The best tablets, according to hackers
9 tablets were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended tablet with the badge. Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Replaces a laptop for many
Detachable keyboard makes it a laptop-style machine many use as their main computer. Critics find multitasking clumsy and say it isn't lighter than a laptop.
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We may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
All 9 tablets, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple iPad | 268 | 302 | 47% | 12 | 5 yrs42 owners | — |
| 2 | iPad Pro | 95 | 80 | 54% | 12 | 8 yrs30 owners | — |
| 3 | Apple iPad Air | 61 | 69 | 47% | 9 | 6 yrs8 owners | — |
| 4 | iPad mini | 53 | 76 | 41% | 10 | 11 yrs8 owners | — |
| 5 | Apple iPad with Magic Keyboard | 14 | 5 | 74% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Tied 6 | Samsung Galaxy Tab | 7 | 5 | 58% | 5 | 4 yrs4 owners | — |
| Tied 6 | Amazon Fire tablet | 7 | 14 | 33% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 6 | Google Pixel Tablet | 7 | 4 | 64% | 4 | — | — |
| 9 | Doogee RK3562 Android tablet | 5 | 3 | 63% | 1 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same tablet in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to tablets that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.