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Prices checked November 10, 2026Not tested in handNo paid rankingsHow we pick
You give up: Android apps for tablets are thinner than iPad apps, and it's a large tablet to carry.
Short answer: The closest cheaper alternative to the Apple iPad Pro 13" (M5, 256GB, Wi-Fi) is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra (256GB), about $1,399 instead of $1,499 (save 7%). What you give up: Android apps for tablets are thinner than iPad apps, and it's a large tablet to carry. The cheapest is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ (128GB) at about $700. Prices checked November 10, 2026.
Why it's a good swap Samsung's newest flagship tablet with an even bigger 14.6-inch screen and 256GB of storage.
You give up: Android apps for tablets are thinner than iPad apps, and it's a large tablet to carry.
Why it's a good swap Large 13.1-inch Samsung tablet for well under half the price.
You give up: Much slower mid-range chip and only 128GB of storage.
Why it's a good swap Same 13-inch size and 256GB of storage with Apple's M4 chip.
You give up: Older M4 chip and a less advanced display than the iPad Pro's.
Why it's a good swap The same M5 chip, Tandem OLED display with ProMotion, Face ID and Thunderbolt port, with the same 256GB of storage, for $300 less.
You give up: A smaller 11-inch screen (2420 x 1668 against 2752 x 2064), so less room for drawing and split-screen work.
Why it's a good swap A 12.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen at up to 120Hz with an S Pen in the box, IP68 water resistance and 256GB of storage, per Samsung.
You give up: A slightly smaller screen than the iPad Pro's 13 inches, Android tablet apps are thinner than iPad apps, and Samsung sells the 45W charger separately.
Why it's a good swap Last year's 14.6-inch Samsung flagship with 256GB of storage, still sold new.
You give up: Previous-generation chip, and Android tablet apps are less polished than iPad apps.
Typical US prices, checked November 10, 2026. Not live prices; check the listing before you buy.
Looking for a cheaper alternative to the Apple iPad Pro 13" (M5, 256GB, Wi-Fi)? It usually sells for about $1,499. Here are 6 cheaper swaps from $700: the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra (256GB) is the closest match from another brand, the Apple iPad Pro 11" (M5) is a cheaper option from Apple and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ (128GB) is the cheapest at about $700. Each one says what you give up for the lower price.
The 13-inch iPad Pro (M5, 256GB) costs $1,499 at Apple. The closest cheaper pick is Samsung's 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra with 256GB at $1,399, and the 13-inch iPad Air (M4, 256GB) costs $1,049. The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is $1,299 if you want Samsung's big screen for less.
Worth it if you'll use the screen and the power: Apple lists a 13-inch Tandem OLED display with 120Hz ProMotion, 1,000 nits SDR (1,600 nits HDR peak), and an M5 chip with 12GB of memory on the 256GB model. Creative Bloq calls it the best creative tablet of 2025 but says it's worth the money only if you can use its processing power.
Creative Bloq advises skipping it if something cheaper will do the job. The Apple iPad Air 13" (M4, 256GB) ($1,049) keeps the size and storage with an LCD and the M4 chip, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ (128GB) ($700) gives you a 13.1-inch screen for lighter use.
Compared on their own pages: iPad Air alternatives · iPad alternatives
| Option | Type | Typical price | You save | What you give up | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPad Pro 13" (M5, 256GB, Wi-Fi) | The original | $1,499 | – | – | View ↗ |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ (128GB) | Budget pick | $700 | $799 (53%) | Much slower mid-range chip and only 128GB of storage. | View ↗ |
| Apple iPad Air 13" (M4, 256GB) | Same brand, cheaper | $1,049 | $450 (30%) | Older M4 chip and a less advanced display than the iPad Pro's. | View ↗ |
| Apple iPad Pro 11" (M5) | Same brand, cheaper | $1,199 | $300 (20%) | A smaller 11-inch screen (2420 x 1668 against 2752 x 2064), so less room for drawing and split-screen work. | View ↗ |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S12+ (256GB) | Close match | $1,200 | $299 (20%) | A slightly smaller screen than the iPad Pro's 13 inches, Android tablet apps are thinner than iPad apps, and Samsung sells the 45W charger separately. | View ↗ |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra | Close match | $1,299 | $200 (13%) | Previous-generation chip, and Android tablet apps are less polished than iPad apps. | View ↗ |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra (256GB) | Close match | $1,399 | $100 (7%) | Android apps for tablets are thinner than iPad apps, and it's a large tablet to carry. | View ↗ |
Typical US prices from retailer listings and price trackers, checked November 10, 2026. They are not live Amazon prices and may have changed, so check the listing before you buy.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ (128GB), at about $700 (53% less). Large 13.1-inch Samsung tablet for well under half the price. The catch: Much slower mid-range chip and only 128GB of storage.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra (256GB), at about $1,399 (7% less). Samsung's newest flagship tablet with an even bigger 14.6-inch screen and 256GB of storage. The catch: Android apps for tablets are thinner than iPad apps, and it's a large tablet to carry.
