5 of the thinnest tablets you can buy

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Tablets have come a long way, both in terms of raw performance and form factor. While phones first got big, then ultra-thin, and now they’re somewhere in between, tablets have gotten vastly thinner over time. Huawei in particular has been killing it with some truly ultra-thin options in the global market, like the 13-inch MatePad Pro at 4.7mm and 1.1lb, but the company doesn’t sell its products in the US. Yet American consumers have plenty of other options to choose from; Some of the thinnest tablets include options like Apple’s 13-inch iPad Pro and iPad Air, Samsung’s latest Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, and the reMarkable Paper Pro.

In addition to their ultra-thin form factor, these ultra-thin tablets offer some of the best specifications on the market. These tablets show that you can have powerful specs and still have excellent battery life for a full day of work, despite a sleek design. So, even if you are looking for a high-end tablet to unleash your creativity and not compromise on portability, these are also the best options customers can find. We at BGR have reviewed some of these tablets, but all of these choices have been praised by the media and customers in general.

In 2024, Apple completely redesigned the iPad Pro with the M4 chip. For the first time, the company introduced a new M-series chip to the iPad instead of a Mac, while creating an ultra-thin form factor with a 5.1mm aluminum chassis and an unrivaled OLED display. This is one of the thinnest tablets you can get in the United States, and Apple recently upgraded the internals of this tablet with the M5 chip. In BGR’s review of this iPad Pro, we felt amazed by how powerful this tablet is and how much closer it is to a laptop replacement than ever before.

Although the 11-inch option is also incredibly thin at 5.3mm, what makes these tablets so unique is the impressive OLED display with ProMotion adaptive refresh, perfect for streaming content, editing photos and videos or playing games as the picture really pops. The M5 chip inside, paired with at least 12GB of RAM, ensures local Apple Intelligence models run smoothly, and the upgraded CPU/GPU cores expand ray tracing and complex 3D CAD modeling.

Apple also added its own C1X and N1 chips for 5G and general connectivity, bringing support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and some privacy features that can hide your location from carriers. However, Apple’s recent price hike has also impacted the iPad Pro, as it now starts at $1,199.

Unlike the iPad Pro, the reMarkable Paper Pro features a distraction-free, paper-like display that attempts to bridge the feeling of writing and reading on paper, but in a very interesting way. It has an 11.8-inch e-ink Canvas Color display and is only 5.1mm thick. The tablet eschews traditional backlight panels for its e-ink display, which also allows it to maintain its slim profile. In our review of the reMarkable Paper Pro, we praised it for being a note-taker’s paradise. Additionally, it can also handle color-coded note-taking, architectural sketches, reviewing complex technical diagrams, and marking up PDF manuscripts.

Powered by a custom low-latency Linux platform, it achieves responsive pen latency of less than 12 milliseconds, virtually eliminating the visual disconnect between the pen tip and the digital ink display. This tablet is also ideal for reading or writing in dimly lit environments without straining the user’s eyes or causing blue light fatigue. Unlike every other tablet on the list, this one omits notifications, app stores, social media feeds, and web browsers, essentially being a distraction-free device for focused work moments.

It comes with the Marker Plus stylus, which can charge magnetically from the tablet, and has a built-in top eraser. This tablet is one of the best choices for writers, researchers, academics, and anyone who prioritizes concentration and handwriting skills. On top of that, the device starts at $679.

Samsung’s flagship tablet, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, has a 14.6-inch screen and is 5.1mm thick. It houses a vibrant AMOLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ certification, and advanced anti-glare coating to minimize glare. The tablet also uses reinforced Armon aluminum for its chassis and comes with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

The S11 Ultra is powered by MediaTek’s 3nm Dimensity 9400+ processor with an Immortalis-G925 GPU, up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage, which can also be expanded via microSD. Like an iPad Pro, this tablet excels at intensive computing tasks, 3D rendering, and multi-app workloads. Samsung also offers DeX, which turns this tablet into a true desktop workstation with floating windows and full mouse and keyboard integration. Customers can also take advantage of Galaxy AI on-device for real-time live transcriptions, document summarization, Circle to Search and other features.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra features a redesigned S Pen that makes you feel like you’re holding a drawing pencil with near-zero latency. It also features a quad stereo speaker setup, Wi-Fi 7 support, a 12 MP ultra-wide front camera, and a dual-lens rear camera system. It also supports 45W fast charging with a generous 11,600mAh battery. It starts at $1,300 for the 256GB variant.

Since the iPad Air with the M2 chip, Apple also offers this tablet in a 13-inch variant. At 6.1mm thick, it’s interesting to think that the Pro range is now thinner than the product called ‘Air’. However, it’s still possible that an upcoming iPad Air with an OLED display could once again make the iPad Air Apple’s thinnest tablet. This device nevertheless remains a real option for customers who want a larger screen, one of the most powerful chips on the market (the M4) and at a better price than the pro model.

For those looking for an ultra-thin tablet but with enough space for multitasking, it’s hard not to recommend the 13-inch model. The additional visual workspace compared to the standard 11-inch model makes it much easier to use Stage Manager, edit multi-track audio timelines, or create artwork. Thanks to the M4 chip, this iPad benefits from hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing, as well as an advanced neural engine designed to accelerate Apple Intelligence features now that it has 12GB of RAM.

The iPad Air is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard, making this tablet as professional as the iPad Pro. It also includes a 12 MP Center Stage front camera and Apple’s latest C1X and N1 chips for exclusive 5G and connectivity features. It starts at $749 due to the company’s price hike, but still costs less than a Pro option.

Not every ultra-thin tablet has to cost a fortune. Starting at $370, Lenovo does a decent job with this tablet’s form factor: it measures 6.2mm and weighs about 1.32 pounds. With a 13-inch 3.5K display, it offers a 144Hz refresh rate, 800 nits peak brightness, and 99% DCI-P3 color coverage in addition to Dolby Vision support. For the price, this is one of the best displays you can get in a period of intense tech price increases.

Under the hood, it uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 mobile platform with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage, which can be further expanded via a microSD card. With these specifications, this tablet can easily handle multi-window workflows, intelligent document processing, and even local AI features powered by Google AI. Interestingly, Lenovo partners with JBL to add four speakers with Dolby Atmos support and two microphones for clear calls.

This device has a multi-function USB-C port, which can also be used to connect to an external monitor, and it pairs with the Lenovo Tab Pen Plus, offering pressure sensitivity, tilt detection, and anti-lost tracking. This tablet has a massive 10,200mAh battery with 45W fast charging, making it one of the best options at this price point.

We chose the tablets mentioned above with a few filters: they had to be very thin, recently released, and, most importantly, available in the United States. Several brands offer ultra-thin tablets, but we’ve also decided to favor models we have hands-on experience with, like the iPad Pro M5 and the reMarkable Paper Pro.

We also considered expert reviews and customer reviews to filter the tablets on this list. Although most ultra-thin tablets come with a premium price tag, we’ve tried to include options across the entire price range. Apple was mentioned twice, and the reason is that the company’s iPads are fan favorites and its tablets are praised by the community due to their build quality, powerful chips, and long software support.