Price: $ 625.9
The most important feature of any tablet is
the screen, mainly because there’s not a whole lot else to it. And the screen
is what marks the third iPad apart. Yes, it looks like an iPad 2 (with holiday
weight), but everything you do on it is now rendered in glorlous 2048 x 1536 on
its 9.7in Retina Display. Photos, games and movies look incredible and text is
eggshell-smooth, making reading, communicating and browsing a richer, less fatiguing
experience. A faster dual-core chip and quad-core graphic make it slicker and
more user-friendly than ever, and given the unparalleled riches of the App
Store, it’s still the most fun, too.
Apple
iPad
Killer feature: Did we mention the screen? It really is a bit special
Stuff says 5/5 stars
Does everything the iPad has ever done, but
now it looks four times as good. An amazing piece of kit
Google Nexus 7
Price: $316
Value: 5/5
The Asus-built, Android Jelly Bean-running
Nexus is simply astonishing value. A passable 7in HD IPS screen sits in front
of a mighty Tegra 3 processor, making it brilliant for gaming, but there’s also
next gen toys such as NFC and the all-seeing Google Now to play with
Google
Nexus 7
Asus Transformer Pad Infinity
Price: $972.5
Value: 5/5
Don’t underestimate the keyboard dock. The
Infinity uses it not just for its trackpad and keys, but also for connections
and battery extension. Along with its quad-core power, that makes this full HD
screen-packer a netbook beater. The $713 Prime is similarly brilliant.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7
Price: $575
Value: 5/5
If you can stomach the price, this slim
Samsung is a mid-size Android tablet par excellence. Its 7.7in AMOLED screen is
ultra-vibrant, and it’s clad in lustrous aluminium. If it all seems too much,
the Galaxy Tab 27.0 is $324, or there’s always the Nexus…
Toshiba AT300-101
Value: 4/5
Inside the 10.1in Tosh’s inauspicious
plastic shell beats the heart of a warrior. It has the same Tegra 3 chip as the
Nexus 7 and Acer A700, so everything runs super-smooth on its decent 1280 x 800
screen. Loads of connections, too. Just don’t expect excitement.
Acer Iconia Tab A700
Price: $623.9
Value: 4/5
On paper, this Acer is nothing short of
awesome: it has a 10.1in, full HD screen, loads of connections and a quad-core
Tegra 3 brain. Oddly, though, it’s a bit laggy in use and the shallow,
gadgeteer will note that it’s fatter and uglier than its foes. Not us, mind
you.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
Price: $486
Value: 4/5
It’s had a year, and all Samsung has done
to the Tab is given it a facelift, downgraded the front-facing camera, added an
SD card slot and cut $162 from the price. Which actually, is Ok by us, as the
screen’s excellent and it’s acceptably quick in operation.
Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition
Price: $324
Value: 4/5
The Xoom 2 ME trumps its sister tablet by
virtue of its smaller 8.2in screen. This makes it light, pocket able and, as
its name would suggest, great when you’re kicking back on the sofa. The
downside to this is the fact that battery life does tend to suffer as a result.
Motorola
Xoom 2 Media Edition
BlackBerry Play Book
Price: $210.5
Value: 4/5
A viable alternative to the Nexus 7 if
price is key, but while its dual-core, 7in hardware is beautifully made and PlayBook
OS 2.0 adds some (but not quite enough) Android app support, only BlackBerry
devotees should choose it over Google’s tablet.
Sony Tablet S
Price: $470
Value: 4/5
A quirky, wedge-shape design and
super-sharp 9.4in screen make Sony’s Tablet S stand out. It’s just been updated
to Android Ice Cream Sandwich and is a bargain at this price, especially given
IR blaster, which turns it into a handy universal remote.
Instant expert
Will Findlater etches his commandments
A chasm has opened in the ranks of
tableteers. On one side are the big screen gang, brandishing their 10-inchers,
and on the other there are the men-about-town, sliding 7in slates in and out of
jacket pockets. Us? We’re at the bottom of the chasm, playing with both in the
dirt. The iPad – the 10in standard-bearer is better than any small tablet for
browsing and apps. It has the space for complex interfaces (Korg’s iMS-20),
coffee table reference (Road Inc.) and office apps (numbers) alike. But for
books, music or gaming, the Nexus 7 in a better size. Hardly surprising, then,
that Apple is rumored to be releasing a cheaper 7.85in iPad ($tba,
apple.com/uk) later this year. That’ll give it supremacy on both sides of the
chasm and Apple loves supremacy.
“Us? We’re playing in the dirt with both
7in and 10in tablets”
What look for
1. Operating system
The OS determines how good a tablet’s
interface is, what it’s compatible with and how many apps are available for it
Android 3.x, 4.x and iOS provide PC-like power; the smartphone-centric Android
2.x is Ok for browsing; BlackBerry’s OS multitasks well; and the Windows tablet
experience needs a touch-friendly update which will arrive with Windows 8
2. Processor
Dual-core ARM processors such as Apple’s
A5X Nvidia’s Tegra 2 are Ok, but quad-core chips such as Tegra 3 are the
future.
3. Size
Screen dimensions and aspect ratios affect
video cropping and how each device feels to hold, so try before you buy. Bigger
is better for productivity, 7in is perfect for media.
4. Connectivity
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth usually come as standard:
useful sockets such as HDMI and SD do not, 3G can prove pricey.
