5 Of The Thinnest Tablets You Can Buy

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Tablets have come a long way, both in terms of raw performance and form factor. While phones first got chunky then ultra-thin, and now they're somewhat in between, tablets have largely become thinner with time. Huawei particularly has been killing it with really ultra-thin options in the global market, like the 13-inch MatePad Pro at 4.7mm and 1.1 lbs, but the company doesn't sell its products in the U.S. Still, U.S. consumers have plenty of other options to choose from; some of the thinnest tablets include options like Apple's 13-inch iPad Pro and iPad Air, Samsung's latest Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, and the reMarkable Paper Pro.

In addition to their ultra-thin form factor, these ultra-slim tablets offer some of the best specs in the market. These tablets show that you can have powerful specs and still have a great battery life for a full day of work, despite having a sleek design. So, even if you're looking for a high-end tablet to set free your creativity and not compromise on portability, these are also the best options customers can find. We at BGR have reviewed some of these tablets, but all these picks have been praised by the media and customers in general.

In 2024, Apple completely revamped the iPad Pro with the M4 chip. For the first time, the company introduced a new M-series chip on the iPad instead of a Mac, while also making an ultra-thin form factor with a 5.1mm aluminum chassis and an unmatched OLED display. This is one of the thinnest tablets you can get in the U.S., and Apple recently upgraded the internals of this tablet with the M5 chip. In BGR's review of this iPad Pro, we just felt staggered by the horsepower of this tablet and how it's closer than ever to a laptop replacement.

While the 11-inch option is also impressively thin with 5.3mm, what makes these tablets so unique is the impressive OLED display with adaptive ProMotion refresh, which is perfect for streaming content, editing photos and videos, or playing games because the image really pops. The M5 chip inside of it, paired with at least 12GB of RAM, ensures that local Apple Intelligence models run smoothly, and the upgraded CPU/GPU cores expand ray-tracing and complex 3D CAD modeling.

Apple also added its own C1X and N1 chips for 5G and general connectivity, bringing Wi-Fi 7 support, Bluetooth 6, and some privacy features that can hide your location from carriers. However, the recent Apple price hike has also impacted the iPad Pro, as it now starts at $1,199.

Unlike the iPad Pro, the reMarkable Paper Pro features a distraction-free, paper-like display, which tries to bridge the feeling of writing and reading on paper, but in a very interesting way. It features an 11.8-inch Canvas Color e-ink display, and is only 5.1mm thin. The tablet avoids traditional backlight panels for its e-ink screen, which also allows it to maintain its slim profile. In our review of the reMarkable Paper Pro, we praised it for being a note-taker's paradise. Additionally, it can also handle color-coded note-taking, architectural sketching, reviewing complex technical diagrams, and marking up PDF manuscripts.

Powered by a low-latency custom Linux platform, it achieves a responsive sub-12 millisecond pen latency, which virtually eliminates the visual disconnect between pen nib and the digital ink display. This tablet is also great for reading or writing in low-light environments without straining the user's eyes or causing that blue-light fatigue. Unlike all the other tablets on the list, this one omits notifications, app stores, social media feeds, and web browsers, essentially being a distraction-free device for those focused work moments.

It comes with the Marker Plus stylus, which can charge magnetically from the tablet, and features a built-in top eraser. This tablet is one of the most interesting choices for writers, researchers, academics, and others who prioritize focus and handwriting skills. Besides that, the device starts at $679.

Samsung's flagship tablet, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, features a 14.6-inch display and has a 5.1mm thickness. It houses a dynamic AMOLED display with a fluid 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ certification, and an advanced anti-reflective coating to minimize glare. The tablet also uses reinforced Armon Aluminum for its chassis and comes with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

The S11 Ultra is powered by MediaTek's 3nm Dimensity 9400+ processor with an Immortalis-G925 GPU, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage, which can also be expanded via microSD. Like an iPad Pro, this tablet excels at intensive computing tasks, 3D rendering, and multi-app workloads. Samsung also offers DeX, which transforms this tablet into a proper desktop workstation with floating windows and full mouse and keyboard integration. Customers can also take advantage of on-device Galaxy AI for real-time live transcriptions, document summarization, Circle to Search, and other functionalities.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra includes a redesigned S Pen that makes you feel like you're holding a drawing pencil with near-zero latency. It also features a quad stereo speaker setup, Wi-Fi 7 support, a 12MP ultra-wide front camera, and a dual-lens rear camera system. It also supports 45W fast charging with a generous 11,600mAh battery. It starts at $1,300 for the 256 GB variant.

Since the iPad Air with the M2 chip, Apple offers this tablet in a 13-inch variant as well. With 6.1mm of thickness, it's interesting to think that the Pro lineup is now thinner than the product called "Air." Still, there's always a possibility that an upcoming iPad Air with an OLED display might make the iPad Air once again the thinnest Apple tablet. Still, this device remains as a real option for customers who want a bigger display, one of the most powerful chips in the market (the M4), and at a better price than the pro model.

For those looking for an ultra-thin tablet but with enough space to do multitasking, it's hard not to recommend the 13-inch model. The extra visual workspace compared to the standard 11-inch model makes using Stage Manager, editing multi-track audio timelines, or sketching illustrations much more effortless. Thanks to the M4 chip, this iPad gets hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing, and an advanced Neural Engine built to accelerate Apple Intelligence features now that it has 12GB of RAM.

The iPad Air is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard, making this tablet as professional as the iPad Pro. It also features a 12MP Center Stage front camera and Apple's latest C1X and N1 chips for proprietary 5G and connectivity features. It starts at $749 due to the company's price hike, but still costs less than a Pro option.

Not every ultra-slim tablet needs to cost a fortune. Starting at $370, Lenovo does a decent job with this tablet's form factor — it measures 6.2mm and weighs approximately 1.32 lbs. With a 13-inch 3.5K display, it delivers a 144Hz refresh rate, 800 nits of peak brightness, and 99 percent DCI-P3 color coverage in addition to Dolby Vision support. For the price point, it's one of the best displays you can get in a period of intense price hikes in tech.

Under the hood, it uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 mobile platform with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage, which can be expanded further via a microSD card. With these specs, this tablet can easily handle multi-window workflows, smart document processing, and even local AI features powered by Google's AI. Interestingly, Lenovo partners with JBL to add quad speakers with Dolby Atmos support and dual microphones for clear calls.

This device features a multi-function USB-C port, which can also be used to connect to an external monitor, and it pairs with the Lenovo Tab Pen Plus, featuring pressure sensitivity, tilt detection, and anti-lost tracking. This tablet features a massive 10,200mAh battery with 45W fast charging, making it one of the best options at this price point.

We chose the tablets mentioned above with a few filters: they had to be very thin, recently released, and, most importantly, available in the U.S. There are several brands that offer ultra-thin tablets, but we also decided to prioritize models we have hands-on experience with, like the iPad Pro M5 and the reMarkable Paper Pro. 

We also considered expert opinion and customer reviews to filter the tablets for this list. While most ultra-thin tablets come at a premium price, we tried to include options from across the price spectrum. Apple has been mentioned twice, and the reason is that the company's iPads are fan-favorites, and its tablets are praised by the community due to their build quality, powerful chips, and long software support.