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The Best 10-Inch Tablets Of 2024 (Android, Windows, iPads)
With a display size of 10 inches, these are the best tablets currently available across platforms—Android, Windows, and iOS. There is one for everyone!
The best 10-inch tablets offer a great middle ground between the portability (and cramped displays) of 8-inch tablets and the sheer size of 11- and 12-inch options. And, while the size isn’t as popular as it used to be, there are still more than enough options out there that choosing the best one for your needs can get confusing.
That’s where we can help. We’ve reviewed tablets since 2008, including many great 10-inch tablets over the past few years. So, we’re confident that our list will have something for everyone.
Before we get started: 10-inch tablets are not as popular anymore as they used to be. Nowadays, high-end tablets have at least an 11-inch display. So, if you want something that’s a bit better, you can check out our general list of best Android tablets and best iPads.
The Best 10-inch Tablets: An Overview
- Best 10-inch tablet overall: Apple iPad Air (on Amazon*). Apple’s 10.9-inch tablet has a great Liquid Retina display, blazing-fast laptop-grade processor, and a build quality that’s every bit as premium as its price suggests.
- Best 10-inch Android tablet: Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 (on Amazon*). The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 has solid mid-range performance and comes with an S Pen stylus, making it the best Android all-rounder in this size.
- Best mid-range 10-inch tablet: Apple iPad 10 (on Amazon*). Apple’s latest iPad may not have the cutting-edge processor of the iPad Air, but the A14 Bionic chip means it’s still faster than most Android tablets while retaining a decent mid-range price point.
- Best value 10-inch tablet: Apple iPad 9th Generation (on Amazon*). The previous-generation iPad offers amazing price-to-performance, although you’ll have to live with a dated design and the usual non-laminated display.
- Best value 10-inch Android tablet: Lenovo Tab M10 Plus 3rd Gen (on Amazon*). Lenovo’s 10.6-inch tablet boasts a solid display, stylus support, and decent performance, making it a great choice for those on a budget.
- Best cheap 10-inch tablet: Amazon Fire HD 10 2023 (on Amazon*). Amazon’s newest 10-inch tablet is a good deal, with decent hardware for the price and Amazon Alexa support. But it becomes an excellent deal if you can wait for discounts and get it for less than $100.
Best 10-inch Tablets: All Details
Need more info before deciding on the best 10-inch tablet for your needs? This section is for you. We’ll go into more depth on our best tablet picks here and link to our hands-on reviews if you want to know more.
Apple iPad Air: Best 10-inch Tablet Overall
Most companies have left the 10-inch tablet market behind for their high-performance flagship models, but not Apple. While the iPad Air isn’t quite on par with the iPad Pro, it’s still a brilliant tablet that combines class-leading performance, a great screen, and support for the excellent Apple Pencil 2, all at a decent price.
The Apple iPad Air 5 is a fantastic premium tablet. It's cheaper than the iPad Pro but offers the same super-fast Apple M1 processor. We get a premium metal body, good speakers, a fingerprint scanner, two keyboard options, and the fantastic Apple Pencil 2. The 10.9 inch LCD screen is a good one but a bit darker than the Pro and supports 60Hz only.
The iPad Air boasts a 10.9-inch 2360 x 1640 Liquid Retina IPS display that looks amazing in person. It’s sharp, fully laminated, and boasts Apple’s TrueTone technology that adjusts the white balance based on ambient light. The display is brighter than most, hitting 500 nits of maximum brightness. Unfortunately, it’s limited to 60 Hz, which is a slight downside. It’s not quite a deal-breaker, but those of you used to 120-Hz displays may find it hard to live with.
Apple powers this great display with its eight-core Apple M1 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB or 256GB of storage. The M1 is slower than the company’s newest M2 chip, but it’s still a fantastic processor, with enough performance to outpace even the best Android tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. So performance won’t be an issue with the iPad Air. Battery life is OK, scoring 6 hours in our test.
