The list in brief
1. Best overall
2. Best design
3. Best performance
4. Best portability
5. Best foldable
The Windows tablet market is a little bare these days, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. They still offer an interesting niche that doesn't quite qualify a need for a fully-fledged laptop.
We've searched far and wide for the absolute best Windows tablets you can buy this year, ranging from flagships from Microsoft and Dell, down to budget options like the Surface Go 4, and high-end expensive experimental form factors like the HP Spectre Fold.
There's something for everyone in the Windows tablet space, so check out our roundup and let us help you make your choice!
Zac is a senior editor for Windows Central with expertise in Windows PCs, including laptops, tablets, and desktops. He's the go to guy for information about the latest Windows features, as well as the latest hardware features.
The quick list
Best overall tablet
With an energy efficient custom ARM chip, paired with 16GB RAM and one of the best IPS touchscreen displays found on a Windows tablet, the Surface Pro 9 with 5G is our pick for best Windows tablet on the market right now!
Best designed tablet
If you're looking for a stunner, look no further than the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, which is rocking a beautiful contemporary design with square edges, uniform bezels, and an excellent display. It also has a keyboard and trackpad accessory, and pen support too!
Best performance tablet
If you like the idea of the Surface Pro 9 with 5G, but aren't interested in its efficient ARM processor, the standard Surface Pro 9 with Intel chips is your best bet. It's not as efficient, but it's quite a bit more powerful, being able to handle creative tasks in Photoshop and even light video editing with no problem.
Best compact tablet
If you just want a Windows tablet to take with you on the go, the Surface Go 4 is an excellent choice. It's rocking a small 10.5-inch display, one of the best on the market might I add, with support for touch and the Surface Pen. Paired with the high-end chassis and low-entry price point, you can't go wrong.
Best foldable tablet
Looking to push to the boat out? Windows tablets are finally entering an experimental territory again with the introduction of the foldable form factor, and HP has the best one on the market right now. But it won't be cheap!
The best Windows tablets in 2024
Below is my in-depth round up of the best Windows tablets on the market right now. Because of how rare pure Windows tablets are these days, some of the devices in this list might be a year or more older. That's okay, because they are all still sold by their respective OEMs and fully supported by the product maker and Windows!
Best Windows tablet
The Surface Pro 9 5G is everything we've ever wanted out of a Windows 10 tablet. Rocking a custom-built Microsoft SQ3 ARM processor on the inside, this is a device that has 5G built-in and instantly wakes when you tap the power button, just like a tablet should. It has a huge 13-inch display with a screen resolution of 2880x1920 for crisp and clear image quality and a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth animations and playback. It has super thin bezels along the sides and a slim 7.3mm chassis with a built-in kickstand.
Ports include two USB-C and one Surface Connect port for fast charging. It also has an upgradable SSD, so if you ever need to swap out your drive for a new one, you can do just that without having to break open the entire device to do so. Battery life is pretty good, with usage lasting around 7-8 hours on a single charge. Thanks to the ARM processor, it consumes little power when you put it to sleep. So it should get you through a day just fine.
You can get the Surface Pro 9 5G configured with either 8GB or 16GB of RAM, and 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage out of the box. Like any other Surface Pro, it also has an optional pen and keyboard accessories, with support for wireless charging the pen inside the keyboard cover itself.
If you grab yourself a Surface Slim Pen 2, the Surface Pro 9 5G will support its unique haptic features too, so you'll be able to feel subtle bumps and scratches as you write on the screen. Pretty neat!
This is our pick for the best Windows tablet as it's the closest thing to a real tablet, something that we think can rival the iPad in form factor and functionality.
Best designed Windows tablet
The latest Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is quite the departure from previous models, which used to be more like a convertible laptop with a keyboard and trackpad you couldn't detach. The new one is a fully fledged tablet, complete with a keyboard folio accessory that you can buy separately to turn it into a laptop if you wanted.
The best thing about the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is its design. It's an excellent looking tablet, with a crisp 3K 13-inch touchscreen display panel that also supports pen, and a high-quality metal chassis that's cold to the touch. The pen magnetically attaches to the side of the device when not in use, and there's also two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports.
It can be configured with either 8GB or 16GB RAM, and either 512GB or 1TB of SSD storage. For processors, you can get it with an Intel Core i5-1230U or Intel Core i7-1250U, which offer excellent performance in such a thin package. The only downside really is the battery life is only average.
