Microsoft Surface Pro 3

Students are constantly typing documents, writing notes, studying instructor’s Powerpoint presentations, answering emails, and bouncing around campus. That’s why the Surface Pro 3 is the best tablet for college. It’s sturdy enough to lug around in your backpack and has the specs of a high-end laptop. And after getting used to its touchpad-equipped keyboard cover, I often found myself treating it like one.

I’m still a sucker for the ol’ pencil and pad, but the Pro 3’s pen technology is the most natural I’ve ever felt. It’s really good. Empowered with Microsoft OneNote, a flexible built-in kickstand and crisp 12-inch display, the Surface Pro 3 is the finest tablet a student can own — especially if they prefer handwritten notes

Samsung Galaxy Tab S || The best tablet for business

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is a premium 8-inch tablet built for business. It’s fast, extremely thin, and its stunning AMOLED display is the best on the market. The resolution is a bit “taller” than normal, but that’s OK; the extra room allows for more features on the keyboard (including left-right directional keys!). That said, it was my go-to device for responding to emails.

Hardware aside, there are two main reasons it’s the top pick for businesspeople. First off, it has an intuitive file management hub that corrals data from both local storage and cloud services like DropBox — in other words, it’s crazy easy to locate all your stuff. And thanks to its fingerprint reader, those files and documents are safe behind a wall of biometric security. Secondly, it supports multitasking windows, which means you can use two apps simultaneously.

Other tablets to consider || The best tablet for kids

Parents are looking for three main things in a tablet for their children: durability, affordability, and a generous selection of educational apps. I give the nabi DreamTab HD8 a thumbs up in each respect: It’s under $200, well-built, and brimming with free content from DreamWorks — though some users actually complained about the amount of free Shrek and Kung Fu Panda content by saying it felt redundant and pushy. Otherwise, the slate averages 4.3 stars on BestBuy.com, and most of the comments I read praised its Dream Pro Studio drawing application and repertoire of creative software.

Despite being a “child’s tablet,” the HD8 has the display and processing power of an upper mid-range device — it’s powerful enough to placate both toddlers and preteens. Additionally, it comes with several intuitive parental controls like Chore List, a feature that manages your child’s playtime based on completed chores. Neat, right? Another solid sub-$200 option is the Amazon Fire HD 6 Kids Edition: it performs exceptionally well and features its own “kids mode” called Amazon FreeTime that’s full of exclusive content.