Best Business Tablets and Which One Replaces a Laptop

Only a Windows tablet replaces a laptop outright, so the business tablet we would buy is Microsoft’s Surface Pro 12-inch (1st Edition). With 16GB of memory and 256GB of storage it is $949.99 on Microsoft’s US store, and the keyboard you will need adds $119.99, for $1,069.98 in all. It installs desktop Windows software, which no iPad or Android tablet can do.

If the tablet will sit beside a laptop, not replace one, buy the iPad Air 11-inch from $749 for email, notes and signing documents. For a shop counter, the $449 iPad in a Square Stand does the job. If your company’s IT team has to manage the device, it has to be Surface Pro for Business, from $1,449.99.

These are the prices on each maker’s US store, and each keyboard is that maker’s own. Apple and Samsung do not sell directly online in Nigeria: Apple’s Nigerian site sends you to resellers, and Samsung’s Africa site shows no prices.

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Will it replace your laptop?

A Surface Pro will, with one check first. Every Surface Pro on Microsoft’s consumer store uses a Snapdragon chip, which is Arm and not Intel. Microsoft says Windows on Arm runs many unmodified x86 and x64 apps through emulation. Many is not all. Before you buy, test your VPN, your printer driver and any old accounting or industry software. If one of those will not run, the only Surface with an Intel chip is the 13-inch for Business, from $2,299.99, which is a lot of money for a tablet.

The 1st Edition is the value here because it is still on sale next to its replacement. The 2nd Edition 12-inch, with the newer Snapdragon X2 Plus, is $1,149.99 for the same 16GB and 256GB, or $200 more, and Microsoft lists six cores on that chip against eight on the older one. Avoid the $749.99 version of the 1st Edition: 8GB is too little for a machine doing a laptop’s job. Microsoft Surface Pro 12-inch on Amazon

Pick the 13-inch if you will work on the tablet all day. It has the larger 2880 x 1920 screen at 120Hz, and Microsoft sells it from $1,299.99. Microsoft’s Flex keyboard, at $399.99, works when detached, and it is hard to justify at more than twice the price of the $169.99 one unless you present away from the screen.

An iPad or a Galaxy Tab will not replace a laptop if your work depends on software that exists only for Windows or Mac. Samsung’s DeX gives you windowed, resizable apps and a toolbar, which Samsung says is optimised for an external display, but they are still Android apps. To see what is available, look through apps built for Android tablets.

A tablet beside your laptop

The iPad Air 11-inch handles email, notes, signing and showing clients something across a table. It has the M4 chip, 128GB is $749, and with Apple’s Magic Keyboard it comes to $1,018. That is $480 less than the iPad Pro 11-inch with its keyboard, and none of the work above needs the Pro’s chip or screen. Remember the pen: Samsung puts one in the box of its Tab S10 FE+, and Apple charges for its Pencil. iPad Air 11-inch (M4) on Amazon

Poor value for business

We would skip the iPad Pro 11-inch for office work. With its Magic Keyboard it comes to $1,498, more than a 13-inch Surface Pro with its keyboard at $1,469.98, and it still cannot install desktop software. Its M5 chip and tandem OLED screen earn their price for drawing and video, which is not what most business buyers do.

The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra is a harder sell still at $1,609.98 with the keyboard. It is a very large Android tablet, with a 14.6-inch screen, at the price of a good Windows laptop. Samsung’s Pro Keyboard for it is $399.99, and it is out of stock on Samsung’s US store anyway.

The best Android tablet for business

If your company runs on Android and Google Workspace, buy the Galaxy Tab S10 FE+. It has a 13.1-inch screen, IP68 water and dust resistance and an S Pen in the box, at $699.99, or $869.98 with the Book Cover Keyboard Slim. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ on Amazon

If you need a tablet that stays supported for years, pay for the Tab S11 at $999.99 instead. Samsung promises it up to seven Android upgrades and seven years of security updates, as it does the S12 series. The FE page does not repeat that promise.

What the makers state on security

Microsoft says the most. All Surface Pro for Business models are Secured-core PCs running Windows 11 Pro, with Microsoft Pluton holding identities and encryption keys in hardware, BitLocker encryption and Windows Hello face sign-in. IT can manage firmware settings through Microsoft Intune. The 12-inch can have NFC and 5G. The ordinary Surface Pro is listed with Windows 11 Home, and that is the main reason a company with an IT department should pay the extra $500 for the Business 12-inch over the $949.99 model.

Samsung’s answer is Knox, which it describes as a defence-grade platform built into its devices from the chip up, with Knox Vault protecting data. Knox Suite is the set of tools for deploying and managing a fleet of tablets.

Apple says less about specific hardware on its business pages. It says built-in management and security frameworks let IT manage updates and remotely lock or erase a lost device, with Apple Business for managing teams and devices.

Tablets for small business counters

A shop, salon or restaurant does not need any of the above. The iPad with an A16 chip and 128GB is $449, and Square’s Stand at $149 names it as compatible, for $598 in all. Square’s point-of-sale app is a free download. Apple iPad (A16) on Amazon

Tablet plans for business

A plan only applies if you buy a cellular model. Verizon’s business page lists Business Unlimited plans for tablets. Check the SIM before you sign: Apple says cellular iPad Pro models use eSIM only and do not take a physical SIM card.