Yes. The Apple iPad Pro 11" (M5), at about $1,199 (20% less). The same M5 chip, Tandem OLED display with ProMotion, Face ID and Thunderbolt port, with the same 256GB of storage, for $300 less. The catch: A smaller 11-inch screen (2420 x 1668 against 2752 x 2064), so less room for drawing and split-screen work.
The Pro has a Tandem OLED screen with ProMotion up to 120Hz and 1,000 nits SDR brightness, while Apple lists the 13-inch Air with a 600-nit LCD. The Apple iPad Air 13" (M4, 256GB) ($1,049) keeps the same size and storage with the older M4 chip.
Creative Bloq found it works well as the machine you use most of the time, but says it still loses out to laptops in some cases. It also says you'll want accessories such as a keyboard and Apple Pencil, sold separately.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra (256GB) ($1,399) has a bigger 14.6-inch screen and 256GB of storage. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra ($1,299) is last year's 14.6-inch model, and both have a thinner selection of tablet apps than iPad.
Apple lists the same M5 chip, memory, Tandem OLED display, Face ID and Thunderbolt port on both sizes. The 13-inch has a 2752 x 2064 screen and weighs 1.28 lb; the Apple iPad Pro 11" (M5) ($1,199) has a 2420 x 1668 screen and weighs 0.98 lb. Apple rates both at up to 10 hours of battery.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra (256GB) ($1,399) has a bigger 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, an S Pen in the box, an IP68 rating and a microSD slot, per Samsung, and weighs 1.52 lb against the iPad Pro's 1.28 lb. The iPad Pro runs iPadOS on Apple's M5 chip, and Apple Pencil Pro is sold separately.
Yes. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12+ (256GB) ($1,200) has a 12.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen at up to 120Hz, and the Apple iPad Pro 11" (M5) ($1,199) keeps Apple's Tandem OLED in a smaller size. The Apple iPad Air 13" (M4, 256GB) ($1,049) uses an LCD.
The Apple iPad Air 13" (M4, 256GB) ($1,049) supports Apple Pencil Pro and hover, like the iPad Pro, on a 13-inch LCD without the Pro's 120Hz ProMotion. Samsung includes an S Pen in the box with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12+ (256GB) ($1,200) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ (128GB) ($700).
Each swap links to amazon.com. Prices are typical US prices checked November 10, 2026 and change often, so check the listing before you buy.
Compared on their own pages: iPad Air alternatives · iPad Pro alternatives · Apple Pencil Pro alternatives · Galaxy Tab S11 alternatives · iPad alternatives
Every swap is a product sold in the US that does the main job of the original. Close match is another brand with similar features, Same brand, cheaper is an older, smaller or renewed model from the same maker, and Budget pick is the cheapest thing that still does the job. On each page, Closest match is the close match nearest the original in price, and Lowest price is the cheapest swap. We compare published specs, retailer listings and reviews; we don't test products ourselves.
A cheaper product is cheaper for a reason. Each swap says what you give up, like weaker noise cancelling, a smaller screen or a shorter warranty, so you can decide if the savings are worth it.
Prices are typical US prices from retailer listings and price trackers, last checked October 2026. They are not live Amazon prices, which change often. When a price couldn't be confirmed, the page says “Check price on Amazon” instead of showing a number.
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