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Top 10 tablets in 2015

August 19, 2015 12:59 IST

Take your pick. We have listed the best ones ranging from Rs 14,000 to Rs 55,000.

The tablet mania is not as hot as it used to be a few years back when it was a novelty. In fact, back then the craze for bigger touchscreen devices was on a high and thus was born the phablet. However even though the hype for the tablet segment has come down compared to what the scene was a few years ago, consumers still cannot get enough of it. With smartphone-makers coming out with bigger and faster tablets lately the competition has spiced up.

So let’s take a look at some of the best tablets in India at the moment. Here is the list of top tablets in 2015 with Android and Windows operating system and of course the iOS.

1. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

The Galaxy Note series has always been popular in the phablet series and the South Korean firm did a great job in extending the series for the tablet version. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is, without a doubt, one of the best tablets in the market right now that can be interacted with using the stylus pen.

The tablet is available at a premium price of Rs 54,530 which makes the device the highest priced tablet on the list thus far. The gadget has a massive 10.1-inch screen and draws energy from a 3GB RAM along with two quad-core processors, making it one of the most powerful tablets available in India.

The tablet further holds an 8MP rear camera at the back and a 2MP camera at the front, which is definitely going to please the photography lovers.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 also has a mammoth battery backup with 8,220mAh that churns out a standby time of up to 2230 hours and a talk time of up to 10 hours in 2G and up to 49 hours in 3G.

2. Apple iPad Air 2

Apple iPad Air 2

Apple has always been at the forefront in the smartphone world and it is no surprise that the list starts with Apple iPad Air 2 which is one of the best tablets in India. iPad is one of the most popular tablet series in the world and is one of the best looking and fastest performing gadgets in its class. Currently there are two models of the tablet in terms of memory featuring 16GB and 32GB variant with the former being priced at Rs 28,900 and the latter at Rs 32,900.

The tablet runs on iOS 8 and has 1GB RAM that gives it that extra spunk as far as sheer pace is concerned. The tablet is also strong in terms of battery with a 27.3Wh power backup under its belt. The tablet even has a powerful 8MP primary camera at the back in addition to the 1.2MP FaceTime camera at the front.

3. HTC Nexus 9

HTC Nexus 9

The Nexus series has always been at the forefront of the smartphone world and one of the formidable ones in the Android sector. So the smartphone enthusiasts were obviously excited on the arrival of HTC Nexus 9, which was HTC's first collaboration with Google. HTC 9 is wonderfully designed and feels great in the hand. The tablet is available for around Rs 28,500 and features a big 8.9-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen.

Since the device is in collaboration with Google, users of HTC Nexus 9 will always have the luxury of working with the latest software and currently the gadget has Android Lollipop 5.0 on-board, which is upgradable to Android Lollipop 5.1.1.

The hardware comprises of a dual-core processor from Denver, clocking at a speed of 2.3GHz. Here too we see a powerful camera section with an 8MP rear camera and a 1.6MP secondary camera. With a 6,700mAh standard lithium-ion battery running at its back, HTC Nexus 9 is able to deliver a massive 9.5 hours of talk time along with 720 hours of standby time.

4. Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is another popular device in the segment that has made a separate place for itself in the market due to its flexibility and versatility in its physical behaviour. Priced at Rs 49,000, Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro can move around its cylindrical bottom thus giving users the flexibility and comfort to use the gadget on the go.

As far as hardware and software specs are concerned, Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is quite beefed up as well featuring an Intel Atom Z3745 processor. The tablet runs on Android KitKat 4.4 operating system and has 2GB RAM that makes it utterly fast and agile as far as the performance is concerned.

The tablet has a pretty sharp camera department as well with an 8MP primary camera at the back and a 1.6MP secondary camera at the front. The 9,600mAh standard lithium-ion battery is another high point of the tablet that garners a talk time of up to 15 hours in 3G.

