But it’ll be cheaper according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, and rumours which say it will be aimed at education and enterprise. Even if it is, it could still be good value for home users on a budget. Read more iPad 2018 rumours here. If you would rather buy a tablet today, check out our reviews of the best tablets. Before you buy anything, check out the best tablet deals, too.
Huawei MediaPad M5
Expected release: April 2018
When manufacturers are leaving it longer between releasing new tablets, Huawei appears to be working on an annual cycle. And the MediaPad M5 isn’t rumoured: it’s official. There are three models in the range, all of which run Android Oreo. One has an 8.4in screen, the other two 10.8in. The top model is called the ‘Pro’ and comes with a stylus in the box and aims to be a cheaper alternative to the iPad Pro 10.5. You can read our reviews of the MediaPad M5 8.4 and MediaPad M5 Pro. They’re not yet on sale, and we don’t have UK pricing yet.
Expected release: May or October
The seven-inch tablet has been especially popular as one of the cheapest and yet still decent tablets money can buy, but we wanted faster performance and higher screen resolution.
Google PixelBook tablet
Expected release: Summer
Google’s last tablet was the Pixel C which launched in December 2015. Then in October 2017 is announced the PixelBook, a laptop/tablet hybrid that we’ve reviewed here. The rumoured tablet seems to be a detachable version of the PixelBook, much like the Microsoft Surface Book. There isn’t much to go on, but Digitimes reports that Google placed orders with the same manufacturer of the PixelBook for a tablet with a 12in screen.
Microsoft Surface Pro 5
Expected release: June or October
The Surface Pro 5 was rumoured to launch in 2017. Instead, we got a slighly updated Pro 4 which was just called the Surface Pro. It was announced in May, and is one of the best Windows tablets money can buy (and it costs a fair amount of money, most starting at around £799). One of the changes is an upgraded Surface Pen (no longer included in the box). The design otherwise stays mostly the same when compared to the Surface Pro 4. The Surface Pro 5 will only appear when Microsoft has some “meaningful change” it can make to the features or design. Click here for more Surface Pro 5 news.
iPad Pro 10.5 second-gen
Expected release: June
Apple first unveiled the 10.5in iPad Pro at WWDC 2017. Could it choose this year’s developer conference to introduce a second-gen version? Maybe, but there are enough rumours to suggest Apple is developing new iPad Pros with tech from the iPhone X such as the 3D scanning face camera. It’s doubtful they’ll adopt the ‘notch’ in the screen as the bezels will likely be large enough to accommodate the camera, ambient light sensor and anything else that needs to be above the screen. Read the latest rumours about the 2018 iPad Pro Marie is Editor in Chief of Tech Advisor and Macworld. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she’s worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our English language, French and Spanish consumer editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry’s transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.
