The Best Tablet You Can Buy Right Now
The Best Tablet You Can Buy Right Now
Go to a store or site that sells tablets (other than an Apple Store), and you’ll see a lot of models. Want to pick up the best one today? It’s actually not that hard. Here, we’ll show you.
(Not buying just yet? We’ll be updating this list monthly, so check back when you’re ready.)
This is the best tablet
Apple iPad Air 2:
$499 with 16 GB of memory, $599 with 64 GB of memory, $699 with 128 GB of memory
Apple’s iPad Air 2 is the best tablet on the market. It’s the thinnest and lightest full-size iPad ever; it’s also powerful, thanks to its 64-bit A8x processor.
The Air 2 has new display technology that makes images look sharper and more vibrant. There’s also a new and improved 8-megapixel iSight camera, a step up from the previous generation’s 5-megapixel camera, and Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint reader for quickly unlocking the slate.
The iPad’s operating system, the same as the one on the iPhone, is slick, fluid, and easy to use. And then there’s the enormous library of first-rate apps from the App Store. This really is a tablet you can’t go wrong with.
But if you want to quibble …
If you want a better deal on an iPad
Apple iPad mini 2:
$299 with 16 GB of memory, $349 with 32 GB of memory
So you want an iPad, but you don’t want to drain your bank account on an Air 2? Well, if you don’t mind a smaller screen, 7.9 inches to be exact, then the iPad mini 2 is the tablet to get.
For $299 you get a slate with all of the same features and performance as the last year’s iPad Air, right down to its powerful M7 processor, with an equally beautiful display. Don’t get the iPad mini 3. It costs $100 more, and the only difference is that it comes with Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint reader.
If you want the best Android tablet
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5:
$499
Not everybody is down with Apple. While we recommend the iPad without reservation, if you want an Android tablet, the best one is Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S 10.5. Rocking an absolutely beautiful display that easily rivals the iPad Air 2’s screen and an impossibly thin design, the Tab S 10.5 is exceptional.
Add to that an 8-megapixel rear camera and expandable memory with support for an up to 128 GB microSD card, and you’ve got a tablet that can do it all. It even has a multitasking feature, which allows you to run multiple apps onscreen at the same time. Try that on an iPad.
But there aren’t as many Android tablet-specific apps as there are iPad-specific apps, and the Tab S’s fingerprint reader is finicky. But this is a great tablet.
If you want the best productivity tablet
Microsoft Surface Pro 3:
$799 with 64 GB of memory and a Core i3 processor, $999 with 128 GB of memory and a Core i5 processor, $1,299 with 256 GB of memory and a Core i5 processor, $1,549 with 256 GB of memory and a Core i7 processor, $1,949 with 512 GB of memory and a Core i7 processor … whew!
Want to get some actual work done on your tablet? Then Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 is the clear choice for you. Running on Windows 8 and powered by an Intel Core-series processor, the Surface Pro 3 offers the performance of a laptop in the body of a tablet.
The Pro 3’s gapless 12-inch display offers incredible visuals, and an optional keyboard attachment with a mouse pad adds to the Pro 3’s versatility, though it does cost an extra $130.
Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+ here.
