The Best Tablet For Musicians
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Which Is The Best Tablet For Musicians? (Complete Guide & Reviews)

The best tablet for musicians should be lightweight, powerful and easy to carry. Find out who qualifies in our expert buying guide!

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Finding the Best Tablet for Musicians and Live Performance!

Compare Tablets for Musicians at a Glance:

Product

Image

Rating

Relative Price

#1 Our Top Pick!

Apple iPad Pro

Largest screen, all the bells and whistles

Apple iPad Pro (12.9-inch, Wi-Fi + Cellular, 64GB) - Space Gray (3rd Generation) 4.8 out of 5 stars

(4.8)

$$$$

#2 Best Speed for $$

Samsung Galaxy S3

Great speed for the price

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7-Inch, 32GB Tablet (Black, SM-T820NZKAXAR) 4.3 out of 5 stars

(4.3)

$$$

#3 Best Budget Model

Amazon Fire 7 Tablet

Lowest priced choice for a tablet

Fire 7 Tablet (7' display, 8 GB) - Black - (Previous Generation - 7th) 3.9 out of 5 stars

(3.9)

$

#4 Best Expandable Storage

ASUS ZenPad S3

More space through expandable storage

ASUS ZenPad 3S 10 9.7' (2048x1536), 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC, 5MP Front / 8MP Rear Camera, Android 6.0, Tablet, Glacier Silver (Z500M-C1-SL) 3.6 out of 5 stars

(3.6)

$$

#5 Best Conventional Keyboard

Microsoft Surface Pro 4

More conventional style keyboard

Microsoft Surface Pro 4 SU3-00001 12.3-Inch Laptop (2.2 GHz Core M Family, 4GB RAM, 128 GB flash_memory_solid_state, Windows 10 Pro), Silver 3.8 out of 5 stars

(3.8)

$$$$

The best tablet for musicians is lightweight, making it easy to haul around without adding an extra burden to what is usually a full compliment of musical gear.

In order to help you figure out which tablet might suit you best, this article is going to take a look into five popular tablet options that may peak your interest,

Top 5 Music Tablets for Guitar Players Reviewed

1. The Best Tablet for Music and Performers: Apple iPad Pro

Apple iPad Pro (12.9-inch, Wi-Fi + Cellular, 64GB) - Space Gray (3rd Generation)

Apple iPad Pro

Specs

The Apple iPad Pro has a 12.9” screen size, making it the largest of all the tablets on this list. Unlike the others that come with around 4GB of RAM, this one comes with a whopping 128GB of RAM.

That’s a huge difference and will give you a lot more space to store things on. It’s very slim and lightweight, coming in at a little under a pound and a half. It has an 8Mp iSight camera and 4 speakers to make sure your audio sounds simply perfect.

With an 8Mp iSight camera and 4 speakers, the sound quality is great especially when used with wide stereo audio. As should be expected, Apple’s iPad Pro is known for high-speed processing, and the A12X Bionic chip handles multitasking easily.

This is really the best tablet for musicians, or music in general, and is compatible with Apple pencil, Smart and Bluetooth keyboards. With up to 10 hours on a single charge, you’ll have plenty of juice to get you through a complete night’s performance.

Apple iPad Pro (12.9-inch, Wi-Fi + Cellular, 64GB) - Space Gray (3rd Generation)

Apple iPad Pro in Review: Key Points

What We Like

      • Customers are loving the larger screen size on this tablet, as it makes everything from reading to recording to watching movies much easier. Due to the screen ability and the slim size,
      • it works very well for tracking sheet music as you practice your favorite instrument.
      • It also fits easily onto a music stand or other space and be large enough to follow along with.

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What We Don’t Like

      • As can be expected, this is a larger tablet with larger capabilities, so it’s going to have a larger price tag. The Apple iPad Pro is the most expensive tablet of all the options on this list. Due to the price and technology,
      • it’s incredibly important to make sure you hang onto any purchase information such as shipping confirmations and warranties you may get, just in case there are any problems.
      • It’s always a smart idea to protect your investment, that way you don’t end up losing money if something goes wrong.

