The 7 Best Tablets for Musicians (2024) - Musician Wave (2024)

Tablets have become a pretty standard piece of equipment for a lot of musicians. You can use them to display lyrics and sheet music, play video lessons, or even use them as a portable mixer, MIDI controller, or backing track player!

In this article, I’m going to present to you the best 7 tablet devices for musicians currently on the market. Because there are tons of them on the market, it can become quite smothering to go through them all, so this list should make it a bit easier!

My top recommended tablet is the Apple iPad Pro. The best tablet for Apple users, high-end but high-quality product.

My second recommended tablet is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6. A good and high-end Android tablet by a respectable manufacturer.

My budget recommended tablet is the Fire HD 10. If you’re after something more affordable, this tablet will be more than worthy to get the job done.

The 7 Best Tablets for Musicians (2024)

Let’s compare these in more detail.

iPad was the first tablet that became truly mainstream. This is a high-end, high-quality item that will cover almost everything you might need.

This model comes with a 12.9” liquid retina display screen, and as for the memory, you can choose from 128GB to 1TB models. As for the audio, you’ll get five quality microphones and four built-in speakers. You can use GarageBand on this, for example, to quickly arrange and record tracks.

The price is usually high for Apple products, but if you’re looking for great quality and endurance, you will get what you pay for with iPad Pro.

Another heavyweight contender in the tablet world, Samsung Galaxy Tab S6, is an Android-based tablet with premium features. It comes with a bright, AMOLED 10.5” screen, which you’ll easily see wherever you may be, light or dark. You can choose from 128 or 256GB of built-in memory, but you can also expand it up to 512GB with a microSD card.

Because this is an Android model, you can find tons of different materials and apps which you might need in your music work. Also, since it has high-quality processors inside, it will take on even the most demanding software out there with ease.

This is a great upper-class model for people looking to spend a bit more but get a high-quality tablet that will last them for years. Even consider the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 or Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S4.

And now, moving on to the cheaper models. Amazon Fire HD 10 is Amazon’s take on the cheap, quality tablet. It comes with a 10.1” Vivid display screen and, as for storage, you can choose from 32 or 64GB of storage, but you can always expand to up to 1 TB through a microSD memory card slot.

Fire HD 10 has a bit smaller screen than the flagship models and slower performance. So, it’s not that good for music production on the fly, but it will be perfect if you’re looking for a cheap and sturdy tablet to take on to gigs and read spreadsheets or lyrics from.

It’s also quite lightweight and robust, and since it’s so cheap, you won’t regret it too much if someone spills a drink on it in the bar!

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is the latest in their popular line of light 2-in-1 laptops. It’s very lightweight, but because it runs on Windows 10, you could install a full DAW on this, such as Ableton Live.

It has a 12.3” touch screen, and you can pick from several different Intel processors. You can choose from 128GB to up to 1 TB of memory, with different RAM options available too (Intel Core i3, i5, and i7). With a 10-hour long battery life, this ultra-slim and lightweight tablet is going to do the job well.

Because this tablet is so strong, you can easily use it for any work, from music production to recording on the road. With this quality, however, comes the price.

If you’re looking for a very compact Android tablet, this is definitely an option to consider. The Huawei MediaPad M5 has a 10.1” HD screen and 64GB of internal storage. It comes with a quadcore chip, giving you enough power to keep everything running smoothly.

A great addition to this small tablet is the audio segment. It comes with two built-in stereo speakers, tuned and produced in cooperation with Harman Kardon, a famous hi-fi company.

They will give you the best stereo sound you can get from a tablet, so if you’re looking to listen to something, it’s the best option apart from buying additional gear. Also, since it’s so small, you can easily carry it anywhere you want, without having to worry about it.

And for the iOS contender on the smaller side of the tablet range, there’s the iPad Mini. This is a smaller, cut-down version of the iPad Pro, which will still pack quite a punch for a tablet of this size.

It comes with a 8.3” liquid retina display and an A15 biochip. You can get it in 64 or 256GB versions, and like all Apple products, there are no expanding slots for the memory.

With the new battery, this model can endure up to 10 hours of nonstop use. It has Wi-Fi and a cellular mobile connection, so you don’t have to worry about connectivity if you’re on the road and need to check something out online.

iPad Mini is a high-quality item, and as such, it’s very robust even though it’s small in size. You can safely take it on the road with you and use its versatility for anything you might need.

Finishing off this list is a very affordable entry. Fusion5 is a small, 10.1” tablet working on the Windows platform. It has 64GB of memory that can be expanded for up to 256GB through a microSD card slot.

Fusion5 is not a top-of-the-line product by any means, but sometimes you don’t need the best the market has to offer. If you’re looking for a cheap, reliable, quality-made tablet for basic tasks, then you shouldn’t look any further. With this price, you’re getting the best you can for the money you’re giving.

I would not expect you to be able to get any serious music production work done on this, even though it runs on Windows. However, it’s still very useful for many basics tasks that you throw its way.

Can you record music on a Tablet?

You can record music on a tablet. The sound quality will depend on the built-in mic, the quality of the product as well as the program you’re working on, and more things. But, you can indeed record on it. You would need a tablet with an audio jack to connect a better quality microphone if you plan on doing more high-level recording.

Are there any good music-making Apps to use?

There are a lot of music-making apps out there that can help with your musical needs when working on a tablet, or even a phone for that matter. If interested, check out these great music-making apps for both Android and iOS.

What to look for in a Tablet when buying?

When it comes to tablets for musicians, there are a few things to consider if you want to get the most out of the product like the performance, the display size, the quality, and the price.

Performance

The performance of the tablet is crucial as musicians will most likely use it as their portable studio for editing, listening, music production, etc. I recommend you find a tablet with a quad-core processor or better. A powerful processor will aid in your use and efficiency. An octa-core processor will be great and be mindful of the GB of ram.

Display Size

Music production and of the sort require a good screen size for more accurate work. Consider something larger with a good enough-inch screen (10″ to 12″) so that you can accurately do your work, an HD resolution, and a pen stylus or an apple pencil also goes a long way.

Quality

Quality refers to all the quality components a tablet should have, apart from the more obvious and important ones. Bonus features like Bluetooth, quad speakers, a USB-C port, or a bionic chip will offer many benefits when you work on your preferred operating system.

Price

Naturally, the price is always a good consideration point. Luckily, the list above has a good selection for different budgets. If you don’t have the budget for more high-end products like the Apple iPad Pro, the iPad mini, or even an Apple iPad Air, consider more cost-effective choices that are included on the list.

Summary

From affordable tablets to the top-end options by Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft, this list should have something for everyone. It’s just up to you to check what you need and what tablet would suit your needs the best.

My top recommended tablet pick is the Apple iPad Pro. This is the best tablet for Apple users. It’s a high-end product but offers high-quality performance.

My second recommended tablet pick is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6. This is a high-end Android tablet by a well-known brand name that performs great.

My budget recommended tablet pick is the Fire HD 10. If you’re on a tighter budget, this tablet will do the job and do it well!