Updated: Best tablet 2015: Our top 10 ranking

Best tablets: From 10 to 6

What's the best tablet for 2015? Today's latest tablets compared and rated - constantly updated

The tablet is now a thing - from the days when nobody considered a laptop without a keyboard to be a good thing to today, where a slate full of more power than some games consoles is nestled in bags across the world.

And with that popularity comes the dreaded notion of choice. Do you eschew Apple's high prices, join the Android brigade and find the best iPad alternative? Or jump on board Cupertino's lovetrain, and use one of the most popular tablets on the planet?

We've made it easy for you and pulled together the top 10 tablets of the moment available in the UK.

It's a difficult process divining which place each of these excellent tablets should occupy in our list, so we take into account multiple elements including performance, battery life, screen quality and more.

Price plays a part, as does age: a tablet that's been replaced by a sequel will tumble down the rankings as you can get all the great features on a better slate.

If none of the top 10 tablets here take your fancy then head on over to our tablet reviews pages, where you'll find in-depth reviews for many more models.

And if you're still hungry for more don't forget new slates are always appearing, like the big and beastly iPad Pro, the pint-sized iPad mini 4 and the powerful Microsoft Surface Pro 4, which we just recently reviewed.

Let us know your thoughts on the top 10 (and whether you think we've got the order wrong) in the comment box below.

Lenovo Yoga 10 HD+

10. Lenovo Yoga 10 HD+

A Lenovo tablet that can do a little bit of yoga

Excellent battery life

Good quality screen

Battery cylinder gets in way

Heavy and bulky

The cylindrical spine of the Yoga 10 HD+ serves as an easy way to grip in portrait or as a stand for watching media in a lonely hotel room and the 1920 x 1200 pixel screen resolution is rather nice.

While its sharpness won't compare to an iPad Air 2 or a Samsung Galaxy Tab S, it is still very nice to use and has plenty of brightness, a major upgrade on the old model.

Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga 10 HD+

iPad Mini 2

9. iPad Mini 2

A great tablet that still costs a little too much

Amazing screen

Brilliant design

Similar-spec rivals are much cheaper

16GB too low storage

Hey, it's the iPad Mini 2... still in the list despite being two generations behind? There's a reason for this: the now-discontinued iPad mini 3 is pretty much identical, apart from 2013's model not having Touch ID and now only coming in 16GB and 32GB flavours.

It now has the more accomplished iPad mini 4 for company, but in the time since its launch the iPad mini 2 has also had a substantial price drop, which is why it's still in our top ten. It's nowhere near as powerful as more recent iPads, but this is positively cheap by Apple's standards.

Read the full review: iPad Mini 2

Galaxy Tab S

8. Samsung Galaxy Tab S

A great screen, now at a lower price

Excellent screen

Plenty of power

Still behind on design

Small on-board storage

The Galaxy Tab S may have been replaced by the Tab S2 series, but you can still buy this solid slate in 8.4 and 10.5-inch variants - and they're now cheaper.

Samsung has taken the best of its OS and technology ability, fused them with one of the best displays on a tablet and created something pretty special. The battery life is great, the screen has to be seen to be believed, and the price is now lower.

Shortlisted: for "Best Tablet" in the 2015 TechRadar Phone Awards

Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy Tab S

Sony Xperia Tablet Z3 Compact

7. Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact

Small but perfectly formed

Great battery life

Very thin and light

Screen sharpness beaten by others

Not incredible value

Sony's gone a bit crackers in the naming department, but the Z3 Tablet Compact is still a decent device despite the obvious attempts to shoehorn the word 'tablet' into the title to align it with the smartphone.

Let's get the main issue out of the way: the screen isn't as high res as the competition, and the price isn't as palatable as some of the other options here.

But that looks past the fact Sony is pretty darn good at making these here tablets. Using its Bravia technology it makes the screen still look sharp and colourful, and the thin design makes the Z3 Tablet Compact easier to hold than you'd expect. Oh, and it's also waterproof.

