7 Best iPad Pro Alternatives in 2024

After having scoured through for the best alternative to the iPad Pro, it is clear that the only tablet that can take on the Apple offering is the Surface Pro 7 by Microsoft. This is thanks to its PixelSense display and smooth performance. It’s also available in multiple processor variants, unlike the iPad Pro.

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At A Glance: Best iPad Pro Alternatives

• Microsoft Surface Pro 7
  Our Top Pick
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

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While the Apple iPad Pro has been around for a while, it received its biggest upgrade only a few months ago. The new 2020 iPad Pro is certainly one of the best tablets you can get today, and what’s even better is that the company offers additional accessories like the adjustable keyboard, albeit for a pretty steep price.

So what makes the new Apple iPad Pro special? Well, it’s a combination of a few things. While the company retains the iconic 12.9-inch display that we saw on the 2018 iPad Pro, it has significantly improved the design while also offering a faster processor without sacrificing battery life.

Taking these things into consideration, it’s clear that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is a force to reckon with. But what if you want to consider some alternatives to the iPad Pro? Well, there are several offerings from the likes of Microsoft, Samsung, and a handful of other well-known brands that you can check out.

Frankly, the list of alternatives would certainly be too long, making the choice even more confusing for the customers. With this in mind, we’ve decided to talk about some of the best hand-picked alternatives to the Apple iPad Pro that you can buy in the marketplace right now.

So let’s dive in.

Top iPad Pro Alternatives

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1. Microsoft Surface Pro 7

Microsoft has pioneered the Windows desktop operating system over the decades, which has given it a sizable market share in the computer industry. However, the Surface lineup of tablets-laptops, aim to please a different audience. The Surface Pro 7 is an excellent tablet to start off with given the hardware and software combination it possesses. Running onboard the Surface Pro 7 is a 10th gen Intel Core processor that doesn’t make any compromises in terms of performance. Users get to choose between the Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 processor variants with this device.

Unlike the iPad Pro, the Pro 7 has multiple CPU variants to choose from, which is a luxury that only Microsoft is afforded thanks to its operating system. This tablet comes with a gorgeous 12.3-inch PixelSense display that promises exceptional video clarity, making it suitable for use as your own personal art studio, though this will require the Surface Pen stylus (bought separately) which is the company’s reply to the Apple Pencil.

This particular model of the Surface Pro 7 comes with 8GB of onboard RAM and 128GB of SSD storage. These can be expanded further thanks to dedicated USB A and USB C ports on the tablet. As a bonus, the seller is also including the Microsoft Type Cover with this product, though we’re not sure how long this promotion will last. This tablet runs on Windows 10.

This is certainly one of the best iPad Pro alternatives given that it supports a full-fledged keyboard as well as a stylus. In terms of battery life, the Surface Pro 7 can last for up to 10.5 hours as per Microsoft, which is only marginally better than the 12.9 inch iPad Pro.

Buy it Now: Amazon

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2. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

If you’re impressed with the clarity and the crispness of the 12.9-inch display on the newest iPad upgrade, you will certainly be blown away by the gorgeous 10.5-inch Super AMOLED display on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6. Samsung markets this as the perfect 2 in 1 given that it can function both as a laptop as well as a conventional tablet.

In the hardware department, the Galaxy Tab S6 is powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 855 SoC along with 128GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), and 6GB of RAM, making this a pretty powerful tablet overall. It launched with Android 9.0 Pie, though it has since seen an upgrade to Android 10 which also brings Samsung’s One UI.

Other features of the Galaxy Tab S6 include dual rear cameras (13MP + 5MP), a single 8MP front camera for video calls, an under-display fingerprint scanner, one USB C port, and battery life of around 15 hours, which is pretty remarkable. The Galaxy Tab S6 also comes with four speakers (tuned by AKG) on the bottom grill that offers exceptional audio performance.

As a bonus, Samsung also provides the S Pen stylus. While this may not be as well-toned as the Apple Pencil, users believe that the S Pen stylus has evolved a great deal since it was first introduced several years ago, so you’re in pretty good hands with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6.

Buy it Now: Amazon

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3. Google Pixel Slate

While one would assume that a tablet made by Google would pack some form of Android One, unfortunately, Google doesn’t make Android One tablets as of yet. However, the Pixel Slate is an excellent replacement to the iPad Pro, even though it broke cover a while before the 2020 12.inc inch iPad Pro. The Pixel Slate comes with a 12.3 inch ‘molecular’ display which reportedly offers 6 million pixels for crisp pictures and media viewing.

The company mentions that this tablet is running on the Intel Core m3 processor, which is known for high-end performance on portable devices, specifically 2 in 1 tablets. Users also get to choose from Intel Core i5 and Intel Core i7 variants for the Pixel Slate, so there’s no dearth of available CPU options.

The base model of the Pixel Slate comes with 8GB of RAM accompanied by 64GB of storage. If you feel this isn’t good enough, the tablet also comes with two USB C ports that can be used for charging, audio output as well as file transfer. There are connectors for Google’s official accessories, and no other port, though we would’ve loved to see a headphone jack here.

Though this 2 in 1 comes with a single camera on the front and back respectively, the quality is nothing to write home about, which is perhaps the only downside of this otherwise decent tablet.

