Laptop Alternative: Best Tablets for Work

The large Lenovo Tab P12 tablet allows you to combine work, study, and leisure in one. The model was released in mid-2023 and is positioned in a solid mid-range segment of tablet computers.

The front panel of the device is lined with a 12.7-inch LTPS screen with coverage of about 96% of the DCI-P3 gamut. The display image is transmitted at a resolution of 2944x1840 pixels, but its refresh rate is ordinary — 60 Hz. This is somewhat disappointing since panels with increased refresh rates have long become an industry standard. However, the model's screen supports work with the bundled Lenovo Tab Pen Plus, which recognizes 4096 pressure levels. The stylus is usually included in the device’s standard configuration, which cannot be said about the keyboard — it will need to be purchased separately in any case.

Lenovo Tab P12 can hardly be called a performance champion, but the model is certainly not lagging. The tablet is equipped with a balanced "hardware" combination of an eight-core MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset and 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM. The internal storage of the device has a capacity of 128 GB, and the tablet also has a memory expansion slot for a microSD card (up to 1 TB inclusive).

A quartet of JBL stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos are scattered around the perimeter of the device’s case. The model's arsenal includes Wi-Fi 6 and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The device’s autonomous operation is supported by a 10,200 mAh battery with slightly accelerated wired charging at 20 W. Additionally, the model features a pre-installed software business mode — in it, the tablet switches to landscape orientation, launches windowed mode, and "acts" like a laptop (provided an external keyboard and mouse are connected).

The OnePlus Pad became the first tablet from OnePlus, a company that previously specialized mainly in smartphones. However, the first try wasn’t a flop and turned out to be a worthy representative of the mid-range segment, capable of competing with models from Samsung and Apple. The body is made of durable metal, with a thickness of just over 6.5 mm, and weighs only 555 g. This makes it a good option for users who frequently take the tablet on trips, to the office, and to various meetings. Moreover, you can separately purchase the OnePlus Magnetic Keyboard cover and the OnePlus Stylo stylus to use the tablet as a full-fledged working tool. However, the external design has its drawbacks as well. Firstly, there is a huge camera on the back panel—definitely more than what’s needed for a 13 MP sensor. Additionally, when holding the device vertically, you are likely to block the camera with your hand. Secondly, only one green color option is available—it looks nice, but a bit more variety would be appreciated.

On the front panel, there’s an 11.61-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2800x2000 pixels, brightness of 500 nits (sufficient for indoor use, lacking for sunny weather outdoors), support for Dolby Vision HDR, and a refresh rate of 144 Hz. In general, the screen is of high quality, with smooth scrolling and rich colors. The aspect ratio also deserves attention: the manufacturer used an atypical 7:5 ratio, which they 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.

It houses the Dimensity 9000 processor, which, even though not new (late 2021), successfully competes with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or even Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. In other words, it is a powerful chip that, paired with fast memory (8 GB), easily handles multitasking, "heavy" applications, and games. According to the manufacturer, OnePlus Pad ensures smooth operation with 18 applications running in the background. Unfortunately, only one version is available with 128 GB storage. Also, there is no slot for a memory card. Again, more diverse options would be desirable.

For connectivity and data transfer, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 are used. There’s only one port for connection — USB C. Additionally, the tablet features 4 powerful speakers with Dolby Atmos, a GPS module, and an 8 MP front camera, which is required not only for video calls but also for facial recognition—there’s no conventional fingerprint scanner here, unfortunately.

The 9510 mAh battery confidently lasts an entire day on a single charge, or even longer—autonomy exceeds 12 hours of continuous video playback. With fast 67 W SUPERVOOC charging, the battery fully charges in 80 minutes. In standby mode, the tablet remains charged for a whole month.

Thus, OnePlus boldly entered the tablet market with a powerful, versatile, albeit far from perfect model for work, gaming, and entertainment. For the future, more color options and memory variants would be appreciated, and a fingerprint scanner would not go amiss.