The iPad Air supports the same peripherals as the iPad Pro, so you can use the Apple Pencil 2, the Smart Keyboard Folio, and the Magic Keyboard. The latter will turn your iPad Air into a genuine laptop replacement, albeit for a hefty extra $300.
The main issue with the Apple iPad Air is the lack of storage on the base configuration. Sure, $600 is a great price for such a premium tablet, but it’ll only come with 64 GB of storage. If you want 256 GB, you’ll have to pay an extra $150, putting the iPad Air dangerously close to iPad Pro pricing. But as far as bonafide 10-inch tablets go, the Apple iPad Air is the best tablet out there.
Read: Our Apple iPad Air review
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022: Best 10-inch Android Tablet
Most Android tablet manufacturers have opted to go big with their flagship models, leaving the 10-inch tablet market behind. Samsung’s no exception, with its flagship Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 boasting an 11-inch screen. Thankfully, the company still has a strong offering for those who want a slightly smaller option, namely the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022.
Let’s be clear: the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 isn’t an Apple iPad Air rival. It’s a mid-range device with a lower-mid-range price. To that end, it comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor and 4GB of RAM, a solid setup that’s enough for any Android apps you can find on the Google Play Store. You can opt for 64GB or 128GB of onboard storage, expandable via a microSD card slot.
Samsung opted for a 10.4-inch display on the Tab S6 Lite 2022, with a decent resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixels. It’s a good enough display for the price, with decent sharpness, vibrant colors, and good contrast. It’s good enough for a media consumption device, especially with its solid battery life. The Tab S6 Lite 2022 achieved 7.5 hours in our testing, so watching movies on the go shouldn’t be an issue.
Like most of Samsung’s mid- and high-end tablets, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 ships with an S Pen. You can use it to take notes or annotate PDFs in Samsung’s Notes app, activate gestures via Air Commands, and even use your handwriting to fill up regular text fields with the S Pen to Text feature. Unfortunately, unlike those other tablets, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 lacks a fingerprint reader for quick unlocks.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 may not be the fastest or most premium tablet available, but it’s the best Android tablet for those of you sticking to the 10-inch form factor. If you want the best Android tablets money can buy, you’ll probably want to go up to 11 inches. If not, however, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 is your best bet.
Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 review
Apple iPad 10: Best Mid-Range 10-inch Tablet
This base entry in Apple’s iPad line may not be as flashy as the iPad Air or iPad Pro, but it’s a solid mid-range option that will outperform almost any Android tablet. Anyone after a sleek, premium experience without a premium price will want to check out the 10th-generation iPad.
The Apple iPad 10 is faster than all Android tablets. Especially compared to its predecessor, it offers a better and more modern design, a bit lager and bright 10.9-inch display, as well as a new and good keyboard cover. Overall, it's a great tablet but it does have a bunch of downsides. The screen is not laminated and I noticed a jelly effect. You can get it with the first-generation Apple Pencil. However, for that one to work you have to buy an extra adapter which is ridiculous. And, sadly, the price has increased.
The 10th-generation Apple iPad retains Apple’s old mobile chip, the A14 Bionic, paired with 4GB of RAM. It’s the same processor we saw in the 2020 iPad Air, so it’s a few years old now. However, it’s still a great performer, with Geekbench results similar to the new Google Tensor G2 processor in the similarly-priced Google Pixel Tablet. Storage is either 64GB or 256GB, and, like the Google Pixel Tablet, there’s no option to expand it via a microSD slot.
Apple updated the basic iPad with a four-speaker setup similar to many high-end flagship tablets (including the iPad Pro). It doesn’t make up for the lack of a headphone jack, but it’s still a welcome upgrade. Unfortunately, battery life is slightly below average, with the iPad 10 only lasting 5.5 hours playing an HD YouTube video on loop at max brightness.
There are other issues beyond the sub-par battery life, too. For one, the 10.9-inch 2360 x 1640 display isn’t laminated, so you’ll see an air gap between the LCD and the glass. It also has issues with jelly scrolling in landscape orientation, where one side of the display refreshes faster than the other.
