Best 10 Inch Tablets: The Ultimate List

The iPad Air is now the entry-level to high-end Apple Silicon. And boy, do I absolutely love this tablet and what it has become over the years. Now featuring the blazing-fast Apple M1, the iPad Air now almost feels like a toned-down version of the iPad Pro with only a few features missing.

 For starters, you don’t get a miniLED display and neither do you get 120 Hz ProMotion. Instead, you are met with an equally gorgeous 60 Hz display. Also, you don’t get FaceID but instead get TouchID built right into the sleep / wake button of the tablet.

 Lastly, you don’t get Thunderbolt 4 and no LiDAR sensors on the cameras. And that’s pretty much it. Besides that, you basically get an iPad Pro that makes the 11 inch iPad Pro look bad. For instance, you get excellent performance, great cameras, and the classic 10-hour battery life that we’ve started to expect from an iPad, alongside relatively fast 30W charging.

 The design of the iPad itself is great, it feels modern, looks very identical to the iPad Pro (which is a good thing, in my opinion), comes in a variety of colors and also supports the Apple Pencil 2, and features its own array of Smart Keyboards that ensures that you can use this tablet on the go.

 With 5G enabled on the iPad if you opt for the cellular version, I genuinely can’t find a reason why you’d go for the iPad Pro 11-inch except if you really need Pro Motion or the LiDAR sensor. And, the iPad Air is priced relatively reasonably leads to it being an excellent replacement for a laptop if all you do is media consumption, photo editing, and video editing, and you most likely won’t be bound by the operating system you are using. 

The iPad 10th Gen and iPad Air are practically identical except for a few changes. Firstly, you don’t get the blazing-fast M1 on the 10th Gen but are instead met with the equally impressive A14 chip that’ll keep you happy for years to come.

The design on both the iPads is pretty similar except for the fact that the iPad Air seems slightly bigger and heavier than the iPad 10th Gen. When it comes to the displays, both are equal except that the iPad Air has the wider P3 color gamut, which leads to a slightly better media consumption experience.

 The primary difference, I’d say is in accessories. The iPad Air features the Apple Pencil 2 while the classic iPad 10th Gen supports the first Generation of the Apple Pencil which requires an adapter to charge and plugs in awkwardly into the USB-C port.

 While the iPad Air is an excellent device, not everyone needs so much power. And, for most, the iPad 10th Gen is all the utility and performance they need off a tablet. And, for those, the iPad 10th Gen is an amazing option. 

 In fact, I’d reckon that most would go for the iPad 10th Gen instead of the iPad Air because even though it has slightly superior specifications, not everyone cares for a fully laminated display on the iPad Air and a processor that may not even be utilized fully by most.

Samsung has truly stepped up the tablet game these past few years, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is excellent proof of my point. The upgraded 2022 model features the same 10.4 inch 2000×1200 display but with a few improvements in other areas.

 For instance, it’s a bit faster than its older predecessor, now rocking a Snapdragon 720G CPU with 4 GB of RAM. Moreover, you also get your hands on the included S Pen, which makes note-taking that much easier.

 Point to note here, this S Pen does not have a battery inside it, unlike the S7 and S8’s styluses. This means that you can’t use it as a wireless remote. But it also means that you don’t need to charge it. Since the tablet has a 60 Hz display, writing on it can feel a bit laggy at times, especially when compared to 120 Hz displays on tablets. But it still feels responsive enough to not appear jarring.

 The design of this tablet is absolutely fantastic. It feels premium because of its complete metal body. The inclusion of a headphone jack surprised me, and the 5 MP front-facing camera is fine for video calls. It doesn’t compare with the iPad lineup, but it is not bad either.

 The Tab S6 Lite is running a tone-down version of Android 12 with near stock-level performance, besides just a few actually useful Samsung additions here and there. In terms of battery life, I was getting anywhere between 7-8 hours, depending on how hard I pushed the tablet.

 All in all, this is definitely the best budget Android tablet out there and provides an insane value proposition compared to the iPad 9 or other tablets that come up in this price range, especially because of the added S-Pen.

I call the Surface Go 3 the Surface Pro’s younger brother, which was slightly ignored. The reason why the Microsoft Surface Go 3 is great is because of its amazing chassis, integration with Windows 11, and stellar quality of life feature.

 But, you can’t really use the Surface Go for anything other than extremely light web browsing and work. This is because of two reasons. Firstly, the Surface Go 3 doesn’t really have the battery life to do anything more as it’ll last you 4-5 hours, tops.

 Moreover, the base model i3 variant isn’t very powerful in the first place. While Microsoft chimes in that this tablet will last at least 10 hours, that has not happened to me once. Now, given that Windows 11 is much more functional than iPadOS or Chromebook can lead most to choose the Surface over the others.

 But, riddle me this, what exactly are you using a portable laptop for? If you want better media consumption and battery life, the Tab A8 or the iPad is a better choice. And, if you want more performance, the iPad Air with the M1 or a more expensive laptop with better specifications and even the Surface Pro is more up to your speed.

 Then, after using the tablet further, it occurred to me. This is for people who need to have a tiny Windows tablet with them at all times. That’s pretty much it. Now, the tablet isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination mind you. It has an excellent display, the keyboard feels tactile, the speakers bring out punchy sound and the device just looks solid to the admirer.

 So, if you are in the mood for a cheap Windows-only tablet that you can use for light work, the Surface Go 3 is an excellent pickup. But, if you want a tablet that operates more like a tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab series or iPad will suit you more. 

