Smartphones may have gotten better every year but there is still a place for tablets among consumers in Malaysia. After all, they still have the upper hand when it comes to screen size which made tablets great for productivity and entertainment tasks on the go.
To help you buy the best smartphone that fits your budget and needs, the tech experts at SoyaCincau.com, consisting of Alex, Hanif, Chapree, Putra Sam, Aisyah, and Duke, have curated a list of the best tablets released in 2024 and awarded them Gold, Silver, or Bronze.
However, we had to define some parameters to help narrow down our nominees. Therefore, only models launched between 20th November 2023 and 1st November 2024 were considered. Additionally, nominated tablets had to be still on sale and available to purchase, so any limited edition or one-off models were disqualified.
Now without further ado, we present, SoyaCincau Awards 2024: The Best Tablets of the Year:
Read the rest of our awards
Once you’re done reading this list, check out our other curations for the SoyaCincau Awards 2024!
- The Best Phones of the Year
- The Best Gadgets of the Year (Coming Soon)
- The Best EV of the Year (Coming Soon)
- The Best Telco of the Year (Coming Soon)
- The Best and Worst in Tech (Coming Soon)
iPad of the Year
Bronze: iPad Mini (2024)
At the third place, we have the iPad Mini 7. With its starting price of RM2,199, this iPad is among the most affordable. In fact, you now get a storage bump with the entry-level model from 64GB to 128GB.
We would rank this iPad even higher if Apple were to give it the M1 chip to support Stage Manager. Unfortunately, with the A17 Pro chip, this tablet only supports screen mirroring.
Still, the A17 Pro being a newer chip would mean longer software support, where you can expect the iPad Mini 7 to be supported all the way till 2029. We highly recommend the iPad Mini 7 to content creators who don’t have the budget for an iPad Air M2.
Learn more about the iPad Mini (2024) here. You can check out the Apple product line-up at Lazada and Shopee.
Silver: iPad Pro M4
The iPad Pro M4 is the most powerful tablet Apple has made thus far. For the 2024 model year, this iPad Pro is powered by Apple’s M4 chip which is said to be 1.5x snappier compared to the M2 chip used by its predecessor.
Its display has also been upgraded to the Ultra Retina XDR panel, which is Apple’s version of Tandem OLED, allowing it to reach a peak brightness of 1,600 nits along with support for ProMotion.
All of this comes at a price though, literally. Priced from RM4,499, this is the best iPad if budget is not an issue for you. Otherwise, you may refer to our Gold medalist in this category.
Learn more about the iPad Pro M4 here. If you looking to pick it up for the new year, check out the iPad Pro M4 deals at Lazada and Shopee.
Gold: iPad Air 2024 M2
And the champion goes to the iPad Air M2, which is priced from RM2,599. Yes, you could get the iPad 10 instead which is cheaper at RM2,199. However, it packs an older A14 chip, which is significantly less powerful than the iPad Air’s M2 chip.
In fact, this makes the iPad Air M2 the most affordable tablet with an M-series processor. In terms of productivity, you get features such as Stage Manager and Center Stage.
The iPad Air also features a USB-C port allowing it to support more accessories. Blurring the lines between performance and value, we’ve therefore crowned the iPad Air M2 as the Best iPad for 2024.
Learn more about the iPad Air M2 here. Head on to Lazada or Shopee to see the latest deals on iPad Air M2.
Android Tablet of the Year
Bronze: Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4
The Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 is by far the Chinese tech giant’s best tablet thus far. In fact, its specifications alone are already enough to make it the champion in this category.
Simply speaking, the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro has everything you want on a tablet. This includes its powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, gigantic 10,000mAh battery, and even a 32MP front camera. It’s even equipped with a 6-speaker setup and a large 12.4-inch display with a buttery smooth 144Hz refresh rate, making it a great entertainment device.
Furthermore, the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 is also a good productivity machine, thanks to its large screen and stylus support. Heck, you can even pair it with Xiaomi’s keyboards and touchpads. With all of the things it offers, it’s easy to call it the best Android tablet.
However, it’s placed third due to a couple of missing features such as a proprietary PC mode like Samsung’s DeX, as well as 5G connectivity. Its asking price is also hard to swallow considering the two-year-old chip it’s using.
Learn more about the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro here. Alternatively, you can check out the tablet at Xiaomi’s official store on Lazada and Shopee too.
Silver: RedMagic Nova Gaming Tablet
Performance is certainly one of the main points to consider when selecting the best tablet, and the RedMagic Nova Gaming Tablet is able to fulfil this requirement.
Featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version chip, it’s among the most powerful tablets, translating into not just a great gaming experience, but also for day-to-day use.