Shortlisted: for "Best Tablet" in the 2015 TechRadar Phone Awards

Read the full review: Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact

Nexus 9

6. Nexus 9

Google's Nexus tablet is bigger in size and price

Ideal 4:3 aspect ratio

Stock Android

Pricier than before

Subpar display quality

The Nexus 9 is a weird one - it's both the replacement for the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10, without really being a sequel to either thanks to the new 8.9-inch screen.

It's getting on a bit now, but it's still the most recent Nexus slate and with age comes a price drop, meaning you can now often find it for under £200 if you shop around. The promise of Android Marshmallow arriving on it in the near future should help keep it fresh too.

Shortlisted: for "Best Tablet" in the 2015 TechRadar Phone Awards

Read the full review: Nexus 9

Number 5: iPad Pro

iPad Pro

5. iPad Pro

Apple's biggest slate isn't its best, but it's not far off either

Expansive screen

Hugely powerful

Powerfully huge

Battery life could be longer

The iPad Pro is Apple's biggest and most powerful tablet yet, with a 12.9-inch screen, an A9X processor and 4GB of RAM.

That big screen combined with four great speakers make it a media powerhouse and if you splash out for the Apple Pencil or Smart Keyboard you can get serious work done on it too.

The size and weight won't be for everyone and the price certainly won't be, but the iPad Pro is an accomplished slate for everything from gaming and movies, to drawing and typing. It's not quite a laptop replacement, but it's the closest you'll to that this side of a Surface Pro.

Read the full review: iPad Pro

Number 4: Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet

4. Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet

Lighter, faster, waterproof… this is a real iPad Air 2 rival

Gorgeous display

New improved design

Problematic UI

High price tag

Sony's Xperia Z4 Tablet is one of the best Android tablets available on the market and it's one of the few capable of putting up a fight against the iPad Air 2.

It's got a lovely screen, lightweight design, all the Sony elements you'd look for and the right power combination to keep it on the front foot.

The waterproof design makes it a more attractive proposition over the less robust slates on the market, although the UI isn't the slickest and the price tag is one of the highest.

Shortlisted: for "Best Tablet" in the 2015 TechRadar Phone Awards

Read the full review: Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet

Number 3: iPad mini 4

iPad mini 4

3. iPad mini 4

The best small-screen tablet

Brilliant screen

Sleek design

Older processor

No 3D Touch

The iPad mini 3 might have been a disappointment but Apple more than made up for it with the iPad mini 4. With its sleek design, fairly powerful processor and stunning screen it's everything the mini 3 should have been.

It's still slightly less powerful than the iPad Air 2 and a lot less powerful than the iPad Pro, but it's also cheaper than them and it's one of the highest-spec compact slates around.

So if you want an Apple tablet in a smaller package than is offered by the Air 2 then this is the best in the business and with Touch ID and iOS 9 it's slick and feature-packed too.

Number 2: Samsung Galaxy Tab S2

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab S2

The best iPad rival around

Thinner, lighter design

MicroSD card slot

Small specs upgrade

Camera is mediocre

There are plenty of reasons to invest in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 - especially if you're after the best Android tablet on the market.

It's reading and web surfing-friendly, while the new 4:3 screen and general size and shape is better suited for most things. Videos work better on its predecessor thanks to the more elongated aspect ratio - but they don't exactly look bad here.

You can pick the Tab S2 up in 8-inch and 9.7-inch variants, to challenge Apple's iPad and iPad Mini ranges, with the smaller option being more portable and cheaper.

Almost impossibly thin, pumped full of power and with a slicker version of Samsung's TouchWiz interface on board, the Galaxy Tab S2 manages to give the iPad Air 2 a real run for its money.

Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy Tab S2

Number 1: iPad Air 2

1. iPad Air 2

Apple has taken the perfect tablet and somehow made it even better

Sleek

Superbly powerful

Volume silencer gone

16GB is too little storage

The iPad Air was an incredible achievement and yet somehow, remarkably, Apple has topped it with the iPad Air 2.

It's even thinner and lighter than last time around and to a noticeable extent. The screen is better, with more vibrant colours, it's more powerful thanks to its A8X processor and the battery life holds up just as well. It even benefits from Touch ID and Apple Pay and while these features aren't as exciting here as they are on phones they're still nice to have.

