If you are looking for the Best tablet for reading PDFs, a large screen and powerful performance are key considerations. Additionally, the battery life and portability will differentiate a good from a bad PDF e-reading tablet.
Reading a PDF document is not a complicated process that only a tablet can do. Most phones and iPhones will comfortably open PDF documents.
However, with larger screens and more processing power, tablets will provide readers with a better user experience.
With the many brands of reading tablets available in the market, we have researched and compiled a list of the best tablets for reading PDF files.
We have considered all ranges of tablet types from budget-friendly options to premium-level and expensive tablets too.
Click on the contents navigation to skip to any specific one.
What is the Best tablet for reading PDFs
- Kindle Paperwhite – Best Overall
- Amazon Fire Tablet HD 10 – Best budget
- Lenovo Yoga C740 – Best tablet for reading PDF files & books
- iPad Air – Best for pdf reading and edits
- Kobra Libra 3 – Best 2-in-1 PDF reader
- Kindle Oasis – Bestfor PDF Journals
- Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – Best Touchscreen Tablet
- Microsoft Surface Go 3 – Best Windows Tablet
- iPad Pro -Best for Reading PDF Magazines
Kindle Paperwhite – Best Overall
The Kindle Paperwhite is our pick for the Best Overall tablet for reading pdf documents. One of the main reasons it takes the spot is its very affordable price range and the fact that it is made as a reading tablet from the onset.
The tablet screen is ideal for reading with a 6.8-inch screen size and up to 300 PPI glare-free screen display.
As a tablet made with reading as a core purpose, it offers a perfect paper-like reading feel that is both appealing and comfortable.
It features 20% faster page turning and a long 10-week long battery life. If you like saving your PDF documents and books on your tablet, the Kindle Paperwhite comes with 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB alternatives that you can choose from.
Although this appears low, it is more than you need for PDF files since they are usually small-sized documents.
Amazon Fire Tablet HD 10 – Best budget
The Amazon Fire Tablet HD 10 is a good budget pick that you can use as a multipurpose tablet without spending too much.
As mentioned the price is very affordable and you will not have to spend too much to get it. The screen is a whole 4 inches larger than the Kindle Paperwhite, at 10 inches and 1080p Full HD resolution.
This display is perfect for both reading and streaming videos and movies.
A quad-core processor and 3 GB RAM will easily handle any PDF file formats without lags.
It will read PDFs and perform simple multitasking but will also come with its fair share of shortcomings.
For example, it will have compatibility problems when working with Google Play applications. Amazon Fire Tablet HD 10 is an Amazon product. It will work perfectly with Alexa and other Amazon products.
Lenovo Yoga C740 – Best for reading PDF books
The Lenovo Yoga C740 is another multipurpose tablet that you can use for reading PDFs. This is not a simple tablet like the 2 mentioned above that is the Amazon Fire Tablet HD 10 and Kindle Paperwhite.
It can be classified as a 2 in 1 tablet and used as a replacement for a laptop. It comes with a powerful 10th generation i5 CPU, 256 GB storage space, and 8GB of RAM.
This makes it possible for the Lenovo Yoga C740 to be used for even complex tasks such as drawing and photo editing.
When it comes to battery life, you will have up to 13 hours of continuous usage which is more than a full working day.
Overall, You will not regret getting this tablet.
iPad Air – Best for pdf edits
The iPad Air is more powerful than all the other tablets reviewed in this article so far. It features a large 11-inch screen with Apple’s unique liquid Retina display technology.
Additionally, the 2360 x 1640 Pixels resolution will be crisp and clear. Unlike the Kindle Paperwhite, you will not only use this tablet for reading PDFs.
Reading your PDF on a liquid Retina screen will be both clear and bright, capable of comfortable usage both indoors and outdoors.
The A14 Bionic chip, large RAM, and 64 GB or 256 GB storage will be perfect for many professional tasks.
If you combine it with a Magic Keyboard, for example, you can use it as a good laptop-like writing device.
Kobra Libra 3 – Best 2-in-1 PDF reader
- Screen Size – 7 inches
- Storage Space: 32 GB
- Net Weight: 0.37 Grams
- Dimensions: 7.01 x 7.64 x 1.18
- Battery life: 2 1 hours
- No Bluetooth
Kobra Libra 3 is a simple and straightforward easy-to-use tablet for reading PDFs. The tablet is targeted as an e-reading device making it a direct competitor to various Kindle devices.
Kindle Devices such as Kindle Paperwhite, however, will read packaged eBooks easier and provide a better user experience. If you however want to read PDFs made on a program such as Acrobat, then the Kobra Libra 3 is your best pick.
Its smooth user interface and easy navigation will be perfect for readers. For example, drag-and-drop pdf reading options plus font resizing will allow a great user experience.
The price of this tablet also makes it stand out. Compared to many of its competitors, it is one of the most affordable tablets on this list.
If you prefer saving your ebooks and PDFs on your tablet, the Kobra Libra 3 comes with a large 32 GB storage space that is more than you will need.
To view your pdf, you will have a decent-sized 7-inch screen with anti-glare technology and full-touch features. At an overall 7.01 x 7.64 x 1.18 inches in size and only 0.37 grams in weight, the Kobra Libra 3 is a very easily portable tablet.
