Steve Dinneen referees a knock-out tournament between the latest tablet computers to hit the market
Only a few years ago, the tablet market didn’t exist. Various manufacturers had tried to make the format work but nobody had happened upon the right formula.
Then Apple had a crack at it, releasing the first iPad in 2010. Since then, it has sold more than 200 million, releasing the latest versions – the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 – last month.
But while Apple controls the lion’s share of the market – 26.9 per cent, according to the International Data Corporation – it’s by no means the only player; a host of innovative tablets have evolved, many to fill new niches in the market.
The rise of mobile gaming has led to a drive to create ever-more powerful tablets capable of running games that would have required an entire console a few years ago.
Another interesting development is the emergence of the “phablet” – half phone, half tablet. The growth in popularity of this category spurred Apple to release its 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus in September, in a bid to prevent sales haemorrhaging to Samsung’s Galaxy Note.
Google’s Android operating system now accounts for 85 per cent of the market, followed by Apple’s iOS with 11.7 per cent and Microsoft’s Windows with 2.5 per cent. Microsoft is determined to strengthen its presence in the industry with its increasingly sophisticated Windows Phone operating system.
How do you know if you’re making the right choice? First, look at the phone in your pocket and the computer on your desk. Brands are at pains to make their devices as integrated as possible – if you have a Samsung laptop and smartphone, you’ll find your life a lot easier if you complete the hat-trick with a Samsung tablet.
Make sure you choose carefully – upgrading is far easier within an ecosystem (for instance, Apple to Apple) than between manufacturers. Then think about what you’ll actually use it for – if you watch a lot of movies on the go, you might be better off with a bigger screen; if you’re a gamer, make sure the processor is up to handling heavy-duty graphics. This guide should help you out.
1. Samsung Galaxy Tab S
- £399 (16GB) samsung.com/uk
Eubank and Benn, Wenger and Ferguson, Samsung and Apple. In terms of tech rivalries, it doesn’t get more acrimonious than this. And when it comes to tablets, Samsung has been a distant second.
The Korean firm has pulled out all the stops with its latest 10.5-inch tablet, though, producing what it claims is the best screen on the market, fused with a seamlessly integrated Android operating system.
The battery will give you nine hours of continuous internet use, putting it almost on a par with the iPad Air. The device also has a slick bronze trim around the edge, pushing it closer to Apple in terms of attractiveness.
Should you rush out to buy it? Only if you’re determined not to hand over your cash to Apple; the case is still a bit plasticky and doesn’t have the quality finish of its rival, but it’s probably the next best thing.
2. iPad Air
- From £399 (16GB, wifi only) store.apple.com/uk
At the time of going to press, Apple had just unveiled its new iPad Air 2. The original Air, which came on to the market last year, remains a thing of beauty.
Although it lags behind rivals in terms of raw specs – you’ll find more RAM and bigger processors in most high-end Android tablets – but in real-world situations it’s unbeatable. The Retina display is crystal clear and the graphics processing brilliant – perfect for playing hardcore games on long-haul flights.
Apple has also cracked the battery-life issue: it seems to last forever (officially, it’s ten hours of continuous use), although re-charging is painfully slow compared with the iPhone.
As you’d expect, it looks great and is incredibly light, at only 469g. At 9.4 inches, it’s a good size, too; plenty of screen real-estate without feeling unwieldy. In the world of tablet computers, it doesn’t get better than Apple.
3. iPhone 6 Plus
- From £619 (16GB) store.apple.com/uk
If you’ve held the new iPhone 6 Plus, you’ll know why I’m including it in a round-up of tablets – it’s gigantic.
At 5.5 inches, it occupies the space Samsung had annexed with its popular Galaxy Note, rather inelegantly dubbed the “phablet”.
If you’re a heavy mobile internet user, it’s brilliant, with a huge screen that’s great for watching movies on the go or working on apps that need a little space to breathe (anything involving spreadsheets, for instance).
It comes with Apple’s latest A8 chip, making it the fastest mobile device on Apple’s books. It’s a pretty major redesign from the iPhone 5, with sleek, rounded corners and a chassis carved from a solid block of aluminium.
It also comes with iOS 8 as standard, giving you access to features such as Apple’s new predictive keyboard.
4. Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
- From £329 (16GB) sonymobile.com/gb
Sony is once again a player in the mobile sphere, and it’s all down to the Xperia range.
From stylish smartphones to the surprisingly adept Xperia Z2 Tablet, it’s time to start taking the Japanese giant seriously again. Its next device, the eight-inch Z3 Tablet, is out this month.
It’s an Android device that adheres to the same gimmick as the rest of the Xperia stable – it’s waterproof, making it hands-down the best tablet for watching movies in the bath. At just 6mm, it’s incredibly thin and weighs only 260g.
Sony has another unique selling point – the Playstation. You can connect a dual-shock control pad and, through a special app, play your PS4 games on it over your home wifi connection.
