Best Tablets: Holiday 2014
by Brandon Chester on November 28, 2014 8:00 AM ESTAndroid Tablets
The Android tablet space is more diverse than the selection of tablets running iOS due to the sheer number of manufacturers that make Android tablets. However, it seems like many of them in the low range make compromises that severely reduce their appeal, and other high end tablets like the Galaxy Tab S are let down by SoCs that struggle against A7, A8, Snapdragon 805, and Tegra K1. That being said, we've seen the launch of two new tablets this year from manufacturers that one might be surprised to see in the tablet market. There's also an old favorite that remains almost as compelling now as it did when it launched quite some time ago.
Our recommendation at the most affordable price point is the Nexus 7 (2013). The recommendation of a budget tablet from over one year ago may sound strange, but the Nexus 7 remains a very high quality and capable device for its price of $229. This returns to the point about other inexpensive Android tablets not being very compelling due to sacrifices in areas like the display or the build quality. It may be that other manufacturers have found it difficult to compete with Google who doesn't necessarily need to make profit off of the device itself if they believe they will get revenue from advertising and purchases on Google Play.
Whatever the case may be, the Nexus 7 still seems to be the best Android tablet available at this price point. Its 1920x1200 display is still best in class for 7" tablets, with accurate factory calibration and a maximum brightness that stands high above every other tablet. The build quality and battery life are also exceptional for its price, and although the APQ8064-1AA SoC has aged since it released, it's still a capable device that receives updates directly from Google. The biggest issue about the Nexus 7 is finding it, as Google has recently discontinued it and removed it from sale on Google Play. That being said, if you can find it at another online retailer or a nearby store, it's definitely worth considering.
Our next recommendation is the NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet which starts at $299 with an optional $59 controller. This recommendation is aimed at anyone who wants to use the Android OS and wants to be able to play games on their tablet. Although some may laugh at the idea of a tablet as a gaming device, when paired with its controller the SHIELD Tablet is actually a viable gaming device. NVIDIA has put a lot of effort into taking classic games like Half Life 2 and Portal that were once limited to gaming consoles and PCs and making them available on the SHIELD Tablet. Their new GRID game streaming service has also just begun its expansion, which will allow people to play various games streamed over a network connection.
For users who don't intend to play many games, the SHIELD Tablet is still worth considering. The Cortex-A15 based Tegra K1 is very competitive with the CPU performance of other Android tablets, and the GPU performance is rivaled only by Apple's A8X in the iPad Air 2. The battery life is also good at 10.83 hours, although it doesn't really stand out from other tablets. The display may also be an issue for some buyers, with similar panel characteristics as the iPad Mini. This puts it significantly behind the cheaper Nexus 7 for both display accuracy and brightness.
From a software support perspective, one might expect the SHIELD Tablet to be a worse option than the Nexus 7. However, NVIDIA has proven to be very quick in shipping updates, and the SHIELD Tablet has already been updated to the recently released Android Lollipop; that should put to rest any concerns about updates. Ultimately, for gamers who want Android, the SHIELD Tablet is the best choice. For those less interested in gaming, one will have to consider the $70 increase in price over the Nexus 7, and decide whether to prioritize performance or display quality.
Last, but not least, we have the newly released Nexus 9 that is made by HTC and starts at $399. This is the first Nexus device that Google has had HTC build since the Nexus One, and it's HTC's first tablet since they exited the market in 2012. In a way, the Nexus 9 can be called a successor to the Nexus 7, as its release coincided with the Nexus 7 being discontinued. That being said, the Nexus 9 is definitely not the budget tablet that the Nexus 7 was. At $399, it's well within the price territory of the iPad, and it's almost double the cost of the Nexus 7. Although there are other high end Android tablets at this price point, the Nexus 9 feels like the only Android tablet that actually justifies a premium price by competing with the silicon inside of Apple's iPad.
Inside the Nexus 9 is NVIDIA's Tegra K1 Denver, making it one of the first 64-bit Android devices. The display maintains the standards that Google set with the Nexus 7, with accurate color calibration and a high brightness, although its larger size prevents it from reaching the brightness of the Nexus 7. The tablet is primarily plastic, with a metal band around the edge. At $399 users may be hoping for a bit more in terms of materials, and reports of significant flex in the back cover don't help with giving it a premium feel.
Despite some concerns about the build, at $399 the Nexus 9 is really the obvious choice for anyone looking for a high end tablet running Android. We haven't seen any other Android tablets launch this year that compete with both its display and its speed. However, it may be a hard sell for anyone without any platform loyalty who is choosing between iOS and Android. The build quality and materials just aren't up to the standard of the iPad, and the 4:3 aspect ratio can cause scaled up applications to look worse than normal.
In the end this will again be up to the preference of the user. The iPad Air has more premium materials and a better feel, and perhaps a better selection of tablet software. However, it falls behind in its CPU and GPU performance, and the 1GB of RAM on a 64-bit iOS can be problematic. Despite some disappointments with the build, the Nexus 9 is still a very capable tablet, and it's the only Android tablet that manages to give high end hardware across the board.
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PokerGuy - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
"The Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 is cheaper than an N7? What world do you live in?"Last I checked, the tab pro 8.4 can be purchased for $199 right now, while the N7's are harder to come by and cost more.
