I review tablets for a living – my top pick isn't an iPad, for this reason

As a Mac user, you'd think that my MacBook Air's daily use would drive me towards being an iPad user too. But, actually, I've found that's not the case.

It's part of my job, as a tech reviewer, to test the latest slates – I've seen a number of the best iPad models over the years, of course – and the latest Apple models are undeniably brilliant.

They're often undeniably pricey, too, which is the one key reason that, personally, I've deviated towards Samsung's mid-tier Fan Edition slate instead. It's a great balance of performance to budget.

I'm also an avid fan of the best Android phones, true enough, so being on that ecosystem from a mobile perspective makes using an Android slate nice and easy for me. Others might want an iPad instead of a laptop – a potentially great 'all-in' student option, for example.

What are the best tablets right now?

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That's the thing with tablets: there's a dividing line between Apple's iPad OS and Google's Android OS – two operating systems that feel different.

If you're thinking of using a tablet for lots of work then I'd suggest that Apple has the upper hand, as its incoming update later in 2025 will make the iPad even more Mac-like – which I think is a great thing.

I don't do a huge amount of work on tablets, though, using an Android slate almost as if it's a larger phone – which is great for watching content, I find, and using various apps, answering emails and so forth.

For me, therefore, I don't need the scale and super-power of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, nor an Apple iPad Pro. Both are great, laptop-level devices, but both are outside of my personal budget needs.

Step down to more affordable options and the OnePlus Pad 3 is a stellar Android tablet, while Apple's iPad Air and entry-level 10.9-inch models do a decent enough job, too.

For me, though, it's the Galaxy Tab S10 FE's mix of price to power that wins out. It's the machine I cart about to watch shows on flights, my Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 headphones connected, and it undercuts the cost of every other one of those above models.

So why is the Tab S10 FE best?

Well, this is going to depend entirely on your perspective. If Android is good for you, lower pricing is your want, and you don't need the higher-end, laptop-like uses out of the product, then the Fan Edition is perfectly suitable.

It's nice and trim, comfortable to hold, with a 10.9-inch display measure that matches up to the entry-level iPad in terms of scale. It's got a Samsung home-grown processor on board which, despite my initial doubts, is plenty powerful for gaming tasks too.

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I've already pre-loaded the Tab with the latest episode of Dexter: Resurrections ahead of a late-night trip, so I can catch up on the show – and I know it'll look splendidly bright and detailed on this tablet's display.

Of course, it's very much a personal choice, as well as a budgetary decision. With a tablet product, I'm happy with a 'less is more' approach, in part to save me cash on the latest headphones, portable speakers and suchlike – where I don't want any compromise.

It's not the cheapest-ever tablet, mind, as there are more basic A-series models in Samsung's range, or you could even lean to Amazon's software-limited offerings for, say, your kids. Personally, though, it's the Tab S10 FE that's hit the perfect sweet spot for me – and that could be the case for you, too.