tablets‐for‐musicians.net
Tablets and e-readers for musicians: Questions and Answers
What is the best screen size to read sheet music on a tablet (or e-reader)?
The tablets whose format comes closest to the size of sheet music are the following:
- On iPadOS: the 12.9-inch iPad Pro
- On Android: the Samsung Galaxy S9 Ultra (14.6-inch screen)
- On Windows: the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 or the XPS 13 2-in-1 (13-inch) convertibles
E-readers of a format suitable for sheet music are as follows:
- The Onyx Boox Tab X with its 13.3-inch screen (and its carbon copy, the PadMu 4)
- Their predecessors, the Onyx Boox Max Lumi 2 and the PadMu Lumi 2
E-readers or tablets with screens 11 inches or smaller are not suitable for reading sheet music or for effectively using most music software. However, they may be sufficient to display songbooks, tablatures and song texts with chords.
Which e-readers are good alternatives to tablets (for musicians)?
For reading sheet music, practicing and performing, the best e-reader as an alternative to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is the Onyx Boox Tab X, with a 13.3-inch e-ink display.
The best e-reader as an alternative to the 10.9-inch (iPad Air, "standard" iPad) and 11-inch (11-inch iPad Pro) iPads is the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra.
Its 10.3-inch electronic ink (e-ink) screen is, however, too small to work on sheet music and scores comfortably. To do so, you will have to consider its big brother, the Onyx Boox Tab X.
