By Tati Taylor 8 days ago, Graphic Tablets
The best tablets for reading digital sheet music and chord charts.
Are you on the lookout for the best tablet for musicians that you can fill to the brim with all kinds of applications to create music?
It doesn’t matter if you require a tablet to serve as a recording studio, for concerts, presenting sheet music, it is supposed to cope with the routine tasks as well.
Portable tablets for musicians enable them to store numerous music sheets, audio files in one device and work on the new music in any place they wish.
Weight: 471 g | Screen size: 11-inch | Resolution: 1668x2388 pixels | CPU: A12Z Bionic chip with 64-bit | Storage: 128 GB | Rear camera: 12 MP | Front camera: 7 MP
⊕ Very swift processor
⊕ Remarkable efficiency
⊕ Portable and versatile
⊕ Compatibility with the iPad pencil
⊕ Awesome color precision
⊖ Moderate battery life
⊖ Very high price
This model has become a favorite of many musicians and regular users. It occupies the first places on top tablet lists of various categories. With the remarkable efficiency, awesome screen and a vast array of applications, it is no wonder that iPad Pro is the best tablet for music production, particularly, if it suits the budget.
The device is notable for a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina display, 12 MP rear camera, 7 MP frontal camera, 256 GB storage space, Apple Pencil & Smart and Bluetooth keyboards compatibility, 4 speakers with broad stereo audio, Face ID, 10-hour battery life, USB C port and Sim Card Slot. The sound, the versatility and the overall performance are undoubtedly on point. Despite the upmarket price, the model can’t fully compete with any other tablet and is a worthy investment.
iPad Pro for musicians will amaze them with its modern, sophisticated and polished design and will bring more enjoyment to the process of creating music. The colors and visual content are displayed incredibly. Thanks to the presence of four speakers, the sound will have the necessary bass, clear treble along with high volume.
A12X Bionic chip makes it possible to perform numerous operations at once and don’t experience any trouble whatsoever. One more benefit of 4 speakers and an 8Mp iSight camera is an exceptional sound quality when used with broad stereo audio. With the 10-hour battery life, the tab won’t let you down in case you have to perform or work on music all night long.
Weight: 775 g | Screen size: 12.3-inch | Resolution: 2736x1824 pixels | CPU: 1.3 GHz Core i5 8400T | Storage: 128 GB | Rear camera: 8 MP | Front camera: 5 MP
⊕ Universal device
⊕ Ideal for making album covers
⊕ Wonderful battery life
⊕ Exceptional audio quality
⊖ Holding it with one hand is challenging
⊖ Not enough connection ports
If you are proficient in the use of modern technology and also require the best tablet for recording music, pay close attention to this model produced by Microsoft, one of the leading manufacturers currently. I wouldn’t even call Surface Pro 6 a tablet – it resembles a fully-featured laptop that is ready to meet the major needs of specialists from various spheres.
An Intel Core i5 and 8 GB of RAM guarantee pitch-perfect efficiency, responsive operation and ceaseless rendering capabilities to ensure the smoothest process of recording music. Speaking of its visual characteristics, the device doesn’t weigh much, has a 0.33 inch-thick body and an aesthetically pleasing design.
Surface Pro 6 is certainly the device everyone will be jealous of. The stunning display produces vivid colors and profound black shades. Any musician will appreciate the tablet’s ability to be transformed into a laptop (by connecting a keyboard) and placed on a table to view digital music sheets during recording.
The forward-facing speakers produce qualitative audio quality. The volume isn’t the highest, but it will be enough to play and create music. Besides, you have the option of connecting speakers in order to boost sound.
The most prominent benefit of this tablet for music is battery life. The manufacturer guarantees 13.5 hours of video playback and the ability to withstand the entire day of routine operations. Since the music-making process is rather power-consuming, the device will last up to 13 hours. In fact, it is a remarkable result, particularly in comparison with other studio tablets, like iPad Air and Pro.
