Welcome to our best business tablet roundup for 2019. We're well into the new year, and there's plenty of brilliant tablets that will help keep you productive on the go, without having to lug around one of the best laptops.
While you might not think of tablets as an essential tool for your business needs, the best Android and Apple tablets for business use have a huge range of productivity apps that can be installed on them.
Plus, let's not forget about the best Windows tablets either, as they’ll let you run any app or program you’d typically find on a traditional laptop.
Add a Bluetooth keyboard, and you’ll be able to work comfortably on the best business tablets for hours on end.
For the sake of clarity, we’ll only look at pure tablets, and detachables when it comes to convertibles. The best 2-in-1 laptops are too close to traditional laptops, as their keyboard can’t be totally detached.
- Also have a read of our guide on how to choose a tablet for work
Microsoft’s Surface Pro lineup is often found at the top of our list for best business tablets, and the latest version – the Surface Pro 6 – is no different. This takes what we've loved from previous versions and refined it. So, it's not a revolutionary new tablet that does everything new, but a solid business tablet that does everything right. So, it's got that gorgeous design and build quality, plus a new black color option, plus some of the latest mobile tech crammed into its body. However, once again it doesn't include the Type Cover for turning it into a laptop-like device, nor the Surface Pen stylus, which is a bit mean considering the price.
Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Pro 6
The iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) is the best business tablet if you want a large, vibrant screen, thanks to its huge 12.9-inch display and 2048 x 2732 resolution. It's a simply stunning tablet to look at and use, and it's ideal for creatives, as its large touchscreen makes for a fantastic canvas. It's got the power to back it up as well, with some of Apple's most powerful hardware inside. With its unrivaled processing power, massive display, snappy operating system, and the fact you can use it with the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, it's definitely a tablet you should consider for your business. The only issue is that it's expensive. Very expensive.
Read our full review: iPad Pro 12.9 (2018)
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet is probably one of the best designed convertible devices on the market, and one where engineers clearly had a great time building a slate that crams in so many features that it's hard to believe that the X1 is so thin and portable. It bears all the hallmarks of a signature ThinkPad device: the finish, the red colour scheme, the Trackpoint, the shape of the Accutype keys, everything down to the ThinkPad logo at the back. Aficionados will love it while others might balk at the price – this is vintage ThinkPad at its finest.
Read the full review: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet
A higher resolution screen, a thinner design and a move to Intel's more powerful Skylake processors all help to make this portable tablet a capable replacement for your laptop. Sadly, the Type Cover keyboard is still optional, but in reality it's a necessity for this laptop replacement; come on Microsoft, bundle it already. The good news with the Type Cover in this fourth iteration of the Surface Pro is that it’s much improved this time around.
Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Pro 4
Lenovo shows it is just as good at making 2-in-1 devices that are excellent business tablets with the Lenovo Miix 510, a follow up to the Miix 700 (yes, we know, confusing) with a new latest-gen Kaby Lake version of the Core i5 and a strong central pairing of 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. It comes with a detachable keyboard and costs a lot less than Microsoft's Surface Pro line of business tablets, and for the most part it offers similar functionality. This is definitely a business tablet worth considering if your budget doesn't stretch to a Microsoft (or Apple) device.
Read the full review: Lenovo Miix 510
If you're looking for the best budget business tablet, then the Microsoft Surface Go should definitely be considered. It's thin, light, portable and elegant without sacrificing the ability to get some work done, and Microsoft has packed in everything they could in a device at a low price point. If you're often working while travelling, then it's a brilliant choice, thanks to its slimline design and reliable build quality that we've come to expect from Microsoft's Surface products.
Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Go
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is one of the best Android tablets you can buy right now, and it proves that you don't need a tablet that runs Windows to be one of the best business tablets money can buy.
It's stuffed full of power, has an excellent display and features an iPad-Pro rivaling S-Pen stylus and optional keyboard.
The price tag could be a stumbling block, but if you're looking for the best Android has to offer in tablet form the Galaxy Tab S3 is the slate for you.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy Tab S3
If you want the versatility that the Surface Pro offers, but don’t want to pay the exorbitant price that a competent model asks, you might want to check out the Acer Switch 5. You’ll lose a bit in screen resolution and sound quality, but you’re saving hundreds of dollars. The Acer Switch 5 is one of the best business tablets for any professional who need to get work done on the go, and save some cash at the same time.
Read the full review: Acer Switch 5
Asus threw down the gauntlet to Microsoft with the launch of the Transformer 3 Pro. The device, which is the only tablet we know of that comes with 16GB of RAM as standard, easily surpasses the Surface Pro 4 in terms of sheer value for money although Microsoft's flagship tablet remains the better known (and probably more trusted) of the two. Other than the standard keyboard, the Transformer also has a docking station, a stylus and even a trusted platform module (TPM) for improved security within an enterprise setting.
Read the full review: Asus Transformer 3 Pro
Just like the rest of the competition, HP took inspiration from Microsoft's playbook when building the Elite x2 1012, which clearly targets the business market. Like Fujitsu, HP made sure that its product was designed with enterprise users in mind. It is sturdy, undergoing a 12-point stress test, is very easy to upgrade and comes with a number of security features. There's an active pen and a keyboard, and our reviewer said that typing on the latter was “as comfortable as it is on a real notebook”. Not everything about the design is perfect – such as the hinge – but overall this is a tempter with a great keyboard and screen.
Read the full review: HP Elite x2 1012 G1
Chuong Nguyen, John McCann, Matt Hanson and Henry Casey also contributed to this article
No comments yet.