The tablet revolution was started by the Apple Inc. with the launch of the first ever tablet, the iPad, in 2010. Following the huge success of the first tablet, many companies started to launch a wide variety of tablets in the market. In spite of a tough competition, Apple’s iPads are still dominating the tablet market. However it is a fact that; nowadays, some non-Apple versions like Android tablets, Windows tablets, and the Blackberry Playbook are also making lot of buzz in tablet world.
Many people are replacing their smartphones, laptops or desktops with tablets. The main reason for this replacement is the larger touch-screen interface and better battery life than smartphones. Tablets are very light in weight and more portable compared to laptops. Moreover, the large display of tablets consists of virtual keyboards that make the tablet a fun device to work on. Tablet users can also enjoy some basic phone functions like text messaging and listening to voicemails into their tablets with the help of some service like Line2 and Google Voice.
2012 seems to be an interesting year for tablet lovers. In just five months, several big and small companies have unveiled numerous tablets. A list of top 10 tablets that have been announced till now is given below.
1, Apple’s new iPad 3
The new iPad 3 is the latest all-round tablet from the Apple Inc. company. It was launched in the month of March 2012. As soon as it was launched, millions of iPads were sold off. Even now Apple is selling the iPad 3 like hot cakes. The iPad is available in three variants depending on the storage capacity, and they are 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions. The 16 GB variant is available for a price of 499$, 32 GB for 599$, and 64 GB for 699$. The tablet looks very sleek and attractive with aluminum casing. The device comprises a 9.7-inches display with 2048×1536 pixels of resolution and 264 ppi.
Image Source: industrygamers.com
Text reading is very easy in this device as the texts looks very sharp and clear even after you zoom in. The new iPad 3 runs on iOS 5.1 operating platform. Under the hood, the device has a dual-core A5X processor coupled with 1GB RAM that brings the games and movies to life on the fantastic huge screen. The device also supports a camera of 5 MP that is capable to shoot full HD 1080p video also. One of the main drawbacks of the device is the absence of microSD card slot for memory expansion. The new iPad 3 uses a Li-Polymer battery with 11560 mAh capacity.
2, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1)
The much awaited Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1) has been released recently with a price tag of $399.99. The tablet sports an amazing LCD Capacitive touch display of 10.1 inches with 1280 x 800 pixels of resolution. It runs on the Android’s latest Operating system, the Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 OS. A 1GHz Dual core processor is used to power the device. The tablet comes with 16 or 32 GB of internal memory and the storage capacity can be expanded further by using a micro SD card. Moreover, it comes with 50GB of free storage for one year, provided by Dropbox.
Image Source: techfond.com
The Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1) has a 3.2 MP camera with auto-focus facility. The camera also allows the users to record videos at 1080p. Plus, the tablet features a front facing camera for video calling. The device has a unique TouchWiz UX interface. The tablet users can enjoy over 450,000 apps from Samsung Apps and Google Play and access thousands of movies and TV shows via Wi-Fi. In addition, the tablet is pre-loaded with numerous media apps like Music Player, Samsung Music Hub, Netflix, and Peel smart remote to use the Infrared. This tablet is backed up with a huge 7,000mAh battery.
3, Toshiba Excite 10 LE
The Toshiba Excite 10 LE tablet was launched in the month of March 2012. It is available in two variants based on the storage capacity. The 16GB version is available at a price of $529 and 32GB version for $599. Till date, the Excite 10 LE is the thinnest tablet available in the market, with just 0.3 inch of thickness. The tablet runs on Android 3.2 Honeycomb Operating system and it is powered by a 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor and 1GB of RAM. It has an amazing display of 10.1 inch with 1280 x 800 pixels of resolution. Plus, the display features IPS technology that helps in providing wide viewing angles.
