Tablets out for Christmas 2013

[cptwhite_uk]

So I felt with the next generation of tablets due for launch before the end of this year now is a good time to jump into this market and explore my options, and hopefully this will act as a nice reference point for those in a similar position to myself.

There’s a lot to consider when buying a new tablet – eco system, weight, size, connectivity, price, screen size, resolution panel type and brightness, build quality, extra features (stylus, waterproof, free software) and probably other areas too.

With that said here’s a list of the most compelling devices now available, or due in the next few months that I’m aware of, please feel free to append other items in your replies if I’ve missed any interesting devices due out in the next 3 months.

Let me say none of these options are poor quality tablets. I'm not listing older, lower quality, or Chinese brands. This list is to confirm the best-in-class and good-but-cheap options available, all devices I would expect to give a good experience.

My front runners are as follows:

Price - Advent Tegra Note / Asus Memo Pad HD7 / Tesco Hudl

Weight vs Size - Google Nexus 7 2013 (290g) / LG G Pad (8.3", 338g) / Kindle Fire HDX (8.9", 374g) / iPad Air (9.7", 469g) / Sony Tablet Z (10.1", 495g)

Versatility - Toshiba Encore / Acer W4

Money no object (small option) - iPad Mini with Retina / Google Nexus 7 (2013 edition)

Money no object (large option) - Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (for Tablet+ functionality) / Sony Tablet Z (for minimalist style and weight) / iPad Air

Advent Tegra Note (Nvidia rebrand)
Weight 320g
7" 1280x800
16Gb internal storage + Micro SD
1Gb RAM
nVidia Tegra 4 Quad core (Snapdragon 800 matching)
Android 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 to follow via direct updates from Nvidia
Comes with integrated stylus and nvidia apps (good additions + stock android)
Micro HDMI output for hooking up to TV
£129

Nokia Lumia 2520
Weight 615g
10.1" 1920 x 1080
32Gb internal storage + Micro SD (upto 32Gb) + Skydrive
2Gb RAM
2.2Ghz Quadcore Snapdragon 800
Windows RT 8.1 + Microsoft Outlook and Office
£TBC - Likely £350-400 based on approximation of "$500 + local tax" as quoted


Dell Venue 7 Edit: US market only
Weight 314g
7" 1280 x 800
16Gb internal storage + Micro SD
2Gb RAM
Intel 'Clover Trail' Dual Core 1.6Ghz
Android 4.2.2 + promised upgrades to 4.3/4.4 in due course
$149


Dell Venue 8 Edit: US market only
Weight 372g
8" 1280 x 800
16Gb/32Gb internal storage + Micro SD
2Gb RAM
Intel 'Clover Trail' Dual Core 2.0Ghz
Android 4.2.2 + promised upgrades to 4.3/4.4 in due course
$179


Dell Venue 8 Pro
Weight 395g
8" 1280 x 800
32/64Gb internal storage + Micro SD
2Gb RAM
Intel 'Bay Trial' Quad Core 1.8Ghz
Windows 8.1+ Office Home pre-installed
£262 base model


Dell Venue 11 Pro
Weight 720g (Bay Trail option), more for i3 / i5 options which are also slightly thicker devices with bigger batteries
10.8" 1920 x 1080
32/64/128/256Gb internal storage + Micro SD
2/4Gb RAM
Intel 'Bay Trail' Dual Core 2.0Ghz / Haswell Intel i3 and Intel i5 (1.5Ghz - 1.6Ghz options with Turbo boost available)
Windows 8.1 + Office Home pre-installed
£450 base model


Lenovo Miix2
Weight 350g
8" 1280 x 800
32/64/128/ internal storage + Micro SD
2gb RAM
Intel 'Bay Trail-T' Quad Core (speed tbc)
Windows 8.1 + Office Home pre-installed
$349 (UK price TBC)


Asus Memo Pad HD7
Weight 310g
7" 1280 x 800
8Gb internal storage + Micro SD
1Gb RAM
Android 4.2.2
£130


Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8”
Weight 314g
8” 1280 x 800
16 or 32Gb internal storage + Micro SD
1.5Gb RAM
Android 4.2
£160+


Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10”
Weight 510g
10.1” 1280 x 800
16 or 32Gb internal storage + Micro SD
1Gb RAM
Android 4.2
£300+


Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 edition)
Weight 535g
10.1” 2560 x 1600
16, 32Gb or 64Gb internal storage + Micro SD
3Gb RAM
Android 4.3
£479 (rumoured internet source)
Comes with S-Pen stylus


