We select the best tablet computers for working on the move.
While most tablets are aimed at being consumption devices, focusing on entertainment and leisure apps, tablets can also play a viable role in business. They can distil the power of a laptop into hand-held form, opening up a whole new realm of business mobility.
Rather than lugging a laptop around, a tablet can be the perfect solution to achieving business productivity on the move, whether it be in a taxi, plane or visiting a boardroom. Working from a touchscreen also allows interactive content such as graphs, presentations and video to be accessed in an instant.
To help you make sense of the vast choice of tablets, we’ve put together this list of the best tablets.
If your needs are modest, you’ll find any number of budget tablets that can do the job – and if you really don’t need the tablet capability, you can find plenty lightweight laptops (which we’ll cover in a future feature).
However, if you do want the advantages of a tablet, the following models are a cut above the ordinary, offering business-grade features that can enhance your productivity on the move.
Business tablets at a glance
| Price | 4G option | Screen | Storage | Geekbench 4 multi-core benchmark score | Video-rundown battery life score | |
| Apple iPad 9.7in (2017) | From $469 | Yes | 9.7in 1536 x 2048 pixels | 32GB or 128GB, no microSD | 4,204 | 14hrs 47mins |
| Apple iPad Pro 10.5in | From $979 | Yes | 10.5in 2224 x 1668 | 64GB, 256GB or 512GB, no microSD | 9,380 | 12hrs 59mins |
| Apple iPad Pro 12.9in | From $1,199 | Yes | 10.5in 2224 x 1668 | 64GB, 256GB or 512GB, no microSD | 9,146 | 9hrs 8mins |
| Lenovo Yoga Book | From $699 | No | 10.1in 1,920 x 1,200 | 64GB, microSD | 3,222 | 7hrs 22mins |
| Microsoft Surface Pro (2017) | From $1,119 | No | 12.3in 2736 x 1824 | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB, microSD | 5342 / 7544 / 9390 (Core m3/i5/i7) | 11hrs 33mins |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 4 | From $899 | No | 12.3in 2736 x 1824 | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB, microSD | 1825 / 8110 (Core m3 / i7) |
7hrs 41mins |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7in | From $949 | Yes | 9.7in 2048 x 1536 |
32GB, microSD | 4,208 | 11hrs 43mins |
Next: the reviews
