Alternative to a laptop: the best tablets for work

The large Lenovo Tab P12 tablet allows you to combine work, study and leisure in one bottle. The model was released in the middle of summer 2023, and is positioned in the strong middle segment of tablet computers.

The front panel of the device is covered with a 12.7-inch LTPS screen with a coverage of about 96% of the DCI-P3 gamut. The picture on the gadget's display is transmitted in a resolution of 2944x1840 pixels, but its refresh rate is ordinary - 60 Hz. And this is unpleasantly surprising, because panels with an increased refresh rate have long become an industry standard. But the model's screen supports work with the complete Lenovo Tab Pen Plus stylus, which recognizes 4096 levels of pressure. The pen is usually supplied with the device, which cannot be said about the keyboard - in any case, you will need to buy it separately.

Lenovo Tab P12 can hardly be called a record-breaker in terms of performance, but the model is definitely not lagging behind. At the helm of the tablet is a balanced "hardware" bundle of the eight-core MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset and 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM. The internal storage of the device has a capacity of 128 GB, in addition, the tablet has a memory expansion slot for a microSD card ( up to 1 TB inclusive).

A quartet of stereo speakers from JBL with Dolby Atmos are scattered around the perimeter of the device’s body. The model’s additional compartment has Wi-Fi 6 and a side fingerprint scanner. The device’s autonomous operation is provided by a 10,200 mAh battery with slightly accelerated 20 W wired charging. Separately, the model features a pre-installed software business mode — in it, the tablet changes its orientation to landscape, launches window mode, and “mows” as a laptop (provided that an external keyboard and mouse are connected).

The OnePlus Pad was the first tablet from OnePlus, which had previously specialized mainly in smartphones. However, the first attempt was not a flop and became a worthy representative of the middle segment, capable of competing with Samsung and Apple models. The case is made of durable metal, its thickness is slightly more than 6.5 mm, and the weight is only 555 g. Thus, this is a good option for users who often take the tablet with them on trips, to the office and to various meetings. Moreover, you can separately buy the OnePlus Magnetic Keyboard case and the OnePlus Stylo stylus and use the tablet as a full-fledged working tool. At the same time, the external design has its drawbacks. Firstly, there is simply a huge camera on the back panel - a 13 MP sensor definitely does not need that much space. In addition, holding the device vertically, you will most likely cover the camera with your hand. Secondly, only one green color is available - it looks nice, but I would like some variety.

The front panel features an 11.61-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2800x2000 pixels, 500 nits brightness (enough for indoor use, not enough for sunny weather outside), Dolby Vision HDR support, and a refresh rate of 144 Hz. Overall, the screen is high-quality, with smooth scrolling and rich colors. The aspect ratio also deserves attention: the manufacturer used an atypical value of 7:5, which it called ReadFit. As a result, the tablet is more square, reminiscent of an iPad, and is ideal for reading, social networks, messaging, and web surfing. However, when watching videos, wide black bars appear on the screen.

Inside, there is a Dimensity 9000 processor. Although it is not the first freshness (late 2021), it successfully competes with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or even Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Simply put, this is a powerful chip that, together with fast memory (8 GB), easily copes with multitasking, “heavy” applications and games. According to the manufacturer, the OnePlus Pad provides comfortable work with 18 applications in the background. Unfortunately, only one version with 128 GB of storage is available. In addition, there is no memory card slot. Again, I would like more variety.

Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 are used for communication and data transfer. There is only one port for connection - USB C. In addition, there are 4 powerful speakers with Dolby Atmos, a GPS module and an 8 MP front camera, which is necessary not only for video calls, but also for face recognition - there is, unfortunately, no regular fingerprint scanner here.

The capacious 9510 mAh battery confidently lasts a whole day on one charge, or even more - for example, with continuous video viewing, the battery life is more than 12 hours. And thanks to the 67 W SUPERVOOC fast charge, the battery is fully charged in 80 minutes. In standby mode, the tablet will remain uncharged for a whole month.

Thus, OnePlus has boldly entered the tablet market with a powerful, versatile, but far from ideal model for work, games and entertainment. For the future, I would like to see more colors and memory options, the presence of a fingerprint scanner would also not hurt.

Xiaomi has long since moved beyond the budget segment and is aiming to compete with top tablet manufacturers. The Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro is designed to compete with such "heavyweights" as the Apple iPad Pro and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus, and it costs less than its competitors.