LG G Pad 8.3
Weight 338g
8.3” 1920 x 1200
16 or 32 Gb + Micro SD
2Gb RAM
Android 4.2.2
£259 - Expected Oct/Nov 2013


Sony Tablet Z
Weight 495g
10.1” 1920 x 1200
16 Gb + Micro SD
2Gb RAM
Android 4.2 (promised to upgrade to 4.3)
£400+
Waterproof ability


Apple iPad Air (iPad 5)
Weight 469g
9.7” 2048 x 1536
16 / 32 / 64 / 128 Gb
RAM unknown
A7 CPU @ 1.4Ghz
iOS 7.1 + iWork + iLife
£399+


Apple iPad mini with retina (7.9”)
Weight 331g
7.9” 2048 x 1536
16 / 32 / 64 / 128 Gb
1Gb RAM
A7 CPU @ 1.3Ghz
iOS 7.1 + iWork + iLife
£319+


Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7”
Weight 303g
7” 1920 x 1200
16, 32 or 64 Gb
2Gb RAM
Android 4.2 customised
£199


Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9”
Weight 374g
8.9” 2560 x 1600
16, 32 or 64 Gb
2Gb RAM
Android 4.2 customised
£329


Microsoft Surface 2
Weight "Less than 676g" according to MS website
10.6” 1920 x 1080
32 or 64 Gb + Micro SD
2Gb RAM
Window RT operating system (to be merged with Windows Phone 8?)
£359+


Microsoft Surface Pro 2
Weight 907g
10.6” 1920 x 1080
64 Gb, 128Gb (with 4Gb RAM) or 256Gb, 512Gb (with 8GB RAM) + Micro SD
4Gb or 8Gb RAM
Window 8 operating system
£720+ (base model)
Comes with stylus


Microsoft Surface Mini 7.5”
Very early stage rumours, but probably not due until the new year.
Rumoured 4:3 ratio screen
Probably Windows RT
Potential 1440 x 1080 display res


Google Nexus 7 (rev 2)
Weight 290g
7” 1920 x 1080
32 or 64 Gb
2Gb RAM
Android 4.3
£199+


Google Nexus 10 (rev 2)
No details to emerge just yet. Expect base price of £320 - £350, high resolution screen with latest android. Weight and spec to be confirmed but spec most likely to be of high quality at a reasonable price point.

Tesco Hudl
Weight 370g
7” 1440 x 900
16 or + Micro Sd upto 32Gb
RAM TBC (probably 1Gb given low price point)
Android 4.2.2 slightly customised (as stated on video by Tesco official)
micro HDMI out
£119, (£60 with clubcard offer)


Also consider:

Asus Transformer Book Trio / T100 / T300
Lenovo offerings
HP Offerings (to be investigated)

[Marenghi]

nice post, i'm in the same boat and intend on getting a tablet either before or after christmas, depending on deals.

are you considering the new Samsung devices? I wouldn't (never used one mind) but if it's anything like my SG2 then it'll be filled with all the Samsung bloatware and that really puts me off having installed Cyanogenmod for my phone and seeing the huge performance increase in battery life. i don't know about anybody else but i don't see the point in invalidating your warranty on a brand new device by rooting it. that puts most of the tablets if a 'no' category for me i think!

my temptation still lies with the Nexus 10, stock android and good specs is enough for me, a micro sd would be ideal but not the end of the world for what I want to use it for.

do you know what the kindle tablets are like for android updates? and what are they like for Amazon branding and selling/promoting on their tablets? if it's anything like the Tesco tablet that is coming out that's a big no for me as well!

[cptwhite_uk]

Amazon uses a branched version of Android 4.2. From what I've read so far you're forced to use the Amazon App Store by default but can side-load apps from the Google Play Store by enabling it in the settings (how much tinkering it is to side load I'm not sure). There are some benefits to the Amazon customisation with respect to benefits of Amazon based services, e-book lending, downloadable offline viewing of films etc.

The Tesco Hudl is more of a stock Android 4.2.2 experience with full Play Store access and a minimal customised interface with a "Tesco services" virtual button alongside the the home, menu and back buttons. Much less invasive than Amazon's approach I'm led to believe.

However I wouldn't expect updates to the OS from either retailer to be frank, and if you do get them, expect them to be way behind the curve compared to Asus, HTC, Samsung & Google. Whether you need to worry about this anymore if a point of discussion, since the way Google implements updates now is mostly independent of major OS revisions.

