Given the wholehearted acceptance of phones between the five- to six-inch screen size, consumers are finding fewer reasons to add a tablet to their digital toolkit. But there are those who still prefer the solid heft and size of a tablet, and the resulting experience it delivers when reading a good eBook, playing a game, or binge watching your favourite TV show on that long-haul flight. Here we pick a selection of the five best tablets in the market right now, with the spread covering high-end to affordable Android and iOS devices that should pretty much cover every application you might want to use it for.
Given the wholehearted acceptance of phones between the five- to six-inch screen size, consumers are finding fewer reasons to add a tablet to their digital toolkit. But there are those who still prefer the solid heft and size of a tablet, and the resulting experience it delivers when reading a good eBook, playing a game, or binge watching your favourite TV show on that long-haul flight. Here we pick a selection of the five best tablets in the market right now, with the spread covering high-end to affordable Android and iOS devices that should pretty much cover every application you might want to use it for.
1. Xiaomi Mi Pad
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Here is a tablet that upended the game by integrating a ton of bleeding-edge specifications at a price that is almost too ludicrous to be realistic. With its 7.9-inch iPad-like 4:3 form factor screen that packs 1536x2048 pixels, this tablet is sharp enough to display higher-than-HD content. Aiding it in its graphics and processing prowess is a 2.2 GHz Quad-core processor with the Nvidia Tegra K1 graphics chip, which more than adequately delivers a best-of-class gaming and video experience. Really, if it’s an affordable Android tablet you’re looking for, this one blows the completion right out of the water.
Screen: 7.9-inch, 1536x2048 pixel screen (~324 ppi pixel density)
OS: Android 4.4.4 KitKat
Key hardware: 2.2GHz Quad Core Cortex-A15 with Kepler GPU (Nvidia Tegra K1), 2GB RAM, 16GB memory (expandable to 128MB)
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0
Battery: Li-Po 6,700mAH
Price: Rs 12,999
2. Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2
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This tablet carves a space out for itself with its unconventional kickstand, making it particularly useful when deployed in varying situations: propped upright on a table top, tilted slightly for reading, even pegged onto a nail on the kitchen wall. The magnesium-alloy body makes for a tough device that can take a fair beating (think kids and clumsy fingers.) Also the compact 8-inch screen squeezes in 1200x1920 pixels with colours that are particularly well saturated, making for rich viewing. Also its Dolby Digital Plus audio subsystem delivers a perceptibly immersive movie and audio experience.
Screen: 8-inch, 1200x1920 pixel screen (~283 ppi pixel density)
OS: Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Key hardware: 1.33GHz Quad Core Intel Atom Z3745 (Ivy Bridge), 2GB RAM, 16 GB Internal (expandable to 64GB)
Camera: 8MP rear, 1.6MP front
Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, GSM 3G data
Battery: Li-Ion 6,400mAh
Price: Rs 20,990
3. Asus Fonepad 7 ME175CG
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Here’s a bang-for-the-buck, 7-inch tablet that is a great fit for everyday Internet and media consumption. Apart from its dual-core Intel Atom processor, it has a capable 5MP main camera and a 720p capable front camera, making it particularly well-suited to bouts of photography or Skype videoconferencing. But setting it apart from others in its class is a dual SIM 3G/4G with voice calling, making it ideal for taking on the road without sacrificing connectivity.
Screen: 7-inch, 800x1280 pixel IPS screen (~216 ppi pixel density)
OS: Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Key hardware: Dual-core 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z2560, PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage (expandable to 32GB)
Camera: 5MP rear, 1.2MP front
Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, 3G, 4G data
Battery: Li-Po 3,950 mAh
Price: Rs 8,940
4. Apple iPad Mini 2, 16GB -Fi
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So far as performance 8-inch tablets go, the only one that does manage to stage any kind of competition to the Mi Pad is Apple’s iPad Mini 2. An intriguing family of devices, this, especially in light of the highly questionable iPad Mini 3 that was unveiled last year, which was virtually identical to its predecessor apart from the added TouchID fingerprint sensor, the availability of a Gold option and the absence of a 32GB version. So with a very capable A7 processor, a ‘retina’ display and iOS 8, the iPad Mini 2 Wi-Fi version delivers the best price/performance among its range. If you could do with a bit more storage, spend an additional Rs 4,000 and go in for the 32GB variant.
Screen: 7.9-inch, 2048x1536 pixel IPS screen (326 ppi pixel density)
OS: iOS 8
Key hardware: 64-bit A7 processor with M7 motion coprocessor, 16 GB internal
Camera: 5MP rear, 1.2MP 720p front
Wireless: Wi‑Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), dual channel, Bluetooth 4.0
Battery: Upto 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video or listening to music
Price: Rs 21,900
5. Dell Venue 8 Pro, 32GB Wi-Fi
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If Windows is your thing, the Dell Venue 8 Pro embodies a good set of capabilities that will give you the full Windows 8.1 experience (upgradeable to Windows 10, of course.) Powered by a capable 1.8GHz Intel Atom processor with 2GB of RAM, there’s plenty going for this tablet to power the regular rake of day-to-day apps office and entertainment apps. And its price isn’t too shabby either.
Screen: 8-inch, 1280x800 pixel IPS screen (~188 ppi pixel density)
OS: Windows 8.1 (upgradeable to Windows 10)
Key hardware: 1.8GHz Quad-core Intel Atom Z3740D, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal (expandable to 128GB)
Camera: 5MP rear, 1.2MP 720p capable front
Wireless: Wi‑Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0
Battery: 4,830mAh
Price: Rs 13,100