5. Asus Transformer Pad

Asus Transformer Pad

The company has been picking up its game slowly, and recently with Asus Transformer Pad TF2013, the company has proved it once again. Asus tablets have impressed its customers in the past and Transformer Pad TF2013 is no different. The tablet has a big screen with 10.1-inch dimension diagonally and is priced around Rs 23,000. The device has a quad-core processor and 1GB RAM that gives it the needed punch, much required to manage high amount of multi-tasking.

The tablet uses the Android operating system and is based on Nvidia Tegra chipset. Asus Transformer Pad also has an 8MP primary camera and a 1.2MP secondary camera which provides more than decent photography experience. The 22Wh power supply is a healthy backup, generating 10 hour talk time including multimedia usage.   

6. Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 10.1

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 10.1

Another Lenovo tablet on the list is Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 10.1. The tablet features the same physical flexibility and versatility that its siblings have. Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 10.1 comes with a 10.1-inch display that garners a pixel density of 224ppi. The device has a powerful hardware as well, including an Intel Gen7 processor and 2GB RAM that make it very fast and useful.

The operating system used is Android Kitkat 4.4.2 which is the precursor of the latest version.

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 10.1 is quite reliable in the camera section with an 8MP primary shutter and a 1.6MP front camera. There is a substantial power backup within the tablet using a 9,600mAh backup delivering up to 384 hours of talktime and up to 18 hours of standby time. The tablet is priced around Rs 29,000.

7. Apple iPad Mini 3

Apple iPad Mini 3

You cannot go through a list without coming across Apple devices once or twice in the smartphone world and here too we see another Apple tablet called iPad Mini 3. It sports the popular touch ID feature along with a beautiful 7.9-inch LED backlit multi-touch retina display with IPS technology that enhances the video watching experience on the device.

The tablet is light and is based on iOS 8 operating system. It draws energy from A7 chip with 64-bit architecture coupled with M7 Motion coprocessor.

We have always loved the camera with Apple devices and iPad Mini 3 also has a decent setup in the form of a 5MP primary iSight camera and 1.2MP HD FaceTime snapper.

The power backup for Apple iPad Mini 3 is 6,470mAh that allows the non-removable lithium battery to deliver a talktime of up to 10 hours. The base price of Apple iPad Mini 3 is Rs 28,900.  

8. Sony Tablet Z2

Sony Tablet Z2

Priced around Rs 26,000, Sony has a powerful tablet under its sleeves that manages to score high in all departments, including camera, design and performance. The sleek tablet from Sony is very elegant and is very light too giving a premium feel. The gadget has a 10.1-inch display while the camera used is an 8.1MP main shutter.

The secondary camera at the front is reasonably strong at 2.2MP. The device uses 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor and has Android Lollipop 5.1 operating system under its belt.

The 3GB RAM is a tremendous backing for the tablet which will definitely up the ante when it comes to overall speed of the device. With 6,000mAh lithium-polymer battery, users of Sony Tablet Z2 will be able to garner a long usage time including a 13 hours of talk time and a standby time of up to 1240 hours on 2G network. This tablet is also available in LTE version.

9. Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0

The Galaxy Tab series from Samsung has always served users well, as it offers a great blend of affordability and performance. The tablets from Samsung are quite premium too as far as looks and feel are concerned and Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 delivers in that regard as well.

The device is quite affordable at Rs 13,900 and offers a 7-inch display alongside a healthy set of specs that include a quad-core processor, 1.5GB RAM and Android Kitkat 4.4.2 operating system. The tablet has a 4,000mAh standard lithium-ion battery under its belt that carves away a multimedia usage time of up to 10 hours.

10. Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1

This is a bigger and better version of Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 as Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 features a larger 10.1-inch display and is priced higher too at Rs 24,990. The gadget comes with a large 6,800mAh standard lithium-ion battery that gives a long multimedia usage time of up to 10 hours and a music play time of up to 208 hours.

Quad-core processor is used along with 1.5GB RAM for hardware whereas the operating system used is Android Kitkat 4.4.2.

The tablet market is experiencing a flux with the advent of big screen smartphones, but there are few inventions that can still catch the attention of tech savvy folks. This list does not end here as many more products are in the pipeline, and, sooner or later, are expected to touch the market this year.

Shruti Puri