#28

The Budget Tablet Brawl

tabletsMarch 29, 2026
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE

$499

Buy Now
Winner
Apple iPad 11th Gen (A16)

Apple

Apple iPad 11th Gen (A16)

$349

Buy Now
OnePlus Pad 2

OnePlus

OnePlus Pad 2

$550

Buy Now

Tale of the Tape

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE
Apple iPad 11th Gen (A16)
OnePlus Pad 2
Display
6/10
8/10
10/10
Performance
7/10
8/10
10/10
Battery Life
8/10
7/10
10/10
Software
8/10
10/10
7/10
Accessories
9/10
7/10
6/10
Value
7/10
10/10
7/10

The Breakdown

Display

The OnePlus Pad 2 dominates with a massive 12.1-inch 3K panel running at 144Hz — it is a media consumption beast. Samsung's 10.9-inch LCD at 90Hz feels outdated. Apple's 11-inch Liquid Retina is sharp and color-accurate but lacks ProMotion or OLED. For watching movies and gaming, the OnePlus screen is in a different league.

Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the OnePlus Pad 2 is overkill for a tablet — it outperforms the Exynos 1580 by 50% in multi-core and the A16 by 30% in GPU workloads. Apple's A16 is efficient and smooth for everyday tasks, but it is a 2-year-old phone chip. Samsung's Exynos 1580 gets the job done but nothing more.

Battery Life

OnePlus packed a 9,510 mAh cell with 67W SUPERVOOC charging — full charge in under an hour. Samsung's 8,000 mAh with 45W is good but slower. Apple's 7,819 mAh with slower USB-C charging means you are waiting longest for the cheapest tablet. OnePlus wins battery capacity and charging speed.

Software

iPadOS 18 is the best tablet operating system available — Split View multitasking, Stage Manager on supported models, and the richest tablet app ecosystem in the world. Samsung's One UI with DeX mode is a solid second. OxygenOS on the Pad 2 is optimized but the Android tablet app gap is still real — most apps are stretched phone apps.

Accessories

Samsung includes the S Pen in the box — that is $0 extra for handwriting, drawing, and note-taking. Apple charges $79+ for the Apple Pencil, and the Magic Keyboard Folio is another $249. OnePlus sells the Stylo and keyboard separately. Samsung's bundled stylus strategy delivers the best out-of-box accessory experience.

Value

At $349, the iPad 11th Gen is the value king. You get Apple's ecosystem, reliable performance, 5+ years of software updates, and the best tablet app library — for less than both competitors. The Samsung at $499 sweetens the deal with an included S Pen. The OnePlus Pad 2 at $550 has the best specs but the weakest software story.

The Verdict

The Winner
A

Apple iPad 11th Gen (A16)

At $349, the iPad 11th Gen is the tablet most people should buy — and it is not even close on value.

The iPad 11th Gen wins because the tablet buying decision is not just about specs — it is about what you can actually do with the device. Apple's tablet app ecosystem has no equal. Whether you need Procreate for illustration, LumaFusion for video editing, or GoodNotes for handwriting, the iPad has purpose-built apps that Android tablets simply do not match. At $349, you are getting the A16 Bionic chip, a sharp 11-inch Liquid Retina display, and 5+ years of guaranteed software updates. That is $150 less than the Samsung and $200 less than the OnePlus. The OnePlus Pad 2 has better raw specs — bigger screen, faster processor, bigger battery — but specs without software optimization are just numbers on a page. The iPad turns its specs into actual utility.

But consider:Consider the OnePlus Pad 2 if screen size and raw performance are your priorities — the 12.1-inch 3K 144Hz display is the best media viewing experience under $600, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 handles any game or app you throw at it.
Buy Apple iPad 11th Gen (A16)

Quick Specs