5 Best Tablets for UX Designers in 2022 – A Complete Guide

So what exactly is user experience design you might ask? UX design is the creation and synchronization of the elements that affect users’ experience, with the intent of influencing their perceptions and behavior. These elements include the things a user can touch, hear, and even smell – the aroma of freshly baked bread comes to mind. In this article, we will explore what tablets are best suited for creating the best UX designs.
UX design includes the things that users can interact with in ways beyond the physical, such as digital interfaces like websites and mobile phone applications, and, of course, people (customer service representatives, salespeople, and friends and family).
Most UX design today is created through a digital device like a computer, but in the last year, there has been a substantial shift to other more handy devices, like tablets. This transition is all due to the fact, that most of the tablets on the market today have enough processing capacity to be able to run even the most demanding programs.
If you just want to find out what tablet is the best tablet for UX designers, look at the table below, or click here to scroll down to my detailed review about each of the selected tablets in the table.
TOP RECOMMENDED tablets for UX designers
BEST AFFORDABLE | RECOMMENDED | RECOMMENDED | |||
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 | Microsoft Surface Go 3 | Lenovo Tab P11 Pro | Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Tab | Microsoft Surface Pro 8 | |
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Perfect For | Affordable entertainment device | Everyday use | For home and work | Next level experience | Work and free time |
Display | Thin-film-transistor LCD | LCD | OLED | 14.6 inch (2960 x 1848) Super AMOLED, 120Hz | PixelSense Display |
Operating System | Android 11, One UI 3 | Windows 11 | Android 10 | iOS 15 | Windows 11 |
Memory | Up to 128GB (4GB RAM) | 128GB (8GB RAM) | 128GB (6GB RAM) | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM | Up to 1TB (8GB, 16GB or 32GB RAM) |
Camera | 8 MP | 8 MP | 13 MP | 13 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 6 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide) | 10 MP |
Battery | Li-Po 7040 mAh | 28Wh battery | Li-Po 8600 mAh | 11,200mAh Li-Ion | 51.5Wh battery |
Sound | 4 stereo speakers | Stereo speakers | 4 stereo speakers | stereo speakers | Stereo speakers |
Sensor | Fingerprint (side-mounted) | Fingerprint | Fingerprint | Face ID | Face ID |
3,573 Reviews | 428 Reviews | 14 Reviews | 1,475 Reviews | 118 Reviews | |
$159.99 | $509.90 | $675.00 | $738.90 | $796.00 | |
Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon |
What is the best tablet for UX designers?
There are many benefits to using tablets for UX, as they give digital artists ways to shape their UX design through the touchscreen and are very handy no matter where you are. There are many tablets on the market these days, but only a selected few will be suitable for UX designers, as many programs need high-performing hardware in order to function at their best. Before listing my chosen tablets for UX designers, I would like to point out that while all the tablets are very good for UX design, they are only as good as the skill of the artist.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 – Best affordable tablet for UX designers
HARDWARE | 8/10 | |||
BATTERY LIFE | 9/10 | |||
DISPLAY | 9/10 | |||
MEMORY | 7/10 | |||
VALUE/PRICE | 9/10 |
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Detailed Review
At 10.5 inches, the Galaxy Tab A8 is slightly larger than the Tab A7. It has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels so everything looks sharp enough. Viewing angles are okay, and so are contrast and colors. Nothing special, just what you would expect from a cheap device.
Compared to the Galaxy Tab A7 display, the Galaxy Tab A8 is a bit darker. Not a huge difference, but it’s visible in a direct comparison. On the other hand, it is positive that the A8 has better white.
So, when it comes to the display, the A8 hasn’t improved much compared to the A7. But inside it has become faster. Samsung delivers the tablet with a Unisoc Tiger T618 processor, which is supported by 3GB or 4GB of RAM. There is also 32GB to 128GB of internal storage and a 4G LTE option.
It is worth noting that the Galaxy Tab A8 is not suitable for every game with the highest graphics settings, but almost every game can be played.
The Galaxy Tab A8 has a total of four speakers on the sides and you can clearly hear a stereo separation. For the price, the sound quality is pretty good, better than many of its competitors in this price range.
In the end, this still is a very good choice when it comes to tablets. You really get a lot out of this product, especially when you look at the price. I’m am sure you will find a great use for it. Therefore, I believe this is one of the best tablets for UX designers.