Additionally, you will have up to 2 1 hours battery life to use during your travels and outdoors.
The body and build are firm sturdy and fully waterproof, meaning your tablet will serve you for far longer than most average tablets.
Unfortunately, the tablet is not as good as the Kindle devices. It is also limited to PDFs but may be limited when it comes to eBooks.
Kindle Oasis – Best for PDF Journals
Just like the Kindle Paperwhite tablet, the Kindle Oasis is another reliable Kindle Tablet that you can use to read PDFs.
For the screen, it comes with a nice 7-inch screen with a 300 PPI Paperwhite display screen. To protect your eyes when reading for long, the paperwhite screen comes with a warm light that shifts shades from white to a warm amber hue.
If you enjoy reading in the bathtub or bathroom, the Kindle Oasis features a perfect full waterproof body. Sometimes your hands may be wet and not able to touch the screen to flip to the next pages.
This tablet comes with ergonomically designed page flip buttons on the body of the tablet for easy navigation. The Kindle Oasis and Kindle Paperwhite feature many similar features such as the storage space at 32 GB and 10-week battery life.
However, the Kindle Oasis is an upgrade and newer version compared to the Kindle Paperwhite. It is evident in the larger 2 GB RAM.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – Best with a full Touchscreen
- Screen Size: 12.3-inch touch-screen
- Resolution: 2736 x 1824 pixels
- Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i7
- Memory: 16 GB of RAM
- Storage: 1 TB SSD
The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is the Best PDF-reading tablet with a full Touchscreen surface. The screen is large at 12.3 inches with 2736 x 1824 pixels resolution.
For processing power, the tablet comes with a powerful 10th Gen Intel Core i7 and 16 GB of RAM for multi-tasking.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 will run for up to 105 Hours of battery life when you are reading PDFs. This long battery life is perfect for portability.
Unfortunately, the, 12.74 x 9.09 x 1.91 inches, overall size, and 1.7 pounds weight are both slightly higher compared to other tablets. This might limit the tablet’s overall portability.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is a Windows tablet and runs on Windows 10 Home operating system.
Microsoft Surface Go 3 – Best Tablet from Windows
- Screen Size: 10.5 inches
- Resolution: 1920×1280 Pixels Touchscreen
- Processor: Intel Core i3
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage Space: 128 GB SSD
- Battery Life: 11 hours
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 615
- A fully portable 2-in-1 Surface touchscreen tablet/ laptop
Although the Microsoft Surface Go 3 features a weaker 1.3 GHz Intel core_i3 compared to other Microsoft Surface tablets, this power combined with 8 GB RAM is more than enough for basic pdf reading.
The screen is medium-sized at 10.5 inches and full touch screen, which offers a comfortable reader experience.
Additionally, you will have a crisp and clear view of your eBooks and PDFs, thanks to a Full HD 1920 x 1280 Pixels resolution.
If you like reading your documents on the go or on your travels, the Surface Pro 3 is one of the most portable tablets available in the market today.
This is made possible by an overall 7.98 x 10.82 x 1.89 inches product size, 1.33 pounds weight plus up to 11 hours of battery life.
iPad Pro -Best for Reading PDF Magazines
- Screen Size: 12.9 inches
- Resolution: 2732 x 2048 Pixels Liquid Retina XDR Display
- Processor: M2 chip
- Storage: 1 TB
- Front Camera: 12 MP front/
- Back Camera: 12 MP ultrawide and 10 MP Wide
- Brightness Levels: 1000 nits
- Battery Life – 10 hours
The iPad Pro is the Best Tablet for Reading PDF Magazines. Generally, the iPad Pro is more powerful than you will need for only reading PDFs.
It offers a perfect screen basically better than all other tablets in this review. The screen is 13 inches in size and 2732 x 2048 Pixels in resolution with a unique Liquid Retina XDR Display only found on iPads.
You will be able to use the iPad Pro in both indoor and outdoor areas thanks to up to 1000 nits brightness levels. This is the brightest screen in this review.
Pros
- Large clear display
- Powerful Processor and RAM
- Good Cameras
- Long battery life
- Large Storage space
- Brightest screen available
Cons
- Expensive
- Pen comes separate
- More power than you need
The Best tablet for reading PDFs
- Kindle Paperwhite – Best Overall tablet for reading pdf documents
- Amazon Fire Tablet HD 10 – Best budget tablet for reading PDF documents
- Lenovo Yoga C740 – Best tablet for reading PDF files & books
- iPad Air – Best for pdf reading and edits
- Kobra Libra 3 – Best 2-in-1 PDF reader
- Kindle Oasis – Best Tablet for PDF Journals
- Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – Best PDF reading tablet with a full Touchscreen
- Microsoft Surface Go 3 – Best Windows Tablet for Viewing PDFs
- iPad Pro -Best Tablet for Reading PDF Magazines
Related Content
Can you read PDFs on a tablet?
Yes, you can read PDF files on a tablet. Most modern tablets, including those running operating systems like Android and iOS, have built-in PDF readers or support for third-party PDF reader apps.
Which Kindle Tablet is the best for PDF reading?
While Amazon's PDF software remains consistent across all Kindle models, with nearly all but the most basic version featuring 300 PPI screens, the Kindle Paperwhite stands out as the top choice for budget-conscious individuals seeking an affordable yet feature-rich PDF reader.