And then there’s the Apple Pencil situation. The 10th-generation iPad doesn’t support the latest Apple Pencil 2, so you’re stuck with the Apple Pencil 1 and a USB-C to Lightning adapter to use it. You can’t charge the Apple Pencil 1 directly from the tablet, either, so you’ll need a separate charger. It’s a mess.
That said, the Pencil issue is only significant if you plan to use it. If not, then the Apple iPad 10 is a great mid-range tablet with excellent performance for its price. We wouldn’t recommend it for productivity, but anyone who wants a tablet for everything else will be happy with the iPad 10.
Read: Apple iPad 10 review
Apple iPad 9: Best Value 10-inch Tablet
The iPad 9 looks a bit old-fasioned and is, compared to its newer siblings, a bit slow. But look past the dated aesthetics, and you’ll find a sub-$400 tablet that can still compete with newer (and pricier) Android tablets in terms of performance and manufacturer support.
The value of the Apple iPad 9 is fantastic. Because of its Apple A13 processor it is faster than every premium tablet running Android right now. We also get a great built quality, a solid screen, up-to-date software, Apple Pencil support, and the TouchID fingerprint scanner. Sadly, the design looks a bit outdated and the display continues to be not laminated.
The 9th-generation iPad has an Apple A13 Bionic with 3GB of RAM and 64GB or 256GB of storage. The hardware is a bit dated, but it’s still enough for daily use, gaming, and even light productivity. Power users who need to switch between multiple apps will want to move up to the iPad Air at least. However, everyone else will find the iPad 9 fast and responsive enough to handle almost any task.
The iPad 9 excels for mobile gaming, especially compared to most tablets in its price bracket. It scored nearly 8000 points in the 3DMark Wild Life test in our review; in contrast, our top Android pick, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022, barely managed to crack the 1000-point mark. If you want a value gaming tablet, this is it.
Games will also look great on the 10.2-inch 2160 x 1620 IPS display. It has excellent 500-nit brightness and great colors, with the only major issue being the air gap between the display and glass due to the non-laminated construction. The higher-than-average maximum brightness also drags our battery life test results down slightly, with the iPad 9 only managing 6 hours in our standard test.
The iPad 9 launched in 2021 with iPadOS 15, but Apple has updated it to iPadOS 17 as of 2023. Apple usually supports its tablets for 5 to 6 years, so you won’t be left behind any time soon. This is another noticeable advantage over many Android tablets, some of which only get one operating system update.
Apple’s iPad 9 proves you don’t always have to buy the latest and greatest tablet to get a great device. It certainly doesn’t look as cool as newer iPads, but the iPad 9 has it where it counts, providing great performance for a great price.
Read: Apple iPad 9 review
Lenovo Tab M10 Plus 3rd Gen: Best Value 10-inch Android Tablet
The Lenovo Tab M10 Plus 3rd Gen is a solid, if unexceptional, Android tablet that comes in at a compelling price. So even if it isn’t a standout product, it’s still worth considering for anyone seeking a good deal in the Android tablet ecosystem.
The Lenovo Tab M10 and M10 Plus 3rd generation offer a solid built quality, good displays and almost pure Android. However, because of their kind of weak processor, they are not too exciting. The battery life of the M10 is disappointing. But they can get very interesting once prices drop.
Lenovo’s Tab M10 Plus 3rd Gen has a 10.6-inch, 2000 x 1200 display. It’s a good screen, with 400 nits of maximum brightness and a fully laminated construction without any unsightly air gaps. Like most tablets on our list, the Tab M10 Plus’s screen tops out at 60 Hz, which isn’t great.
However, the colors and contrast are decent, arguably more critical than high refresh rates when shopping on a budget. The low refresh rate likely helps with battery life, too, as the M10 Plus achieved an impressive 8.5 hours in our testing.
The M10 Plus 3rd Gen has a MediaTek Helio G80 processor and comes in several RAM and storage combos. There’s a base 3GB/32GB model, 4GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB models, and a 6GB/128GB model. We’d recommend avoiding the base 3GB model; go for one of the 4GB models. Note that you can always add more storage via the microSD slot.
