What's the best tablet? The best all-round tablet is the iPad Air 2, but if you're looking for an Android tablet you should look instead to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2. There are plenty of alternatives to choose from here, too. Learn more about these top tablets in our best tablets chart below. Also see: Best new tablets coming in 2017.

Upcoming tablets

You'll notice that quite a lot of the tablets below were reviewed a year or more ago. That's because the tablet market has slowed down significantly, and there simply haven't been many new models recently. We expect Apple to launch three new iPads in March, possibly an iPad Air 3, but when Samsung will update the Galaxy Tab S2 we don't know exactly,

New tablets are coming from other manufacturers. Top of our list of rumours is a which will be a follow up to one of our favourite tablets ever, but might be made by the firm itself this time around under the Pixel 7 name. Also make sure you keep an eye out for Microsoft's and check out the 10 best new tablets coming in 2017 for more.

Android vs iPad vs Windows

We're talking about the best tablets money can buy here. If you're on a tight budget, you should be reading our best budget tablets roundup. And if you're looking for a tablet for your child, check out our best kids' tablets article.

You've got four main choices when choosing a tablet: an iPad, an Android tablet an Amazon Fire tablet or a Windows tablet.

Apple iPads run Apple's own iOS operating system which is widely regarded as one of the best out there. It's easy to use and app makers usually make it their first choice, so you're pretty much guaranteed to find what you're after.

This is valuable when you buy accessories which require apps - mainly smart home or fitness gadgets - as you may not be able to control these from a Windows tablet.

In most cases, apps are made available on Android as well as iPads, but not always. Android tablets can be cheaper than iPads, but there are some Samsung models which cost the same or are more expensive. Windows tablets come in both cheap and expensive guises, but although Windows is the 'worst' of the tablet operating systems, it has the advantage of being able to run the same programs you use on your laptop or PC - not just finger-friendly tablet apps. The latest version of Android is Android 7.0 Nougat.

And that's why most Windows tablets come with a keyboard, or offer it as an option: they're really a hybrid of a laptop and tablet. But as you'll find out in most of our Windows tablet reviews, this is rarely a case of getting the best of both worlds. One exception is the Surface Pro 4 from Microsoft. For more on this, see our articles: The best Android tablets of 2017 UK and Best Windows tablets.

Best tablets reviews: What do you want a tablet for?

Tablets are great for watching videos and TV, for playing games, reading eBooks, and browsing the web. Sharing photos and catching up via Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest are all great on iPads and Android tabs. And you can catch up on email, too.

They're not so good if you need to create a newsletter, presentation or write up a report. Printing off a spreadsheet or document can prove problematic if you don't have a printer that's compatible with your particular tablet. These things are possible, but you'll find it's much easier on a laptop or PC.

You can install extra software - known as apps - on a tablet, much like you can on a PC. Many are free, but some cost a few pounds. You have to install apps from the respective store on your tablet: Apple's App Store on an iPad, the Google Play Store on an Android tablet and the Amazon Appstore on a Fire Tablet.

On a Windows 10 tablet you can install normal Windows software, but you also get to browse the Windows Store for dedicated tablet apps. But the selection is much more limited than on the other types of tablet.

The same is true of music- and other media: you can buy it from Apple, Google, Amazon or Microsoft. You can also transfer your own music, videos and photos to your tablet from a PC or access them from many cloud storage services. Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft have their own cloud services but you can also use others, such as Dropbox, which let you store files and media and get to them from all your devices, no matter whether a phone, tablet, laptop or PC.

Here's the bottom line: for fun, you need an iPad- or Android tablet. For work, go Windows. But only if you can afford the best.

Best tablets reviews: Display

Tablets come in many sizes ranging from almost smartphone-sized screens up to around 13in. So one of the first decisions is how big a tablet you want. For some, a 7-8in tablet is perfect as it's big enough to be more comfortable to use (for web browsing, say) than an phone, but small enough to fit into a handbag and less strain on your wrist when you are lying or sitting at home.

Larger tablets usually have a 10in screen, and this is the 'standard' size Apple has used since the very first iPad.

Now, there are more larger tablets to choose between, including several of Microsoft's Surface tablets running Windows and Apple's 12.9in iPad Pro.

Larger tablets are better for productivity and tend to have more powerful processors, but are heavier and - obviously - larger and less portable.

These days screens are better quality and there are fewer duds, but it's still worth reading our reviews to find out if there are any particularly good or bad ones. You can look for specifications such as resolution, pixel density and aspect ratio, but none will tell you anything about a screen's colour accuracy, contrast or brightness. Look for an IPS or AMOLED screen and avoid anything with a TN screen.

For a decently sharp image, look for a pixel density higher than 160ppi (pixels per inch). Many Android tablets have widescreen displays with an aspect ratio of 16:9 (the same as a TV), while iPads have 4:3 screens, like old non-widescreen TVs. One isn't better than the other, unless you already know you will primarily use your tablet for watching TV shows (go for a 16:9 screen). For almost everything else, a 4:3 or 3:2 screen is a more comfortable option.

Best tablets reviews: Connectivity

If you need to get on the internet while you're out and about with your tablet, you might want to go for one which will accept a 3G or 4G SIM card (like your phone). Not many Android tablets have this option, but all iPads do.

Source: www.pcadvisor.co.uk