Many musicians use tablets to read sheet music. If you want to use a tablet to read sheet music, it’s important to find a tablet that fits your individual needs. Here are the 8 best tablets for sheet music in 2025.
8 Best Tablet For Sheet Music in 2025
1. Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)
The Apple iPad Pro 13-inch is Apple’s new flagship tablet, and is widely considered one of the best music production tablets of 2025. Its powerful hardware, large screen size, and Apple Pencil support make it a popular choice for musicians.
The iPad Pro’s powerful hardware allows for smooth, efficient processing, which is essential for running music production software and handling demanding tasks like multitrack recording and mixing. The large screen size provides ample space to manipulate virtual instruments, arrange tracks, and edit audio.
With precision and pressure sensitivity, the Apple Pencil provides a natural, intuitive way to write, draw, and control music software. Musicians can use Apple Pencil to create complex MIDI sequences, control virtual knobs and sliders, or simply jot down musical ideas. iPad Pro also has a variety of music-specific apps available on the App Store.
These apps handle various aspects of music production, including recording, synthesizing, sampling, mixing, and mastering. Many of these apps take advantage of the powerful hardware of iPad Pro to provide high-quality sound processing and realistic instrument simulations.
iPad Pro 13 is also highly portable, allowing musicians to create music on the go. Whether capturing song ideas during a studio session or performing live with virtual instruments and effects, iPad Pro provides the flexibility and convenience musicians need.
Overall, the iPad Pro combines powerful hardware, large screen size, Apple Pencil support, and a variety of music creation apps, making it a great choice for musicians who want to create music on their tablet.
2. Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra offers a powerful Android tablet that’s perfect for notating. With its sleek design, vivid display, and impressive performance, this tablet offers a great experience for musicians.
The Galaxy Tab series features powerful processors and ample RAM, allowing musicians to run music production apps and software smoothly. Whether it’s a digital audio workstation (DAW), virtual instruments, or effects plugins, the tablet can handle it with ease.
The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra’s vibrant display offers excellent color accuracy, making it easier for musicians to work with audio waveforms and MIDI data. This feature is especially useful for editing and arranging music, as well as creating visual compositions.
Tablets in this series also often come with large storage capacities, allowing musicians to store extensive collections of samples, loops, and recordings. Tablets also typically feature expandable storage options, such as a microSD card slot, to provide more space for music files.
The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra also offers features that enhance the overall music production experience. For example, some models feature the S Pen, allowing you to precisely control music production software and jot down notes and draw sketches directly on the screen. This feature can be especially useful for composers and songwriters.
The Galaxy Tab tablets offer a variety of connectivity options, with USB and Bluetooth capabilities allowing musicians to connect MIDI keyboards, controllers, and audio interfaces to expand their music production setup.
This flexibility allows musicians to easily work on projects whether they are on the go or in a studio setting. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 9 Ultra offers a versatile and powerful platform for music production. Its sleek design, vibrant display, powerful performance, and ample storage options make it an excellent choice for musicians who need a portable and efficient tool for creating music.
3. Microsoft Surface Pro 2-in-1 Laptop/Tablet (2024)
The Microsoft Surface Pro 2-in-1 Laptop/Tablet is a versatile tablet that runs on Windows OS. It combines the portability of a tablet with the functionality of a laptop, making it an excellent choice for music production.
In my humble opinion, this is the best option. Its compatibility with music production software and versatility make it a strong contender.
Intel Core processors allow you to run music production software smoothly. With ample RAM and storage options, you can handle large projects and store a vast library of sounds and samples.
The Surface Pro 2-in-1 2025 also features a high-resolution touchscreen display that provides a great visual workspace for composing and arranging music. It supports a variety of input methods, including a detachable keyboard and stylus, giving you flexibility in how you interact with your device.
The tablet also offers a variety of connectivity options, including USB ports, headphone jacks, and Bluetooth, so you can connect your instruments, controllers, and headphones without any hassle.
The Windows OS is also compatible with popular music production software, such as Ableton Live, FL Studio, and Pro Tools. This allows you to seamlessly utilize your favorite tools and plug-ins on your Surface Pro. Finally, the Surface Pro’s impressive battery life means you can work on long music projects without worrying about running out of power.
Overall, the Microsoft Surface Pro 2024 offers a combination of portability, performance, and compatibility that’s ideal for music production.
4. iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation)
If you’re reading sheet music, the decision comes down to size. As of this writing, the largest model offers a 12.9-inch screen diagonally. This model is the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
The iPad Pro 12.9-inch is the best tablet for reading sheet music. Sitting at the top of Apple’s scale iPad lineup, this is a very powerful machine designed for professionals, and I’ve been using it consistently since its release in 2015 when working with music ensembles at Newzik.
If you’re someone who regularly uses sheet music, the iPad Pro 12.9-inch will change your life. It gives you all the benefits of paper without the drawbacks, and all the advantages of digital sheet music.
The only problem with this product is the price, which can be a little scary. However, if you’re ready to make this investment, I’m confident you won’t regret it. As a musician who uses sheet music, this is the best you can do.
5. Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
If you want to spend close to the price of an iPad for a premium Android tablet, your only option is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+.
This is Samsung’s flagship tablet, with a 12.4-inch AMOLED screen (roughly the same size as the larger iPad Pro), and many models come with an S Pen stylus as standard.
