Costing just above $300 in its most basic version (the most expensive one costs $559), this iPad has a very attractive price tag for its features. It has a 9.7″ Retina display and comes with a 64-bit A9 chip that ensures a fluid performance and enough computing power for demanding games and other applications.
This tablet uses a 64-bit A9 chip and 2GB RAM, which ensure fluidity when gaming, watching media, or even doing some light multimedia creation tasks (in GarageBand, for example). Evidently, it doesn’t perform as well as the iPad Pro, but it’s very noticeable that it’s more powerful than the previous iPad Air 2.
The iPad 2017’s camera is quite decent. It’s 8 MP sensor and good color reproduction capabilities allow for some good photo-taking. Still, it’s not as good as the iPad Pro’s 12 MP camera.
The 2048x1536 display, with a 264 ppi pixel density, handles content reproduction quite well. Despite missing some importante features, such as True Tone technology or anti-reflective coating, it’s still a good screen that creates a pleasant experience, creating vivid and rich images. However, it’s noticeable that it’s not as good as the displays of the iPad Pro or of the iPad Air 2 from the previous generation.
The iPad 2017's battery lasts up to 10 hours (while doing tasks equivalent to regular internet browsing, watching videos or listening to music). It's a lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 8,800 mAh, which represents a great improvement from the iPad Air 2's battery, which only had 7.340 mAh.
32GB and 128GB are the only storage options available, with no possibility of expansion (via SD cards, for example). This means there’s a huge gap between the lowest option, which will feel like not enough for lots of people, and the highest one, which has too much space for those same users. A 64GB version would probably be more balanced and the most suitable for the majority of users.
This iPad's battery takes around 4 hours to completely charge, which can feel like too long in many situations where you don't have that kind of time to spare.
This Asus tablet offers amazing value. It’s not the most powerful or more premium option on the market, but it’s definitely one the tablets with a more balanced mix of features, power and price. What if offers to users for under $300 is definitely more than enough for most needs.
The Asus ZenPad 3S 10 is ideal for working on the go, even while commuting or traveling. Its 7800 mAh battery lasts for 16 hours on a full charge, which is more than enough for a workday. When it comes to its size and weight, it’s quite portable, despite not being the most compact (242 x 164 x 5.8 mm) or light (490g) option of its generation.
One may decide to go for a more expensive, more premium option capable of better performance, but for the vast majority of users, this Asus tablet is more than enough. Its processing power comes from a 1.8 GHz Qualcomm MSM8956 S650 Hexa Core and 4GB LPDDR3 RAM. When it comes to graphics, it has an Adreno 510 GPU.
This tablet’s 9.7 inches screen is really good and capable of high-quality, clear images with striking, bright colors. It has an IPS panel with a 2K resolution of 2048 x 1536. It uses Asus’ VisualMaster and Tru2Life+ technologies: the first one optimizes the display’s configuration according to the content being displayed, and the second one assures vivid colours and high contrast levels. It counts with 178º viewing angles to ensure a precise images from any position.
The Galaxy Tab S3 has one of the best displays on the market. It's a Super AMOLED screen with a high resolution -
2048 x 1536, that provides a very sharp image even in direct sunlight and works great for watching videos, gaming, and reading. The HDR technology makes it great for watching films because you can see every small detail, even if the action happens in the dark.
While the Galaxy Tab S3 is not as powerful as a typical laptop with comparable price, it has decent specs, a keyboard (sold separately), and a stylus that make it a quite capable workstation. Of course, it won't be able to replace your normal computer completely, but it will suffice to get some work done in a coffee shop.
The tablet with a stylus will cost you around $550. The price increases to about $620 if you include the cover with a physical keyboard. It's a pretty hefty investment for a tablet since you could get a pretty decent laptop for the same amount.
2560x1800 is the resolution, and it works out to 308PPI (pixels per inch). Text will look super crisp, and you'll barely be able to see individual pixels even if it's an inch away from your face.
The keyboard can also act as a tablet stand, and doubles as a screen protector when not in use. It connects through bluetooth, and attaches to the tablet via magnets. When you aren't using it, just place it on the screen (keys facing in) and magnets will hold it in place, protecting the tablet's screen. While it's closed like this, the tablet will wirelessly charge the keyboard, meaning you don't ever have to worry about the keyboard's battery (it should last up to 3 months even if you never let it charge). It's a bit pricey at $150 extra on top of the tablet, but it's an option you have.