Samsung’s affordable tablets have always been a fan-favorite here at WolfOfTablet. They’re sleek, and elegant, and have a great mixture of specifications and value while also delivering great performance at an affordable price.

 This year’s Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is no different. Featuring a 10.5-inch display with it starting from 3 GB of RAM, a 7000 mAH battery ensures that you can get about 8-9 hours of battery life from the tablet.

 Samsung is also featuring a front-facing 5 MP camera which is much better than most of the other tablets in this list and actually can provide decent-enough images for video calls and, dare I say….selfies. The design makes the tablet feel more like a Samsung Galaxy phone than anything else, which adds to the modern touch.

 The gorgeous 1920×1200 60 Hz display follows a 16:10 aspect ratio which means that you won’t be encountering black bars anytime soon. Most traditional movies will look absolutely fantastic and if you are an avid media consumer, you’ll end up with more actual screen real estate than the iPads and their 16:9 displays.

 In terms of performance, Samsung ditches Snapdragon and Exynos and instead go for the Unisoc Tiger T618. Surprisingly, while I was worried about the chipset since the brand is relatively unknown, the CPU roared through most benchmarks and slithered through even hardcore games with relative ease.

 
Granted, you won’t be getting locked 60 FPS constantly on titles like Genshin Impact, it still is pretty passable and you’ll be enjoying your overall gaming experience a lot. Speaking of, the four speakers (two on each side) are Dolby certified alongside a headphone jack to suit your guilty woes. 

 Lastly, Samsung has assured us that this tablet will at least be going to Android 14, which is fantastic. However, only time will tell if Samsung will actually live up to its ideals. Regardless, the Tab A8 is an excellent tablet for individuals who want a good aspect ratio for watching movies, decent cameras, and excellent battery life making it an enticing package.

A 10.5 1920×1200 tablet with a MediaTek 8183 CPU is the name of the game for the Asus Chromebook CM3. Featuring a kickstand that can fold in two ways with a keyboard that actually types really well, the included styles and 11 hours of battery life on this tablet / laptop are an absolute joy to behold.

 This tablet clearly is meant to go directly against the Chromebook Duet, it is a bit pricier but I feel like it also brings in a lot of advantages compared to it. For instance, you have a kickstand that’s a lot more practical as it folds both vertically and horizontally.

 Moreover, you also get your hands on an included stylus which lets you take notes on the go as well. With an 8 megapixel rear facing camera, you can also use the cameras for video calls without feeling the grain everywhere.

 The chip, however, is where the Chromebook feels lacking. You won’t be lagging out by any sense of the word but you also won’t be able to perform any task that consumes a lot of resources, for instance, video editing.

 But, to be honest, that’s not really what the detachable CM3 is meant to do. It is more of a tablet that’s meant to act as a laptop when you really want it to. With great battery life, decent performance, great kickstand, and build quality, I wholeheartedly recommend the CM3 to anyone who wants a 2-in-1 that doesn’t break the bank in terms of price and still offers decent performance. 

Featuring a 60 Hz, 2K IPS panel, the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus (3rd Gen) is here to make a statement. Equipped with a MediaTek Helio G80, you’ll be able to choose between 3 and 6 GB of RAM alongside an LTE variant as well.

 I’ve used this tablet a lot, and, I’ve gotten to like what it stands for over the years. It supports the Lenovo Stylus, allowing you to take notes, had Dolby Atmos-certified speakers, and has a gorgeous screen that makes media consumption supremely fun.

 The included Mali-G52 GPU is not going to be breaking any benchmark numbers. Neither is the CPU. But if you are in it for light gaming and a little bit of PUBG here and there, it should do just fine. 

 The front-facing camera is located above the display, and therefore you might find it odd in video calls especially because you’ll need to look slightly tilted to face the screen and camera directly. The quality and microphone pickup pattern isn’t fantastic, but it does make do in video calls, and you won’t look insanely grainy.

 The rear-facing camera has autofocus and therefore promises slightly better sharpness and contrast ratios. I’d say it is great for scanning documents and converting them to PDFs or for the occasional shot here and there, nothing too serious.

 The tablet does feature a 3.5mm audio jack with a USB-C port, a sight for sore eyes in this day and edge. This helps keep the tablet relevant for multimedia fanatics who can’t live without a physical port. 

 All in all, the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus is a great bone-stock Android tablet that checks all the boxes alongside the ability to take notes with it. With an 8-9 hour long battery life and a decent amount of software updates lined up, the tablet is an absolute no-brainer which is shopping for a media consumption device at this price point. 

The TCL TAB MAX 10.4 is a bit of a peculiar tablet in my opinion. Unlike most devices which tend to be more well-rounded in the $150-250 price range, this one tries it is very hardest to be more of a multimedia tablet than anything else.

 For instance, it offers an excellent 2000×1200 display with great color reproduction and great saturation levels overall. Moreover, it has dual stereo speakers which can pack quite a punch alongside 8 hours of battery life.

 But, when it comes to the processor, I’m not really happy with the included Snapdragon 665, compared to the other tablets in this list. It doesn’t lag out constantly, but, it is relatively sloppy and won’t be able to handle a lot of gaming or photo editing without slowing down to a halt. 

 The cameras also feel a bit grainy at times even though they’re relatively larger sensors. I’d blame poor image processing for this. Regardless, if you really are going to just consume movies and content, the TCL TAB MAX 10.4 will effortlessly meet your needs and is a great pickup at this price point.

 But, if you are in the mood for a little something extra, I’d suggest looking elsewhere.