- Wide display great for streaming
- The metal body feels premium for the price
- Long-term security support
- Slow 15W charging
- Limited base model RAM and storage
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Microsoft Surface Go 3
HARDWARE | 8/10 | |||
BATTERY LIFE | 7/10 | |||
DISPLAY | 8/10 | |||
MEMORY | 7/10 | |||
VALUE/PRICE | 8/10 |
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Detailed Review
Microsoft Surface Go 3 is a great tablet that was just released not long ago. It comes with preinstalled Windows 11, so working with this tablet might feel very familiar to some of you.
It features a 10.5-inch display, with a 1920 x 1280 resolution. Additionally, you will find that battery is surprisingly good here and can last through the entire day. Another big plus is an amazing built-in Dolby Audio that’s perfect for online classes, music, audiobooks, and your favorite shows.
Moreover, you will have the option of choosing between two versions. One has 4GB of RAM and the other has 8GB. Probably 4GB will be sufficient for most of you. However, if you intend on tackling very complex tasks or heavy gaming, 8GB might be more up your alley.
The tablet is just perefect for every task there is. It is appropriate for everyday use, work, and even gaming. Working with this tablet is very efficient and easy. There are a lot of new tools. Furthermore, the tablet is also optimized for a very accurate digital pen, which can be used for making notes or drawing.
Microsoft Surface Go 3 really comes in handy and can make our lives easier. I would definitely recommend you buy this tablet as it is one of the best tablets for UX designers.
- Nice design.
- Good performance.
- Excellent video calling experience.
- Poor battery life.
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Lenovo Tab P11 Pro
HARDWARE | 8/10 | |||
BATTERY LIFE | 9/10 | |||
DISPLAY | 9/10 | |||
MEMORY | 7/10 | |||
VALUE/PRICE | 8/10 |
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Detailed Review
Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is one of Lenovo’s thinnest and most powerful Android tablets. It’s vivid 2K display and enhanced audio makes it an excellent gaming tablet.
The tablet’s screen is 11.5″ with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 OLED pixels. It provides vivid, realistic images with sharper contrasts, dazzling brightness, and a remarkable color palette.
The tablet is powered by Qualcomm® Snapdragon 730G Octa-Core Processor (8 x Kryo 470 CPU, up to 2.2 GHz). This is one of the best processors you will find on Android devices and therefore you can be confident, that the tablet will run even the most demanding applications. The chip’s new power-efficient architecture allows the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro to run for 15 hours on a full charge.
This table comes with accessories like a responsive keyboard and Lenovo Precision Pen 2. This lets you do more than ever while on the go and can give you an additional edge while gaming on mobile devices:).
In my own personal opinion, this is definitly one of the best tablets for UX designers. I promise you, It won’t let you down.
- Good battery life.
- High definition OLED display.
- Nice design.
- Great speakers.
- Camera capabilites are not the best.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – Best drawing tablet for UX designers
HARDWARE | 10/10 | |||
BATTERY LIFE | 9/10 | |||
DISPLAY | 10/10 | |||
MEMORY | 10/10 | |||
VALUE/PRICE | 9/10 |
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The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is huge! It has a 14.6-inch screen and it also includes a pen and extraordinary specs. This is the best android tablet on the market right now and below we will look at the tabs details & it’s unique features.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra stands out with its 14.6” Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ display. It is just beautiful with absolutely great colors. The brightness works well in low light and it does really well in really bright light situations too.
Inside the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, you have the latest Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm). The amount of RAM is depending on which model you get. Here are the different versions: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM.
Along the back we have two cameras – one is a wide-angle lens and the other one is an ultra-wide-angle lens. At the front, we also have a dual-camera setup, one of those is a wide-angle lens and the other one is an ultra-wide. These cameras can shoot up to 4K at 60 fps.
The stereo speakers sound fantastic and battery life, in general, is pretty solid. The capacity of the battery is about 7 hours of standard use. It is a big battery and it does, fortunately, support fast charging if you have a fast charger.
With no extra cost, you also get an S-pen. This is a really good pen. It’s pretty much the same pen we saw last year, but there is one important upgrade and that is the latency. They’ve knocked this down to two milliseconds. The latency does sound impressive and when you combine it with a 120 hertz refresh rate on the display, it should be imperceptible. The pen does have a battery for some extra bluetooth features. If the pen’s battery dies, it still works for all the basic drawing functionalities.
The tab also comes with the second screen feature. It allows you to use your galaxy tab as a second screen for your windows computer (mirror your display or to set it up as an extended display).