Aside from featuring an interesting design, this tablet also comes with an RGB-equipped fan to cool the tablet down efficiently, which is something you can’t find even on other flagship tablets. The Redmagic Nova Gaming Tablet also sports a large 10.9-inch display with a 144Hz refresh rate, four speakers, and a 10,100mAh battery, all packaged within a 7.3mm-thin body.
Nonetheless, it’s undeniable that this tablet is mainly focused towards gaming, causing it to be a less suitable productivity machine when compared to other tablets in this category. On the bright side, the RedMagic Nova Gaming Tablet still supports a stylus and keyboard. For what it offers, its price is also relatively affordable, starting at just RM2,699, making it a value-for-money tablet.
Learn more about the RedMagic Nova Gaming Tablet here. If you are interested in getting your hands on the tablet, check it out on Lazada and Shopee.
Gold: Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+
Samsung’s tablets are usually a class of their own when compared to Android tablets of other brands due to their well-optimised One UI skin.
They also offer one of the best productivity experiences on a tablet thanks to features such as Samsung DeX which can turn the tablet setup into a PC. Pair the tablet with a keyboard and you get an experience that’s seemingly close to a PC with the Galaxy Tab S10+.
In addition, Galaxy AI that’s packed within the Galaxy Tab S10+ also offers AI functions that are more comprehensive than those available on other brands. This includes live translation, transcribing voice recordings like during meetings into text, and even turning sketches into full-blown drawings. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ also supports Google’s Circle to Search function and the S Pen stylus.
Although it’s a little disappointing that Samsung chose to power its latest flagship tablets with the Dimensity 9300+ chipset instead of one of Snapdragon’s flagship SoCs, the Galaxy Tab S10+ still packs enough grunt for most uses.
Furthermore, the tablet is also IP68-rated for dust and water resistance and has up to 7 years of OS support, making it worthy of the gold medal in this category.
Learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ here. Check out Lazada or Shopee for Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ deals.
Value Tablet of the Year
Bronze: Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4
It’s clear that the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro is a flagship tablet packed with great hardware, resulting in it winning third place in the Android Tablet of the Year category. Even so, due to its accessible price point, it’s got itself as the Bronze medalist in the Value Tablet of the Year category too.
With an RM2,799 price point, it comes with flagship-grade specs, featuring the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, UFS 4.0 storage, a smooth 144Hz display, and 120W of wired charging speed. That’s not all as the Xiaomi Pas 6S Pro 12.4 also rocks a six-speaker setup and is good for productivity uses thanks to its 3:2 aspect ratio display along with support for stylus.
Although it does not come with a proprietary PC mode like Samsung DeX, it does have the ability to adjust the size of an app window, which should be good enough for multitasking. Ultimately, the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 is placed third due to its slightly higher price point, along with a software experience that’s less stellar than our silver medalist in this category.
Learn more about the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro here. You can also check out the tablet at Xiaomi’s official store on Lazada and Shopee.
Silver: iPad Air 2024 M2
If there were an iPad that’s worth its asking price, it would be the iPad Air M2 2024. There are many reasons why we picked this one over the more affordable 10th Gen iPad. That’s because the iPad Air M2 offers better value in terms of performance and overall specifications.
With a starting price of RM2,599, you get the M2 chipset that’s much more powerful than the Apple A14 chip found inside the 10th Gen iPad which is just a tad bit cheaper at RM2,199. With that, this makes the iPad Air M2 the more suitable choice for those who want more horsepower for gaming or video editing, while paying a reasonable amount of money.
Besides the powerful performance it brings, the M2 chip also allows the iPad Air M2 to be a better productivity tool thanks to the Stage Manager feature. This enables a PC-like experience when the iPad is connected to an external monitor via its USB-C port.
You can further enhance the capabilities of your iPad Air M2 via Apple Intelligence, using features like Writing Tools which offers writing assistance, as well as Clean Up which allows you to erase certain parts of an image. Despite its late arrival, it’s still made available for all users at the time of writing.
Learn more about the iPad Air 2024 M2 here. Looking for the latest deals on this tablet? Just head on to Lazada or Shopee.
Gold: Honor Pad 9
When speaking of the best value-for-money tablet, the Honor Pad 9 is among the tablets that can fulfil all of the needed criteria. That’s because it comes with impressive hardware at a price of just RM1,499.
Even at that price point, you still get an Honor Choice Pencil along with a Bluetooth keyboard as a combo, making it a choice that’s worth the money.
In terms of specifications, the Honor Pad 9 uses the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset that’s powerful enough to accommodate all kinds of tasks. It also features a large 12.1-inch display with a high resolution of 2.5K along with a 120Hz high refresh rate, contributing to an enjoyable viewing experience, no matter if it’s for gaming, watching videos, or doing work.
