Best Windows tablets 2016: What's the best Windows tablet? The 14 best Windows tablets you can buy in the UK today - best Windows tablet reviews
Best Windows tablet: Why a Windows tablet?
The best Windows tablets offer true portable computing on the move. Microsoft's ownSurface Pro, for example, is as powerful as many an expensive desktop PC, and it offers decent battery life - for a laptop, if not for a post-iPad tablet. You can install any Windowssoftware on it, and perform any task for which you would normally rely on a desktop PC. All on a chassis that will fit into any man bag.
The Surface Pro 3 offers the best of all worlds, with relatively little sacrifice. It's cheaper now that the Surface Pro 4 has been announced and, if you can afford one and you really want one device for everything, it is a great purchase. It's those compromises that matter, and that is why we go into depth on all of our Windows tablet reviews.
Best Windows tablet: Window RT vs Windows 8 (and Windows 10)
Windows RT is the cut-down version of Windows 8 that can run on hardware powered by ARM processors. It is all of Windows 8 without the desktop area. On the down side you can install only Windows apps, not full Windows software. On the plus side you get a special version of Office and the battery life is more like a phone than a laptop. I would personally question why you would want a Windows RT device - the whole point of having a Windows tablet rather than an iPad or an Android tablet is that if offers access to full Windows on the move.
But that's just my opinion. Although it is an opinion shared by enough people that Microsoft has now stopped selling the Surface RT 2, and so only a handful of products remain on the market. Window RT is to all intents and purposes dead.
That's also because Windows 10 is on the way. This version of Windows promises to offer the same platform on all Windows devices, from smartphone through tablet, laptop and desktop. And if you buy a Windows 8 tablet today you will be able to upgrade it to Windows 10 - for free.
Best Windows tablet: tablets, all-in-ones, hybrids
There are other decisions you'll need to make. You'll note in our listing of the top Windows tablets that not all the devices look the same. That's because Windows offers manufacturers flexibility of form. Some Windows tablets are tiny portable devices. Othere are hybrid laptop/tablet devices. Still more at giant all-in-one PCs in which the screen can detach to be a table-top-tablet computer.
This offers you a good choice, but choice isn't always good. Remember that by its very nature a tablet should be a flexible and portable device. So ask yourself whether you need a keyboard (and if so whether an ultraportable laptop would be a better idea). How big a screen do you need, and how much weight are you prepared to carry? Hybrid devices can seem like the best of all worlds, but they tend to be equally imperfect as laptops and tablets - how often will you transform their functions in your daily life?
If a product in the best Windows tablet list below grabs your attention, read the full review in detail, and the answers to these and other questions should become clear.
Below we rank the best Windows tablets you can buy right now.
Best Windows tablets to buy right now
14. Bush MyTablet
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 21 April 15
- RRP: £99.99 inc. VAT
Since the MyTablet comes with 1TB of online storage and year's subscription to Office 365, plus a second install for another device, it's a great bargain if you were going to buy 365 anyway. The tablet itself is good for the money, but we simply don't like Windows 8.1 as a tablet operating system.
Read our Bush MyTablet review.
13. Acer Aspire Switch 11
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 27 November 14
- RRP: £449 inc VAT
The Acer Aspire Switch 11 is a more attractive device than the Switch 10 with a larger screen and better specs. However, we're still not convinced by the chunky, top heavy design and the device let itself down with poor battery life. It might be more affordable but there are much better hybrids out there.
Read our Acer Aspire Switch 11 review.
12. HP ElitePad 1000 G2
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 28 October 14
- RRP: £792 inc. VAT
If you need to work with Windows programs and need a totable tablet with almost usable battery life, the ElitePad fulfills the job. As a first-choice device that can serve in a laptop role too, it's rather underpowered and will have you yearning for the power of even a budget laptop.
Read our HP ElitePad 1000 G2 review.
11. Dell Venue 11 Pro
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 29 January 14
- RRP: £787 inc VAT
The screen of the Venue Pro 11 needs to be easier to turn up to proper levels, but the tablet performs well for its price and is an option for business users who want a convertible tablet with Window 8. Its battery life was also useful, making this low-power Intel Atom version a more affordable alternative to expensive Windows tablets such as the Microsoft Surface Pro 2.
Read our Dell Venue 11 Pro review.
10. Asus Transformer Book T100 Chi
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 4 June 15
- RRP: £400 inc. VAT
Promoted as a 2-in-1 tablet and laptop solution, the little Transformer Book T100 Chi is simply a Windows 8 tablet with a clip-on wireless keyboard. Put together the result looks quite smart and we cannot fault build and finish quality at the price. However it is compromised as a laptop by feeling too cramped in working screen space, with a frustrating sleep-happy keyboard and its tiny awkward keys. And as a tablet it fails to be any more endearing than every other unloved Windows tablet before it. Its saving grace may be deemed its circa-£400 price, for which money you can find a real laptop or a decent tablet; but admittedly not both on that budget.