It also has a Snapdragon quad-core processor and a battery that allows for 13 hours of continuous video playback.
5. Google Nexus 7
- £199 (16GB), £239 (32GB) google.com/nexus/7
The Nexus 7 is the tablet of choice for the geek fraternity. The Google-branded device (it’s manufactured by Asus) is the purest demonstration of the Android operating system, free from tweaks by external device manufacturers such as Samsung or Sony.
This neat little tablet offers a pretty good argument for straying from the iPad, not least for its attractive price tag of only £199 for the 16GB model (the 32GB is equally enticing at £239, but there is no 64GB option).
You certainly get a lot for your money – it has a great seven-inch screen with a higher pixel count than the iPad’s Retina display, that reaches almost to the edge of the device.
The build quality is tight – not quite as drop-dead gorgeous as the brushed aluminium iPad, but solid and sleek, in either matte black or white.
If I had to give up my iPad, this is the tablet I’d be going for.
6. Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7
- £199 (16GB), £229 (32GB), £259 (64GB) amazon.co.uk
The latest Kindle Fire will allow you to do the basics – browse the web, download the Facebook app, and so on – but the reason you buy it is for its seamless integration with Amazon’s ecosystem.
All your latest downloads are front and centre, and getting hold of more is a doddle – perhaps too much of a doddle for those on a budget (damn you, one-click purchases).
The build quality is a big improvement on earlier iterations, which were, frankly, a little shoddy. It’s thinner than the last one (9mm as opposed to 10mm) and the rear now has a pleasingly retro taper instead of rounded edges.
It’s all perfectly pleasant, without being a patch on the best offerings from more established tablet makers. One other thing to bear in mind – if you don’t want to see ads on your lock-screen, you’ll have to spend an extra tenner.
7. Nvidia Shield Tablet
- £240 (16GB, wifi only) shield.nvidia.co.uk
This eight-inch tablet is designed for one thing – gaming.
The Android device packs the manufacturer’s Tegra K1 system-on-a-chip and a quad-core processor, meaning it renders graphics at lightning speed.
The tablet can link up to Nvidia’s Gamestream service, giving you access to thousands of titles (individual fees apply). Nvidia also sells a separate wireless controller (£50), allowing you to play console-style games on the tablet.
The Shield is nothing to write home about in the looks department, a black monolith design that’s not unlike the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HDX, and it feels a little on the cheap side – but at £240, it kind of is. At 390g and 9mm thick, it’s also very portable.
If you’re a dedicated gamer and can’t be without Portal 2 while you’re in the air, invest in one of these – just don’t expect to get much work done.
8. Microsoft Surface Pro 3
- From £639 (64GB) microsoft.com/surface
Remember the Microsoft Surface? No? Well, I suppose there’s no reason why you would.
Microsoft launched it in 2012 to much fanfare, vaunting it as the device that could help to bridge the gap between tablets and laptops, largely down to its innovative cover/keyboard (£110 extra).
But a combination of a sky-high price and a fairly average product meant nobody bought it. It’s now in its third iteration and still has the off-putting price tag, but it seems to have discovered its niche – business.
Running Windows 8 and featuring a huge 12-inch screen, Microsoft is hoping to sponge up the business users who want to pick up the spreadsheets they left in the office and work on them when they’re in the lounge.
This time around, Microsoft has made a rather handsome device – thinner (9mm) and sturdier. Windows users will get on well with it, but it is still expensive.
9. Nokia Lumia 2520
- £355 (32GB) nokia.com
I have a confession to make: I really like the Nokia Lumia 2520.
It’s not very fashionable – you’re certainly not going to sit in Starbucks with it proudly typing away on your screenplay – but it’s a good, solid 10.1-inch tablet.
If you use Windows at home, the software will be familiar, and you can create and edit your Word, Excel and Powerpoint files on the move, saving them in Onedrive so you can open them up again on your desktop computer.
Like the Microsoft Surface, the Lumia tablet is best used with the keyboard/case, which turns it into a makeshift laptop. At 615g, it’s a bit of a porker, but it feels robust, the kind of tablet you could drop a few times without worrying about it.
At £355, it isn’t cheap, so realistically you’d have to be seriously wedded to Windows for it to be a viable purchase. But if you are, then this is probably as good as you’re going to get.
10. Advent Vega Tegra Note 7
- £140 (16GB) nvidia.co.uk
If you’re worried about baggage handlers smashing the screen on your tablet, you may be better off going for a cheaper option rather than paying hundreds of pounds.
With a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, the low-cost Advent Vega Tegra streaks ahead of most rivals on the market for less than £150. It’s a competent gaming device, with a quick frame-rate and a decent battery.
At only 320g and 9mm thick, you can slide it into your jacket pocket without feeling like you’re wearing diving weights. It also has a stylus that slots into the chassis, as well as expandable storage (16GB in-built).
It’s not perfect – the screen is somewhat lacklustre and it has an inevitable air of “affordability” – but pound for pound, this tablet is a real contender.