To conclude, this tablet fits the description of ultra. It’s not for everybody, it’s bigger & it’s heavier than other tablets. If you’re looking for something that you can just casually draw on it’s probably a little bit too big. The key audience is someone who wants a laptop replacement or at least the best laptop replacement that android can provide. The price seems expensive, but if look at everything you’re getting here, the quality of every little thing across the board whether we’re talking about the screen or the speakers or the drawing experience is phenomenal.
- Very good chipset.
- Great battery life.
- Amazing value for the price you pay
- Pricey
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Microsoft Surface Pro 8
HARDWARE | 9/10 | |||
BATTERY LIFE | 9/10 | |||
DISPLAY | 9/10 | |||
MEMORY | 9/10 | |||
VALUE/PRICE | 8/10 |
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Detailed Review
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is by far the best Microsoft tablet. It features a nice, clean design with a very fast processor. This is of course reflected in the price as well, which is set a bit higher. However, I am convinced that this tablet is worth a few extra bucks. Surface Pro 8 combines the power of a laptop with the flexibility of a tablet, so it is for sure the best tablets for UX designers.
Build
Surface Pro 8 features a nice looking, premium design. This tablet is slightly larger than usual, but it feels nice in the hand and is still very easy to handle. The tablet comes with a built-in stand in the back, which nicely blends with the design. The tablet also features Thunderbolt 4, which is basically all in one port that allows you to transfer data, connect external monitors and other devices, and of course, recharge your device. Additionally, you can pair your tablet with Surface Pro Signature Keyboard, which pretty much feels like any other laptop keyboard. However, I think the best addition you can get is Surface Slim Pen 2, which allows you to be creative on the go.
Display
Surface Pro 8 has a 13-inch PixelSense display with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,920. The resolution on this screen is absolutely gorgeous. There is also a 120Hz refresh rate, which will give you that super smooth effect. However, the refresh rate can drop to 60Hz to save the battery. In general, the content looks great and you will quickly get used to the bigger screen. Personally, I prefer to have a larger display since it makes it more enjoyable working with the tablet. It is also much better for watching movies.
Hardware & Memory
The tablet comes with preinstalled Windows 11 that features new tools that make it easier to be efficient. Mainly there are two versions you can buy. One has a Quad-core 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor and the other has a Quad-core 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 Processor. Both are very capable processors and can handle pretty much every task. This is some next-level, super-fast performance. Surface Pro 8 is using integrated Xe graphics. The tablet can deliver a decent gaming experience, even though it is not really a gaming tablet. However, it can be paired with gaming consoles to enhance this experience. Otherwise, this is a perfectly good tablet that will blow your mind.
In terms of memory, there are quite a few options regarding RAM. You can get a version with 8GB of RAM as well as a version with 16GB and 32GB of RAM. These are all great options, which will make sure your tablet works fast. It doesn’t really matter which one you get. They will all perform great. However, if you plan on executing more demanding tasks you will probably need more RAM. There are also many options when it comes to internal storage, even up to 1TB. That is more than enough for most people.
Camera
When it comes to the camera, Surface Pro can offer decent performance with its 10MP main camera and 5MP front-facing camera. The output looks good in general with nice colors and good contrast. You can make 4K videos with the main camera, and HD videos using a front camera. If you plan on using the tablet for online meetings, then this tablet will live up to your expectations.
Battery
Surface Pro 8 comes with a very good battery that can easily last the entire day. At normal use, the battery can last as much as 16 hours. However, heavy use will reduce this time. But no need to worry as you can have it back to 100% in no time, thanks to fast charging.
In general, this is a really good tablet that is appropriate for most users. It is fast, powerful, and can last through the entire day. It comes with Windows 11 and can be further paired with all sorts of cool devices. Therefore, I am convinced that this is a great tablet and is certainly one of the best tablets for UX designers.
- Fast processor.
- Large 13 inch display.
- Sophisticated design.
- Windows 11.
- Rather expensive.
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Best Tablet for UX design – Final thoughts
Curiosity, passion, and empathy are traits that user experience designers share, but technical skill & equipment is definitely not one to disregard.
Choosing the best tablet for UX design is not simple as there are many options on the market to choose from. Firstly you should think about how much you are willing to spend and check for tablets that meet the 3D object manipulating program’s system requirements. A good rule of thumb is to aim for at least recommended requirements or even higher to make sure your UX design program will run smoothly.
If you stay within my list of recommended tablets for UX designers I am sure you will be more than satisfied. Now go and make some awesome UX designs.