The 3 Best Tablets for Excel Spreadsheets
(2023 Update)
Written by co-founder Kasper Langmann, Microsoft Office Specialist.
There are times when you want to work someplace else other than your office. In those situations, something compact and light may be perfect for the job.
However, you would need to use something that can do the work better than a phone. But smaller and more portable than laptops and desktop pcs.
The solution? A tablet.
For many of us, the best tablet for Microsoft Excel spreadsheets is definitely the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 — though the case isn’t the same for everyone.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of SpreadsheetoIt’s a strong, lightweight device with a long battery life to sustain your tasks.
Plus, aside from offering stronger security measures, the Surface Pro has a very powerful chipset that seamlessly runs office apps like Microsoft Word and MS Excel.
Overall, this tablet is essentially a great value for money.
However, tablets from Apple and Samsung also bring something unique to the table.
So, here are the 3 best tablets for Microsoft Office.
Tablets Reviewed
This list was last updated on April 30th, 2023.
Take note that for you to be able to use Excel on a tablet, you must have a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Microsoft Surface Pro 9
The next one on our list is a part of the Microsoft Surface Tablet Series — their very own premium windows tablet, the new Microsoft Surface Pro 9.
If you’re accustomed to Microsoft products, this tablet is ideal for you because it runs on the Windows 11 operating system.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of SpreadsheetoIt also operates with the powerful Intel Ivo 12th Gen Processor, making it perfect not only for Excel spreadsheets. But also for complete desktop efficiency and gameplay.
This windows tablet also has up to 15.5 hours of battery life, defeating most tablets in the industry.
Other notable features of this product include:
- A 13″ edge-to-edge PixelSense touchscreen
- A detachable keyboard and a pen stylus with a wireless charging capacity
- Removable drive options with up to 1 TB of storage
- A color adaptive 2880 X 1920 screen resolution
- A 1080p full HD video front-facing camera
- 2 USB C ports with USB 4.0
- 120 Hz refresh rate
- Dolby Vision IQ™ support for videos
- Gorilla® Glass 5 protection
You can also opt for the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G version, which runs on a Microsoft SQ® 3 processor with up to 19 hours of battery life.
Referred to be a “next generation laptop,” this tablet from the Microsoft Surface Pro series has three modes — laptop, studio, and tablet mode.
Spreadsheeto rating: 💚💚💚💚💚💚 (6/6)
However, like many tablets in the market today, this product’s accessories are sold separately. The base model only includes the tab itself.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of SpreadsheetoWith the Microsoft Surface Pro 9, you can easily work with your colleagues in Excel online or any other online spreadsheet app.
If you’re like most Excel users, you would definitely have a blast using this windows tablet for work.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9
You must have seen this already. But yes, the iPad Pro still sits at the top of the tablet world.
In fact, not only is this tablet good for Excel tasks. It’s also good for almost anything else that could be done on a tablet.
With the looks alone, it’s hard not to like the iPad Pro.
It’s a beautiful and powerful machine with a 12.9” edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display with ProMotion, True Tone, and P3 wide color.
This high-quality screen resolution provides a smooth and responsive design, especially when used for viewing content.
That said, using this tablet to watch some videos after work is a great idea.
Moving forward, the iPad Pro, like other iOS devices, also offers amazing performance-related specifications.
First off, with an M2 chip that powers its performance, you will never have to worry about Excel (or any other apps for that matter) freezing up.
This chip is also much faster than many regular PCs today.
Apple claims that M2 has:
- A 50% increased memory bandwidth
- 35% faster GPU
- A neural engine that’s 40% quicker than prior versions
- A CPU that performs 18% faster
Add the fact that you can use it with the Apple Pencil stylus and a detachable magnetic keyboard that you can use for a great typing experience. With the iPad Pro, you might not want to use a laptop ever again.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto
The iPad also has up to ten hours of battery life. When charged with a 20W charger, it only takes 2.5 hours to reach 100%.
This great battery life, coupled with such great features, makes this iPad the tablet to beat, especially in terms of real-world usage.
Even if this tablet doesn’t have a micro SD card slot, it still offers a storage space of up to 2 TB, which makes installing Microsoft Office apps and doing work-related tasks a breeze.
The only issue here is that the iPad costs a lot more when compared to other tablets in the market.
However, looking at how much this tablet gives you, you’ll see that this iPad is very much worth the purchase.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of SpreadsheetoOverall, this tablet has a lot of intriguing features that are difficult to overlook.
Those functionalities make it perfectly suitable not only for Microsoft Excel. But also for personal activities like movies, games, and so on.
To use the Apple iPad for Microsoft Excel, simply go to the tablet apps store and type in Microsoft Office. Click on the Microsoft 365 app to download and install.
Spreadsheeto rating: 💚💚💚💚💚💚 (6/6)
3. Samsung Galaxy Tab S8
Naturally, this list wouldn’t be complete without Apple’s ultimate rival, Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is another premium tablet perfect for Excel work.
This tablet comes with an 11-inch LCD screen that boasts a 12MP wide dual front camera.
This makes it not only good for running Excel. But also for meetings and other work-related events that need camera support.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of SpreadsheetoIt’s also packed with armor aluminum casing guards to protect the tablet from drops and bumps that can possibly damage it.
Despite the tablet being thin, you are guaranteed to have remarkable durability with the unit’s extremely compact, light design.
Speed-wise, the tab does things fast with its octa-core processor and PC-caliber internal RAM. Plus, it supports an external keyboard to make typing a lot easier.
Living up to its reputation as one of the best tablets for Excel, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is indeed a mobile tablet with PC capabilities.
Some of this product’s other standout characteristics include:
- The Snapdragon® 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform processor, which performs 24% times faster as a CPU and 54% faster as a GPU when put at par against Samsung’s previous premium flagship tablet, the Samsung Galaxy S7+
- WiFi 6E, enabling users to share files and integrate data with speeds as fast as 2.4 Gbps
- An 8,000 mAh battery with 45W super-fast charging, for long battery life
- DeX mode or desktop mode, for a more comprehensive work experience
- The S-pen, Samsung’s pen stylus that you can use to write down notes or draw stuff without any evident latency
- A 2560 x 1600 resolution for magnificent content viewing
- A 256 GB storage with a micro SD slot for extra memory
If you want, you can use the tablet as a Windows device and turn it into a powerful workstation that can help you multitask and even work on multiple documents or spreadsheets at once.
Spreadsheeto rating: 💚💚💚💚💚🤍 (5/6)
One of the best features of this Samsung tab is its powerful 8,000 mAh battery that lasts for up to 13 hours of video playback. That’s long! This will enable you to power through periods of work, without having to recharge.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of SpreadsheetoWrapping things up…
This selection only includes three of the best tablets for Excel.
However, there are other cheaper alternatives, like each of the tablet’s earlier models, or their more budget-friendly options.
For instance, you can go for an iPad mini, which is another seriously good tablet that can run Excel even with only LTE connectivity.
Or, another affordable but good tablet, like the Lenovo Chromebook Duet, the Acer Switch, and Fire HD tablet.
Bear in mind, though, that choosing these tablets also means choosing lower tablet specifications.
However, if you buy any of the aforementioned best tablets for Excel on this post, you will be able to stand through the changes in technology for +5 years.
So, if you’ve got the budget, go for the Surface Pro 9. Or if you’re coming from an Apple device, then choosing the Ipad Pro is the best choice.
Whatever you choose from all the tablets mentioned above, we’re confident that you will certainly get the value of your money.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of SpreadsheetoAlright, so you got the tablet… now what?
If it’s time to upgrade your laptop, check out our review!
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