Top 5 Best student tablet in 2025

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School-bound? These are the slates we recommend for students

Although each student is unique, the top student tablets have two things in common: they are reasonably priced and multipurpose, assisting with research, work completion, and relaxation after class.

I know since my team and I look for excellent student tablets and I review slates from leading manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, and Google.

For this reason, I typically suggest the Apple iPad as the top tablet for the majority of kids because it is durable, portable, quick, and able to run any app from the Apple App Store. Additionally, you may save more than $100 over a newer iPad without sacrificing much power if you go for the 2022 model.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is the best Surface Pro in years and a fantastic Windows slate if you want a tablet that runs the full version of Windows 11. It is quite productive because it can run almost any Windows application.

However, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 is a wonderful option if you’re looking for a good student tablet at a reasonable price. It has all the drawbacks of a Chromebook and isn’t as fast as the others on this list, but it’s inexpensive and includes a detachable keyboard of its own, which is surprisingly nice.

Table of Contents

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1. Apple iPad 2022

Since the iPad 2022 is the most reasonably priced iPad and is capable of handling simple note-taking, writing, and research tasks, I believe it to be the greatest student tablet for the majority of people.

You can use Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or any other productivity program you like to use at school because it runs all iPad apps, I say.

Because the iPad’s A14 Bionic CPU performed admirably in our tests and the device lasted almost 11 hours on a full charge, it can also run those apps. The 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display is bright, vibrant, and responsive, and it’s more than adequate for a day of classes.

Be advised, nevertheless, that there are certain restrictions while using an iPad. Moving data on and off an iPad can be annoying if you don’t already have a Mac that you can connect to your tablet, and you’ll be limited in the programs you can download from the Apple App Store unless you’re really comfortable jailbreaking your device.

However, if you enjoy using the tablet, you will be able to get past these minor inconveniences. Additionally, this entertainment-focused tablet can be a really helpful productivity tool for typing up notes, papers, and homework projects if you’re prepared to pay a little extra for the comfortable optional Magic Keyboard Folio with touchpad.

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2. Lenovo Duet 3

With prices as low as $359, the Lenovo Duet 3 (also known as the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3, depending on where you get it) is an excellent Chrome tablet for students.

In essence, this is a larger, more costly version of Lenovo’s 2020 Chromebook Duet, a surprisingly powerful and reasonably priced Chrome tablet that’s still good if you want something even less expensive. The Duet 3 is more powerful and capable than the Duet, so it will serve you better and last longer. I have evaluated and liked both, which is why I suggest it.

Although the original Duet cost about $250, I adored it for its excellent battery life, reliable performance, and respectable built-in keyboard cover. Although the Duet 3 is slightly more expensive, it has a larger, brighter screen, more ports, and the additional power of a more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 chip—all of which are beneficial for students.

However, the fact that this tablet is the only one on this list that includes a detachable keyboard at no additional cost is what really makes it an easy choice for me. Additionally, it’s a fairly good pack-in, so you can get one of these pills and have it ready to use right away.

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3. Microsoft Surface Pro 11

Thanks to Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon CPUs, Microsoft’s Surface Pro 11 offers exceptional speed and battery life while doing the greatest job yet at making Windows 11 seem useable on a tablet.

I suggest it as the top Windows tablet for students since it’s powerful and portable, making it simple to pack in a backpack and bring to class for taking notes, completing assignments, and viewing videos.

This tablet is the quickest on this list thanks to its Snapdragon CPU, which pushes it to new limits in terms of performance and power economy. Additionally helpful is the fact that, according to our battery tests, this slate lasts slightly over 12 hours, so you can carry it around for the entire day without worrying about plugging it in.

Even though the base model ($999) with its 13-inch LCD display is more than adequate, those who can afford to upgrade to the OLED-equipped model ($600) should value the extra brightness and vibrancy of the display, which in our display tests outperforms the iPad Air (2024).

There are a few things to be aware of before purchasing, though. Despite the fact that this Windows tablet is quite helpful as a productivity tool, if you choose to go that route, Microsoft will suck you for peripherals in a very Apple-like manner.For instance, at the time of review, the Surface Slim Pen 2 stylus and the detachable Surface Flex Pro keyboard cost an additional $100 and $349, respectively. This implies that you are spending almost an additional $500 simply to equip this Windows tablet with the accessories that will maximize its use.