In short the iPad Air 2 really is the complete package and while you can always find things to niggle about there are no significant flaws.

In the time since the original iPad Air launched everything else is still struggling to match it and yet Apple has managed to raise the benchmark higher still. Everyone else really has their work cut out if the iPad Air 2 is going to be unseated from the number one spot.

Shortlisted: for "Best Tablet" in the 2015 TechRadar Phone Awards

Read the full review: iPad Air 2

Tablet apps

As with today's best smartphones, applications play a big role on tablets – once you've decided which of these tablets is right for you, check out our top app lists so you can get your fill of Temple Run, update your friends on Facebook and read the latest news, all on a bigger screen.

Also consider

If the tablets on this list aren't enough for you then a) you're very hard to please, but b) we think we can still help out a little.

We've covered the best above, but if you're after something a little cheaper or just haven't quite seen the slate for you then one of these might do the trick.

iPad Mini 3

A small upgrade over the iPad Mini 2

Still well-designed

Slick OS

Too much like the mini 2

Overpriced compared to mini 2

The iPad mini range is still a brilliant proposition, offering the best of the iPad but squishing it down into a smaller package. But the iPad mini 3, which is basically a mini 2 with Touch ID, was a blip in this otherwise quality range.

Apple perhaps realised its mistake, as it's already discontinued the iPad mini 3 in favour of the iPad mini 4, while leaving the mini 2 as a cheaper offering.

Other shops still sell the mini 3 though and if you're after Touch ID but can't quite stretch to Apple's latest slates then it's a reasonable option. iOS 9 works very well here, and the overall speed and compact size is still a very good combo, even if it's not great value for money.

Read the full review: iPad Mini 3

Note Pro 12.2

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2

Samsung throws everything into the fledgling maxi-tablet category

Large, bright screen

Improved Samsung UI

Creaky build quality

Unwieldy form factor

The 12.2-inch display is not all this slate has going for it, as the Note Pro 12.2's 3GB of RAM and quad-core processor give it great performance, while the S Pen becomes truly useful in combination with the slate's large, bright screen.

It's an obvious choice for digital artists or anyone else who wants a device they can be productive on, but the bigger screen makes it great just for web browsing and watching videos too.

Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2

Microsoft Surface Pro 3

Is Redmond's hybrid tablet the laptop killer?

Sharp display and design

Huge Type Cover upgrade

OK battery life

Runs hot at times

With a whole lot of power, an impressive display and a useful Type Cover for when you need to get some serious work done the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 has got the muscle to compete with Ultrabooks and the portability and ease of use to be an iPad alternative.

It's not perfect. The battery life is seriously weak by tablet standards and it's a pricey bit of kit, but if you really want one device to fill both roles then this is one of the best options out there.

Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Pro 3

iPad Air

A five star tablet, now with a lower price tag

Sleek design

Powerful innards

No Touch ID

Camera features lacking

You've seen the score, and for those keeping tabs you'll realise the iPad Air is TechRadar's first five-star tablet. It's a device with almost no flaws - and even though the iPad Air 2 is out, it still remains one of the best tablets available today.

Read the full review: iPad Air

EE Harrier Tab

A brilliant budget option

Good screen

Solid performance

Poor camera

Mediocre battery life

With a low price, solid performance, a good screen and even 4G support the EE Harrier Tab is a bit of a bargain. The battery life is a little underwhelming and the EE branding may put some buyers off, but if you want a 4G-ready slate without spending an arm and a leg this is an attractive option.

Read the full review: EE Harrier Tab

Microsoft Surface 3

A bargain by Surface standards, but still high-end

Great build quality

Portable

Not quite a laptop replacement

Average keyboard

The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is a beastly device, but it has a similarly beastly price tag. If you can live with a little less power, then you can get an almost as good experience from the Microsoft Surface 3 for quite a lot less money.

A big screen, strong build quality, optional keyboard and Windows 10 on board make this a versatile tablet, but as it lacks the performance grunt of the Pro 3 it doesn't quite feel like a full laptop replacement.

Read the full review: Microsoft Surface 3