You can either add a Bluetooth keyboard or use Google’s own keyboard meant for the Pixel Slate with the aforementioned connectors. The tablet is also compatible with the Pixelbook Pen, which is Google’s answer to the Apple Pencil. In terms of battery life, Google mentions that the Pixel Slate can last for up to 10 hours on a full charge, which is on par with the 12.9 inch iPad Pro.

Buy it Now: Amazon

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4. Microsoft Surface Pro X

The Surface Pro X was launched alongside the Pro 7, which may have confused a few customers. However, this serves a different niche, and surprisingly, is yet another viable replacement to your iPad Pro. This 2 in 1 is equipped with a 13 inch PixelSense touchscreen display (no relation to Google), which makes it one of the few tablets to be actually bigger than the 12.9 inch Apple iPad Pro.

One of our favorite features of this tablet is the fact that it comes with LTE support built-in. This allows customers to get back to business no matter where they are and particularly in areas where there’s no WiFi connectivity. This aspect makes it somewhat similar to the iPad Pro, which also comes in LTE variants.

This doesn’t use an Intel Core processor, but instead relies on the Microsoft SQ1 processor produced in partnership with Qualcomm. The Surface Pro X is also packing 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, which can be expanded with the help of the dual USB C ports on the tablet.

In the camera department, the Surface Pro X has a single Windows Hello camera on the front, and a solitary 10MP camera on the back which can also record 4K videos. Despite the additional features like LTE, the battery life is rated at 13 hours. This tablet is running on Windows 10 Home.

Naturally, Microsoft makes a keyboard specially for this tablet, though it has to be purchased separately. Known as the Surface Pro X Type Cover, it comes with a dedicated trackpad, turning this into a laptop within seconds. The high-resolution display on this tablet also supports the Surface Pen.

Buy it Now: Amazon

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5. Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite

Now that we’ve discussed some of the premium tablets available in the market, let’s dive into some of the low-cost offerings that are also viable alternatives to Apple’s offering. The MediaPad M5 Lite by Huawei has been around for a while, though is still one of the best tablet with Android. Getting into the hardware, the MediaPad M5 Lite is equipped with a 10.1 inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200.

This tablet is running on the octa-core Kirin 659 chipset which is developed and produced by the manufacturer. In terms of raw power, the MediaPad M5 Lite can certainly take on some of the best out there. Huawei also offers an excellent set of cameras with this tablet. It’s packing a single 8MP camera on the back, and an 8MP camera on the front, which should be decent for high-definition video recordings as well as video conferences.

The device comes with 64GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM while the company specifies the presence of a microSD card for storage expansion. The tablet has a single USB C port, though there are no other ports available. Huawei also bundles its M Pen lite stylus with this device which can help you take notes, sketch or even doodle in your free time. The tablet can run for 12 hours on a single charge and the company mentions that it can fully charge within 2.9 hours, which is certainly an advantage over the 12.9 inch Apple iPad Pro.

Buy it Now: Amazon

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6. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

If your budget is too low for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6, the Tab S6 Lite by the company is something worth considering. Though it’s not an outright replacement to the 12.9 inch iPad Pro, it does have support for stylus and a powerful processor. Naturally, Samsung has made some compromises here to justify the “Lite” moniker. This means the tablet misses out on the Super AMOLED display of its sibling and instead uses an LCD panel instead.

It’s also slightly smaller than the Tab S6 with its 10.4 inch display, sporting a resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixels. The quad speakers have been replaced in favor of dual-speakers tuned by AKG + Dolby Atmos, and the performance is very impressive.

The tablet is available with 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded via the microSD card slot, while there’s 4GB of RAM for apps and games. The device comes with the octa-core Exynos 9611 processor. Our favorite part? Well, Samsung has retained the S Pen stylus for this model, thus allowing users to sketch, doodle, or draw without having to invest in an additional accessory like Apple’s Pencil.

The company also offers an 8MP single camera on the back while the front has a 5MP sensor. While these camera sensors won’t help you win photo contests, they’re adequate for video calls and the occasional selfies. No keyboard is offered with the tablet, and one has to purchased separately.

Buy it Now: Amazon

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7. Lenovo Smart Tab P10

We round off our list with Lenovo’s performance tablet, the Tab P10. This device comes with a 10.1 inch display, which is complemented by a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. One of the best features of this tablet is that it comes with four speakers on the front with Dolby Atmos certification, offering high-quality audio every single time. This aspect makes it somewhat similar to the Galaxy Tab S6.

Lenovo offers this tablet with 64GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), and 4GB of RAM. In terms of camera, the device has an 8MP sensor on the back and a 5MP front-facing camera for selfies and video calls. The Smart Tab P10 by Lenovo is running on the octa-core Snapdragon 450 processor.

It is also worth mentioning here that this is a very sleek tablet, which is one of the primary reasons we’ve picked this on our list despite the device not packing a high-end specs sheet. Lenovo mentions that the tablet runs Android 8.0 Oreo, though there’s no clarity on an upgrade. The Smart Tab P10 can work with third-party Bluetooth keyboards as well as styluses, though the company doesn’t provide either accessory with the Smart Tab P10.

Buy it Now: Amazon

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