If you’re looking to get hold of a tablet for the first time or upgrade from that ageing Honeycomb slate then look no further than this months Android Headlines Tablet Rankings. We take into account a number of things, not just the latest and greatest but the Top 10 tablets that are worth your money and that are solid offerings no matter which one you go for. We’ve listed the specs – like we always do – along with commentary on what’s what. Of course, we might not have the same opinions on tablets as you do and so, we welcome a discussion in the comments below but, as always, keep it clean folks.
1. Google Nexus 7
You know what they say, sometimes when you win, you keep on winning. This seems to be true of the Nexus 7. Whilst it might only be a 7″ sized tablet, it more than makes up for that with its bang for buck. For $199 you’re getting the powerhouse quad-core Tegra 3, a high-resolution IPS display and Jelly Bean. What more can you want? Oh, you do want more? How about the fact that its a Nexus. The first tablet that we can truly say “It’s a Nexus” and that gets you all the benefits along with it.
There are already some crazy enhancements out there for this thing, like the Elite Kernel that will take you Nexus 7 to new heights through crazy overclocking. Let’s face it, who doesn’t want the latest and greatest version of Android straight from Google? That’s right, everyone. There’s a reason this thing’s still up here, folks.
- Quad-core Tegra 3 Processor
- 1GB RAM – 8 or 16GB of Storage
- 7″ 1280×800 HD IPS Display (that’s 216 ppi)
- 1.2MP Front-facing camera
- WifFi b/g/n, NFC and GPS
- A sizable 4325 maH battery
- Corning Gorilla Glass
2. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Samsung’s newcomer to the tablet space actually offers something new this time around compared to their Galaxy Tab 10.1 2 which was a lot of the same. With its innovative S-Pen feature set and some pretty powerful specs behind it this tablet looks set to be a nice money spinner for Samsung, or does it? Whilst the tablet is getting some iffy reviews due to speed and responsiveness – things I’m sure Samsung will be quick to fix – its hard to ignore the fact that this has been an anticipate tablet to launch and it’s going to be hard to get away from thanks to all the celebs Samsung will be paying huge amounts of cash to.
I’m sure that once the developers really get stuck into this you can expect some pretty special stuff just like the Galaxy Note phone before it.
- Quad-core Exynos at 1.4 Ghz with Mali400MP GPU
- 2GB RAM with 16, 32 or 64GB of Storage
- 10.1″ 1280×800 LCD Display (that’s 149 ppi)
- 1.9MP front-facing camera and a 5MP rear-facing camera
- WiFi B/g/n, GPS and a 3G capable model
- 7000 maH battery
3. ASUS Transformer Infinity
It’s hard to ignore the pull of ASUS’ tablets right now. With serious power from the Tegra 3 chip, good design and good build quality they make for attractive tablets. Add in a keyboard dock that turns the thing into an Android laptop with trackpad and you’ve got yourself a serious productivity machine right there. Did I mention that this keyboard dock comes with extra battery? That’s right, this tablet really will last longer than your laptop.
You’ve seen a lot of ASUS’ Transformers so what makes this one any different you ask? Well, the Inifinity model from ASUS features a Full HD display as well a slightly faster Tegra 3 chip – if it wasn’t powerful enough already.
- Quad-core Tegra 3 clocked at 1.6Ghz
- 1GB RAM with 32 or 64GB of Storage + a microSD slot (remember those?)
- 10.1″ 1920×1200 Super IPS+ (that’s a healthy 224 ppi)
- A 2.0MP front-facing camera as well as an 8MP rear-facing camera
- WiFi b/g/n, GPS and a full-sized USB port on the Keyboard Dock
- 25 Watt Hour overall battery
- An added bonus: Have a Transformer Prime? Use its keyboard dock with the Infinity
4. ASUS Transformer TF300
That’s right, another Transformer Pad here but, with good reason. At a lower price than both the infinity and the Prime before it, you get a comparable experience with that Tegra 3 intact. The build of the TF300 is said to not quite be up to the snuff of the Transformer Infinity due to its plastic build however, you should be free of any WiFI/GPS issues present in the Prime. The TF300 comes in a number of different colors and you’d also get access to that stellar keyboard dock for a lower cost.
The TF300 is perfect if you want more productivity and light gaming/web browsing than the full on powerhouse offered by the Infinity and the Prime. A solid all rounder indeed.
- Quad-core 1.2Ghz Tegra 3
- 1GB RAM with 16 or 32GB of Storage with a microSD card slot
- 10.1″ 1280×800 LCD (149 ppi)
- 1.2MP front-facing camera with 8MP rear-facing camera
- WiFi b/g/n, GPS
- 22 Watt Hour Battery overall
5. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 2
The sequel to last year’s infamous Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been out for some time now and whilst it didn’t turn any heads on its arrival it makes for a solid tablet offering. Strangely for Samsung, there’s no earth shattering quad-core CPU here – that’s reserve for the Note 10.1 – instead relying on a TI OMAP dual-core at 1Ghz. In actuality there’s very little to write home about this tablet but, it’s still a Samsung tab which means people are still goign to buy it and the hardware should be of relative quality. This time around Samsung did things a little differently, probably to prevent another law suit from Cupertino.