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Apple iPad Pro (12.9-inch, Wi-Fi + Cellular, 64GB) - Space Gray (3rd Generation)

What are iPad Customers Saying? >>

2. Best Speed for the Money: Samsung Galaxy S3 – An Android Tablet for Musicians

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7-Inch, 32GB Tablet (Black, SM-T820NZKAXAR)

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3

Specs

The Samsung Galaxy Tablet S3 features a 9.7” screen with a 32GB hard drive and 4GB of RAM. To start off with, this is a lot of space for any apps, pictures, and recordings you may need at least until you have the time to upload them to a computer.

The max screen resolution for this tablet is 2048 x 1536, and the average battery life is around 12 hours. If you’re out working all day, that means you’ll have a long time to be able to use your tablet without worry of it dying on you.

The kit for this tablet includes the S Pen stylus, whereas many other tablets require you to purchase a stylus separately.

Samsung Galaxy S3 in Review: Key Points

What We Like

      • This tablet is fast, meaning it’s going to be able to handle just about whatever you need to do at a decent speed.
      • You won’t need to be sitting around waiting for an app or web page to load.
      • This tablet is going to be great for the more intense purposes such as writing, drawing, games and business use.

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What We Don’t Like

      • As a well-known brand, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is one of the more expensive options for a tablet.
      • It also doesn’t come with a holder for the stylus unless you purchase a keyboard cover. It can be easy to lose your stylus without a place to keep it.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7-Inch, 32GB Tablet (Black, SM-T820NZKAXAR)

What Do Galaxy 3 Customers Think? >>

3. Best Tablet for Musicians on a Budget!: Fire 7 Tablet

Fire 7 Tablet (7' display, 8 GB) - Black - (Previous Generation - 7th)

Specs

The Fire 7 tablet comes in a variety of colors including black, canary yellow, marine blue and punch red. It has an 8GB hard drive and 16GB of RAM. Amazon claims that this tablet can be described as “more durable than the latest iPad”.

That’s a pretty huge claim! It has a 7” screen, making it one of the smaller and more portable options for a tablet, and 8 hours of battery life.

With a MicroSD card you can expand the memory by up to 256GB. Being an Amazon tablet, this tablet also has access to Alexa, who can help you by making orders, answering questions and more!

As an Amazon prime member with this tablet, you can also get access to thousands of movies, tv shows, songs, books, all manner of digital media for free.

Fire 7 Tablet in Review: Key Points

What We Like

      • One of the best features of this tablet is the low price. For as low as $40.00 you can get your hands on a Fire 7 tablet. You won’t have to worry about spending the big bucks or having to pay monthly to get what you need.
      • It’s a great tablet for web browsing, following social media, and reading. Essentially, if you’ll be needing it to read along with sheet music or keep up on your musical social media, this is a great low cost option!

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What We Don’t Like

      • Being a low cost option, it is important to keep in mind that within reason you do get what you pay for. That’s not to say that this tablet is low quality at all, it just won’t have the extras you would find on a $500+ tablet.
      • It only has one speaker, but can connect with bluetooth speakers easily. It also cannot play 1080p video.

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Fire 7 Tablet (7' display, 8 GB) - Black - (Previous Generation - 7th)

What are Fire 7 Owners Saying? >>

4. Excellent Expandable Storage: ASUS ZenPad 3S

ASUS ZenPad 3S 10 9.7' (2048x1536), 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC, 5MP Front / 8MP Rear Camera, Android 6.0, Tablet, Glacier Silver (Z500M-C1-SL)

ASUS ZenPad

Specs

The Asus ZenPad tablet has a 9.7” display, 64GB hard drive and 4GB of RAM. It also has a 8m/5m camera and room for one microSD slot to give you a little extra space for saving recordings, pictures, or anything else you may need.

The Corning Gorilla Glass 3 allows the screen to be more durable to accidental drops and other issues.

This tablet can easily handle even some of the more demanding processes with its super fast hexa-core processor. It also has a fast and accurate fingerprint sensor to allow you to have a convenient but safe way to access your device.

ASUS ZenPad 3S in Review: Key Points

What We Like

      • Many customers enjoy the expandable storage on this tablet because it gives them more space to save important information.
      • They also like the fingerprint sensor, which is a great way to keep the device safely locked without having to worry about remembering any passwords or patterns.

