I'm a tablet expert, and iPads are still miles better than Android slates for multitasking but Apple will lose the advantage if it doesn't fix the rest of iPadOS soon

Date:
Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:11:12 +0000

Description:
Apple's iPadOS software continues to make multitasking a breeze compared to Android tablets, but there's room for improvement on all sides.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter In all my years testing gadgets for TechRadar, I've never once reviewed an iPhone. I'm an Android boy through and through, and I've never found a convincing argument to change over to
team Apple ...

... if we're talking about smartphones. However, I've always maintained that the best tablets are those made by the Cupertino tech giant, and that's still the case in 2026. In the last six months, I've tested several Android tablets with solid specs, great-looking screens, impressive portability, and useful accessory offerings. But so far, none have convinced me that I should leave behind the best iPads for an Android-powered slate. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

But this isn't for the reasons often cited by iPad fans for me, there's one key thing that Android tablets have failed to properly copy from Apple's slates. The usual suspects are suspect (Image credit: Future) I've heard
quite a few arguments for choosing iPads over Android tablets and, honestly, some of them are pretty valid. You may like The best Android tablets 2026 The best tablet 2026 iPhone loyalty hits a new high, but here's why I won't be ditching Android

For professionals and creative types, Android tablets can simply be a no-go due to their lack of apps. A few of the biggest names just aren't available
on even the best Android tablets : Procreate, DaVinci Resolve, and Shapr3D, for instance, as well as Apple's own suite of apps.

Some reasons, however, don't fly. Apple fans will talk eloquently about how important the company's M-series chips are, components which were designed
for laptops but now come in iPad Pros. However, there just isn't a need for this kind of power in a portal device. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

I'm also not convinced by arguments citing the iPad's superior range of accessories (every Android tablet under the sun offers stylus and keyboard compatibility), wider product ecosystem (that's always been Android's
strength anyway), and better longevity (I've met pensioners using decades-old Fire tablets; Androids survive just fine).

None of these are the reasons I'm still sticking to my iPad. It's something a lot simpler. I just want two apps (Image credit: Future) There's one thing that my iPad does far better than any Android tablet I've ever used: multitasking via app split-screening. That might not seem like much of a feature to set my tablet hopes on, but I use my slate split-screened more frequently than I do in a single-app orientation. What to read next I took
the iPad Air and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft drawing in the park and there's
only one I want to use in direct sunlight The best iPad 2026 The best Android phones 2025

The key is simplicity. When I've got one app open, and I want another on the other side of my screen, I just swipe up to summon the task bar, press and hold on the app I want, and drag it to one half of the screen. It'll appear, resizing itself to fit. Simple.

I'm constantly jumping between different apps in split-screen: a word processing app, an internet browser for research, email, or socials,
depending on the work I'm doing and who I need to submit it to. In the last few years, Apple has also let me put different internet tabs on different sides, so I can conduct two-fold research.

This all sounds like a basic tablet function, and true enough,
split-screening is but on iPads, it's uniquely easy to enable. (Image
credit: Future) Take, for example, the OnePlus Pad Go 2 , which our reviewer was very taken by. On OxygenOS which is pretty faithful to stock Android
the process involves loads more steps. You need to open the app, swipe up to the recent apps list, press the three-vertical-dot options menu, select Split View, and then navigate through your entire tablet's interface to find the other app you want. It's a timely process that depends on you knowing exactly where in your slate your chosen app is located.

That process is, from my experience, typical of Android tablets. It's the
same in Samsung Galaxy tablets, for example, and on most alternatives: generally, Android tablets don't come with a lower toolbar, unless a manufacturer adds it themselves.

That's the case with Xiaomi's HyperOS, and it's also got a neat feature that lets you quickly banish one split-screen app in favor of the other.

Split-screening on Android tablets is such an unnecessarily convoluted
process that it puts me off using them for my workflow. And that's a real shame, because Apple's ceding its crown, and someone needs to take it.
Apple's getting soft(ware) (Image credit: Future) Apple's days as the top tablet dog are numbered. Partly, it's because of what Android makers are pulling off, but for the most part, it's a case of self-sabotage.

In the last year or so, certain Android makers have started to work out what makes iPads tick. They've stopped trying to release big, powerful tablets
with lovely screens and have instead focused a lot more on software.

Xiaomi, as mentioned, has come closest to nailing the multi-screen
experience, with tablets like its recent Pad 8 really impressing me. It has
an iPadOS-like bottom bar to easily summon apps, and a clean look that
doesn't overwhelm you with apps or options.

Ironically, one of the biggest companies failing at the software game at least in terms of new features is now Apple. Its Liquid Glass design
overhaul in iOS 26 (and iPadOS 26) is so ugly that we had to publish a guide on how to make it easier on the eyes ; it's an accessibility nightmare,
adding stuttery navigation effects and making app icons look like poorly-cut-out PNGs. As you can tell, I'm not a fan, and it makes iPads feel cheap. (Image credit: Future) Around the same time as Liquid Glass' release, another infuriating update rolled out, which brought Mac-like windowing and multitasking to the iPad. In doing so, it also brought an axe to the simplicity and ease of use that had defined iPads previously and that likely made them so popular among users.

Now, when you open an app on an iPad, it's hard to know for sure whether
it'll take up the whole screen, appear in a window with an annoying border so it doesn't take up the whole display, or hover in a small panel over an existing app.

Sometimes, you'll close an app, but it'll move off the screen with its edges poking over, and it's hard to know how to fully close it. Controlling and adjusting these windows is wildly unintuitive and frustrating; after at least six months on the software, I still never feel like I'm in control of my
iPad.

Perhaps for seasoned Mac users, the upgrade is a positive one, but it's nullified the simplicity that made me enjoy my iPad. You can turn off
windowed apps, but that also stops you from being able to split-screen, so it's not exactly a solution.

This all suggests that Apple doesn't actually know why people buy iPads. They think users buy these tablets as portable productivity machines, possibly misled by the fact that the iPad Pro is its most popular tablet . That's true in terms of sales rankings, but the iPad Pro still makes up a minority of sales compared to the brand's three consumer-focused slates combined. iPads are bought by everyday tech users, not professionals, and complicated, ugly software is just going to put them off.

For now, I'm just about holding onto my iPad. But the slow and steady improvements coming to Android tablets, and Apple's own iPad self-immolation (or should that be self-iMmolation?) is really tipping the balance. It's very likely that Android tablets will soon catch up, or even overtake, iPads and iPadOS, and I'll happily jump ship once that happens. Today's best iPad deals Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M5) 2,199 View See all prices Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M5) 1,899 View See all prices Apple iPad Air 13-inch M4 799 View See all prices Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 599 View See all prices Apple iPad (A16) 11 479 View See all prices Apple iPad Mini (2024) 499 474.97 View See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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