It seems that Xiaomi has decided to add everything that can be used in tablets. There is a large screen, as many as 6 speakers with Dolby Atmos support, powerful “stuffing”, and a capacious battery with fast charging. In order, the model looks pretty good, without unnecessary design elements, but with a slightly protruding camera block. The tablet is quite thin (about 6.3 mm) and weighs 590 g. The durable metal case easily withstands active everyday use. The large 12.4-inch display has the following characteristics: a resolution of 3048x2032 pixels, a pixel density of 295 PPI, an image refresh rate of 144 Hz, support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision. In fact, this means high image quality, good color rendering and comfortable work indoors and outdoors on a sunny day, as well as smooth scrolling. TÜV Rheinland certification indicates that the gadget is suitable for reading and is safe for the eyes.

The presence of the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and Adreno 740 graphics means that the tablet is designed for any tasks: work, study, watching videos and playing games (and at maximum settings). This is confirmed by the high results of performance tests in various benchmarks. There is enough memory for both normal use and for working with content - 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of ROM in the basic version. The device runs on the proprietary HyperOS operating system based on Android. The 10,000 mAh battery supports fast charging with a power of 120 W, which many modern smartphones would envy. One charge is definitely enough for a whole day of active work, and a full charge takes only 35 minutes.

Usually, a camera in a tablet is not the most necessary and important thing. But Xiaomi did not waste time on trifles and added a dual main camera (50 MP and 2 MP depth sensor) and a 32 MP front camera with an interesting FocusFrame function. The front camera tracks the user during video calls and places them in the center, even if the person moves around the room. In general, the cameras are quite good, but in this case they are not very useful: it is inconvenient to shoot outdoors on a large tablet, but for calls and high-quality photos of documents, something simpler would be enough.

The manufacturer's generosity does not end with cameras, so the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro has almost everything you need for convenient work: a fingerprint scanner, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, a USB C port, compatibility with a proprietary stylus, wireless keyboard and a stand case. There is even NFC, but not for contactless payment, but for quick synchronization with a smartphone. There are no slots for a SIM card and a memory card, as well as a 3.5 mm audio jack, but in modern tablets they are already quite rare.

In the Android tablet segment, Samsung products have consistently held the leading positions. Its Galaxy Tab S line combines the most powerful devices that only a few competitors can compete with on equal terms.

The middle model in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series is the version of the tablet with a "plus" prefix. It got a high-class Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a diagonal size of 12.4 inches. A fingerprint scanner lives in the sub-screen layer of the front panel, and the display itself supports work with the proprietary S Pen. Optionally, you can buy a Samsung Book Cover keyboard for the tablet - the model immediately transforms into a compact laptop with the DeX working environment (which is as similar as possible to the interface of the Windows desktop system).

The hardware of the tablet is as powerful as it gets. At least at the time of the device's announcement and the immediate future. The gadget is equipped with the top Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor, the capabilities of which will definitely last for many years. The tablet also has a lot of RAM - 12 GB. The internal data storage capacity of 256 GB with a slot for a microSD memory card is also pleasing. The tablet handles any applications and mobile games at maximum graphics settings without freezes or throttling.

The juicy picture on the device's display is supported by high-quality sound from four AKG stereo speakers. The tablet also skillfully takes photos with a dual rear camera of 13 + 8 MP. A 12 MP image sensor is used as the front camera. The model is powered by a 10900 mAh battery with 45-watt wired charging. Finally, an important advantage of the tablet over previous generations of the line is full dust and moisture protection of the case according to the IP68 standard. You will have to pay a lot for all this, but you can hardly find a better solution among Android tablets.

In fact, no tablet rating is complete without the participation of "apple" products from Apple. Moreover, "iPads" consistently occupy the top lines of the podium in all nominations. If we consider devices to replace or supplement a laptop, one of the best options is the iPad Pro 12.9 model of 2022.

The tablet runs on the powerful Apple M2 chipset, which is also used in Apple laptops. There is simply nothing to overload the processor with at the time of the model's release, so the iPad can handle any games and applications at maximum graphics settings. The memory on board the device starts at 128 GB and reaches the "ceiling" at up to 2 TB. The operating system for the tablet is iPadOS 16, optimized for the convenience of gesture control.

The tablet's screen is an excellent 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR panel with a resolution of 2732x2048 pixels, a pixel density of 265 ppi and an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. The display sensor can sense the Apple Pencil (Gen 2) stylus at a distance of up to 12 mm from the surface (Hover function). Optionally, the tablet can be equipped not only with a drawing pen, but also with a Magic Keyboard or a Smart Folio case. These accessories are not cheap, but they significantly expand the functionality of the device.

The cameras of the Apple iPad Pro 12.9 2022 have been trained to record ProRes video, and in terms of wireless communications, the model has acquired Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth v 5.3. The tablet also has a USB type C port with support for Thunderbolt 3. A separate line pleases with stereo sound and a capacious 10758 mAh battery, which provides up to 10 hours of continuous operation of the device in web surfing mode. You can’t find an equal model in terms of the combination of qualities during the day with fire, which explains the popularity of the tablet despite its high cost.