Get the most bang for your buck
Whether you need a tablet for digital art or to increase productivity at work, you have more Windows tablets to choose from than ever. You can even get a Linux tablet for some extra versatility.
Tablets are no longer just smartphones with bigger screens. They come with powerful CPUs, plenty of RAM, and SSDs, just like your Windows laptop. Gain extra mobility and flexibility by using one of the best Windows tablets from our list below.
Table of Contents
1. Microsoft Surface Pro 7
Price: $699 – $1300
Although it launched in 2019, Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is a still solid Windows tablet. It is a 2-in-1 detachable, which means the keyboard is sold separately, and it can be attached to the screen so you can use the tablet as a laptop. It has one of the most popular designs among detachable tablets, and it comes with a USB Type-C port. However, this tablet doesn’t support Thunderbolt 4 technology which has become something of a standard these days.
Its physical design is a bit outdated, but if you are not looking for the most modern-looking device out there, Microsoft Surface Pro 7 still performs amazingly. It has a built-in “free-range” kickstand, which means you can adjust the screen inclination in a 165-degree range. This is especially useful if you use the stylus for drawing or sketching on your tablet.
When it comes to configuration, Microsoft Surface Pro 7 boasts the 10th Gen Intel Core Processor. The starting model has an Intel Core i3 CPU, 4GB RAM, and 128GB SSD. The top model has an Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD.
In 2021, Microsoft launched a Surface Pro 7+, intended more for the business and education markets. Although this new version has a nearly identical appearance to Surface Pro 7, it comes with some system upgrades. It has an 11th Gen Intel Processor and a removable boot drive. Both versions come with Windows 10, and the upgrade to Windows 11 is free.
2. Microsoft Surface Go 3
Price: $400.00
Another 2-in-1 tablet with a detachable keyboard, Microsoft Surface Go 3 is the best inexpensive Windows tablet. It has a durable construction and a nice, modern physical design. The tablet itself is a touchscreen, and it has an adjustable kickstand. Unlike other 2-in1 tablets, Microsoft Surface Go 3 is small enough to fit in your hand yet big enough to stand on a desk and serve as a laptop.
Surface Go 3 runs on Windows 11, but its hardware configuration depends on how much you are willing to invest. The base model comes with an Intel Core m3 CPU, while the top-of-the-line one comes with an Intel Core i3. However, the top-end model is not as fast as Surface Go 3’s main competitor—Apple’s iPad Air tablets. The base model also uses an Intel Pentium processor and a low-end 64GB SSD.
Although Microsoft Surface Go 3 is a good choice for a budget-friendly Windows tablet, we don’t recommend it for people who want to run more powerful apps like Photoshop. That said, Surface Go 3 shines when it comes to multitasking. It is in this area that this Windows tablet beats its main competitors that run on ChromeOS and iOS.
3. Lenovo Thinkpad x12 Detachable
Price: $750.00
The Thinkpad X12 Detachable became a new Lenovo flagship after its predecessor, the Thinkpad X1, was discontinued. The idea behind this Windows tablet was to create competition for Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7+. Its physical design is similar to the Surface Pro 7+, with a 12-inch display, built-in kickstand, and keyboard that you can attach to the tablet’s side with magnets.
The similarity between the two tablets stops with the physical design, though. The first noticeable difference is in resolution. With only 1,920×1,280, Lenovo Thinkpad X12 has a lower resolution than Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7+ and Apple iPad Pro. However, Lenovo’s flagship tablet shines when it comes to webcams. It has a front 5-megapixel camera and a back 8-megapixel camera, both very useful in business sessions. The images they produce are crystal clear and without any noticeable noise.
Thinkpad x12 Detachable has two USB-C ports, of which one supports Thunderbolt 4. The connectivity is standard Wi-Fi6 and Bluetooth 5.1, but it doesn’t have a 5G option. The base modem is equipped with the newest 11th Gen Intel Core processor, more precisely, Intel Core i5-1130G7. It also comes with 16GB of memory and 512GB SSD.