Weight: 420 g | Screen size: 10.5-inch | Resolution: 2560x1600 pixels | CPU: Snapdragon 855 | Storage: 128 GB | Rear camera: 12 MP | Front camera: 5 MP
⊕ Compact size
⊕ AMOLED display
⊕ Multitasking capabilities
⊕ For creatives who are interested in drawing
⊖ Lacks a headphone jack
⊖ S Pen stylus is likely to fall off the back
This model is distinguished by a 10.5-inch Super AMOLED display, 256 GB storage space, 15-hour battery life, AKG tuned quad-speakers, speedy charging process, S Pen and Bixby Voice Assistant. When it comes to recording music on tablet run by Android OS, you won’t find such a perfect match.
Tab S6 is praised for a wonderful display, outstanding efficiency, fantastic speakers along with the S Pen, which will come in handy should you decide to draw song or an album cover. To transform the device into a laptop, a keyboard case is required.
Its battery life is pretty satisfactory. But even though the manufacturer guarantees 15 hours, battery tests have shown the 11-hour regular video playback. Remember that it won’t be the case of music-making applications since they consume plenty of power and simply don’t let the tablet operate for 11 hours straight.
Perhaps the main camera isn’t so important for a tablet for musicians, but Samsung decided not to skimp on this component and equipped its top device with a decent dual camera. This is the main 13 MP module with f/2.0 aperture optics and a 5 MP ultra-wide-angle module with a focal length of 12 mm.
The camera produces fairly qualitative shots on par with the previous year’s Samsung flagships. It is capable of filming videos in 4K resolution at 30 frames per second. The frontal 8 MP camera films 1080p video and is quite suitable for video conferences.
On the whole, Tab S6 is the best tablet for musicians who give preference to Android OS and require a device resembling an iPad (functionality-wise) but for a cheaper price.
Weight: 456 g | Screen size: 10.5-inch | Resolution: 1668x2224 pixels | CPU: A12 Bionic | Storage: 64 GB | Rear camera: 8 MP | Front camera: 7 MP
⊕ Compatibility with 1st gen Apple Pencil
⊕ iCloud enables effortless setting-up
⊕ Very light
⊕ Not as expensive as the Pro version
⊖ Not the most capacious battery because of upgraded spec
⊖ Inability to expand storage
Wish to settle on an iPad for music but simply can’t afford the jaw-dropping price of the Pro version? Then the Air version, being compatible with a Smart Keyboard Cover and 1st Gen Apple Pencil, might be a worthy option. As the Air’s storage space has been expanded to 64GB/256GB, you will be able to install as many heavyweight music-making applications as you need.
The regular use of the battery was updated to 10 hours. With the laminated display, the screen’s slimmer upper glass layer fits tightly on top of the LCD panel beneath. As a result, the colors appear clearer and more vivid than in the previously released model.
The tab’s display doesn’t disappoint either (the same as the rest of Apple devices), providing the smoothest viewing process. Undoubtedly, it is the best iPad for musicians that gives access to a vast array of music-production applications. The tab’s efficiency is enough to smoothly run various programs for music makers, such as GarageBand, Cubasis and FL Studio.
As I continue comparing the Air version with the Pro one, I would say that the size of the former is more compact, and the weight is smaller. Thus, it can be carried around effortlessly. The speakers function decently and produce incredible audio quality. You have probably noticed that I don’t really dwell on the issue of the speakers in this musical tablets’ overview.
That’s because no good tablet’s speaker will compare to powerful headphones or a Bluetooth speaker. So, those who make music or just listen to it from a tablet avoid using the integrated speakers. In case you are going to work alone, get headphones. In case you wish others to hear your music, connect a Bluetooth speaker.
Weight: 483 g | Screen size: 10.2-inch | Resolution: 2160x1620 pixels | CPU: Apple A10 Fusion | Storage: 32 GB | Rear camera: 8 MP | Front camera: 1.2 MP
⊕ Budget choice
⊕ Big screen
⊕ 100% recycled aluminum enclosure
⊖ Outdated processor
⊖ Screen is not the best one
Apple’s ‘full-size’ iPad (9.7-inch) was improved and now it features a huge 10.2-inch Retina display. Moreover, the latest model surpasses the previous one, supporting the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard.
However, we can’t say that these features are significant for musical tablets. But on the other side, this device has some serious disadvantages. For example, an outdated processor A10 Fusion chip. It was first released in 2016 and the previous model features it as well.
