The Best Music Sheet Tablet For Musicians In 2024

Don’t ruin any more gigs by forgetting or losing your sheet music. It’s time to go digital. Here is a list to find the best music sheet tablet for you as a musician. No more finding scores and digging through music paper!

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You carry a heavy pile of music sheets, while your colleague casually takes out his tablet. Now you’ve had enough and you’re joining the club of musicians who only read their sheet music digitally. Otherwise, you would not be here.

When it comes to finding a tablet for musicians sheet music you are flooded with options. Which one is truly the best tablet to read your music from? And will I be able to connect a fancy page-turning pedal? Don’t make any costly mistakes. Buy what you need but don’t spend more than necessary. And if you’re looking to spend as little money as possible then I suggest you check out my list of the best budget tablets for sheet music.

The most important thing when buying a tablet for sheet music is that you look at the screen size. Of course, you don’t want your tablet to be slow but most mid-range tablets will be just fine. Unless you are doing music production or heavy multi-media with it. If that’s the case, I think you should be looking for a laptop.

The Best Music Sheet Tablet Options In This Guide

Best Value Tablet

SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab S8+

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is one of the most value-for-money tablets out there at the moment. It has plenty of power and a great 12.4-inch screen. The included S Pen will handle your score annotations perfectly.

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Best Windows Two-In-One

Microsoft Surface Pro 9

For anybody who values using Windows 11, the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is a great option. You have the power of a laptop and the portability of a tablet right at your fingertips. The generous 13-inch screen is perfect for music score reading.

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Best For Large Scores

SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Ultra has an overwhelming screen size of 14.6-inch. This means that the size is more than an a4 tablet for sheet music. Perfect for large or more complex scores.

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Best Value iPad Pro

2020 Apple iPad Pro (12.9-inch)

The 2020 Apple iPad Pro 12.9 is possibly the best iPad for sheet music. With its beautiful display reading sheet music will be a pleasure. Performance, feel and ease of use are excellent.

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Best All-Rounder

Lenovo Tab P12 Pro Tablet

The Lenovo Tab P12 Pro is a bit of an underdog when it comes to the other tablets on this list. Nevertheless, it is well worth considering. Even if it is only for its awesome display.

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When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab S8+

A powerful and affordable SAMSUNG tablet with a beautiful screen and good performance. Perfect for playing digital sheet music.

The When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab S8+ is an impressive tablet, especially considering the price at the moment. Its beautiful and scratch-resistant screen will display any score in a very precise way. It’s almost the size of A4 paper. What has been improved is the responsiveness of the S Pen. This means that making music annotations is even more intuitive and precise. And best of all the S Pen is included.

Even though Android is not on par with iPadOS when it comes to multitasking, you can turn on Dex mode which enables a multi-window UI. But most musicians who are performing won’t need this. Since you will be focused on your sheet music anyway. So to conclude, the Galaxy Tab S8+ is a superb tablet for music sheets. And if you miss the feel of writing on paper, then you can buy When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.screen protectors that replicate the feel of paper while also protecting your screen!

When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.Microsoft Surface Pro 9

For anybody who likes to work with Windows 11, the Surface Pro 9 is the best choice. It is a well-balanced 2-in-1 option that combines portability and performance

The Microsoft Surface Pro line of 2-in-1 laptops/tablets is a well-known concept now. For anybody who loves their Windows configuration, the When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.Surface Pro 9 is a great option. This Windows tablet for reading sheet music is very powerful and portable at the same time. You get more ports than regular tablets and also the graphics card is up to par. And whenever you are not performing you can use the Surface Pro 9 to do your administration or just use it for pleasure. The only real downside is that the When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.Surface Slim Pen and When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.Surface Pro Keyboard are sold separately.

When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

A large tablet for sheet music for all those who need that extra space for larger scores. The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is interesting for pianists, conductors, and composers.

It is undeniable that the When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.SAMSUNG Galaxy S8 Ultra is an impressive tablet. Both in performance specs as well as screen size. The larger screen will come in handy, especially for those who are looking for the best tablet for reading piano sheet music. Or for arrangers and composers who generally need more space for their music scores. Since this tablet is on the large side, I would recommend buying a case to protect it. Together with enough speed and storage, this tablet will last you more than a day’s worth of heavy music practising and performing. For the ultimate setup, you can connect a wireless page turner.

And if you miss the feel of writing on paper, then you can buy When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.screen protectors that replicate the feel of paper while also protecting your screen!

