If you’re looking to buy a tablet , you might want to put away your money and check out our list of the most exciting new tablets coming later this year. We cover all the best new tablets for 2017, including the best new Windows tablets , best new Android tablets and best new iPads. Also see: Best new phones coming in 2017.
Also see: Best Tablet Deals
If you would rather buy a tablet today, check out our group tests of the best tablets , best Android tablets , best Windows tablets , best budget tablets and best kids tablets. Otherwise, read on >>
September is the time of year Amazon tends to focus on its Fire tablet updates, and in September 2016 we were treated to a new Amazon Fire HD 8 with longer battery life, twice as much storage, and an increased amount of RAM for faster performance.
But we’re still waiting for an update to the Fire 7 and Fire HD 10, which were announced alongside the HD 8 in September 2015. The former has been especially popular as one of the cheapest and yet still decent Android tablets money can buy, and has been a strong seller in the recent Black Friday sales and in the run up to Christmas.
In a new model we’d hope to see slightly faster performance and possibly more storage, and perhaps higher screen resolution. But these are likely to continue to be wallet-friendly budget tablets that will appeal to customers primarily for their value.
We’ll keep you posted with new Fire and Fire HD rumours as we hear them.
Having abandoned its traditional iPad launch event in October 2015, when we heard there would be an iPad announcement in March 2016 we were hoping to see a new iPad Air 3. In fact we got the smaller iPad Pro 9.7. The iPad Air 3 was also a no-show in Apple’s September and October 2016 events, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of an iPad Air 3 coming our way soon, and Apple has not confirmed the death of the Air line.
Indeed, analysts are speculating that in 2017 there will be three new iPads: a 9.7in model that will be the new entry-level model, replacing the iPad Air 2; a 10.5in iPad Pro to replace the 9.7in iPad Pro, and a new 12.9in iPad Pro. The entry-level tablet should go into production in the first quarter, and the two Pros in the second quarter, but it’s possible that all three will be held back until the second half of the year.
Our sister site Macworld UK predicts that we won’t see the new iPad Air 3 until March 2017, with the tablet going on sale around 10 days later with an estimated RRP of £399-plus.
While the entry-level 9.7in iPad will get an Apple A9 processor, the 10.5- and 12.9in models will allegedly get the Apple A10X. These Pro models will also get an upgraded Apple Pencil.
Some rumours circulating on a new iPad Air 3 suggest it will feature a Smart Connector on the left edge for connecting a Smart Keyboard, as well as Apple Pencil compatibility. Other changes might include a thinner 7000-series aluminium body (without reduced battery life) and faster performance with a processor upgrade. Expect it to come in silver, gold, space grey and rose gold, potentially with a new LED flash for the rear camera. Could we also finally see an increase to screen resolution, perhaps matching the 401ppi of the iPhone 7 Plus?
Read more iPad Air 3 rumours here.
We’re reasonably confident that Apple will unveil a new iPad at its next event, which should take place in March 2017. We’re getting to the stage now where it will need to announce a new iPad Air 3 (see the previous screen) and also overdue iPad mini 5 (last updated in September 2015), or confirm their death.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says there will be three iPad launches in 2017, but unfortunately for the iPad mini none will be compact models. We’re still holding out hope for Apple’s popular iPad mini, however, although we reckon it’s time for a refresh.
