It’s a strange time for tablets right now, we’ve seen little new offerings from the tablet world recently. Sony now have their new Xperia Tablet S shipping and whilst it’s a solid tablet there’s little new on offer here. THere’s little new anywhere and it seems a little strange for this time of year but, I’m sure something will have to give and we’ll end up with some refreshed tablets by the end of year. Hell, maybe even Google will be throwing in to the ring of 10″ tablets?
Some tablets are yet to make it to market and to stay true to our word, we’ll only ever rank what you can find on shelves today!
10. Toshiba Excite 10
Previous Rank: #9
Oh, Toshiba, you always seem to try so hard don’t you? Yet they never quite deliver on the same scale as everyone else. The Excite 10 is a solid offering for sure but, it’s certainly more form that is function. You can’t argue that that isn’t a nice looking tablet but with that comes some trade-offs. For instance, the build quality is said to be a little sub-par. It’s got the same Tegra 3 CPU we’re all familiar with and there’s a 1280×800 LCD up front – for a change. Depending on how much you can get an Excite 10 for these days it could be a worthy addition to your gadget arsenal but, don’t forget – we’re heading into the holiday season so don’t spend too much, will you?
- 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
9. Motorola Xyboard 10.1
Previous Rank: #8
Motorola’s first tablet is still alive and kicking for some but, times move on and even the successor to the original XOOM is beginning to head to retirement. If you can still get your hands on one of these it’s certainly not a bad offering but it’s not that great either. With a run-of-the-mill dual-core CPU this is only really good for web browsing and general app-fun, you won’t be playing a lot of games here – no Tegra means no Tegra Zone, sadly. If data on the go is a must then this will deliver perfectly well on the nation’s largest carrier.
- 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
8. Acer Iconia Tab A700
New Entry!
High-resolution displays are fast becoming the norm – with the Nexus 7 packing what we’re used to seeing on a 10-incher into just 7 for less than 200 bucks it’s safe to say high-resolution is here to stay. For good reason too, it makes for better reading and the overall screen quality is often better. Acer have had this A700 out for some time with it’s Full HD resolution display and the Tegra 3 processor. It’s a solid offering and thanks to its stock Android-esque OS it’s worth noting. However, it’s an Acer. It’s going to be a little plasticky and it’s really quite thick. On the bright side though, battery life is said to be good and that screen is of real high quality.
- Quad-core 1.3Ghz Tegra 3
- 1GB RAM with 16, 32 or 64GB of Storage with room for microSD card
- 10.1″ 1900×1200 IPS Display (giving you 224 ppi)
- 1.3MP front-facing camera with 5MP rear-facing camera
- WiFi b/g/n with GPS
- 9800 maH battery
7. ASUS EEE Pad Transformer Prime – TF201
Previous Rank: #7
ASUS’s transfomer line is arguably the creme de la creme of Android tablets however, ASUS slipped up a little with the Prime – with questionable WiFi and GPS performance on many of the models out there it looks like ASUS rushed this to the market. Whilst this was the first to market with the Tegra 3 it certainly suffered for being able to cry “FIRST!” obnoxiously. It soon got superceded by ASUS themselves and other tablets hit the market afterwards that were better built. It’s a shame, really, because the keyboard dock and the quality of the screen here make this one of the better tablets. If only it was born without it’s share of problems.
- 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
6. Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 2
Previous Rank: #6
7″ tablets have become somewhat sought after in recent months – of course, the Nexus 7 has played a hand in this. The successor to the original Galaxy Tab isn’t much of a match for the Nexus 7 on the specs side of life but, if you’re in need of some more accessories with your tablet then this is the one for you – with a keyboard offering as well. It was disappointing to see Samsung deliver such a medicore tablet but, it is built well and should last. It’s also perfect for students or those jotting around town that won’t a stationary keyboard option. Something the Nexus 7 doesn’t have.
- 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
5. ASUS Transformer TF300
Previous Rank: #4
There’s a lot to love about ASUS’ line of tablets and there’s even more to love about the TF300 with it’s more affordable price tag without making much compromise at all. You still get a super-fast Tegra 3, the same amount of RAM and most importantly a keyboard dock to boot. Whilst there’s not a lot tobe said about the screen used in the TF300 it’s certainly better than most. Making it a great option for those who want the best of both worlds without breaking the bank.
- 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
4. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Previous Rank: #2
The ten-inch Android tablet hasn’t done all that well since its inception but, Samsung’s offerings have always done well. The original Galaxy Tab 10.1 was arguably the best of a bad bunch from last year’s offerings. The successor to the Tab 10.1 was met with some criticism – it looked different but it really wasn’t what was to be expected of Samsung. The Note 10.1 however, delivers quad-core power with all the productivity we’ve come to love of the Galaxy Note phones. The S-Pen is present as is a whole bunch of tweaks to Android to make this a productive tablet. Whilst it’s certainly not the cheapest it’s a pretty good deal for the price.
- 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
Previous Rank: #3
The Taiwanese company isn’t ready to retire the transformer line just yet and with good reason – they keep coming out with tablets like this and nobody will get fed up with the line-up. The Infinity model from the family brings you all the mod-cons you’ve come to love from other Transformer models but also brings with it a Full HD screen at 1900×1200. Making sure movies pop and those spreadsheets get all the room they deserve. This really is the perfect tablet if you’re looking for work and play.
- 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
2. Sony Xperia Tablet S
New Entry!
Sony doesn’t have all that a presence in the states but that’s more than likely to do with the carriers just as much as it is Sony. Tablet wise though, they bought us some questionable designed ones last year – the Tablet S and the Tablet P. Whilst those two didn’t take off Sony has gone back to the drawing board and refined the Tablet S’ magazine-like fold and put together the Xperia Tablet S. It’s got a nice 9.4″ display at 1280×800 so whilst the resolution is nothing new it should look a little sharper on a smaller display. The Tegra 3 we all know and love is present here and there’s a whole host of accessories to make this tablet a good offering, ranging from a speaker dock to a keyboard that’s a cover. Finally, an offering worth of the “Sony” moniker.
- Quad-core Tegra 3
- 1GB of RAM with 16, 32 or 64GB Storage with room for a microSD
- 9.4″ IPS at 1280×800 – giving you 161 ppi
- A 1 MP front-facing camera with a rear-facing 8MP camera
- WiFi b/g/n and GPS
- 6000 maH battery
1. Google Nexus 7
Previous Rank: #1
There’s no stopping a tablet at this price point. Whilst there’s incoming competition from the new Kindle Fire HD range, they’re not quite here yet and the Nexus 7 still has clear reign. With a wonderful 1280×800 display and a quad-core Tegra 3 packed into a light and sturdy body for under 200 bucks, you really can’t do better. Others will try but, I doubt they’ll come close. Oh, did I mention that it’s a Nexus? With that comes a guarantee of all the latest software and the ability to tinker to your heart’s content.
- 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