ISSUE387|COMPUTER SHOPPER|MAY2020 59
01
Alltabletsrelyonanoperatingsystem
(OS)torunapps.Youhavethreemain
choices:Apple’siOS,whichrunsontheiPad;
Android,whichGooglelicensestovarious
manufacturers;andWindows10,whichhas
become common in hybrid tablets and
convertibles. If you own an Apple or Google
smartphone,you can download your apps,
music and so on to atablet that runs the
same OS, so it makes sense to stick with a
compatible device.
02
It’s important to pick atablet that has
agood-quality,high-resolution screen.
Many budget tablets have 1,280x800-
resolution displays, but better tablets have
Full HD 1,920x1,080 panels, and we’re
Choosinga... Tablet
starting to see tablets that have even higher
screen resolutions. Some are as high as
2,560x1,600 or even 4K. Entry-level tablets
typically use TN panels, which don’t have
particularly good viewing angles. The viewing
angles of IPSpanelsare much better.
03
If you want to listen to music, watch
films and playgames, make sure your
tablet has plenty of storage.Many tablets
come with 8GB or 16GB of internal storage,
although some budget models have less.
You’ll typically paymore forahigher storage
capacity.Many tablets also have microSD
slots that let you add extra storage,although
you won’t find one on an iPad. This is acheap
wayofboosting storage capacity.
04
Tablets rarely include aSIM card
slot. This means you’ll have to rely
on Wi-Fi to get online,although some
tablets let you access the internet through
your smartphone.Ifyou want mobile access
to the internet, look for3G- and 4G-ready
devices. These almost always cost more
than Wi-Fi-only models, but they’re great
if you use your tablet while commuting
or travelling.
05
Your choice of tablet determines the
apps you can use on it. Youmay find
that some of the apps you want are available
on iOS but not Android, and vice versa.
Windows 10, meanwhile,runstraditional
desktop applications.
TABLETS
AMAZONKindle Oasis(2019)
★★★★★
£230•amzn.to/2mp6ldb
APPLE iPad1 0 .2in
★★★★★
£349•www.apple.com/uk
APPLE iPadPro10.5in
★★★★★
£529•www.apple.com/uk
MICROSOFT SurfaceGo
★★★★★
£509•www.microsoft.com
SAMSUNGGalaxyTabS6
★★★★★
£619•www.currys.co.uk
AMAZONKindle(2019)
★★★★★
£70•www.amzn.to/2x9nnhM
Withtheadditionofablue light
filter,the latest Kindle Oasis is as
good an e-reader as you can get.
Besides being easier on the eyes when reading at
night, it has the physical page-turn buttons that cheaper Kindles lack,
and the screen can auto-rotateaccording to how you’re holding it.
After theprevious iPad pivoted to
an education focus, the latest
model changes course again,
aiming to become amoreaffordable 2-in-1 than the iPad Pro range.It
works, too: theenlarged screen, Smart Connector forkeyboards and
high performance make forarelatively affordable laptop alternative.
While it’s still stuck with a
mobile OS, rather than the
productivity-friendly macOS,
there’s no arguing with the latest iPad Pro’s raw
power.AnA10XFusion chip makes it much faster than the 9.7in
modelinboth multitasking and single-threaded applications.
If you’ve been craving a
tablet with the flexibility
of aSurface Pro,without
the usual expense,the SurfaceGoisa
perfect fit. It’s smaller and uses aless powerful Intel Pentium CPU,
but it’s still amuch more work-ready 2-in-1 than any Android slate.
The TabS6isnosimpleslate.
Samsung’s DeX interface turns it into
aviable2-in-1 laptop alternative,
something that’s further enabled by itspowerful
processor and glorious, high-resolution touchscreen.
Some keyupgrades make the
base Kindle amuch more
tempting prospect. There’s a
new reading light on the front, plus Bluetooth
connectivity and the ability to download and
listen to Audible audiobooks.
PROCESSORNotstated•SCREENSIZE7in•SCREENRESOLUTION300ppi•REARCAMERA
None•STORAGE8GB•WIRELESSDATAWi-Fi,Bluetooth•DIMENSIONS159x141x8.4mm•
WEIGHT188g•OPERATINGSYSTEMKindle OS•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.
amazon.co.uk•PARTCODEKindle Oasis(2019)•FULLREVIEWNov2019
PROCESSORQuad-coreApple A10Fusion•SCREENSIZE10.2in•SCREENRESOLUTION
2,160x1,620•REARCAMERA8megapixels•STORAGE32GB•WIRELESSDATA4G (cellular model)
- DIMENSIONS215x174x7.5mm•WEIGHT483g•OPERATINGSYSTEMiPadOS•WARRANTYOne
year RTB•DETAILSwww.apple.com/uk•PARTCODEiPad(2019)•FULLREVIEWFeb2020
PROCESSORHexa-core 2.36GHzAppleA10XFusion•SCREENSIZE10 .5in•SCREENRESOLUTION
2,224x1,668•REARCAMERA12 megapixels•STORAGE64/256/512GB•WIRELESSDATA4G (cellular
version)•DIMENSIONS251x174x6.1mm•WEIGHT469g•OPERATINGSYSTEMiOS11•WARRANTY
Oneyear RTB•DETAILSwww.apple.com/uk•PARTCODE9.7iniPad Pro•FULLREVIEWOct2017
PROCESSORDual-core1.6GHz IntelPentium 4415Y•SCREENSIZE10in•SCREENRESOLUTION
1,800x1,200•REARCAMERA8megapixels•STORAGE128GB•WIRELESSDATANo•
DIMENSIONS245x175x8.3mm•WEIGHT522g•OPERATINGSYSTEMWindows10S•WARRANTY
Oneyear RTB•DETAILSwww.microsoft.com•PARTCODEMCZ-00002•FULLREVIEWJan 2019
PROCESSORQuad-core2.84GHzQualcomm Snapdragon 855•SCREENSIZE10.5in•SCREEN
RESOLUTION2,560x1,440•REARCAMERAS15 megapixels,3megapixels•STORAGE128GB•
WIRELESSDATANo•DIMENSIONS245x160x5.7mm•WEIGHT420g•OPERATINGSYSTEM
Android 9.0•WARRANTYOneyear RTB•DETAILSwww.samsung.com/uk•PARTCODE
SM-T860NZAABTU•FULLREVIEWApr2020
PROCESSORNotstated•SCREENSIZE6in•SCREENRESOLUTION256ppi•REARCAMERA
None•STORAGE4GB•WIRELESSDATAWi-Fi only•DIMENSIONS160x113x8.7mm•
WEIGHT174g•OPERATINGSYSTEMKindle OS•WARRANTYOneyear RTB•DETAILS
http://www.amazon.co.uk•PARTCODEKindle (2019)•FULLREVIEWAug2019
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