This autumn has seen all the tablet big guns release updates of their celebrated tech slates for the festive season. The theme this year is definitely around slimmed down tablets, all sleek lines and shimmering looks. Yet they still pack plenty of power under the bonnet – faster processors, even sharper screens and larger storage. The dilemma is thus: which tablet should the discerning gent opt for? Elysium Magazine runs through the best tablets you should be popping this Christmas.
Apple iPad Air
Apple’s big launch this year certainly caught the eye. No one thought that tablets could get any sleeker but the iPad Air did. Packing in a 64-bit A7 processor and a retina display, it has all the discerning gent needs in a top-notch tablet. Yet with 264 Pixels Per Inch (PPI) it’s not the market-leading screen available, but the premium looks and aluminium shell still make it very desirable.
Size: 240 x 170 x 7.5mm (height x width x depth)
Weight: 469g
Price: from £399
Google Nexus 10
The Nexus range has certainly given Google a very solid platform in the tablet market. The Nexus is arguable the best tablet at showcasing the power and high level of customisation offered on the Android system. The build quality is high although not to the premium of the iPad Air’s aluminium casing. With a screen resolution of 300 PPI it’s the best screen of any 10-inch tablet and boasts a dual-core A15 processor. It’s the big screen Android experience the discerning gent has been waiting for.
Size: 263.9 x 177.6 x 8.9mm
Weight: 603g
Price: from £339
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9
The retail giant has built on the solid foundations for the Kindle Fire’s launch a couple of years ago. Here we have a tablet that’s perfect for the discerning gent with a mass of content to watch – either downloaded or streamed through Amazon’s LoveFilm service. The screen is the big talking point here – the highest spec available at 339 PPI that goes ‘beyond HD’. It’s got a pretty swift processor too – the Snapdragon 800 clocking in at 2.2Ghz.
Size: 231 x 157 x 7.9mm
Weight: 374g
Price: from £329
Microsoft Surface 2
The software heavyweight’s tablet is the ‘giant’ of the group in terms of dimensions and mass – but we are only talking millimetres and grams here. The first Surface tablet had many faults and a fraction of the functionality iOS and Android users enjoyed. Surface 2 looks to have addressed these concerns. A 1.7Ghz Nvidia Tegra processor powers this beast, but a screen of just 208 PPI means it’s not the sharpest on the market – far from it. This tablet is great for anyone who loves the functionality of Windows.
Size: 275 x 172 x 8.9mm
Weight: 676g
Price: from £359
Sony Xperia Tablet Z
Sony’s really has turned heads with the introduction of the Xperia Tablet Z – it’s one of the best looking devices available. It’s also officially the thinnest tablet at 6.9mm thick despite the buzz around the iPad Air’s sleekness. It’s not packing the most power – a 1.5Ghz Snapdragon processor with 224 PPI on its 10.1-inch screen. A unique feature it has over the rest in this line up is that it’s waterproof up to one metre. Perhaps the best tablet for the pool and beach loving discerning gent.
Size: 243 x 176 x 8mm
Weight: 494g
Price: from £399