The 6 Best Tablets for 2025
Top pick
The M5 iPad Pro comes with a great OLED display, Apple’s most powerful processor, and support for a wide variety of apps. It’s also compatible with Apple accessories like the Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard, which are necessary for getting the most out of the tablet.
Who it’s for: Those who want a pro tablet that’s as powerful as a laptop and a great display, for viewing and editing photos and videos, taking notes, or using productivity apps.
Why we like it: Apple’s iPad Pro (M5) isn’t a major upgrade from its predecessor, but it does come with a few noteworthy updates. It has Apple’s latest M5 chip, so it packs more processing power than any other iPad we’ve tested, and it can handle multitasking and juggling a lot of intensive tasks without any hiccups. The boost in power also made it easier to use with iPadOS 26 multitasking features like windowing. Even though it has the same display as the M4-powered iPad Pro, it’s still worth noting that it offers fantastic contrast and gets impressively bright. It has great battery life, too, with enough to get you through a full workday.
And, while they’re sold separately, the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard are excellent accessories for getting work done. But they are expensive, so we also recommend a variety of great (and more affordable) alternatives in our guides to the best iPad Pro keyboard cases and best styluses.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: While iOS 26 offers new multitasking features, the iPad Pro still isn’t a laptop replacement — especially for work that involves spreadsheets, specialty software that isn’t available on iOS, or coding. The iPad Pro isn’t user-repairable, either, and without AppleCare+ (Apple’s extra warranty coverage), getting it repaired can be expensive. We also don’t like that it doesn’t have a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, which Apple still includes on its own MacBook lineup and is found on various Windows tablets.
For more on the iPad Pro, read our full guide to pro tablets.