While the hardware and software aren’t as polished as the iPad Pro, you can get the S7+ with a stylus and 512GB of storage for about the same price ($800) as the 11-inch iPad Pro with 128GB of storage (no Apple Pencil).
6. Surface Pro 6
The Microsoft Surface Pro’s Intel Core processor (included with each version, performance varies) and impressive RAM ensure that this tablet can easily run any music app you want.
The screen is smaller than the iPad, but it’s still plenty powerful enough to read even the densest orchestral scores. The Surface Pen, Apple Pencil’s cousin, also takes sheet music annotation to the next level. It also has 1TB of storage, a huge step up from the GB.
It’s a bit heavier and has a slightly lower resolution than the iPad Pro, but the Surface Pro will undoubtedly be a great fit for your digital sheet music needs. The attached keyboard effectively turns it into a laptop, so you can use it for more than just music.
7. iPad (10th generation)
This latest device is significantly less powerful than the other three. It’s not all that much less powerful. The A14 Bionic chip is the same one found in the iPhone 12. It’s still very powerful for a portable device, but it’s nowhere near as powerful as the iPad Air or iPad Pro.
More importantly, the screen is so tiny. At this stage, sheet music starts to become difficult to read. The real selling point of this device is its price. If you’re on a tight budget, it may still be a worthwhile investment.
A digital sheet music manager like Newzik will still allow you to centrally organize, and annotate your scores, but you’ll probably want to export and print them to make them comfortable to read on stage. However, if you’re a jazz musician, you can read and work with grids on this device, as it’s readable even on a smaller device.
Still, if you’re prepared to spend a little more on a device, you might want to consider a better device that you can buy used for a lower price.
8. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
The Galaxy is another great option, with a lightweight design and excellent portability. If you’re traveling or playing with sheet music, this is definitely one to seriously consider.
It’s probably the best Android tablet on the market, so if you’re up for that claim in the OS wars, this is one of the best weapons you’ll ever have. It also has impressive processing power and plenty of RAM, making it a worthy contender for speed with the iPad. You can also connect an S Pen and an attachable keyboard.
The long battery life is another plus, but one downside is the lack of a headphone jack, so if you’re a music reader, you’ll have to rely on Bluetooth. Aside from these minor drawbacks, the Galaxy Tab S6 offers a complete package for the Android operating system.
Conclusion
Whether you choose an iPad, Samsung, or Microsoft, finding the best tablet for sheet music will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Consider factors such as power, screen size, compatibility with music software, and overall user experience to make an informed decision.
FAQ
What are the main factors to consider when choosing a tablet for sheet music playback?
The main feature to consider is obviously the screen size. The larger the screen, the better for comfortable sheet music reading. This is especially important for pianists, organists, conductors, and anyone who uses more than one sheet music per system.
Another important factor to consider is the screen resolution, which determines reading comfort. If you’re a singer who frequently travels or has to hold sheet music while performing, you’ll also want to consider the weight of the device.
Depending on the size of your digital sheet music library, storage space can also be an important factor, and if you plan on using your iPad for other applications, such as music production software, you’ll want to consider overall performance.
For artists, long-lasting battery life is of course important, as is compatibility with digital styluses like the Apple Pencil for musicians, librarians, and stage managers who need to annotate sheet music.
Of course, price will also be an important factor. As is the case with the world, it matters more to some than to others.
How much storage space do I need for sheet music?
All iPad models except the Pro come with 64GB of storage. That’s not much these days. That’s plenty for most sheet music collections, but you’ll want to make room for apps and other data you need.
As of 2020, the iPad Pro models start at 128GB of storage, which is actually quite a lot for most musicians. I wanted more storage just in case, but luckily I stumbled upon the 128GB models of the 11-inch M1 and 12.9-inch M2 Pros at a huge discount. Even with all the apps I use and about 10GB of sheet music, the system tells me I’m still only using about 40-45GB of space total.
Do musicians really need an Apple Pencil?
Yes, absolutely! If I were a musician and could only buy one accessory for my iPad, I would buy the Apple Pencil without hesitation. Because using Henle Library and forScore, my favorite notation apps, is very similar to using paper notation.
But graphic artists really appreciate the faster responsiveness of the iPad Pro screen at 120Hz with the Apple Pencil compared to 60Hz on other models. I’ve used both versions of the Apple Pencil on various iPads, and to my eye, there’s not much difference when it comes to taking notes or writing on notation. I might not have noticed it if I hadn’t been looking for it, but I’m not a visual artist.
Starting with the 2022 M2 model, the iPad Pro has added a hover feature that previews the Pencil’s actions before you actually touch the screen. If you use the forScore app for your score collection, you’ll be able to take advantage of the hover feature.
While hovering, you can tap the screen to view annotation tools, swipe left or right to undo or redo annotations, and pinch to change the pen thickness. As this feature gains popularity, we’re sure more developers will implement hover support.
Can I run a DAW on my music production tablet?
Yes, you can run a digital audio workstation (DAW) on your tablet. Many DAWs have versions or apps specifically designed for tablets, allowing you to create, edit, and mix music on your device. However, the performance and capabilities of a tablet running a DAW can vary depending on its specifications and the specific software you use.
Can I record music on my tablet?
Yes, you can record music on your tablet using a DAW like the ones mentioned above. Most tablets have a built-in microphone that can record audio. There are also a variety of tablet apps that offer recording and editing features specifically designed for music production.