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Our Experts Have Tested 18 Products in the Tablets Category in the Past Year
Just as with any system, however, a Windows tablet requires you to make choices. How big and powerful do you want (or need) it to be? What sort of features are you looking for? Do you care about using it on the road, or will you only need it while you're near a Wi-Fi connection? We'll help answer all these questions with our picks for the best Windows tablets for 2024, followed by some brief additional buying advice.
A tablet that's as powerful as a conventional laptop but still slim and light enough to hold and tap with one hand was once the exclusive province of Hollywood's imagination. But thanks to manufacturers' ability to fit more powerful hardware into ever slimmer and lighter devices, it's now possible to hold a Windows-based tablet that can do almost everything your laptop does—and, in most cases, is even more portable. Think of it as an Apple iPad combined with the power and flexibility of the Windows 11 operating system.
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
4.0 Excellent
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 9 is its most polished yet, with unmatched performance, helpful features, and long battery life among high-end 2-in-1 detachable Windows tablets.
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$799.99 Amazon
$999.99 Microsoft Store
$749.99 Best Buy
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Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (Intel) Review
3.5 Good
Microsoft’s Surface Go 3 is the best budget Windows 2-in-1 tablet, but its performance and value are a bit below expectations for a third-generation product that competes against Chromebooks and the Apple iPad.
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$387.88 Amazon
$399.99 Microsoft Store
$529.99 Best Buy
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Microsoft Surface Go 3 Review
4.0 Excellent
Dell's 2022 rework of its XPS 13 2-in-1 is a well-made, broadly useful detachable Windows tablet in the Surface Pro vein, with just a few quibbles keeping it from top marks.
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$1,099.00 Dell
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Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (2022) Review
3.5 Good
Offering Intel- and Arm-based versions of the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 widens both your options and caveats. The Arm-based SQ3 model delivers 5G support and a long-lasting battery at the expense of the overall Windows experience.
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$1,399.99 Amazon
$1,399.99 Best Buy
$1,119.00 Walmart
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Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (SQ3) Review
4.0 Excellent
Lenovo's ThinkPad X12 Detachable is an obvious choice for corporate jet-setters who need a Windows tablet with a detachable keyboard, plenty of security and manageability features, and traditional black styling.
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$875.40 Lenovo
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Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Review
4.0 Excellent
The Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable is a well-designed Windows tablet that comes with a keyboard cover and stylus, along with plenty of security and manageability options.
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$1,979.00 Dell
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Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable Review
4.0 Excellent
It's not the best performer, but Dell's Latitude 7230 Rugged Extreme Tablet does the job anywhere—whether down a mineshaft, on a construction site, or at the scene of an accident. You'll likely be hard-pressed to find an environment this slate can't survive.
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$2,785.94 Dell
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Dell Latitude 7230 Rugged Extreme Tablet Review
4.0 Excellent
With an Intel Core i7 CPU to give it some punch, and a case that can take real abuse, Getac's F110 rugged tablet steps in for first responders, roaming service workers, factory employees, and anyone else whose job needs the extra PC protection.
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$2,579.00 GETAC
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Getac F110 (2022) ReviewBuying Guide: The Best Windows Tablets for 2024
Of course, just like the iPad line, with its range of sizes, computing power, and prices, we know of no single Windows tablet that fits everyone's needs. As you begin shopping, you'll note that they fall into a few different categories.
First are the inexpensive models with 10-inch screens, designed to let you browse the Web and enjoy streaming a movie from Netflix or Amazon Prime. Because these budget-friendly devices usually rely on low-power processors and minimal storage, you're better off with one as a second or third device to serve alongside your laptop or smartphone. In other words, these aren't the full-powered Windows devices you can rely on to replace a conventional laptop PC.
Then you have larger 12-inch and 13-inch models designed to work in tandem with an included or optional stylus and docking keyboard. These give you a better way to take notes in class or type up an email or a term paper, and they generally provide a well-rounded Windows experience. The best example of this is the iconic Microsoft Surface Pro.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
Finally, you'll find premium and business systems, designed as productivity tools rather than media consumption devices. Dell and Lenovo have dabbled in these, in their Latitude and ThinkPad lines, respectively, and Microsoft's Surface Pros also qualify in this space.