When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.2020 Apple iPad Pro

The 2020 Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch is possibly the best iPad for music scores at the moment. The combination of power, ease of use, and the Edge-to-Edge Liquid Retina Display makes it attractive.

When it comes to tablets there is a clear division between Android, Apple, and Windows (Microsoft). Due to the speed, display, and compatibility with sheet music apps, it is a great When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.iPad Pro for sheet music. The battery life of more than 10 hours means that you can play concerts for multiple days. So you won’t have sleepless nights if you forget your charger and are on the road. The screen size is almost compared to a sheet of a4 paper, which means that you can also consider this iPad for piano sheet music. If you want a more premium paper feel while writing on your iPad check out these When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.Paperlike screen protectors for drawing, writing, and note-taking.

When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.Lenovo Tab P12 Pro

The Lenovo Tab P12 Pro is in direct competition with the Samsung Galaxy S8+. Although not as powerful as its competitors it’s a very decent tablet for music sheets and score reading.

The When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.Lenovo Tab P12 Pro tablet is incredibly thin and considering its screen size fairly lightweight. This makes it a very comfortable option if you care about portability. The screen has beautiful colors and great contrast which makes it more usable if you need to perform music outside. Just keep in mind that during extensive use the battery will probably last you about 7,5 hours which is not great.

Tablet For Musicians Sheet Music Buying Guide

Portability

Portability is something that many musicians and non-musicians value. The larger the screen size of the tablet, the more difficult it will be to take it in a small backpack or instrument bag. So this is something that you need to keep in mind. When you compare the largest tablets with any laptop it will still be far more portable and easy to take with you. This is because tablets tend to be thinner and a lot lighter. So long story short, I wouldn’t worry about not being able to take your tablet with you.

Stylus and Annotation

Generally, you will be using your fingers when interacting with your tablet. But sometimes you need more precision. Something capable of smooth annotations. Making smooth annotations is a must for anybody performing and reading sheet music. Maybe the stylus pen doesn’t react fast enough or the screen feels strange. If this is the case then it will be a nightmare to have to work with your tablet every day. So keep in mind that not all stylus pens are equally good.

The When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.S Pen from SAMSUNG and the When you purchase through this link I may earn an affiliate commission while it doesn't cost you more.Apple Pencil are the best stylus pens. Check out any customer reviews and they will tell you how amazing these pens are. Making smooth annotations in your music scores is very important. So this is something to keep in mind when making your buying choice.

Storage

Storage is not a problem anymore. Many people use cloud services. Also, you can always transfer files to your computer or phone if necessary. So technically speaking this should not be a deal-breaker. But you do need enough storage room to comfortably work and install any apps. And applications tend to demand more storage over time. I recommend a minimum of 64 GB or 128 GB.

Audio

To me, audio is always very important. Especially when you are rehearsing, you want to be able to listen out loud. So decent speakers are something that I see as a plus. Although, it is not a deal-breaker if the speakers are so-so. But keep in mind that not all tablets have headphone outputs. So if the speakers are also no good, then that would be something to watch out for.

Why would you want to listen to music on your tablet? Well, maybe you recorded something that you were practising. Or you might want to listen to a live performance of a famous piece that you are rehearsing at the moment. Good tablet speakers do come in handy.

Connectivity

It’s impossible to find a tablet nowadays that does not have Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. But to have two or more USB connections is a luxury. The reason Bluetooth is important is that you need it for connecting a page-turner. Mostly it’s a page-turning pedal. Wi-Fi is important for transferring files with other people or downloading music and apps. Now USB you will need it for charging and for transferring files. Also for some tablets, this is the only connection for playing audio. Something that I always like is to have an extra slot for an SD card. This makes file transfers easy and you can upgrade your storage easily.

Tablet Battery Life

Battery life is very important. Do not underestimate this! As a busy musician with many concerts at a weekend, you might forget or not be able to charge your tablet. You don’t want your tablet to turn off in the middle of a performance. Can you imagine? Your tablet should have at least 8 hours of battery life if you ask me. Then at least you can safely play two gigs a day without charging.

Operating System and App Compatibility

Anything that supports Android or has iPad OS is suitable. When it comes to Windows you will also be ok. Just check if the apps that you want to use are compatible. At the moment of writing, I would suggest Android 11 or higher.

The Display

The best thing to do is to compare your tablet to a sheet of A4 paper or letter paper. If you want it to be similar then the screen size has to be 12 inches and above. Anything under 11 inches is too small. So I would go for anything that is 12 inches and larger. You don’t want to have to squeeze your eyes or zoom in constantly. Or even worse, skip a bar because you didn’t see it.

Frequently Asked Questions