Image Source: abrition.com
The Excite 10 LE is equipped with a rear camera of 5 MP and a front-facing camera of 2MP for video conferencing. The camera is also capable of shooting 1080p videos. The internal storage of 16 GB or 32 GB is expandable further by using a microSD card. The tablet is pre-loaded with some standard apps like Media Player, Book Place, Service Station, Printer Share, etc. and many extra apps for entertainment purpose and games are also available. The main drawback of this tablet is its low battery life. Continuous use of tablet for about 3 hours can low down the battery below 60%.
4, Acer Iconia Tab A510
The Acer Iconia Tab A510 has already entered the US market at a price of $449. However, the Iconia Tab A510 tablet will be launched in India only by the month of June 2012. The specialty of the tablet is its longest battery life compared to other tablets that are available in the market. The device is powered by a huge 9800mAh battery that can provide up to 15 hours of standby time. The tablet runs on the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS. It is powered by the trendy and powerful NVIDIA TEGRA 3 quad-core processor that handles multitasking, gaming, web browsing, music playback and many such tasks effortlessly.
Image Source: talkandroid.com
The tablet looks very attractive. It has a multi-touch screen display of 10 inches with 1280×800 pixels of resolution along with a very easy to use interface. The tablet offers 32 GB of internal storage and also supports microSD card for memory expansion. Like majority of other tablets, this one too has a rear facing camera of 5 MP and a front-facing camera of 1 MP. Video calls in HD Voice and audio recording are extremely good because of the echo cancellation and noise suppression technologies that are supported by the tablet. Moreover, the tablet users can access thousands of apps from the Google Play store.
5, Asus Transformer Infinity TF700
Asus had unveiled its latest tablet called Transformer Infinity TF700 at the CES show held in January 2012. It is expected that the tablet will be launched in early June. It will be available in two variants; one will be with storage capacity of 32 GB and the other with 64 GB, priced at $ 600 and $ 700 respectively. This upcoming tablet will have an ultra-thin profile with just 8.5mm of thickness and will weigh 586 grams only. It will run on the latest OS of Android i.e. the Ice Cream Sandwich Operating System. It will be powered by a 1.6GHZ quad-core Cortex-A9 processor and a ULP GeForce GPU.
Image Source: artographed.com
The tablet will feature a LCD capacitive screen of 10 inch with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and a pixel density of 224 ppi. Plus, the Corning Gorilla Glass will protect the tablet’s display. The tablet will have micro SD card slot to support memory expansion. It will sport an 8-megapixel rear facing camera along with LED flash facility and a 2-megapixel front facing camera. The camera will also be capable to record videos at 1080p. A powerful 25Wh Li-polymer battery will juice up the tablet and as per Asus, the battery will offer about 12 hours of battery life which sounds quiet interesting. The tablet will also support a keyboard dock.
6, Asus Padfone
The Asus Padfone is an out-of-the-box device with a unique concept of transforming a smartphone into a tablet and tablet into a notebook by using a keyboard dock. That means the Padfone users will get smartphone, tablet, and laptop; all in one device. This astounding device was unveiled at MWC back in February 2012. Till now, there is no word yet about the official release date of the device. However, recently an official demo video of Padfone was released. Hence, it seems that Padfone will be launched in the market very soon. The device will be running on the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Operating System.
Image Source: androidauthority.com
The padfone as a smartphone will have a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Display Screen and when it is used as a tablet it will have a 10.1 inch display screen. On adding an additional Keyboard Dock to the tablet, it will become a Notebook. The device will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.5GHz processor. It will be equipped with an 8-megapixel camera and a 2.2 MP front camera too. Asus claims 16 hours of battery life when used as smartphone, 63 hours when connected to the Padfone station and unbelievably 102 hours when the keyboard will be plugged in.
7, Asus Transformer Pad TF300
Asus Transformer Pad TF300 is one of the most powerful and versatile tablets available in the market. The tablet comes in two variants with different market price depending on the storage capacity i.e. 16GB version has a price tag of $379 and 32GB model costs $399. If you want the docking station then you have to pay extra $149 for that. The tablet boasts an IPS LCD multi touchscreen display of 10.10 inches. Plus, the tablet uses a 22-watt-hour battery that offers around 10 hours of battery life per charge. The pad, excluding the dock, measures just 263x181x9.9mm and weigh 635g only, which ensures easy handling of the tablet.
