Alternative to a laptop: the best tablets for work

The large Lenovo Tab P12 tablet allows you to combine work, study and leisure in one bottle. The model was released in the middle of summer 2023, and is positioned in the strong middle segment of tablet computers.

The front panel of the device is covered with a 12.7-inch LTPS screen with coverage of about 96% of the DCI-P3 gamut. The image on the gadget's display is broadcast in a resolution of 2944x1840 pixels, but its refresh rate is the usual - 60 Hz. And this is unpleasantly surprising, because panels with a high refresh rate have long become an industry standard. But the model’s screen supports work with the included Lenovo Tab Pen Plus stylus, which recognizes 4096 levels of pressure. The pen usually comes standard with the device, but the same cannot be said about the keyboard - in any case, you will need to purchase it separately.

The Lenovo Tab P12 can hardly be called a record holder in terms of performance, but the model certainly doesn’t care for the rear. At the helm of the tablet is a balanced hardware combination of the eight-core MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset and 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM. The internal storage of the device has a capacity of 128 GB, and the tablet also has a memory expansion slot for a microSD card ( up to 1 TB inclusive).

A quartet of stereo speakers from JBL with Dolby Atmos are dispersed around the perimeter of the device. The model's additional features include Wi-Fi 6 and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Autonomous operation of the device is ensured by a 10200 mAh rechargeable battery with slightly accelerated wired charging with a power of 20 W. Separately, the model features a pre-installed software business mode - in it the tablet changes orientation to landscape, launches windowed mode and “mows” under the laptop (provided an external keyboard and mouse are connected).

The recipe for preparing dishes from the Microsoft Surface Pro category is very simple: we take the laptop hardware, pack it into the tablet case and voila - we have a powerful tablet computer running a full-fledged Windows OS.

Although the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is actually a tablet, the model still gravitates towards the family of compact laptops. This is due to the characteristic hardware “filling”, headed by one of two processors to choose from - Intel Core i5-1235U or Intel Core i7-1255U. The device has 8 GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM, and internal storage capacity starts at 128 GB. Note that there is also a 5G version of the tablet with a Microsoft SQ 3 chip from Qualcomm and slower RAM (LPDDR4X standard).

The device screen extends diagonally exactly 13 inches. This is an IPS panel with a format of 2880x1920 pixels with a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. Of course, the display supports the proprietary Surface Slim Pen 2 stylus. To “park” the pen during inactivity, there is a niche in the detachable keyboard, from which the tablet transforms into a full-fledged laptop.

Versions of the model with Intel processors have two USB4 ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, making it easy to connect external monitors to the tablet. But the 5G modification of the device does not provide such connectors. The design of the device also boasts front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos and long battery life (about 15.5 hours of operation on a single battery charge). The only “but” is the solid weight of the tablet (almost 900 g), which makes holding it in your hands for a long time simply uncomfortable.

The Tab Extreme model has become the largest and one of the most powerful in the Lenovo tablet portfolio. It's no joke, the device's screen extends diagonally as much as 14.5 inches - many laptops are equipped with a smaller caliber display.

The screen here was a juicy OLED panel with a high resolution of 3000x1876 pixels, a refresh rate of 120 Hz and the ability to display HDR10+ content. The display supports the included Precision Pen 3. The stylus recognizes 4096 degrees of pressure, has a 30 mAh battery and weighs about 16 g. There is a place for it not only on the back panel of the case, but also on the bottom edge in landscape orientation, but the pen is charged only on the back panel. There is also a contact group on the back for connecting the keyboard cover or the included stand.

The device is powered by a top-end MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor paired with 12 GB of RAM. The tablet has 256 GB of permanent memory, and in addition the model has an expansion slot for a microSD card. The sound of the tablet is given over to eight JBL speakers with Dolby Atmos support. At the same time, a couple of USB type C ports deserve special mention for transferring video to an additional display or using the tablet as an external monitor (fortunately, the size allows this).

According to the manufacturer , a full charge of the 12300 mAh battery should be enough for the device for a 12-hour marathon of video playback. The battery is charged from a 68 W adapter. As for communications, the model is equipped with Wi-Fi 6E, and the version for the corporate segment additionally provides support for SIM and 5G. The tablet can become a full-fledged replacement for a laptop, with the only caveat that the device is running Android 13 OS with the proprietary ZUI 15 add-on.

In the segment of Android tablets, Samsung products consistently hold the leadership position. Its Galaxy Tab S line combines powerful devices that few competitors can compete with on an equal footing.

The middle model in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series was the version of the tablet with a “plus” console. She got a high-end Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a diagonal size of 12.4 inches. The under-screen layer of the front panel houses a fingerprint scanner, and the display itself supports work with the proprietary S Pen. Optionally, you can purchase a Samsung Book Cover keyboard for the tablet - the model is immediately transformed into a compact laptop with the DeX working environment (as similar as possible to the interface of the Windows desktop system).

The hardware of a tablet cannot be more powerful. At least at the time of the announcement of the device and in the near future after it. Inside the gadget there is a top-end processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, the capabilities of which will definitely last for many years. The tablet also has a lot of RAM – 12 GB. Also pleasing is the internal data storage capacity of 256 GB with a slot for a microSD memory card. The tablet runs any applications and mobile games at maximum graphics settings without stuttering or throttling.

The rich picture on the device’s display is supported by the high-quality sound of four AKG stereo speakers. The tablet also skillfully takes photographs with a dual rear camera of 13 + 8 MP. The front camera uses a 12 MP image sensor. The model receives power from a 10,900 mAh battery with 45-watt wired charging. Finally, an important advantage of the tablet over previous generations of the line is the full dust and moisture protection of the case according to the IP68 standard. You'll have to pay a lot for all this, but you won't find a better solution among Android tablets.

In fact, not a single tablet rating is complete without the participation of Apple products from Apple. Moreover, “iPads” consistently occupy the top lines of the podium in all nominations. If we consider devices to replace or complement a laptop, one of the best options is the iPad Pro 12.9 2022 model.

The tablet runs on the most powerful Apple M2 chipset, which is used in parallel in Apple laptops. There is simply nothing to overload the processor at the time of the model’s release, so the iPad runs any games and applications at maximum graphics settings. The memory volumes on board the device start from 128 GB and hit the “ceiling” at a level of up to 2 TB. The operating system for the tablet was iPadOS 16, optimized for ease of gesture control.

The tablet's screen is an excellent 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR panel with a resolution of 2732x2048 pixels, a pixel density of 265 ppi and an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. The display sensor can sense Apple Pencil (Gen 2) styluses at a distance of up to 12 mm from the surface (Hover function). Optionally, the tablet can be equipped not only with a pen for drawing, but also with a Magic Keyboard or a Smart Folio case. These accessories are not cheap, but they significantly expand the functionality of the device.

The cameras of the Apple iPad Pro 12.9 2022 were trained to record ProRes video, and in terms of wireless communications, the model acquired Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth v5.3. The tablet also has a USB type C port with support for Thunderbolt 3. Separately, there is stereo sound and a capacious 10,758 mAh battery, which provides up to 10 hours of continuous operation of the device in web surfing mode. You won’t find a model equal to its combination of qualities during the day, which explains the popularity of the tablet despite its high cost.