The thing that pleases most of music creators is that it has a Lightning port and you may connect various music-making gadgets.
In addition, a 10.2-inch iPad features almost the same functionality as a bit more expensive 10.5-inch iPad Air. It’s strange that these two Apple products are sold at the same time. Featuring a thicker body, a 10.2-inch model has the same length and width. It also supports the same Smart Connecter Keyboard Cover and Pencil tools by Apple.
By the way, these accessories together cost as a tablet itself. But don’t worry ‒ I will help you save your money, here is a useful tip. Every Smart Keyboard works smoothly with 10.2-inch iPad, so you may easily attach previous models. I used the Keyboard developed for the iPad Pro 9.7-inch and it successfully worked. However, they didn’t really match since the keyboard was smaller than a tablet.
Weight: 489 g | Screen size: 10.1-inch | Resolution: 1920x1200 pixels | CPU: Quad-core (2x2.15 GHz Kryo + 2x1.6 GHz Kryo) | Storage: 32 GB | Rear camera: 8 MP | Front camera: 5 MP
⊕ Cheap
⊕ Great multitasking capabilities
⊕ Top-notch front and rear cameras
⊕ Single battery charge is enough for a day of active use
⊖ Average display quality
⊖ Thick, uninteresting design
Think that from year to year tablet developers will surprise us with super-futuristic gadgets? Check out LG G Pad 5 10.1. and you will be slightly disappointed. LG undoubtedly created a new tablet featuring some advancements, but it doesn’t impress the users with its design. LG G Pad 5 10.1 is an Android-based device and may be connected to 4G LTE mobile data.
Unfortunately, that is it about advantages. Although the 10.1-inch LCD screen features the same 1,280-by-800-pixel resolution as Galaxy Tab 4, it isn’t really impressive. It has a solid viewing angle, but maximum brightness leaves much to be desired. The screen has 149 PPI and that is why the text looks jagged and colors look dull.
An electronic “brain” of this novelty is a Snapdragon 821 processor featuring four Kryo cores with a clock speed of up to 2.34 Hz and an Adreno 530 graphics accelerator. The amount of LPDDR4 RAM is equal to 4 GB. It has a UFS 2.0 flash drive with a capacity of 32 GB. You may install an additional micro SD card with a capacity of 512 GB.
What is more, you will not find a tablet of such a size for less money. It is a decent tablet for music production and may successfully serve for tablet-like purposes. Moreover, it may also work as a second screen for Android smartphone users.
Weight: 680 g | Screen size: 10.1-inch | Resolution: 1280x800 pixels | CPU: Intel HD Graphic(Gen7) | Storage: 64 GB | Rear camera: 5 MP | Front camera: 2 MP
⊕ Slim and stylish
⊕ Great performance, sufficient storage space
⊕ Relatively cheap
⊖ Poor battery life
FUSION5 may be described with three features ‒ great value, great design, great experience. In 2010, they established a brand named Best Windows Tablet PCs Fusion5 and declared themselves experts in Windows and Android tablet computers. This super slim and super stylish device featuring a 10-inch screen is a perfect tool not just for recording music on tablet but also watching films, surfing the net, work and study purposes.
This tablet offers a convenient user experience. FUSION5 may boast of effective performance that is on the level with the latest models. Thanks to Intel CPU, you may watch first-rate online videos outputting it to an external TV panel or a monitor via the micro HDMI port. If you are currently looking for a budget, slim, lightweight and top-notch tablet, FUSION5 is a decent choice.
Weight: 907 g | Screen size: 10-inch | Resolution: 1280×800 pixels | CPU: Quad-Core 1.3 GHz | Storage: 32 GB | Rear camera: 8 MP | Front camera: 2 MP
⊕ Super bright and clear display
⊕ Lightweight and easy to carry
⊕ Perfect screen size to view images and movies
⊕ Micro HDMI port
⊖ Weak camera
If you are looking for a budget tablet device, Dragon Touch K10 is an excellent variant. Although it costs around $150, it shows a really great performance. When you check its functionality, you will wonder why the price is so low.