The optional keyboard folio case is a nice addition, but we think the design of the Surface Pro keyboard is a bit better, as it allows for the keyboard to be slightly propped up which makes it easier to use on a lap. The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1's keyboard folio can only lay flat, which is fine when using it on a desk, but a little finicky when using it on a lap.
Best performance Windows tablet
Featuring an incredible 120Hz, 2880 x 1920 3:2 display, 12th Gen U-series Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, up to 32GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD, you can't go wrong with the Surface Pro 9 for photo editing and more, which features the same great design as found on the Surface Pro 9 5G, but with more color choices and power under the hood.
This is the tablet for those who don't just browse social media and check email. It can be obscenely powerful if you configure it to be as such. Even on the entry-level model, you should be able to get by with medium to heavy multitasking, a few light edits in Photoshop, and home video editing at 1080p.
It's considerably more expensive than the Surface Go. Just like the Surface Go, it also doesn't come with the Type Cover bundled at that price. Considering the display's size, you're going to want to buy the Type Cover to take advantage of everything this tablet has to offer.
Battery life on the Surface Pro 9 can depend on the tasks you're doing. It should get you through a workday with ease, however, thanks to the 12th Gen Intel processors that are much more battery efficient in routine tasks. It also has two Thunderbolt 4 enabled USB-C ports, meaning you can charge either with Microsoft's proprietary Surface Connect port or through USB-C. It supports fast charging too!
The Surface Pro 9 features Intel's 12th Gen processors, paired with upgraded Iris Xe graphics for a huge boost in GPU performance. Get this if you need to do video editing or light rendering work while on the go.
You can grab the Surface Pro 9 in a variety of colors, including Platinum, Graphite, Sapphire, and Forest colorways.
Best compact Windows tablet
The Surface Go 4 is the successor to 2022's Surface Go 3 and features a 10.5-inch high-quality display in the same magnesium chassis you know and love.
On the inside, it features an Intel N200 processor, paired with 8GB RAM, and it remains quiet while running. It has a great display for the price, and it has support for Surface Pen for all the handwriting and drawing you might want to do. If needed, you can choose a higher-end model with more storage if you need the extra room. There's also a microSD card expansion slot for additional storage when needed.
The best bit about the Surface Go 4 is that it's quite affordable compared to other Surface products on the market. Don't be fooled by its affordable price, though, as this is still one incredibly premium tablet. The price does start to climb if you're interested in the additional accessories for it. The Type Cover will set you back about a hundred bucks, as will the Surface Pen, so costs increase accordingly.
Battery life is okay. It'll get you through a working day, but don't expect any miracles. It gets about 6-7 hours at most, mostly because this isn't a Windows on ARM device, meaning it's using an Intel processor that isn't as battery efficient.
The biggest selling point of the Surface Go 4 is just how portable and light it is. It's a tiny machine, and it weighs almost nothing meaning you can throw it into a bag and not worry about it all day.
Best foldable Windows tablet
We're now in an era where Windows tablets can be found in not just traditional slab forrm factors, but also newer and more complex foldable form factors too. The HP Spectre Fold is HP's first foldable, and they've knocked it out of the park with arguably the best Windows foldable hardware on the market currently.
The HP Spectre Fold features a last-gen Intel 12th-Gen processor, paired with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage. It's rocking a 17-innch 2.5K touchscreen, which looks absolutely glorious, thanks in-part to the OLED technology being used here which provides inky deep blacks and excellent contrast.
The device also comes with the keyboard and trackpad accessory, which isn't something you often hear when talking about Windows tablets. With that said, for the price you pay for the HP Spectre Fold, it's no surprise that the keyboard and trackpad are included. This thing will set you back an eyewatering $5,000!
How we test the best Windows tablets
There are many different tablets with Windows out there, but choosing what's best for you can be difficult. We think the Surface Pro 9 5G is the best all-around Windows tablet you can buy right now, featuring the same instant-on and 5G capabilities found in devices like the iPad while still being versatile and productive enough to get work done.
Of course, the Surface Pro 9 5G isn't for everybody, which we why we also recommend the Surface Pro 9 (non-5G) for those who need more power. And if you're looking for something small that doesn't break the budget, the Surface Go 4 is for you. If none of these appeals to you, be sure to check out our picks for best Windows 11 PCs on the market right now too!