Image Source: gadgetenthusiast.com
The Asus Transformer Pad TF300 runs on Android 4.0 Operating System and under the hood it has a quad-core Tegra 3 processor coupled with 1024 MB of RAM. The tablet has a full-sized SD card slot for memory expansion plus the device offers 8 GB of free cloud storage. It has an 8MP rear facing camera that is also capable of video recording at 1080p and 30fps. The device also supports a 1.2MP on the front for video chat. The tablet comes pre-loaded with apps that offer DLNA service. The users can also access Vibe store where they can purchase books, music content, newspapers, etc.
8, Pantech Element
Pantech Element is a waterproof Android tablet from Pantech, a South Korean mobile manufacturing company. The tablet was launched in January 2012. It is available from AT&T and is priced at $249.99 with a 2-year contract or $449.99 with no contract. The Pantech Element tablet has an 8 inch multi touch screen with 1024 x 768 pixels of resolution. It works on Android 3.2 HoneyComb Operating System. A 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor is used by the device for power. Plus, the tablet supports 4G LTE connectivity. It offers 16 GB of internal storage capacity which can be expanded further up to 32 GB via micro SD card.
Image Source: tabletroms.com
The main USP of this tablet is its waterproof property. Each and every port is roofed by flaps and they offer good waterproofing for the tablet, up to three meter deep and up to thirty minutes under water. The tablet comes pre-loaded with some useful apps for connectivity and messaging purpose. The waterproof tablet uses a 6400 mAH battery and Pantech claims 12 hours of standby time. The device also equips a 5 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front facing camera for the user’s photography needs. The user can also shoot HD videos at 720p using the camera. With these many features along with water proof property, the Element is truly an impressive tablet.
9, Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD
The Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD is an upcoming fast-performing tablet from Huawei. Most probably, the tablet will be officially launched in the last quarter of 2012 for an approximate price of 570$. The MediaPad tablet will have some impressive set of features. It will run on the Android 4.0 operating system and will be powered by a trendy 1.5GHz quad-core processor. The device will flaunt a 10-inch IPS HD display screen with a huge resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. Plus, the tablet will support all 2G, 3G and 4G networks fortunately.
Image Source: indiapricebuzz.in
The MediaPad tablet will provide 8 GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 32 GB with the help of a microSD card. This tablet is one of the best options for avid music lovers, as the MediaPad will support Dolby-surround technology for enhanced audio quality. The tablet will support an 8 MP camera with additional facilities like LED flash, autofocus, and geo-tagging. It will also have a 1.3 MP front facing camera for video calling and chatting. A Li-ion battery with 2000mAh of capacity will power the tablet. Above all these incredible features, the device will also support LTE connectivity.
10, Lenovo IdeaPad S2
The Lenovo IdeaPad S2 is Lenovo’s first Android 4.0 tablet. It was unveiled at CES show 2012. As of now, the tablet has been released only in China. It is highly expected that the tablet will be launched in other countries too in the month of May or early June. There is no info about the price of the device but most likely it will cost under $400 range. The IdeaPad S2 comes in three variants: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models. The device runs on Android 4.0. OS and a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon 8x60A or 8960 processor power the device.
Image Source: phandroid.com
The tablet sports a 10 inch IPS capacitive touch screen with 1280×800 pixels of resolution. Another interesting thing of the IdeaPad S2 is its battery life. The tablet with a standard Li-Ion 1350 mAH battery offers 10 hours of battery life and when it is connected with the dock, the battery life gets doubled to 20 hours because of a battery that lies beneath the dock. The memory capacity is expandable to further 32 GB via microSD card. The IdeaPad S2 also equips a 5MP rear camera with autofocus facility and a 1.3MP front camera.