Wi-Fi-only midsize tablets
It's hard to determine where exactly compact ends, midrange begins, and full-size takes over, which is why the screen diagonal margin in this chapter will be fairly large. But, if you're the Goldilocks of tablets and find compact too small and full-size too big, then it's a safe bet that at least one of the tablets mentioned in this section should feel just right. On this page we cover Wi-Fi-only variants, which means that these tablets are best for home or office-only use rather than on the go.We saw the 7-inch Nook HD tablet as one of our compact tablet offerings because of its great price, and now here we see the larger 9-inch Nook HD+ for the same reason. The HD+ offers the same dual-core TI OMAP 4470 processor as the Nook HD, except it's clocked higher at 1.5GHz. Screen resolution for the larger display is also bumped up to the respectable 1920 x 1280 pixels (that's more than FullHD on a 9-inch screen).
The same compromises with performance and availability apply though. The Nook's range TI OMAP 4470 processor is a rather dated option that's not going to impress anyone in terms of performance even at 1.5GHz.
The Nook HD+ is only officially available in the US and the UK and since last Christmas it's only the 32GB version that remains available in the US. At this price Barnes & Nobles however seems more bent on clearing their inventories rather than making a profit and rumor has it they are working on a new range of tablets for 2014 so you better act quickly if you'd like to secure one.
All Nook tablets come with a custom Nook UI, which is quite far from a true Android experience, although it does offer access to the Play Store and its large app selection. If you know your way around flashing custom ROM, you can enjoy an official CyanogenMod ROM on the Nook HD+ tablet.
 Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ |
Pros | Cons |
|
|
|
Archos has been slowly building a reputation for affordable yet competitive Wi-Fi-only tablets and its most capable 8-inch offering is exactly that. The Archos 80b Platinum comes with a quad-core 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Its screen resolution is a paltry 1024 x 768px, but it's an IPS LCD with excellent viewing angles.
True, it has only 8GB of internal memory (which you'll need to expand via the microSD card slot), but it does come with all-metal body ala iPad mini and it has a microHDMI port, and is the only offering in the midsize lot that can be had for under €200.
 Archos 80b Platinum |
Pros | Cons |
|
|
|
LG released its first tablet in a while late last year and it's a gorgeous piece of tech. Featuring a 1200 x 1920 pixel 8.3-inch display (that's more than FullHD), the LG G Pad 8.3 runs on a quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor with Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM, so you'll have no problems with gaming and multimedia.
There's a 4,600 mAh battery and IR-port for some multifunctional living room use, plus LG have even thrown in 1080p video and HDR support for its 5MP camera.
There is also a built-in GPS chip to give this one an edge over the Wi-Fi only iPad mini, which is probably the only tablet in this class that can match it (and perhaps even beat it) in terms of looks.
The LG G Pad 8.3 comes with a handful of neat software tricks, which for instance can keep the screen on for as long as you are actually looking at it or allow you to watch a video on a part of the screen while doing something else on the other part.
There's only a 16GB model available, so you should factor in the cost of a microSD card with your purchase as well.
 LG G Pad 8.3 |
Pros | Cons |
|
|
|
| Review | ||
HP is obviously stepping up its tablet game and has managed to produce a second entrant in this edition of our tablet shopping guide. The HP Slate8 Pro has an 8-inch diagonal and a resolution of 1200 x 1600 px. The IPS LCD screen is covered by Gorilla Glass 3 for protection, which is always a good thing.
It has an 8MP camera and there is also a microSD slot. It would have a hard time against the LG G Pad 8.3 in Europe where it has pretty much the same price tag, but in the US it actually sells for a lower price, so you might consider it as well.
HP however offers an intriguing option to its US customers. The prepaid HP DataPass mobile data service gives users 250MB worth of wireless data traffic per month for a period of 2 years and HP claims it plans to bundle it with some of its tablets.
 HP Slate8 Pro |
Pros | Cons |
|
|
|
In terms of raw horsepower, few other tablet can beat the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. It runs on a quad-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and Adreno 330 GPU, alongside 2GB of RAM. Then there's the mind-boggling 2560 x 1600px display resolution, which was unmatched in this class until recently. It also features an 8MP primary camera with a front-facer capable of 720p video recording.
Keep in mind, though, that all Kindle Fire's run on a highly customized Android version without support for Google Play, so you'll have to rely on the less-robust Amazon App Store for your app needs.
The Kindle doesn't have a microSD card slot either, so you'd do well to consider the 32GB version.
 Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 |
Pros | Cons |
|
|
|
Then the Apple iPad mini 2 (with Retina screen) is definitely worth a look. The latest mini in Apple's popular iPad lineup boasts a 1536 x 2048 7.9-inch Retina display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, which provides more effective screen estate for reading and web browsing than 16:9 tablets. Thanks to Apple's extensive app store, there's no shortage of very functional and polished apps and games for even the most demanding among you.
The iPad mini 2 does not come with a microSD card slot, so we recommend you get at least the 32GB version despite its exorbitant markup. Another downside is that the Wi-Fi only version of the iPad mini also lacks a GPS chip.
 Apple iPad mini 2 |
Pros | Cons |
|
|
|
| Review | ||
And if you really want to splurge, Samsung has recently released their premium mid-size tablet - the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4. It is priced even higher than the Apple iPad mini 2.
It also offers a much higher 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution and a Snapdragon 800 processor, the combination of which probably makes it the fastest and meanest mid-size tablet there is. The 8MP camera with 1080p video recording and the microSD card slot complete the landmark features.
It not only comes with the latest Android OS v4.4 (KitKat) but Samsung has also baked a spanking new tablet interface of their own, which truly elevates the tablet user experience to a whole new level (the split-screen multi-tasking view is well overdue on high-res screen tablets).
 Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 |
Pros | Cons |
|
|
|
| Review | ||
0 comments:
Post a Comment