Making the Honor Pad 9 special is its eight-speaker setup that’s not only loud but also offers decent enough audio quality for its price point. Its speakers might not be as good as the ones found on the iPad Pro, but when factoring in its asking price which is far less, while still being able to put out an immersive audio experience, that’s a big advantage for this tablet.
While its support for a stylus pen makes it a better productivity device, things it lacks include a proprietary PC mode such as Samsung’s DeX and a Stage Manager that’s found in higher-end iPads. But at least it’s able to run multiple apps at once with the multi-window function. With the Honor Pad 9’s price and features, we think it’s the best-value tablet of 2024.
Learn more about the Honor Pad 9 here. Check out Honor Pad 9 deals over at Lazada and Shopee.
Best Tablet of the Year
Bronze: iPad Air 2024 M2
The iPad Air 2024 M2 is the best iPad. It’s also the cheapest M-chip-powered tablet you can get, being priced at RM2,699.
With the Apple M2 chip, you get the Stage Manager feature which helps elevate your productivity especially when connected to a second monitor. Its performance is also enough to carry out heavier tasks if you are a content creator. There are lots of professional-level video editing software you can use on the iPad Air 2024 M2 as well.
Due to the iPad Air 2024 M2 being more affordable after the pricing restructure, we decided to award it with the Bronze medal in the Best Tablet of the Year category. Thank you, Apple for giving more content creators an opportunity to harness the power of the M2 chip.
Learn more about the iPad Air 2024 M2 here. Check out Lazada and Shopee to see the latest deals on iPad Air M2.
Silver: Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra
In the Android tablet camp, Samsung seems to have no competitor in Malaysia. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is the biggest and most powerful you can get of its kind.
Its price is high enough at RM5,999, but do remember that you’re getting an S-Pen and a keyboard as a combo too, unlike the iPad where all accessories need to be bought separately. Even so, if you were to add on a Magic Keyboard and an Apple Pencil Pro, the Galaxy Tab S10 is still pricier.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra’s strengths include its gigantic 14.6-inch OLED display. It’s as if you’re carrying a monitor that’s touchscreen-enabled. For creative use, the included S-Pen has low latency and feedback from users has been rather positive when using it for drawing and note-taking.
Samsung’s Galaxy AI is also more capable than Apple Intelligence. Galaxy AI has also been usable since day one, unlike Apple Intelligence whose features are made available in stages.
One advantage the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has when compared to its competitors including the iPad is its IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. You never know when you will need to bring your tablet along when it rains or when during desperate situations, right? That’s when you can be confident that your tablet will be in good hands.
Learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra here. Check out Lazada and Shopee for deals if you are considering the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.
Gold: iPad Pro M4
It’s hard to disrupt the iPad’s dominance in the tablet space. For 2024, we have the iPad Pro 2024 as the king. One of the main pillars which made that possible is the Apple M4 chip that powers it. Built on the 2nd generation 3nm architecture, the iPad Pro 2024’s CPU is 1.5 times faster, while its GPU is 4 times more powerful than its predecessor.
Considering that it features the first Ultra Retina XDR panel on an iPad, this tablet is certainly suitable for professional use. This display is also plenty bright, with its peak brightness hitting the 1,600-nit mark when displaying HDR content.
If you have an additional display monitor, you can connect it to the iPad Pro M4 using USB-C to expand your working space via Apple’s Stage Manager. Even though this still isn’t the perfect setup to replace a Mac, it’s still the right step towards that direction.
You may refer to the abundance of YouTube content regarding how the iPad can help boost productivity, similar to a laptop. With the above-mentioned upgrades, the iPad Pro M4 is the most powerful tablet in the market thus far. The only things you need to consider are which screen or storage size you want.
The biggest issue surrounding this tablet is its starting price of RM4,499. With that amount of money, you can get a laptop powered by a Snapdragon X or Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) chip. If budget is an obstacle, you may refer to our Bronze medalist instead.
Learn more about the iPad Pro M4 here. Head on to Lazada and Shopee to check out iPad Pro M4 deals.
Conclusion
If you take a closer look to the winner’s list for 2024, you may notice we have a new name in the mix which is RedMagic. This is due to its gaming-centric release but the rest of the field generally mirrored last year’s list which included Samsung, Xiaomi, and Honor.
For the Best Tablet category though, it was almost a landslide victory for Apple. That being said, Samsung is still able to hold the flag high for Android tablets – thanks to the capabilities of the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.
What do you think about our winners? Do you agree with our selection or do you think we choose wrongly? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to check out the rest of our SoyaCincau Award winners.