Lenovo’s Precision Pen 2 works with the M10 Plus 3rd Gen, letting you take notes and doodle on the Tab M10 Plus. It doesn’t work as well as the S Pen on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022, but it’s still OK. However, dedicated note-takers or artists will want to go for the Samsung.
Another budget concession is the lack of a fingerprint sensor. You get face unlock via the webcam, which isn’t a very secure implementation. It works well in good light, at least, but we would’ve preferred fingerprint unlock.
We’re not going to claim that the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus 3rd Gen is an exciting tablet, but it’s a decent choice as far as value-oriented 10-inch Android tablets go. Its roughly $200 MSRP is OK enough, but try and see if you can find it on sale.
Amazon Fire HD 10 2023: Best Cheap 10-inch Tablet
Amazon’s Fire HD 10 2023 is Amazon’s latest ultra-affordable 10-inch tablet, with some choice upgrades (such as USI 2.0 stylus support) that make it a more exciting choice than previous iterations. It’s still a budget option, but it may be the best Amazon tablet so far in this size.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 2023 Edition features pretty good 10-inch fullHD display, a rugged build, and active pen support. It's a great tablet if you're looking for something simple, that is not expensive, but good enough for watching movies, surfing the web, and using Amazon's services. Sadly, you've got to install the Google Play Store yourself.
The Fire HD 10 2023 has a $140 MSRP, so the hardware isn’t anything to shout about. It packs a MediaTek MT8186 processor and 3GB of RAM, powering a 10.1-inch 1900 x 1200 display. Storage is either 32GB or 64GB, with a microSD card slot for extra storage. Performance isn’t particularly exciting, but it’s good enough for basic tasks, media consumption, and casual games—exactly what you should expect for the price.
One advantage of the lower-end specs is lower power draw, which helps improve battery life. The Amazon Fire HD 10 2023 managed 10 hours in our standard test, which involves looping an HD YouTube video at maximum brightness. This excellent battery life makes the Fire HD 10 2023 a great device for media consumption on the go.
It’s also important to note that the Amazon Fire HD 10 2023 uses Amazon’s Fire OS, which is a custom fork of Android. You don’t get any of the stock Google apps here, and no Google Play Store. However, you can install the Play Store without too much trouble, so this isn’t a major issue.
One advantage of using Fire OS is that the Fire HD 10 2023 works as a smart display thanks to its Amazon Alexa support. Just enable the Echo Show feature, and the tablet works like an Echo Smart Display.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 2023 normally retails for around $140, which is OK (but not great). However, prices drop to less than $100 on occasions like Black Friday and Prime Day, turning the Fire HD 10 2023 into an amazing cheap tablet for media consumption and casual use.
Read: Amazon Fire HD 10 2023 review
Frequently Asked Questions & Our Answers
With so many platforms and all the options to choose from, getting confused while having a lot of questions on your mind is kind of expected. I will address some queries that we receive most frequently across our communication channels. If we didn’t answer your specific question, feel free to comment below and we’ll make sure to respond.
Which are better: 8-inch or 10-inch tablets?
Frankly, this aspect is subjective and depends on your individual requirements as both display sizes carry their own merits. Like, an 8-inch tablet is easier to carry and is the perfect size to read eBooks on, in our opinion. On the other hand, the 10-inch display size cozily sits between a phone and a laptop to give you an adequately large screen without compromising the portability aspect. Personally, I incline towards the larger size since 8-inch slates are quite close to modern smartphones with displays as big as 6.5 inches.
What is the lightest 10-inch tablet?
Among the mainstream tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e currently holds the crown, and on top of that, it comes with a 10.5-inch display. Despite its large footprint, Samsung could chop some of its thickness that now measures just 5.5mm, bringing the overall weight of the device down to just 400 grams. This makes the mid-range tablet from Samsung a perfect companion for travels if you don’t want to go for a smaller or an inferior display. The Tab S5e comes with Samsung’s fantastic QHD AMOLED screen with relatively thinner bezels.
Which is the best cheap 10-inch Android tablet?