The original tablets from the Samsung Galaxy Tab S family have excessive power for simple tasks. For performing work tasks, web surfing, and entertainment, a more affordable device from the Fan Edition league, the Tab S10 FE Plus, will suffice.

The model is equipped with a large PLS screen measuring 13.1 inches diagonally and a high resolution of 2880x1800 pixels. The display refresh rate is increased to 90 Hz, and the panel is suitable for drawing with the included S Pen. You can separately purchase a detachable keyboard to transform the device into a kind of compact laptop. The interface automatically switches to DeX desktop mode with the keyboard.

The tablet features the proprietary Exynos 1580 processor borrowed from the mid-range smartphone Samsung Galaxy A56. In daily work, the performance is sufficient for any tasks. The tablet even runs games on medium graphics settings. The base configuration of the model includes 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of disk space. The device's software platform is rich in Galaxy AI features.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus is equipped with AKG stereo speakers, a 13 MP rear camera with autofocus, and a 12 MP front camera, a capacious 10,900 mAh battery with a 45 W wired fast charging function. The thickness of the tablet body is exactly 6 mm, and it is reliably protected from dust and water by IP68 standards.

The Microsoft Surface Go 4 is a model from the business segment of "2-in-1" tablets. It is intended for use both as a tablet computer and as a small laptop running Windows 11 Pro.

The Windows system optimally fits into the concept of a "laptop" device. The tablet is supplied "out of the box" with a keyboard block and a screen stand. Additionally, a mouse can be connected. The model's screen is relatively small, measuring 10.5 inches diagonally, with a resolution of 1920x1280 pixels, and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. The display supports interaction with Microsoft styluses.

The tablet is powered by a Quad-core Intel N200 processor with a frequency of up to 3.7 GHz, featuring 32 execution units of integrated graphics. All configurations provide 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and the disk space capacity in the reviewed version is 128 GB. Additionally, there is a microSD card slot available to the user.

The device is equipped with an 8 MP rear camera and a 5 MP selfie module with Windows Hello facial recognition. Sound is provided by stereo speakers with Dolby Audio Premium, and voice is captured by long-range microphones with Voice Clarity technology. The battery lasts more than 12 hours (depending on specific tasks). Finally, the tablet boasts a lightweight (521 g) and repairable design.

Unlike previous generations of the iPad Pro, the 2024 version brought several significant changes. To begin with, Apple decided to skip a step in evolution and installed the new Apple M4 processor in the iPad Pro instead of the recent M3. It’s a 3-nanometer chip that, according to Apple, operates 1.5 times faster than the M2 processor used in the previous generation of iPad Pro. Plus, it handles AI and machine learning tasks much faster. Apple released the M4 in two modifications: a 9-core processor for iPad Pro with 256 GB and 512 GB of memory, and a more powerful 10-core chip for top-end "pros" with 1 TB and 2 TB of memory.

Serious updates also touched the screen: the iPad Pro 2024 became the company's first tablet with an OLED screen, which Apple, in its tradition, called Ultra Retina XDR. In addition to the 13-inch version, a similar model with an 11-inch screen also went on sale. Both versions are equipped with built-in light sensors, support HDR10 with Dolby Vision, and boast a 120 Hz refresh rate, full coverage of the DCI-P3 color spectrum, and peak brightness of 1000 nits (or 1600 nits in HDR mode). The screen impresses with its characteristics, and it looks equally stunning in real life—there's hardly anything more to add.

Otherwise, it’s a familiar iPad Pro with FaceID, Wi-Fi 6E, high-quality stereo speakers, stylus support, USB4, and Thunderbolt. With the difference that the front camera is now placed on the side panel for more convenient video communication, and the main camera no longer has a wide-angle module. Plus, Apple boasted that thanks to the use of the OLED panel, the metal body became thinner and lighter (5.1 mm thick, 579 g weight), making it perhaps the thinnest iPad in the brand's history. For comparison, the thickness of the iPad Pro 2022 was 6.4 mm.