Depending on how much you can pick this guy up for t’ll make a solid offering so long as you don’t expect too much from it on the gaming front.
- Dual-core 1Ghz TI OMAP 4430
- 1GB RAM with 16 or 32GB of Storage with room for a microSD card
- 10.1″ 1280×800 LCD Display (again at 149 ppi)
- VGA front-facing camera and 3.2MP rear-facing camera
- WiFi b/g/n, GPS and WiFi Direct
- 7000 maH battery
6. Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 2
I’d really struggle recommending this to a friend at the price it is, especially when compared to the Nexus 7. With a lower res 1024×600 display and a dual-core processor the Nexus 7 destroys this in every aspect. Although, the Tab 7.0 2 isn’t all that bad, questionable naming scheme aside, this might well be the second-best 7-incher on the market. It does have a couple of things over the Nexus 7 as well, it has a rear-facing camera as well as some extra accessories like keyboard docks and so on. If these are musts for you then this might be the one for you.
Depending on stores near you, you could still pick up the student bundle with an added keyboard from Best Buy for a killer price.
- Dual-core 1Ghz TI OMAP 4430
- 1GB RAM with 8, 16 or 32GB of Storage
- 7″ 1024×600 LCD Display (an okay 170 ppi)
- VGA front-facing camera and a 3.2MP rear-facing camera
- Dual-band WiFi b/g/n, GPS, WiFi Direct and DLNA
- 4000 maH battery
7. ASUS Transformer Prime TF201
The tablet that kicked off the Tegra 3 trend that has carried on fairly steady for the year is still a powerful and solid offering. It’s been out for quite some time now and whilst there’s been some problems surround GPS and WiFi it’s still worth picking up depending on how much you pay for it. With all the keyboard dock fun on it’s younger brothers you can depend on this to get you thorough a busy day or through a few hours on Dead Trigger, take your pick.
The Prime was a popular candidate for development and this prompted ASUS to unlock the bootloader quite some time ago, meaning there are some crazy powerful ROMs and Kernels out there for you to try.
- Quad-core 1.3 Ghz Tegra 3
- 1GB RAM with 32 or 64GB of Storage with room a microSD card
- 10.1″ 1280×800 Super IPS+ Display (149 ppi)
- 1.2MP front-facing camera and 8.0MP rear-facing camera
- WiFi b/g/n and GPS
- 25 Watt Hour overall battery
8. Motorola Xyboard 10.1
If you’re looking for a device with data on the go than Verizon’s second-gen Xoom is a good bet. With an evolution design of the original Xoom, slimmed down and made a little more edgy it’s a solid offering. There’s not too much that makes the XYBOARD stand out – perhaps its ridiculous name? What the tablet lacks it makes up for looks, it’s a uniquely designed tablet for sure and couple that with Verizon’s massive coverage of the states and you cn go pretty much anywhere with data. It also works in Europe so, this could help you say goodbye to that Netbook you think you still need.
- Dual-core 1.2 Ghz TI OMAP 4430
- 1GB RAM with 16, 32 or 64GB of Storage
- 10.1″ 1280×800 IPS Display (yep, 149 ppi again)
- 1.3MP front-facing camera with 5MP rear-facing camera
- WiFI b/g/n, GPS and Data Coverage on Verizon’s Network
- 7000 maH battery
9. Toshiba Excite 10
For some time now, Toshiba has been trying to get into the tablet game and with this latest series they seem to be doing pretty well. Their Excite range – that comes in 7.7, 10.1 and a mammoth 13 inches – comes with some good, clean design as well as the Tegra 3. It’s no surprise then that the Excite 10 is the most popular in this new line up, what with being both affordable and a normal size. The Excite 10 is also pretty thin and light making this pretty easy to hold with one hand – a problem of other tablets.
There’s a lot to love about the Excite 10 and depending on how much you can pick one up for, could definitely be a good buy.
- Quad-core Tegra 3 at 1.5 Ghz
- 1GB RAM with 16/32 or 64GB Storage with microSD card slot
- 10.1″ 1280×800 LCD (do I have to, okay then, 149 ppi)
- 2MP front-facing camera and 5MP rear-facing camera
- WiFi b/g/n and GPS
- 25 watt hour battery
10. ASUS Transformer 10.1 TF101
The grand daddy of all decent Android tablets, the TF101 still holds a spot in these rankings, in part due to the fact that it’s probably one of the best dual-core tablets you can get your hands on. With the keyboard dock present and correct, the original Transformer is probably your best bet for a productivity machine on a budget, seeing as these should be fairly cheap to pick up these days. With the Tegra 2 chip still fairing up pretty well and an unlocked bootloader there shouldn’t be any shortage of ROMs or Kernels for you to have your way with.
- Dual-core Tegra 2 at 1 Ghz
- 1GB RAM with 16 or 32GB Storage with microSD card slot
- 10.1″ !280×800 IPS (149 ppi)
- 1.2MP Front-facing camera, 5MP rear-facing camera
- WiFi b/g/n and GPS
- 24 watt hour battery overall