Read our Asus Transformer Book T100 Chi review.
9. Lenovo Miix 2 8
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 5 March 14
- RRP: £270 inc VAT
With its attractive, compact design and sub-£300 price tag the Miix 2 8 is one of the new Windows tablets that provides a more affordable alternative to the Microsoft Surface. It can't go head-to-head with the iPad and Android tablets in terms of apps, but the Miix 2 8 may well appeal to Windows users who want a pocket-size tablet that will also allow them to view their Office documents when they're out and about.
Read our Lenovo Miix 2 8 review.
8. Acer Aspire Switch 10
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 11 July 14
- RRP: £289 inc VAT
Although the Acer Aspire Switch 10 is very affordable, it's another hybrid which is neither great at being a laptop nor a tablet. It's both bulky and fiddly. We like the IPS screen and the multi-mode ability thanks to the magnetic hinge (minus the top heaviness). However, the keyboard and trackpad are lacklustre and there really nothing to get excited about in terms of specs and performance. We're yet to be convinced by a hybrid.
Read our Acer Aspire Switch 10 review.
7. Chuwi Hi12
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 26 April 16
- Buy for £194.71 plus import duty from China
At under £200 the Chuwi Hi12 is a fantastic Windows 10 tablet with a large, high-resolution screen and capable – if not fast – performance. Battery life is excellent and the design is mostly good, but if you plump for the optional keyboard consider yourself warned about the trackpad.
Read our Chuwi Hi12 review.
6. Chuwi HiBook
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 13 May 16
- Buy for 143.42
At £143.42 it's difficult to find fault in a 10in tablet that can handle most tasks and offers both Android and Windows operating systems. We strongly recommend you purchase the optional keyboard for the extra functionality it affords, including two full-size USB ports, but even without it the Chuwi HiBook is a very decent budget tablet, with acceptable performance and a decent screen.
Read our Chuwi HiBook review.
5. Microsoft Surface Pro 2
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 2 June 14
- RRP: £719 inc VAT
The Surface Pro 2 crams a serious amount of power into a compact frame. However, now that Microsoft has launched the bigger, better Surface Pro 3, the Pro 2 makes sense only if you're on a tight budget. Even then, its value is questionable - many people would be better off with a separate laptop and tablet, and might even save money going down that road. Those less bothered about the tablet side of things should consider a convertible device such as the Lenovo Yoga.
Read our Microsoft Surface Pro 2 review.
4. Toshiba WT310
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 9 January 15
- RRP: £485 inc VAt
This Windows tablet was a poor option at over £1000 when launched, but at around £500 as it's now being sold it may be of interest to anyone looking for a mobile device with ultrabook performance in 11.6-inch tablet form.
Read our Toshiba WT310 review.
3. Microsoft Surface 3
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 12 May 15
- RRP: £419 inc VAT (64GB Wi-Fi)
Objectively, the Surface 3 is the best compromise between a laptop and tablet. It's a highly portable gadget which can run full Windows programs and it costs less than the Surface Pro 3. It's not exactly cheap by the time you've added the keyboard and stylus, though. It's also only good for lightweight duties - it's less powerful than laptops costing the same - and some people will find the screen is too small for 'proper' productivity. It's a better work tool than an iPad and Bluetooth keyboard, it has to be said, and if you only need to use office apps and a web browser, it could be exactly what you're after. Most people are better off spending more on the Surface Pro 3 or, if you don't need a touchscreen, a Core M laptop such as the Asus UX305F.
Read our Microsoft Surface 3 review.
2. Microsoft Surface Pro 3
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 22 January 16
- Buy for From £639 inc VAT
A very decent laptop replacement, and an okay tablet, the Surface Pro 3 is undeniably impressive. If you need a single device to do everything we can't think of any better device. And when you consider the cost of buying a discrete laptop, tablet and desktop PC the Surface Pro 3 is priced to shift. The question remains as to whether people want a single device rather than multiple gadgets that are better at their individual tasks. Microsoft's latest results suggest that Surface Pro 3 is winning hearts and minds. Has it won yours?
Read our Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review.
1. Microsoft Surface Pro 4
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 14 December 15
- RRP: From £749 inc VAT (model tested £1079)
There is a great deal to like and rave about the Surface Pro 4. The design is thinner and lighter for starters. The screen is awesome, there's plenty of power available, the new Surface Pen is better and the Type Cover is a vast improvement on the last one. However, the design is inherently awkward at times, it's more expensive that a lot of laptops and the Type Cover, which you'll pretty much need, isn't included lowering the value.
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