025) for a great tablet experience, and price less than $500, you’re onto a winner.
Best iPad alternative Samsung tablet
(Image credit: Future)
The best Samsung tablet to rival Apple’s iPad
Specifications
CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 9300+
Display: 14.6-inch
Storage: 256GB
Memory: 12GB
Ports: 1x USB-C
Dimensions: 12.85 x 8.21 x 0.21 inches
Weight: 1.58 pounds
Reasons to buy
+
Massive 14-inch AMOLED looks fantastic
+
Speedy performance
+
Included stylus is a nice touch
Reasons to avoid
–
Costs almost the same as iPad Pro, performs worse
–
Size makes use as a tablet awkward
If you’ve been tempted by the best iPads but want to avoid iOS (or you just prefer the more open nature of Android), then the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is the best Samsung tablet to go for, as it’s the closest to a true iPad alternative.
It has a massive 14.6-inch screen (which it shares with the more recent Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra) for more immersive media viewing, and it’s loaded with 12GB of RAM, which meant it never lagged in out testing.
The processor is more than capable of handling everyday tasks like web browsing, emails and steaming, but also means you can properly game and video edit without too much trouble. Plus, the built-in speakers are rather good too.
It’s definitely a nice touch that Samsung includes a stylus for you to use out of the box, unlike Apple which makes you buy the Pencil if you want to draw or take notes. But to accommodate those pen-based uses, the screen is huge. Which is good, but makes it a bit tricky to use as a tablet in your hand.
Apple generally gives around five years of support to its tablets and phones via iOS updates, but Samsung has started going a step further, promising seven years of upgrades to the Tab S10 Ultra, which should see you through to 2031.
Best Samsung tablet laptop replacement
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
The best Samsung tablet if you want to ditch your laptop
Specifications
CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 9400+
Display: 14.6-inch
Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Memory: 12GB
Ports: USB-C, microSD
Dimensions: 12.8 x 8.2 x 0.2 inches
Weight: 1.5 pounds
Reasons to buy
+
Stunning 14.6-inch OLED display
+
Thin, lightweight and premium construction
+
Zippy performance
+
Long battery life
Reasons to avoid
–
Massive tablet in the hand
–
DeX Mode has been downgraded slightly
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra takes the formula of what made the S10 Ultra so great and upgrades the experience where it matters to anyone looking to replace their laptop with a slab.
The visual upgrades may be minor, but trust me, in my time testing it, the new internals give it a fresh power boost to handle intensive multitasking for power users. At $1,199, it’s a steep price if you’re looking to just get on the tablet train, but that’s not who the S11 Ultra is targeted towards.
With a massive, beautiful 14.6-inch AMOLED display and Dimensity 9400+ CPU, paired with 12GB of RAM and a sleek, ergonomic keyboard cover you can grab as an accessory, you can do far more than your average tablet user with this.
It’s built for productivity across the board — to bridge the gap to a laptop and really take advantage of some of those work-oriented apps in the Android marketplace. And the software answer to that is DeX mode, which gives you a UI more akin to Windows 11 than a tablet.
It’s not a flawless laptop replacement; DeX (Samsung’s desktop interface) has been gutted a little of some of the original features like a taskbar and no touchpad on the Book Cover Keyboard. But from that screen and user experience to the 12-hour battery life and zippy performance, I believe this is another step forward for the Ultra lineage.
Battery life compared
Battery life is one of the key differentiators for many folks trying to decide which tablet to buy, which is why we’ve collected all our battery test results for the tablets on this page into one handy chart that’s easy to understand at a glance.
Swipe to scroll horizontallyBattery test resultsHeader Cell – Column 0
Time (min:secs)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus
15:43
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus
8:22
Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra
12:03
How we test the best Samsung tablets
We put every tablet through real-world and lab testing to see how it holds up — not just to the hype, but to the competition. That means using each device like an actual owner would, while also digging into the data that matters.
- Battery life: We run a web-surfing test over Wi-Fi with the screen set to a standard brightness to see how long it lasts on a full charge.
- Display quality: We measure screen brightness (in nits) and color accuracy (via sRGB) to gauge how good it’ll look for work and play.
- Performance: We run benchmarks like Geekbench to see how fast and powerful the tablet really is.
- Software experience: On Android tablets, we check app availability and whether you’re getting full access to the Google Play Store.
- Parental controls: If a tablet offers kid-safe features, we try to break them — so your kids don’t.
- Everyday use: We spend days weeks using each tablet like any buyer would; opening apps, watching videos, multitasking, and seeing how it all feels in the hand.
FAQs
Why should I buy a Samsung tablet over an iPad?
Samsung tablets deliver better value and flexibility — especially if you’re already in Samsung’s ecosystem. The premium S Pen stylus is typically included, saving you money, and you get more versatile storage options thanks to the standard microSD card slot.
For productivity, Samsung’s DeX mode transforms the tablet into a PC-like desktop environment with true multitasking and resizable windows. Furthermore, many Galaxy Tabs feature a superior AMOLED display for richer, more immersive movie watching with perfect blacks.
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