However, this slate may be equipped with devices that, in my opinion, make it the greatest Windows tablet for students, provided you have the funds to do so.

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4. Apple iPad Air

A thinner and lighter version of the original iPad, the iPad Air will give you greater power than the original iPad if you can pay the extra money.

The fact that the iPad Air is available in two sizes—11-inch and 13-inch—in contrast to the standard iPad is another reason I suggest it. Therefore, the 13-inch model is a fantastic option if you’re looking for a canvas that’s a little larger than the standard iPad.

The 13-inch iPad Air is essentially the same size as an iPad Pro at that size, and because of the M3 chip inside, it has power that is roughly equivalent. Thus, if you enjoy playing video games after school, this could be a fantastic option as your student tablet.

In our testing facility, we recorded the iPad Air M3’s battery life at just under 10 hours, despite its tested battery life of over 8 hours. While some of the other tablets on our list will last you longer, that is sufficient for a school day.

All things considered, the most recent iPad Air is an almost flawless tablet that is a high-end gadget better left to older children. For most families, this is perhaps the greatest tablet available, particularly if you’re looking for something a little larger or better than the standard iPad.

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5. OnePlus Pad

For a reasonable price, the OnePlus Pad 2 is an excellent Android tablet. Consider it the slim, light, and powerful equivalent of the iPad Air of Android tablets.

Admittedly, the Pad 2’s camera has a quirky appearance and doesn’t produce as good of images as the iPad Air, but who shoots pictures with their tablet anyway? Playing games, watching videos, and doing homework will all look fantastic on this device’s bright 11.6-inch 144Hz screen.

Additionally, this slate is rather competent right out of the box thanks to an improved Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 engine, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.When school is out, it can run all the best Android games, and it should have no issue running a few different apps during class (for research and note-taking, of course).

Fortunately, the OnePlus Pad 2 also boasts an incredible battery life; in our testing lab, it was able to run for almost 15 hours straight before dying. I believe it’s a fantastic option for students because that ought to be more than sufficient for a day on campus.

Additionally, you can add productivity peripherals like the OnePlus Stylo ($99) and OnePlus Magnetic Keyboard ($39) to the OnePlus Pad 2 without spending a lot of money, unlike Apple’s slates. Saving money is one of the best feelings in the world for a student.

Therefore, the OnePlus Pad 2 is a great option if you’re looking for a top-notch Android tablet for less than $500 before returning to school.

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The first step in choosing the ideal tablet to bring to school is to consider the operating system that you use. This entails taking your smartphone out of your pocket and considering how much you depend on it. Owners of iPhones might immediately switch to the iPad or iPad Air, and they would be right to do so because of the perfect combination of shared app ecosystems across iOS and iPadOS and iMessage connectivity.

The OnePlus Pad 2 is a fantastic Android tablet that challenges the iPad Air and is reasonably priced if you’re more of an Android enthusiast. Its accessories, which are beautiful to view, don’t either.

Nevertheless, if you’re on a limited budget, it wouldn’t hurt to acquire one of the Lenovo Duet 3 Chromebooks, which include a detachable keyboard of their own. If you have experience with Windows, you won’t have any trouble adjusting to Chrome as long as it’s connected to the Internet.

It’s true that Microsoft’s Surface Pro 11 is a better Windows tablet than you might think if you’d rather stick with Windows. The Surface Pro 11’s Snapdragon CPUs provide exceptional speed and battery life, and Windows 11 is more touch-friendly than ever.

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In order to compare their speed directly to competitors, we first run as many benchmarks as that tablet will let. We say “will allow” because some tablets, such as the Fire slates from Amazon, have issues with Android apps that are side-loaded.

The color and brightness of these tablets’ screens are then measured using colorimeters and light meters. We next put them through our internal battery test, which calculates the amount of time it takes to deplete a tablet’s battery while using the web at 150 nits of brightness.

Following that, we engage in the same activities as you, including web browsing, YouTube viewing, gaming, email writing, and much more. If there is a keyboard for the tablet we are testing, we attempt to write some (or all) of our evaluations on it. Believe me, no one wants to compose a masterpiece on a glass screen.

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