The tablet features a cool 10-inch display and Android 8.1 Oreo OS that makes it a perfect machine for entertainment purposes. Thanks to speedy network connections, you may easily and quickly surf the net, download videos, play games, watch YouTube, Netflix content and surf social networks.
Thanks to its dual speakers providing qualitative and clear sound, this Dragon Touch NotePad K10 may be called one of the best tablets for musicians. Moreover, dual Wi-Fi mode offers two choices for the network ‒ 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Dragon Touch may boast of a 10-inch HD IPS display with a 1280*800 resolution that provides a clear image in any lighting conditions.
By the way, it is an excellent device to watch films with your family and friends because you will get the finest picture from any angle. You may also synchronize the tab with a TV via a micro HDMI interface and conveniently watch movies on the screen of any size. There is also a micro USB port to charge and transmit data.
In general, you will be surprised (in a good way) with the amount of functions Dragon offers you for such money. You will get cool features without spending a fortune. Of course, this gadget can’t compete with the top iPads of the world, but it may be a perfect solution for those who want to get great functionality and save some money.
Weight: 1179 g | Screen size: 10.1-inch | Resolution: 1920x1200 pixels | CPU: Octa-Core 1.6 GHz | Storage: 32 GB | Rear camera: 13 MP | Front camera: 8 MP
⊕ Efficient processor and speedy performance
⊕ Fast and productive Android-based device
⊕ Impressive widescreen
⊕ Decent battery life
⊖ Weak camera
MatrixPad S30 is equipped with an octa-core processor of up to 1.6 GHz and 3GB RAM, providing better performance than a quad-core processor. Moreover, it consumes less power. It is run by Android 9 Pie and certified by GMS.
If you choose this tablet for music, you will get optimized experience to concentrate on the necessary tasks, interact with the features you want and focus on the needed content. Featuring a 10.1-inch Full HD 1920 x 1200 resolution IPS display and Bluetooth 5.0, MatrixPad S30 provides a clear image with excellent details.
13MP rear and 8MP front cameras allow you to capture the best moments and record lively videos. Thanks to Bluetooth 5.0 and an HD display, you may successfully conduct video chats.
| Image | Name | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Apple iPad Pro
Our Choice |
CHECK PRICE → | |
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Microsoft Surface Pro 6
Best Price |
CHECK PRICE → | |
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Great Display |
CHECK PRICE → |
Although this characteristic is very important for tablets, sometimes users ignore it. You clearly understand that you have to carry a lot of items with you every day and you can’t make them less heavy. But you can simplify your life by picking up a lightweight tablet. Or even if you don’t carry a lot of items and you are always on the go, you should also have a convenient tab to put it in your bag and move on. Therefore, buying a tablet, you should pay attention to this feature. Mind that a lightweight tablet is not necessarily fragile. Today, there are metals that are not heavy but still durable.
If you are looking for the best tablet for musicians, you should absolutely consider the OS. The thing is that it defines which content ecosystem you have access to. For example, if you have an Android-based tablet, you use Google Play. In case you have iOS (Apple), you are tied to iTunes. If your device is run by Windows, it is Microsoft. Although all these operating systems offer almost the same apps in their stores, they are not interchangeable between platforms.
It means that if you have three devices featuring different OS, you will have to buy the same app three times to use it on three gadgets. Speaking about Apple, it offers more than a million apps in the App Store and half of this million is apps compatible only with iPad. Google Play is available for various tablets, that’s why you have many applications to choose from.
Microsoft Environment is available mostly on Microsoft tablets and two-in-one devices, so you are lucky to use Windows apps as well. Moreover, there is a cut-down version ‒ Windows 10 in S Mode. You may upgrade it to the full version but only once.
The video card is an essential detail of studio tablets so you must choose it very carefully. It should be a card with two DVI or some combination of DVI + HDMI + Display Port outputs. In such a way, you will activate two video monitors. The performance of all modern video cards is almost the same. If you work with FL Studio, two or more video monitors will greatly improve your productivity.
iPad Pro
iPad Air
Today, music producers do not necessarily require big studios to produce music. Thanks to modern technologies, they may create music on their own gadgets, even on cheap tablets, etc. So, you may produce fine tracks on your Android tablet and then share them on YouTube or SoundCloud.
