Chime in: What's the best Windows tablet for a non-techie?

Surface tablets are gorgeous and powerful, but you typically want to get a keyboard and a stylus to get the most out of them, and even then, not everybody is a creative type who needs the full power of inking. They're also expensive.

For casual tablet-style computing, Windows 10 Mobile would have been an ideal OS for such devices, but alas, we all know what happened there. Windows 10 S is still in its infancy, and ARM-based Windows PCs haven't yet evolved into products that might rival iPads for casual use.

At least while we wait for the near-mythical "Surface Phone" foldable device to emerge from obscurity, what Windows tablets, if any, do you think are worth recommending? Forum user kdk24z wants to know.

kdk24z

12-14-2017 01:59 PM

Howdy. My eldest sister has an old iPad that is dying, and she hates it anyway. She would prefer replacing it with a Windows tablet. She really only uses her tablet for web-surfing, reading email, and watching animal videos. Does anyone have a good recommendation? I was looking at some of the Chuwi tablets that are right around $200, but they seem to come with Windows and Android, and that...

Reply

For me, the biggest stop gap for a "casual" Windows tablet experience is the Microsoft Store itself, which is pretty terrible when it comes to a variety of touch-optimized apps. Full Win32 gives you the option of installing games from Steam, some of which support touch, like Civilization, but you'll probably end up spending a lot to get decent performance from these sorts of games.

We have a roundup of devices we consider to be the best tablets out there for now, but 2018 and beyond should prove more exciting, as Windows 10 for ARM comes into its own. Hit the link below and share your thoughts.

• From the forums: What is the best Windows tablet?