5 best gaming tablets in 2022

Smartphones have become the standard for mobile gaming, but using gaming tablets facilitates bigger screens for better immersion and control. The notion of portability remains intact because most tablets, including Apple’s iPads, have become increasingly slimmer and more portable.

For some gamers, playing on phones can be a struggle because gaming on smaller screens isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. For the most part, tablets have resolved this hassle by providing a balanced experience of size and portability.

Tablets facilitate a few key features that ensure a distinct advantage over cell phones for mobile gaming. These include better battery backup, higher resolution screens for viewing detailed environments, and more surface area for better control.

To help you choose the best gaming tablet for your needs, we’ve listed out five options in a ranked order that provide a balanced experience.

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5 best gaming tablets for players on the go, ranked

1) iPad Pro M1 11-inch - $799

Apple initially introduced M1 chips for their MacBooks, but in 2021, they presented iPad Pros featuring the same M1 chip. What Apple did was unheard of and a desktop class chip on a tablet opened up a host of possibilities, especially for gaming.

A thermally stable M1 chip coupled with a 120 Hz Pro Motion display means you can play any mobile game at the maximum fidelity possible. Games like the newly released Apex Legends Mobile run flawlessly at a constant 120 Hz, sans any frame drops.

With the overall fit and finish of the iPad, the loud quad speaker array, and buttery smooth and stable iPad OS makes the iPad Pro M1 the best possible tablet for gaming.

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2) Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ - $899

Majority of the designs have become Apple-esque (Image via XDA)

The Galaxy Tab S8 series is as large as it gets for mainstream gaming tablets. Tab S8+ features a 12.4” AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The Galaxy Tab S8 ultra is also recommended, but its 14.6” display is honestly too big for mobile gaming.

The display is definitely superior to Apple iPads. Samsung has used the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip to power the S8 series and fortunately, here, it doesn’t throttle as much as it does on some phones.

A humongous 10,090 mah battery ensures there are no battery woes. It runs on One UI 4, based on Android 12 and it’s safe to say that the Galaxy Tab S8+ will run anything you throw at it, with ample headroom for the future. Games like BGMI should fly on it.

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3) iPad Air M1 - $599

There isn’t a better value for money gaming tablet in the market than the iPad Air M1. Yes, it might not have all the bells and whistles of the Pro Series, but the M1 chip holds its own in performance. You don’t get a 120 Hz display, but 60 Hz is plenty smooth for the majority of smartphone titles.

The iPad Air is a well-balanced product that nails the basics. Good color accuracy, powerful performance, and top-notch build quality makes it a top contender for a gaming tablet.

Audio output is handled exceptionally well thanks to a well-balanced stereo pair on each side of the iPad. Any multimedia consumption on the iPad Air is a joy. The presence of incredible games on the Apple Arcade takes it a notch further.

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4) iPad Mini - $449

Sometimes you don’t need the best hardware to have fun. The iPad Mini, with its A15 Bionic chip, can do almost anything on-paper that the more expensive models can. This includes gaming, video editing, and more.

Size is subjective here. For some, the enhanced portability that the iPad Mini brings to the table is a key attraction, but for some, the smaller 8” display might feel cramped while playing games like Call of Duty Mobile and Apple Arcade titles.

The iPad Mini comes with a base storage of 64GB but we highly recommend that you spend the extra cash and go for the 256GB variant for no storage woes. After all, most people who buy iPads use them as media consumption devices as well.

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5) Xiaomi Pad 5 - $399

The Xiaomi Pad 5 is a terrific value-for-money gaming tablet that features an iPad Pro-esque 11-inch LCD display with a 120 Hz screen refresh rate. It may not be powered by the Apple M1 but the Snapdragon 860 is plenty for most mobile games out right now.

Xiaomi has also made sure to provide ample base storage as it stands at 128GB. You can also buy a 256GB variant for just $50-60 more. Moreover, it features a large 8720mAh battery to ensure that you can have those longer gaming sessions.

The Pad 5 is a multimedia champ as it comes donning a quad speaker array that outputs in Dolby Atmos. For the price, this tablet is hard to beat if you can live with Xiaomi's MIUI.