Going anywhere nice this summer? If you have a trip planned, a tablet might be what’s missing from your kit list. These packable computers can be loaded up with TV shows, games or movies, to provide hours of entertainment while you’re on the move. As many parents may have already discovered, they can also be ideal for keeping young children occupied at times when running about / getting stuck into bigger games isn’t possible or desirable.
At TechRadar, we’ve tested hundreds of tablets over the years, and below I’ve rounded up our computing team’s top recommendations for travel. What makes the perfect travel tablet? I’ve focused on options that aren’t too big (it needs to be able to slip easily into a bag when not in use), offer good battery life, and aren’t too pricey (just in case it gets dropped / sat on / spilled on). Because these tablets are predominantly for streaming, none of them are especially powerful or advanced — if you’re looking for that type of slate, head to our general best tablet ranking for a wider range of options.
All clear? Let’s get started. Click on the More details button to see more about why each pick is especially well-suited to travel, as well as a link to the full review for each one.
Top travel tablets
Why’s it good for travel? This is the newest version of Apple’s entry-level iPad, and it’s light, responsive, and comes in a bunch of fun and easy-to-spot colors. We rate it as the best tablet for most people, so it’s a good pick to see you though your travels and beyond.
Pros
- A16 chip is very capable
- Now starts with 128GB of storage
- iPadOS 18 runs smoothly here
Cons
- No major changes over the previous generation
Why’s it good for travel? It’s one of the more expensive options in this roundup, but delivers “unbelievable value” for that price. This five-star tablet boasts an “absolutely gorgeous” OLED screen, paired with a “great” speaker setup, making it a winner for entertainment. It easily lasts longer than a day per charge, too.
Pros
- Incredibly thin and very lightweight
- Beautiful, high refresh rate OLED screen
- Unbelievable value
- Excellent speakers
- Almost unbeatable update support
- Great new PC mode
Cons
- Slight battery downgrade compared to the MagicPad 3
Why’s it good for travel? This tablet offers — as we said in our review — “the perfect feature set for entertainment and productivity”. It sits in the mid-range of the market, but feels closer to a premium slate than a budget one.
Pros
- The perfect feature set for entertainment and productivity
- Open Canvas is a huge win for a tablet in the mid-range sector
- Big leaps in performance and battery life
Cons
- The design isn’t much fun
- Charging remains unchanged from the original Pad Go
Why’s it good for travel? With its 8.3-inch screen, it’s pleasingly lightweight and compact — in fact, it’s almost pocket-sized — and easy to tuck into a bag when not in use. The screen is still beautiful and colorful, though.
Pros
- Perfectly portable
- Excellent build
- Lovely screen
- A great Pencil Pro companion
Cons
- Pricey for the size
- Aging design
- FaceTime camera still on the short side of the screen
Why’s it good for travel? It’s not as good an all-rounder as the other options in my list, but if keeping costs down is your priority, this cheap-and-cheerful option might fit the bill perfectly. On test, we found it “incredibly hardy” — if you have space for the larger build (the screen is a generous 10.1-inches) it’s a solid chuck-it-in-your-bag entertainment option.
Pros
- Cheaper than many rivals
- Incredibly hardy
- Handy Alexa command center
Cons
- Tiny changes from 2021 model
- Stuck to Amazon ecosystem
- Lots of unremovable apps
Why’s it good for travel? I can’t put it any better than our reviewer, who concluded: “By lowering the price and focusing solely on entertainment, OnePlus has created a great value tablet that’ll make for a solid companion on any long trip.” It’s too big for reading on and doesn’t really suit productivity tasks, but if you’re just after an entertainment companion, this is a winner.
Pros
- A great, cinematic screen
- Excellent value
- Clean take on Android
- Long period of software updates
Cons
- Not great for productivity
- Too big to be used for reading
- There are better tablets for more intensive games