4. Microsoft Surface Pro 8
Price: $1,284.98 – $2300
The Surface Pro 8 is an attractive cousin of the Surface Pro 7, with a sleek body and large, 13-inch screen. It also has a razor-thin bezel which gives this Windows tablet a fresh and modern look.
The difference between the Surface Pro 7 and 8 is not purely aesthetic. The Surface Pro 8 is upgraded to a 120HZ refresh rate from the standard 60HZ. It also has impressive front and back 1080p cameras that support 4k videos. This means that this Windows tablet can be used not only as a tablet but as a laptop for business and entertainment.
The internal upgrades that Microsoft Surface Pro 8 boasts are mainly related to the processor. The base model has a Core i5 processor, 8GB of system memory, and 128GB SSD. This is not that big of a difference from the Surface Pro 7+ when it comes to the internal hardware. However, the difference becomes more noticeable if you own a much older version of the Surface Pro line of tablets.
5. Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable
Price: $1,699 – $2169
The Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable tablet comes with the latest Windows 10 Pro OS (with an available Windows 11 license) and is intended for business users. You can use it as a stand-alone, touch screen tablet, or laptop when combined with a keyboard cover. Like other Windows tablets, Dell Latitude has a kickstand that makes it easy to position them on desks.
This tablet shines with its two USB-C ports. Both support Thunderbolt 4 speeds, so you can quickly transform the Latitude 7320 into a workstation in your office or home. You can attach a monitor and various peripherals with the Thunderbolt 4 connectors and have them all handy on your desk.
The Intel 11th Gen processor makes Dell Latitude as powerful as any other business laptop. Also, its physical design makes it ultra-portable and much more attractive to those professionals who are constantly on the move. The base model of Latitude 7320 has an i5-1140G7 processor, 8GB memory, and 256GB SSD.
6. Microsoft Surface Book 3
Price: $1199 – $3,199
This is a high-end Windows tablet, and its design, functionality, and processing power are reflected in its price. The Surface Book 3 is not exactly a tablet but a mashup of a laptop, a 2-in-1 convertible model, and a detachable PC. The keyboard and screen are joined with a hinge like a standard laptop.
However, there is a hidden release mechanism that lets you detach the keyboard and use the display as a tablet. Moreover, you can reattach the keyboard flipped backward or attach it so that both the display and keyboards are flat on a desk. This flexibility of Surface Book 3 is convenient for all the digital artists out there and traveling professionals.
The connectivity of the Surface Book 3 features two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports, one USB-C port, an SDXC card reader, and a headphone jack. It supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. This workstation comes with two batteries, one on the keyboard and one on the display, meaning that you can charge each unit individually.
The Microsoft Surface Book 3 features a quad-core Intel Core i71065G7 CPU, 32GB RAM, and 512GB SSD. It also has a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU for all your graphic demands. It comes with Windows 10 Pro pre-installed but is upgradable to Windows 11.
7. Microsoft Surface Pro X
Price: $699 – $1200
The Microsoft Surface Pro X is the best-looking Windows 10 tablet out there. It has a sleek design with a 13-inch edge-to-edge PixelSense display. The whole tablet is only 7.3mm thin making it one the slimmest of all Surface models. This tablet is eye candy for sure, but when it comes to its performance, it doesn’t compete well even with a Surface Pro 7.
Surface Pro X includes Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity. However, when it comes to connectivity ports, this tablet is somewhat limited. It has only two USB-C ports and one Surface Connect port. This should be enough for the basic needs of many users, but not for professionals who might want to turn their tablets into portable workstations. There is no headphone jack, so your only options are wireless or an adapter.
This tablet has a Qualcomm-developed SQ1 processor and X24 LTE modem for great connectivity. The processor is extremely quiet and is typically featured in mobile phones. Unlike most Intel and AMD CPUs, this one requires no cooling. However, the base version has only 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. You can update these specifically but at a significant cost increase.