In the sub-$100 category, the Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 continues to be an undisputed ruler. This year’s model packs a handful of new additions that make it an even better value for its cheap price. If you can stretch your budget a bit, and I recommend that you do, the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 is that one tablet you won’t regret spending a bit extra on. The Samsung tablet is better than the Amazon offering in nearly everything, and our review can give you a detailed look at it.
How to find the best 10-inch tablet for your needs?
Since you already know what tablet size you want, your purchase decision can easily be based on just two aspects. The first one is the OS platform you want since 10-inch tablets are available Android, iOS, and even Windows 10, so you have a wide selection. Considering Android is not the best OS for productivity, you should get an Android tablet only if you need to do basic stuff like web browsing or if your choice of tablet has a desktop mode, like DeX, built in. In case you want to do a bit of both work and play, the iPads should be your choice, while Windows machines are hands-down the best among these for productivity.
The second thing to consider before picking a tablet is your budget. If you’re in the Android territory, then you will have a wide selection of options in nearly all price brackets. Meanwhile, iPads have a more restrictive portfolio and their prices dictated by Apple, although the iPad 10.2 is an excellent option often available for $280. There are even fewer tablets running Windows 10, and nearly none in the budget segment, so you’ll have to alter your budget accordingly. Ideally, you should list out your needs and platform preference and only then go shopping for a slate in the market.
Read: Top 6: These Are The Best Windows Tablets
How we review tablets?
Given MyNextTablet is all about tablets, we take special care to paint a complete picture of every tablet that we receive for review. From using it as our daily driver to using it as a work machine, we try to emulate various usage scenarios to draw conclusions that fit a wide variety of our readers who have equally varied expectations from our reviews. Our comprehensive testing procedures and detailed reviews — both in text and as videos — are the reasons why our readers stick around, as many newer are regularly joining.
While we emphasize basic, everyday things like surfing the web, watching YouTube videos, and gaming, since these use-cases cover the widest userbase, we also fiddle with benchmark numbers, which many demand to make comparisons with different tablets easier. Over the years, we have standardized our battery test to help us put the tablets against each other and come out with sound conclusions that are based on actual testing. Our elaborate review process includes diving as deep as checking if each device supports HD playback on Netflix, just so our readers have all the information at hand before buying a slate.
Read: The Best Tablets For Netflix With HD & HDR Support
Why you can trust us
Our own Andrzej has spent over a decade handling and reviewing tablets with a critical eye, and there aren’t many slates that he hasn’t critiqued. All these years, we have tested devices from all major OS platforms and even lesser-known Chinese brands not just to give our readers a bigger pool of options but also to ensure that we don’t limit ourselves to a particular side of the spectrum. Being independent media, we get to express our views without any sort of corporate pressure from the higher-ups
At MyNextTablet, we neither seek nor accept any kind of remuneration from brands or manufacturers against our reviews, and the views expressed in there are solely our own. In fact, in most cases, we buy our own tablets to negate even the slightest chance of a brand intervening or having an effect on our review process. As detailed in the previous section, all tablets we review undergo a standard procedure to set an even baseline for all devices. You can read our latest product reviews through the dedicated page of the site or visit our YouTube channel, in case you prefer videos over text.
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Murray Henley
June 3, 2021 at 6:16 pm
I submit the best cheap tablet is not the Amazon Fire 10 HD, with its Amazon-related limitations. If I had to buy a cheap Android tablet, I would go with the Vastking Kingpad SA10 with stock Android 10. There is also an 8-inch Full HD version, a rarity. Available at Amazon:
https://www.vastking.com/products/kingpad-sa10?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhMP3zIj88AIVjwWICR0EOwGfEAAYASAAEgLF0PD_BwE
Electronics Monk
July 26, 2021 at 1:26 pm
This is an excellent article. I just finished reading your article on the Best 10 inch budget tablets. It’s truly wonderful and quite informative, and it has also answered all of my questions and concerns concerning Best 10 inch budget tablets. Thank you very much; I’ll be looking forward to your future essay.
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