Pixel C runs software made entirely by Google - known as Stock Android. This software performs quick, and doesn't include any bloatware. It is also promised to be one of the first to get Android N this fall, as well as the next release next year (and very likely one more major update before support ends).
USB Type C is the new charging/data transfer standard that has just begun rolling out in 2015. It offers faster data transfer speeds, and a reversible port as well as a more durable connector. It should stick around for the next 5-10 years.
For web browsing, you can expect the Pixel C to last longer than 13 hours. Local media playback will last 13h30m, and during a stress test it managed to last 5 hours. All of these results place the Pixel C at the top of the battery life charts.
Old micro USB cables will not work with this device, meaning if you lose or break your cable you will need to buy a new one instead of using an old cable you had lying around. If you need to top up your phone away from home, it will be much harder to find a suitable cable initially.
Despite having a very powerful Tegra X1 processor, the Pixel C can studder and suffers from occasional slowdowns. These issues can probably be solved in future software updates, but are still cons for now.
Most tablets have a version of split-screen: a feature which lets you have two apps open at the same time. The Pixel C doesn't have this yet, but it is included in the Android version N developer preview which is expected to release late 2016.
Because of it's more square 4:3 aspect ratio, HD movies will play with bigger black bars on top and below than most other tablets. The 4:3 aspect ratio does make it more comfortable to hold and use however.
If you buy an Apple product, hopefully you like Apple's way of doing things. While the iPad does support third party keyboards and replaceable default apps, neither of these functions work as well as Android tablets. You're also stuck with the default home screen layout.
Android and Windows tablets have nothing on the iPad when it comes to apps. Windows apps are mostly meant for desktops, while Android tablet apps are more often than not just up-scaled versions of the phone apps, which doesn't make good use of the extra screen space that tablets offer. On the iPad, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of apps optimized to work specifically on the iPad.
This is the first time Apple has put 2GB of RAM into a tablet, and alongside the new A7 chip it screams. In 3DMark (ultimate) it scored 128fps, beating out all the competition handily.
The high resolution of 1536x2018 makes for a crisp 264 PPI (pixels per inch). It gets very bright (401cd/m2) and also offers a great contrast ratio (1019:1).
You can submerge the Z4 tablet in 1.5m of water for up to half an hour (fresh water only). You don't have to worry about getting it wet, and it also stops dust in its tracks.
The 2560x1600 resolution display is very crispy and has 299PPI which is very good for a tablet. It uses a more rectangular aspect ratio which is great for movies, but can make it a bit awkward to hold in portrait mode (which you'll need to do from time to time because some Android apps don't rotate to landscape.
The stereo speakers are tucked away along the front edge on either side of the screen. Sony is known to have good audio quality, and the Z4 Tablet doesn't disappoint. It gets pretty loud, and remains surprisingly good quality without going tinny at peak volume.
If you prefer to use headphones, the Z4 has high-res audio support, a very customizable equalizer, surround sound effects, and advanced noise canceling technology (if your headset has noise canceling capabilities.
If you own a PS4, you can stream games from the PS4 directly onto the Xperia Z4 Tablet. Sony calls this 'Remote Play'. Just download the PS4 Remote Play app and hook the tablet and PS4 together. It's highly suggested that you sync a controller to the tablet, otherwise you'll be stuck with a bunch of on-screen buttons.
You'll also need a fast network, otherwise the game streaming will be slow and unresponsive.
The Z4 Tablet is priced at more than it's worth. If you can find a sale of some sort, this is an easy recommendation...but at it's current price it's a tough sell.
In North America at least, Sony's mobile presence is almost non-existent. Most people want to try out tech before they spend nearly $600 on it, and that will be very hard to do with the Z4 Tablet.
While not native to Andoid (yet - it's coming with Android N which is expected this fall), the Tab S2 supports for limited multitasking. You are limited to about 20 apps but Chrome, YouTube, and other applications are supported. Multitasking performance suffers a bit, but at least the option is there.
As with all Samsung products, the Galaxy Tab S2 (9.7) comes pre-installed with a lot of stuff you'll never look at. You might want to uninstall what you can, and disable what you can't uninstall.