I still have a Samsung Galaxy S2, and I still really see no need to upgrade my phone, it does everything I want it too. The big question is if Google can release a compelling Nexus 10 revision in the sub-550g space to rival the Note 10.1 (2014 edition) for pure weight features and spec or the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 for sheer spec and low weight, while still giving quick OS updates, stock android and reasonable price point. Devices still in my radar are both new iPads, The new Nexus 10 as well as the mentioned new Note 10.1 and Kindles Fire HDX 8.9

The best of everything might boil down to a Cyanogen Mod for the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 to give a stock Android experience, but that remains to be seen.

[scaryjim]

LG G Pad 8.3
...
Android 4.1 (update to 4.2 expected)

Expect to wait a long time for that update - this is LG, after all ...

Might be worth adding the Acer W3 / W3 810 to that list, and also check what Bay Trail and Kabini tabltes are due. I can see myself investing in an x86 8" Windows tablet this year to replace the hardworking Playbook with something slightly more productivity driven....

[Domestic_Ginger]

The generics are running quad cores, 10", 2048 x 1536 res, 2gb ram and generally 16gb storage for less than £200. I can't understand this retina business tbh; file size and interweb speed seem to put a damper on it :/.

Something to compare against. The updates probably are not going to there unless you can find a hack but then again last years models from the big brands; are they going to have support in the future.

[cptwhite_uk]

Any particular devices you're referring too DG under the heading of "generics"? Serious question!

Edit: Found this Sumvision model, any others?

http://www.ebuyer.com/524797-sumvisi...t-pc-cycvoy297

Edit 2: Jim, LG G Pad should come with Android 4.2.2, this was an error in my list

[scaryjim]

Sumvision, Yarvik et al. Here's an ebuyer pre-order for a 9.7" Sumvision with 1.6GHz Quad core Cortex A6 (and probably Quad-Mali graphics, if previous Rockchip top end SoCs are anything to go by), 2048x1536 resolution, 2GB RAM, 16GB flash memory (+ microSD slot), £180: http://www.ebuyer.com/524797-sumvisi...t-pc-cycvoy297

EDIT: Similar spec Ainol Novo, £161.15 at amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ainol-Novo-S.../dp/B00B7KQ5QA but reviews reckon the performance is somewhat lacking unless you overclock.

[Domestic_Ginger]

No; no models in particular. They're rebrands of the models available in very competitive chinese market from well known brands like Ployer, Pipo and (don't laugh) Ainol. I probably missed the point of the thread, just trying to point out the cheap and cheerful route as some kind of comparison!

[cptwhite_uk]

Not at all DG, good to weigh up all the options. I hadn't registered specs of this level were available in this price bracket now - always assumed you were looking at ~ £100 with < 8" devices and poor screens, so this is definitely an eye opener.

Still at 606g, and weight being an important consideration for me, my money is still on the Kindle Fire HDX, slightly smaller, granted, but at 374g it's *grabs calculator* 62% the weight of the Sumvision offering.

[cptwhite_uk]

For reference the Sumvision Cyclone Voyager 297 seems to be a a re-brand of the Pipo M6:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CWCM73W/ref=nosim

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/iPads-Tabl...5&_nkw=pipo+m6

What is quite appealing about these is the 4:3 aspect ratio, which I still think is preferable to 16:9/10

[herulach]

Assuming the Nexus 10 2 is positioned similarly to the 10 at release I can't really see why anyone would look past that. To be honest, I struggle to see what advantages most things have over a 10 rev 1.

The only that comes close in display quality terms is the new note revision, with the lack of an SD slot being the only real negative, although you can get round that with an OTG cable.

I certainly can't see any compelling reason to upgrade (although I do want another 7", I had a nexus 7 at launch then left it on a train it was a nice form factor).

[cptwhite_uk]

As if by magic for Jim:

http://hexus.net/mobile/news/tablets...n-intel-event/

Nexus 10 is too heavy for me (as are most 10" tablets). Hence my keen interest in devices 500g or there abouts, and my especially keen interest in the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 (damn I'm getting sick of typing that long name)

[DanceswithUnix]

My daughter has a 7" Versus tablet. Cheapest I could find with an IPS screen a 1GB of ram at the time.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/7-ver...ly-bean-dual-c

She doesn't need GPS or 10Mpixel cameras front and back, it does stuff like Minecraft and YouTube fine. Battery isn't so big on these cheapies though.

[cptwhite_uk]

Scan rating: "High End"

[DanceswithUnix]

Scan rating: "High End"

lol, yeah I have no idea where they come up with those ratings.

Having said that, it was high end for me The one my son has is a TN display with only 800x480 pixels, I think the better display is worth the extra £30.

[santa claus]

So ipad5 is not on anyone's christmas list? Too expensive? Not VFM?

Santa's wife likes Apple (its pretty); what to do; what to do...