The best tablets for teachers are a valuable resource when it comes to staying digitally connected in class, while staying mobile and available to all students. Ideal for sharing one-on-one with students, or for controlling a interactive board from wherever.
While tablets are now powerful enough to replace laptops — many come with keyboards and stylus pens — one can also be a useful extension of other devices. That may mean a cheaper tablet does the job of helping teachers digitally interact with students from anywhere in the classroom, without breaking the bank.
Tablets come with a lot of hardware to take advantage of in class, including cameras, microphones, speakers, motion sensors, and more. So, from making video calls in a hybrid classroom to taking students into an interactive augmented reality experience, the uses are myriad.
It’s worth thinking about how big you may need your tablet to be: will students be watching from afar as a group, or is this primarily for one-on-one interactions? And how hard does it have to be – are you using this alone or will the younger students be left to handle it too? Battery life could also be a consideration if you want to go all day without lugging around a charger.
So read on to find the best teacher tablets available right now.
1. Apple iPad (2022): Best Tablets for Teachers
Apple’s iPad (2022) is the best tablet for teachers right now; in fact, it’s the best tablet all around. As such, this being Apple, you can expect a higher price tag than many. But it more than justifies this level due to its hardware, as well as being backed by some of the best apps available in the world.
The 10.9-inch Retina display has a 2360 x 1640 resolution on the touchscreen for a bright, clear image. All of that means a super-clear, detailed display for both near and far viewing in class. Whatever you need, the A14 Bionic chip will solve it quickly with instant responsiveness. You also get a 12MP Ultra Wide selfie camera for video calls and a 12MP rear snapper for sharing class materials and super realistic AR experiences.
Thanks to multiple high-quality microphones and speakers, you can use this for video interactions, video playback, and even video recording and editing as needed in class and for lesson preparation. In fact, this is a viable laptop replacement with keyboard and stylus options. Also, you can expect to use this for the whole day with 10 hours on a single charge.
While this isn’t the high-end model of the iPad Air, it offers almost all the features without the hefty price tag. In short, this offers more than enough excellent hardware, application support, and build quality to satisfy almost any teaching need, as well as personal use outside of class.
2. Samsung Tab S7 Plus: The best tablet PC style
The Samsung Tab S7 Plus is a tablet that blurs the line between a laptop and a touchscreen handheld device. This is largely due to the DeX mode that allows you to enjoy a desktop interface on the Android 10 operating system, including output to a TV, ideal for use at home when a monitor is not available.
This tablet packs serious specs with a stunning 12.4-inch Super AMOLED display capable of HDR10+ and 120Hz, resulting in lifelike clarity and smoothness, perfect for video teaching. The camera also supports this with an impressive 8MP selfie snapper that works well in all lighting conditions thanks to HDR intelligence.
The inclusion of the S Pen stylus is another big draw here, ideal for marking up digital work, taking notes, and drawing. You’ll have to pay extra for the keyboard case and this is already an expensive tablet, but as a genuine laptop replacement, with a 14-hour battery life, it justifies the cost.
3. Amazon Fire 7: The best affordable tablet
The Amazon Fire 7 (2022) is a super affordable 7-inch tablet, making it a very practical option for many teachers. The build is sturdy, making it ideal for the classroom, though the screen lacks the Full HD resolution of some competitors. That said, for its size, the screen gets the job done well enough, but don’t expect an entire video classroom on that 1024 x 600 screen.
This device runs Amazon Fire OS, which is based on Android, so there are plenty of apps available, but not as many as Apple and Android devices offer. It’s a great one-handed tablet that offers easy access to Kindle reading and comes with the built-in Alexa voice assistant.
Battery life is relatively low and you’ll need a charger nearby for any extended use over five hours. The 2MP cameras, front and rear, do a pretty decent job of handling video calls and basic photography, but don’t expect too much for this price.
4. HP Chromebook X2: The best tablet that doubles as a Chromebook
The HP Chromebook X2 is a great choice for anyone who wants the freedom of a tablet without losing the functionality of their Chromebook, ideal for schools that already support Google hardware and software. The anodized aluminum tablet section is a detachable 12.3-inch display that sports an impressive 2400 x 1600 resolution and 403 nits of daytime brightness. It connects to a leather-textured keyboard with trackpad and also comes with the HP Active Pen stylus accessory.
Audio is excellent thanks to the built-in B&O Play sound, making it very apt for video lessons, as are the 4.9-megapixel front-facing camera and built-in microphones. The 12-hour battery means there’s no need to carry a charger around and the Intel Core i5 processing also makes it more than capable as a full-fledged computer. The only downside is that it’s heavier than some tablets, but it’s also much lighter than many laptops.
5. Lenovo Smart Tab M8: Best for Battery Life
The Lenovo Smart Tab M8 is another tablet that falls into the affordable category while still being compact. As such, it features an 8-inch display that tops out at 1,280 x 800, but has plenty of color and a usable 350 nits of brightness during the day. The design is attractive and the inclusion of a charging dock, which tilts the tablet perfectly, makes for a useful tablet video classroom device.
Despite 2 GB of RAM and a quad-core MediaTek processor, this device struggles with the most processor-heavy tasks. That’s likely because it’s throttled to help battery life, which is an impressive 18 hours, making it one of the best around, especially for its size.
While we’d like an operating system newer than Android 9, this may receive an update and in the short term it works just fine. Also, it offers many apps to make it a very useful tablet in the classroom and for remote learning.
6. Microsoft Surface Go 3: The best Windows tablet
The Microsoft Surface Go 3 is a tablet that also provides the full Windows 11 experience, allowing it to function as a laptop replacement, if you have the keyboard cover attached. This packs the power with an Intel Core 10th Gen i3 processor backed by up to 8GB of RAM, making it capable of just about any task a master can throw at it.
While the Touch Cover that features a keyboard and trackpad isn’t included, the price of the tablet is relatively low for what you get. Expect powerful performance, a bright and clear 1920 x 1280 display, and an excellent 5MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video that’s ideal for video teaching.
7. Apple iPad Pro: The best premium tablet
The Apple iPad Pro 12.9 is one of the best tablets out there, bar none. This does it all and does it with style. As such, the price tag reflects that. You get all the premium build quality of an Apple tablet, that awesome app store, a full keyboard, and the ability to use a super-responsive and smart stylus on the Apple Pencil.
Expect blazing-fast performance, plenty of storage even if you go for the smallest device, and it’s all displayed on an incredibly good screen. This just works, works well, and will work for a long time. And with the inclusion of Lidar sensors, this should be future-proof, even for the upcoming advanced AR teaching tools of the near future.