With Windows tablets running the gamut from low-power entertainment devices to potent tools for productivity, how do you know which one to buy if you plan to use your device for both types of tasks? As with conventional laptops, a lot comes down to the processor.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
Intel's Celeron and Pentium processors include several chips built for low-power usage and passive cooling. These are two necessary attributes for tablets since they house nearly all of their components behind the screen, which itself generates heat. They don't require built-in cooling fans, and they provide usable performance that lasts for several hours on a single charge, or even a day or two of light use without visiting a power outlet. Low-power processors like these have limits, though, which make them best suited for inexpensive tablets. They lack the processing oomph you might want for applications like Photoshop, but they are ideal if you want to check Facebook and Twitter, then kick back with some YouTube videos or an episode of a Netflix show.
At the other end of the tablet-CPU spectrum are Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors also used to power full-fledged laptops. While these CPUs draw more power and require more cooling hardware, they are much more capable, letting you get real work done. Tablets equipped with these processors are priced more like laptops (usually above $1,000), but you get performance to match the increased cost.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Some Windows tablets have ditched Intel chips in favor of Arm-based alternatives from companies like Qualcomm and MediaTek. They include the earlier Microsoft Surface Pro X and late-2022 Surface Pro 9 (SQ3), tablets with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. We haven't seen any recent tablets that use processors from AMD.
This year, watch out for new AI-ready processors from AMD and Intel. These contain neural processing units, or NPUs, which are core clusters designed to handle AI-specific tasks, like managing chatbots and automatic system optimizations. Windows tablets are ideal candidates for these low-power, high-efficiency chips designed to further spread workloads across three cores.
Once you've determined which processor will fit your usage pattern, it's time to move on to the features that make handheld PCs far more flexible than conventional laptops. Sensors previously seen in smartphones bring new ways to interact with your PC, with accelerometers, gyroscopes, and e-compasses providing positional awareness for both automatic screen rotation and new immersive applications.
Microsoft even has a Windows tablet version of FaceID, which lets you unlock your Apple iPhone or iPad Pro simply by looking at it. Called Windows Hello, it's also available on laptops and desktops, but it's most useful on tablets that don't have a keyboard handy to enter a complex, secure password.
(Credit: Kyle Cobian)
And let's not forget touch screens. With capacitive screens that track five or 10 fingertips at a time, you can pinch, swipe, and tap your way through any task, even those that would have required a keyboard and mouse years ago. Many tablets also come with optional digital pens. Some are housed in "garages," tiny holes in the tablet that secure the stylus and charge its battery. Others must be carried separately or attached via magnets to one of the tablet's edges.
(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)
Then you have the question of connectivity. With eminently portable designs, it's only natural that some shoppers will want tablets that feature the same sort of mobile data that they enjoy on their smartphones. A few Windows tablets on the market have 5G and LTE connectivity and can be added to your mobile phone plan.
Finally, what if you simply can't live without a real keyboard, but don't want the hassle of carrying a separate one around? Some convertible laptops have keyboards that fold around the back so you can use them as traditional clamshell laptops, as tablets, or at any position in between. We've only included detachable Windows tablets here; to learn more about screen-rotating convertibles, read our roundup of the best 2-in-1 laptops.
The switch from a laptop to a tablet doesn't come without issues, though. The thin confines of a tablet make worries about heat buildup all the more important—especially when that heat is literally in hand. Touch screens add a new opportunity for frustration when taps and touches won't register properly, and the opportunities provided by docks and accessories also open up the chance to lose a valuable part of your PC while out and about. (Say what you will about tablets, but you'll never misplace your keyboard while using a conventional laptop.)
We've waded through the current tablets available, and tested and compared dozens of tablet PCs to discover what works and what doesn't. Below are our top picks for Windows tablets. If you're not married to Windows, read our report on the best tablets overall, as well as our roundup of the best Android-based models.
In 2022, Apple released the 10th-generation iPad, but it costs $120 more for an experience that’s very similar to what you get from the 9th-generation version. The 9th-generation 10.2-inch iPad is still the best tablet for most people because it offers the best balance of price and performance, it has a large screen, and it’s compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil stylus and Apple Smart Keyboard. The standard 64 GB model should be good enough if you plan to use your iPad mostly for streaming music and video, reading, browsing the internet, and playing casual games, but you may want to upgrade to the 256 GB model if you plan to use yours to play graphically intense games or download lots of media.