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What We Don’t Like

      • Customers have been concerned about the rate of battery usage for this tablet, as it seems to dwindle quickly.
      • It’s also important to note that while there is a stylus available for the ASUS ZenPad 3S tablet, which is sold separately so if you know you will be needing one. Do yourself a favor and make sure to factor that into the overall cost.

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ASUS ZenPad 3S 10 9.7' (2048x1536), 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC, 5MP Front / 8MP Rear Camera, Android 6.0, Tablet, Glacier Silver (Z500M-C1-SL)

What Do Asus ZenPad Users Think? >>

5. Practical Conventional Keyboard: Microsoft Surface Pro 4

Microsoft Surface Pro 4 SU3-00001 12.3-Inch Laptop (2.2 GHz Core M Family, 4GB RAM, 128 GB flash_memory_solid_state, Windows 10 Pro), Silver

Microsoft Surface Pro 4

Specs

This Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablet has a wider 12.3” screen. Larger than either the Samsung or the Asus, this makes it a great large screen tablet for musicians. The screen is made to have very high contrast and low glare so you can use it comfortably throughout the day without it causing a strain to your eyes.

It also has a 128GB hard drive and 4GB of RAM to help take care of your memory needs.

The average battery life on the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is 9 hours, so you won’t have to worry about it dying on you in the middle of a long day. This tablet also comes with a kickstand and a keyboard to allow you to use it as a laptop as needed.

Microsoft Surface Pro 4 in Review: Key Points

What We Like

      • Customers who have used this tablet love tit’s flexibility as it replaces both textbooks and notebooks. It’s great for storing digital textbooks, allowing them to spend less than they would on printed copies.
      • It’s also great for taking notes, whether that means through the use of the keyboard, or writing on the tablet with the stylus accessory, which is sold separately and will need to be factored into the overall cost.

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What We Don’t Like

      • This isn’t a tablet made for very demanding games. It will run some that require less effort to run perfectly well, but it’s by no means a gaming tablet.
      • Compared to some other tablet brands. it does also have somewhat of a relatively high price tag. However, it certainly isn’t the most expensive of the brands either.

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Microsoft Surface Pro 4 SU3-00001 12.3-Inch Laptop (2.2 GHz Core M Family, 4GB RAM, 128 GB flash_memory_solid_state, Windows 10 Pro), Silver

What are Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Saying? >>

Is it a Good Tablet for Music or a Gigging Musician?

Most tablets come with a plethora of different applications that can be used to assist in your musical hobby or career.

From tuning apps to applications to apps that keep and allow you to use your device as a sheet music tablet at any time. You can also use recording apps that can allow you to easily track your sound.

The best tablet, especially a large screen tablet for musicians, is a great way to put yourself out front in the music industry and make better headway.

Wrapping Up: Which Tablet is Best for Musicians?

Overall, choosing a tablet is going to depend on what kind of things you need it for, how much you’ll need to have stored on it and the amount you’re willing to spend.

Tablets do vary in what they can be used for – in this case, we’re looking for a tool to support musical performance. Some are great for the more in-depth tasks while others are best used for note taking.

Since there are so many variables in price, performance, general usage, and the individual musician’s requirements, there really isn’t a clear winner. Personally, if I had the budget I would opt for the Apple IPad Pro for professional use – but it certainly comes at a price.

If having a quality camera is important to you, that’s another thing to keep in mind. Prior to shopping for a tablet, it may be a good idea to make a list that will help you to find the tablet that will suit your needs the best, whether it’s for recording music or following and saving sheet music.

Remember to Keep Your Devices Clean!

One of the largest contributors to the spread of illness is through your most treasured electronic devices – the things you handle regularly such as your phone, tablet, laptop, keyboard, and many other surfaces.

For your own safety and the safety of others, make sure you clean the touch surfaces of your all your devices, especially if the unit is shared by others.

Compare The Best Music Tablets:

  • Overall Average Build Quality
  • Overall Average Performance Quality
  • Overall Average Value Factor
4.4

Summary

Overall Average Score:

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Steve Blundon is a business owner, published author, former music teacher and active master guitar tech who's been servicing instruments for over thirty years. Visit Author's Page.

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