Amazon Kindle Fire HD (from $139)
Amazon, known for making it cheaper and easier to get our hands on books, is an aggressive participant in the tablet industry with its Kindle Fire HD.
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX (from $229)
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX is further proof Amazon is serious about tablets. It comes in two sizes: 7-inch and 8.9-inch. Otherwise, both are the same.
Asus Transformer Pad TF701T ($449)
One of the lightest and slimmest existing tablets is Asus Transformer Pad TF701T. It has 300 pixels-per-inch, 2560 x 1600 resolution and a full HD device that is stylish and beautifully made. A Nvidia Tegra 4 quad-core processor powers this 10.1-inch display tablet and Android 4.3 Jelly OS runs it. Its battery life is great, and is able to last up to 17 hours.
EVGA Tegra Note 7 ($199)
The Tegra Note 7 is designed by Nvidia and manufactured by Nvidia's partner EVGA. Together, the two have made a quality tablet at a very good price.
Google Nexus 7 (from $199)
The newer Google Nexus 7 is the awaited follow-up to the successful Nexus 7. It is small, easy-to-carry and powerful. Manufactured by Asus, it has a 7-inch display, 1920 x 1200 HD resolution, 323 pixel density, 16GB or 32GB storage, a 5MP rear camera and a 1.2MP front-facing one. This device runs the most recent and highly capable Android 4.4 Kitkat OS and highlights an efficient and improved software keyboard. It features an optional cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC and a battery that can last for up to 10 hours of normal usage.
The main downside of this tablet is its storage is not expandable with a card slot; and its 16:10 screen ratio sometimes feels top-heavy when in portrait position. Bearing Google's brand gives you a guarantee for software updates, while other tablets rely on its hardware's goodwill for updates.
Google Nexus 10 ($399)
Google Nexus 10 is the big brother of Nexus 7. Google announced that there will be a replacement for this device that could happen soon. Nexus 10 is packed with a 10-inch 2560 x 1600 resolution display, a dual core ARM Cortex A15 and a quad core Mail T604 processor and graphics processor, respectively. Nexus 10 is a well-made, powerful tablet that is great if you have space for it. The downside? Non-expandable storage.
LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition ($349)
If you do love Android but not really its bloat, customizations or crapware, then take a look at the LG tablet. The LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition is a typical LG G Pad 8.3 that is instead loaded with the solid Android 4.4 KitKat.
Samsung Galaxy Mega (from $15 with two-year contract)
If you think smartphones are small and have large hands, pockets or bag, the Samsung Galaxy Mega tablet may be a fit for you. This 6.3-inch phablet is plausible and high-end, and looks like a big smartphone. The mega may not be for everyone, but for those who want to use a tab with a smartphone, this device is worth the second look.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 edition) (from $549)
The Galaxy Note 10.1 is the flagship tablet of Samsung that comes with a flagship price. The hardware is top-notch with a 2560 x 1600 resolution screen and a 2.3GHz quad core processor on LTE version. Its 3G/Wi-Fi version bears a 1.9GHz and a 1.3GHz quad-core CPU. It also comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage. It has an 8MP and 2MP rear- and front-facing cameras plus a battery that can last for 10 hours.
This tablet runs Android 4.3 Jelly OS with a promise of an update soon. When a finger is not enough, the Galaxy Note has the S Pen, a nifty stylus that can be used for certain applications, like working on spreadsheets, taking notes, sketching and planning - very useful for BYOD.
Samsung Galaxy Note has two drawbacks - price and performance. The tablet is sometimes sluggish, although it promises fixes and updates that will hopefully come sooner rather than later.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8-inch ($299)
The 8-inch Galaxy Tab 3 is well equipped to compete with the iPad Mini as a great alternative for customers who do not want to get caught up with the App Store or iOS. Samsung Galaxy Tab is basically an upgrade of Galaxy S II.
Sony Xperia Z2
The tablet to watch, the Sony Xperia Z2, seems to be the tablet version of the Xperia Z2 smartphone. Aside from being dustproof and waterproof, this is beautifully lighter and thinner than Apple's iPad Air. This tablet is set to be on sale in wider Europe and UK this March, though Sony still has to announce where will it be available.
