As of 13 August 2026, AI can choose a tablet for your mobile business team.

What to actually do

1. Hand it to a person

   The route this page recommends

   A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.

2. Use a tool built for this

   Second choice

3. Do it yourself

   The distant third

   A chat interface, chat-fluent skill, and roughly 1 hour until you can act on the result.

   How to actually do it

   1. Open a spreadsheet or document and record the team's headcount, maximum budget, VAT treatment, work locations, expected replacement period and any procurement deadline.
   2. Gather the names and minimum requirements of every business app, including whether each app requires Android, iPadOS, Windows, a browser, offline access or a particular accessory.
   3. Ask your IT or security lead to confirm requirements for MDM, user accounts, encryption, remote wipe, biometrics, mobile data, warranty and support.
   4. Paste the gathered requirements into the prompt, then add any permitted supplier or manufacturer links so the chatbot has a defined source set.
   5. Ask the chatbot for the shortlist, sourced comparison table, weighted scoring model and pilot-test plan specified in the prompt.
   6. Open each cited manufacturer and retailer page and compare the drafted specifications, UK price, VAT treatment, stock, warranty, software support and cellular details against the source pages.
   7. Borrow or order one candidate for a pilot and run the team's real apps, logins, accessories, connectivity, battery demands and security controls in the stated working conditions before buying for everyone.
   8. Send the checked comparison and pilot results to the person who approves the purchase, then confirm the final model, configuration, accessories, warranty and management enrolment with the supplier.

   Prompt

   Act as a UK business technology researcher. Recommend a tablet for my mobile team using only the requirements and sources I provide or sources you can cite clearly. Do not invent specifications, prices, availability, discounts, battery-life results, software support periods or security features. Treat any fact that may change as needing a current source.
   
   Business requirements:
   - Team size: [number of people]
   - Maximum budget per tablet, including or excluding VAT: [amount and VAT treatment]
   - Total budget: [amount]
   - Main work locations and conditions: [for example, warehouses, construction sites, vehicles, customer premises]
   - Required apps and services: [list, including any Windows, Android or iPadOS requirement]
   - Need for keyboard, stylus, barcode scanning, camera or rugged protection: [details]
   - Connectivity: [Wi-Fi only, mobile data, SIM or eSIM, offline use, required network]
   - Minimum screen size and portability needs: [details]
   - Battery or shift requirement: [details]
   - Security and management requirements: [MDM, user accounts, encryption, remote wipe, biometrics, business support]
   - Accessibility requirements: [details]
   - Procurement constraints: [UK suppliers, warranty, delivery date, refurbished devices allowed, preferred manufacturer]
   - Expected replacement period: [period]
   
   Produce:
   1. A shortlist of up to four tablets available in the UK.
   2. A comparison table covering price as found, VAT treatment, operating system, screen, weight, battery information, storage, memory, ports, cellular options, ruggedness, warranty, software support, security and device-management features, with a source for every factual entry.
   3. A weighted scoring model based on my requirements. State the weights and show the calculation without inventing missing values.
   4. One recommended choice, one lower-cost or simpler alternative, and one reason not to choose each shortlisted model.
   5. A list of facts I must confirm with the supplier or manufacturer before ordering, including app compatibility, accessories, mobile-data compatibility, warranty, management enrolment and return terms.
   6. A pilot-test plan for one device with the team's real apps, connectivity, accessories and working conditions.
   
   Separate verified facts, assumptions and judgements. If the information is insufficient to make a responsible choice, ask concise questions instead of guessing.

   Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.