The Tab S2 scored 7h32m on LapTopMag's battery tests - above the Dell Venue 10 7000 (6h55m) but below the Microsoft Surface 3 (8h01m) and far behind the iPad Air 2 (9h20m).
While Android has the largest app store, it lacks tablet-specific apps. Upscaled phone apps will still work, however not all of them rotate into landscape mode, and very few of them will make the most of the larger screens that tablets provide.
The high resolution 2048x1536 4:3 aspect ratio Amoled display provides super saturated colors that pop out of the screen, as well as true blacks (Amoled technology allows individual pixels to be turned off, emitting no light unlike LCD pixels which require a constant backlight). Amoled displays can also be more power efficient when displaying true black colors.
The Tab S2 has Samsung's own Exynos 5433 processor, which has 2 quad core processors inside (one high power, one low power). Only one processor set runs at once, however when performance isn't needed the low power set will kick in instead of the high power set saving battery.
In GeekBench 3, the Tab S2 scored 4175, which is shy of the iPad Air 2's 4547 score but solidifies it's position ahead of the Dell Venue 10 7000 (2900) and Microsoft Surface 3 (3531).
The Surface 3 is almost better as a laptop than tablet because it has so few touch-enabled apps. It uses the Windows Store to access its games, so it has the same collection available as desktops and laptops.
The screen is very susceptible to being damaged. Here's where its generally beneficial light weight can be a downside. It requires as much protection/care as a tablet does -- it is not as sturdy as a laptop. The back cover will scratch fairly easily if dragged along a table as well.
Unlike the Surface RT and Surface 2, the Surface 3 runs full Windows 10 software. With the optional keyboard accessory, this tablet can function as a full laptop (keep in mind it has fairly low end specs)
The keyboard ($130) doubles as a screen protector when not in use, and magnetically attaches to the bottom of the Surface. It's thin, so key travel is shallow, but it's a very capable keyboard. It features 5 levels of backlight, as well as a (rather small, but very high quality) trackpad. It connects directly to the Surface, so there'd no need to charge the keyboard and you don't need to worry about bluetooth.
The Surface 3 has a kickstand on the back of the tablet so that it can hold itself upright. It has 3 positions - one upright (almost vertical), one at almost a 45 degree angle, and one fairly close to flat (this one is useful for drawing or typing if you don't have the keyboard).
The Surface 3 (when coupled with the $50 pen) can register 256 levels of pressure sensitivity, and also has Palm Block technology. It makes for a good experience when drawing diagrams, sketching or even just doodling. Clicking the button on top of the pen opens OneNote - Microsoft's note taking application.
At just 267x187x8.7mm (10.5x7.4x3.4") and weighing 622g (1.37lbs), this is a portable machine. Some other tablets are a bit thinner and lighter, but the kickstand really helps you comfortably use it anywhere (you could set it up in the kitchen for a recipe instead of laying it down flat, or rest it on your chest while laying down in bed instead of holding it up).
The keyboard is pricey (it costs an extra $130), but it complements the tablet very well. The cylindrical slot magnetically attaches to the spine of the tablet, and the connection is so snug that you can hold it by the keyboard and shake without anything moving. The keyboard is backlit, and you don't need to worry about charging it (it makes a connection through some tiny prongs). For a small keyboard, it provides a good typing experience...although because the nature of it's size it isn't as comfortable as typing on a full keyboard.
The tablet has a 'spine' on it, which is a good way to grip it in either portrait or landscape orientation. Having most of the weight and thickness in one section means the rest of it can be very thin at 6.2mm. It can also fit a larger battery because of the spine.
Despite that pixel-dense display, the Venue 10 7000 can certainly hold it's own in terms of performance. The Intel Atom Z3580 processor packs a punch just as long as you don't expect to do too much multitasking (the 2GB of RAM drags down the experience)
The unnamed quad core 1.5GHz isn't going to be great, especially because it's only paired with 1GB of RAM. Multitasking performance will be very poor, and anytime a processor isn't listed as it's chipset name (eg Snapdragon 410), you know it's going to be sub-par
Because it's a tablet made by Amazon, it comes with some Amazon goodies. You get an included subscription to the Washington Post, as well as the Amazon App Store which has a new free app every day. If you have an Amazin Prime membership, it's a good device to stream all that free content through (movies, TV shows, games and music are included with the Prime subscription).