Best tablet 2025
1. Apple iPad Air (2025)
Equipped with Apple’s M3 processor, it delivers incredible performance in basically every scenario. Coupled with strong battery life and the premium yet lightweight design we’ve come to expect from the iPad Air, there’s a lot to like here. With LCD rather than OLED and just a 60Hz refresh rate, the display might seem like a downside, but in day-to-day usage it’s still mightily impressive. You will have to compromise in the charging department, though, while the lack of Face ID or any included accessories are frustrating On the software side, iPadOS continues to offer the best user experience on any tablet, with loads of dedicated apps and prompt updates for years to come.If you’re looking for a premium tablet that strikes a balance between features and price, the iPad Air is a great choice.
2. Xiaomi Pad 7
Don’t want to pay high-end prices but still want a premium tablet? Go for the Xiaomi Pad 7 – you won’t be disappointed.
For just £369 at launch (sadly unavailable in the US), you can get a high-end build, gorgeous 11-inch display and strong performance from the Snapdragon 870 chipset. Throw in solid battery life and decent charging speeds, and Xiaomi is onto a winner.
While no accessories are included in the price, the keyboard cases (two to choose from) and Focus Pen stylus are all very impressive, too.
A rather patchy software experience from Xiaomi’s HyperOS Android skin remains the big compromise, though it’s still very usable. You’ll also have to make do without a fingerprint scanner, but that’s easy to look beyond at this price
3. OnePlus Pad 3
OnePlus has gradually been improving its tablet offering ever since the original OnePlus Pad, but now it feels as though the company has truly hit its stride with its third-gen tablet that takes multitasking to a whole new level.
Originally available on the One Plus Open, the company’s Open Canvas software arguably feels more at home on the Pad 3 as you can have up to three apps open at a time (even more if one is in windowed mode). This just makes the tablet great for those who are constantly on the go but want to get work done on a device that’s slimmer and more portable than a laptop.
What helps to keep things feeling smooth is the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset which can handle everything from on-device gaming to AI processing with ease. In our time testing the device, there was never really a moment where it buckled under pressure.
4. Apple iPad (2025)
Even though there’s plenty to be gained by spending a bit more to nab the iPad Air or the iPad Pro, it’s incredible to see just how much value the base-level iPad A16 is able to bring to the table.
For starters, when it comes to the core iPadOS experience, you’re still getting access to the same great multitasking software iPad is known for, alongside top tier apps that make it great not just for streaming and gaming, but also a spot of productivity (especially if you bring a keyboard into the mix).
The new A16 chip also means that you’re getting a decent processing bump over the previous entry-level iPad, although it’s far from the lightning fast speeds that you’ll find on M-series iPads. Plus, the iPad A16 is now the only tablet in Apple’s range that doesn’t support Apple Intelligence.