"Samsung's exynos chips are slow and disappointing even compared to the now outdated Snapdragon 400"
I believe the Gtab pro uses the snapdragon 800, not slow by any means.
The only legit reason I could see to support the N7 is getting android updates quickly and without fuss. There's some value in that, but not nearly enough to make the N7 more attractive than several other competitors.
"Not to mention that the N7 has Android 5.0 already so is light years ahead in software while remaining a good $100 cheaper."
Not sure where you're getting the $100 cheaper part, right now the g tab pro is actually cheaper. Agree with you on getting android updates quicker, but not "light years ahead" by any stretch.
By the way, I don't own a galaxy tab pro, just commenting on the recommendation.
NXTwoThou - Monday, December 1, 2014 - link
I'm kind of surprised you posted the T100 when you consider that Walmart is selling their "Nextbook 10.1" for $179.00 -full price-. I picked one up for a friend as a babyshower present and it's amazing for the price and far better than the T100.azazel1024 - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link
You uh...do realize the Nextbook 10.1 has 1GB of RAM compared to 2GB in the T100, a lower resolution display (720p instead of 768p), a slower processor (z3745g, which is the single channel memory version of the z3740 that was in the original T100, let alone the z3775 that is in the revamped T100), a lower resolution front camera (though I guess bonus points for a rear camera), less storage (well, okay the T100 has a 32GB model, but the Nextbook 10.1 does not have a 64GB option at any price) and lastly it does not have a USB3 port (or any ports) on the keyboad dock...unlike the T100.So...yes. A much inferior tablet at a bit over half the price.
azazel1024 - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link
To add, in my experience, the 2GB of RAM in the T100 is an occasional limitation for some of the stuff I want to do, but looking at it, 1GB is going to limit you to nothing more than email, web browsing, book reading, movie watching and the most basic of touch games. Loading up Banner Saga and my RAM utilization is over 1GB. Loading up Kerbal Space Program (which runs on the T100 fine with the settings turned down BTW) and I've got only 100MB of RAM free. Star Craft 2 will load up and run okay, with well over 1GB of RAM used. And so on.Jamor - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link
"As you can see, there's a large price range for the Surface Pro 3"Actually I can't see it, as you forgot to add the first 3 prices.
azazel1024 - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link
I have to beg to differ about the Asus T100. If the author had bothered to check, the T100 got a redesign a couple of months ago. It now ships with the beefier z3775 process, which is 1.46GHz with a 2.39GHz burst clock, as well as faster GPU. The casing has also been changed from plastic to metal (sadly tacking on a couple of ounces in the process).I happen to have the original z3740 based T100 and it is fairly nice. So lets so an article update please. Now fingers crossed for Airmont/Cherry Trail coming out soon and Asus releasing a new 2-in-1 with that in it.
scaramoosh - Friday, December 5, 2014 - link
Why do people act like 16gb is usable? The base model is 32gb now, I do not take 16gb models seriously and they should not be sold any more.TSkyline5 - Saturday, December 13, 2014 - link
I managed to get a great deal on an iPad Air 32 GB from Best Buy...I originally bought it for $449, but then it went on sale for $409 at Staples (still on sale BTW...and the 16 GB Air is even cheaper at $369), so I went back and had them price match it.Apparently, Best Buy's policy is that they will price match within the return period; since it's the holidays, they have extended returns until 1/15/15, so if I see the price go below $409 anywhere else, I can go back and have them price match it AGAIN.
marvdmartian - Tuesday, December 16, 2014 - link
Funny, Brandon's idea of affordable is a bit higher than most people might consider. $229 for a Nexus 7? $399 for a Nexus 9?? While the screens might offer a nice resolution, that's not the end all for some people. Heck, if all you're worried about is the resolution, take a look at the Fire HDX tablets put out by Amazon. At least then, you'll be stuck with another tablet that offers you extended storage only on the "cloud".Earlier this year, I bought an Asus MeMO Pad FHD 10 (ME302C-A1), for ~$200, and couldn't be happier with it. Unlike the Nexus and Fire tablets, it has a micro-SDHC slot, capable of adding another 64GB of storage to the tablet. If that wasn't enough, the micro-USB slot (normally used for recharging the tablet) can be utilized, with a $5 (on Amazon and elsewhere) micro-USB male to USB female adapter, to plug a flash drive into it (or use one of the newer dual-plug USB/micro-USB flash drives). Heck, I've even taken a 128GB SSD, put it into an external drive case, and gotten the tablet to read from it, without any problem. Since the power draw on an SSD is so minimal, it shouldn't take as large a power draw off the tablet battery, like an portable hard drive would. While you're stuck in the cloud, I'm enjoying a tablet with a virtual storage drive of over 128GB (easily expanded by putting a larger SSD into the case).
Also, be aware that Barnes and Noble put their new Nook tablets, a rebadged Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 tablet (http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab/SM-T23... on sale (thru tomorrow) for $130. While it only offers 8GB of onboard storage, it also offers a micro-SDHC slot, for added storage capacity. If you're looking for a nice little 7" tablet, you're going to have a tough time finding better specs at that price point!
kenpogodan - Friday, December 19, 2014 - link
Wow...I must be in the stone age. Samsung tabs don't even get a nod??? I have the Galaxy tab 10.1 Pro and LOVE it.