By ,
Published January 08, 2015
Is someone on your shopping list hoping to unwrap a tablet this season? You should have no trouble finding one they'll love, no matter how fussy the recipient, no matter how much you want to spend. Here’s our list of the five best tablets at any price. All are Wi-Fi models; we’ve indicated when there’s a 4G version available.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 (16GB, 4G available), $400. This tablet is slim, light, and portable, with a battery that will last close to 12 hours. The display is excellent, and it uses OLED technology, which means you’ll get blacker blacks, better viewing angles, more readability in sunlight, and efficient power use. The screen packs 359 pixels per inch, among the finest of the tablets we’ve tested. And it’s powerful enough to play more-challenging games.
Apple iPad mini 2 (16GB, 4G available), $300. Unless you absolutely must have Touch ID, which allows you to use a fingerprint to unlock the screen, you can save yourself $100 by picking up the iPad mini 2 rather than the newer mini 3. You still get access to Apple’s excellent store, long 12.8-hour battery life, a great-looking display, and excellent performance. The 5-megapixel camera has a higher resolution than the cameras on most other tablets.
Don't miss Consumer Reports' Ultimate Gift Ideas holiday gift guide. And if you need more info on tablets, take a look at our Buying Guide for tablets.
Amazon Fire HD 6 (16GB), $120. It may be small, but the Fire HD 6 packs a punch. The display looks great, performance is fast, and the 10.1 hours of battery life is more than adequate. Subscribers to Amazon Prime (the $99-a-year two-day delivery and streaming video service) get lots of content, including free movies and TV shows. The free, quick live tech-support on-screen is unique among tablets. And, of course, you can't beat the price. Stick with the 16GB version, since there's no memory-card slot for added storage.
Apple iPad Air 2 (16GB, 4G available), $500. Thinner and a bit lighter than its predecessor, the iPad Air 2 also has one of the best displays yet. The new anti-reflective coating makes it the best tablet we’ve viewed in bright light. Battery life was a long 13.3 hours. Performance was excellent. Alternatively, you might want to consider its predecessor, the iPad Air. You’ll save $100 on that version, which still has excellent performance and a great-looking display.
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (128GB, 4G available), $1,000. This tablet differs from others in a few ways. It’s the largest display recommended on this list, at 12 inches. It’s the only Windows-based tablet on the list, with by far the most storage. And it doubles as a laptop if you add the optional keyboard ($130). The powerful processor can handle challenging games and other tasks, while the excellent display has realistic and natural-looking colors. Battery life was 10.1 hours.
--Donna Tapellini
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