The 10 Coolest Tablets Of 2014 (So Far)
Talkin' The Top Tablets
In the first half of this year there were many unique tablets that hit the market or at least were unveiled and are expected to hit store shelves in the coming weeks.
Here are our selections for the 10 coolest tablets of the first six months of 2014. In many cases the coolest is the best, but there are some with one great feature or tech spec that other tablets don't come close to, which is what makes it cool. In short, if you want average, you won't find it here.
Dell Venue 8
This month, Dell rolled out the Android version of the Venue 8 Pro, which operates on Windows, and is offering it for less than $200.
This thin and light tablet features wireless charging and runs on Android 4.4 KitKat.
The $199 tablet has 10 hours of battery life and an 8-inch HD screen (1,920 x 1,200). It offers Bluetooth 4.0 and runs on a 2GHz Intel Atom dual-core processor. It has a 5-megapixel camera and a 2-megapixel secondary camera, and has 16 GB or 32 GB of storage.
ASUS MeMO Pad 8
During its announcement in June at Computex, ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih boasted that the new Asus MeMO Pad 8 is "the world's lightest 8-inch LTE tablet."
Weighing just 299 grams, the ASUS tablet has a 1,080p HD Gorilla Glass 3 display (1820x1200)
Behind the bright screen and nice resolution lies a 2.3GHz quad-core Atom Z3580 processor. The device also offers 16 GB or 32 GB of storage with 2 GB of RAM.
For $199, The ASUS MeMO Pad 8 features NFC technology, and 4G LTE connectivity, running on Android 4.4 KitKat.
HP ElitePad 1000
Stocked with Windows 8.1, the HP ElitePad 1000 has a 10.1-inch HD Gorilla Glass 3 display (1,900 x 1,200) that can be viewed outdoors and from wide angles.
It also comes stocked with 64 GB or 128 GB of storage and supports microSD cards.
The tablet runs on a 64-bit Intel Atom quad-core processor and features multitouch capabilities, all in a durable casing. The enterprise-focused machine comes standard with HP BIOS Protection and costs $739. Despite it's wide size, this tablet is just 1.4 pounds and just 9.2mm thin.
Panasonic Toughpad 4k
In January, Panasonic released "the world's first 20-inch 4K tablet."
The 10-point multitouch screen is an HD LCD display with LED backlighting (3,840 x 2,560) as such a large screen would seem kind of pointless without offering high resolution. Running on Windows 8.1, the device is just less than a half-inch thick and runs on a 1.9GHz Inte® Core i5-3437U GHz vPro processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz. Inside its durable magnesium alloy casing, the device offers 256 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM. A cool device, but it comes with a $5,199 price tag and just 2 hours of battery life.
Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Released in June, this device is Microsoft's flagship tablet coming stocked with Windows 8.1.
It features a 12-inch ClearType HD display (2,160 x 1,440) and is thinner (9.1mm) and lighter (1.76 pounds) than its predecessor, the Surface Pro 2.
This tablet features 5-megapixel 1,080p HD front- and back-facing cameras and up to 9 hours of battery life. It runs on 1.5GHz dual-core Intel Haswell low-power processor and offers storage sizes of 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB. The Surface Pro 3 also offers 4 GB or 8 GB of RAM and a starting price of $799.
Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2
Released in February, the $649 tablet is one of a kind with its combination of aesthetics and performance.
Running Android 4.4 KitKat, it has a 12.2-inch Super clear LCD display (2,560 x 1,600) and has nearly 11 hours of battery life. The Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 has a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor and offer 32 GB or 64 GB of storage with a microSD card slot for up to 128 GB and 3 GB of RAM. The tablet also has an 8-megapixel camera (3,264 x 2,448) featuring autofocus and LED flash.
Lenovo Yoga 10 HD+
Released in April, this unique tablet features a kickstand to prop up the device for "entertainment mode," and stands out with a whopping 18 hours of battery life.
The prop-up feature allows users to enjoy its 10.1-inch LED HD screen (1,920 x 1,080), which hides its 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm SnapDragon 400 processor.
Running on Android 4.4 KitKat, the $349 device has an 8-megapixel rear-facing HD camera and a 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera.
It also comes stocked with 32 GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot for up to 6 4GB. The Yoga 10 also comes with 2 GB of RAM and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.
LG G Pad 8.3 LTE
Released with LTE capabilities through the Verizon network in March, the LG G Pad 8.3 LTE offers an 8.3-inch Full HD display (1,920 x 1,200, 273 ppi). Running on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the tablet has a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor and offers 16 GB of flash storage and up to 64 GB with a microSD card slot. It also has a 5-megapixelP primary camera and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. At 338 grams and 8.3mm, it is a very light and thin tablet with a very competitive price tag of $299.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5
In June, Samsung rolled out a device it believes can overtake Apple's iPad in market dominance. With an exceptional 10.5-inch HD Super AMOLED multitouch display (2,560 x 1,600, 288 ppi), the Tab S is quite thin at 6.6mm, weighing 467 grams. Running on Android 4.4 KitKat, this device has a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor. It has 16 GB or 32 GB of storage with a microSD card slot of up to 128 GB. It has an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, and a secondary camera of 2.1 megapixels. This device is $499, while the 8.5-inch downgraded model is $399.
Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet
Sony released this water- and dustproof tablet in March, and it's the lightest and thinnest tablet with a 10.1-inch screen in the world. The device weighs 439 grams, is 6.4mm thin and features Sony's Triluminos Live Color LED IPS display (1,920 x 1,200, 16 million colors). Running on Android 4.4 KitKat, The Xperia Z2 has a 2.3GHz quad-core Adreno 330 processor and comes stocked with 16 GB of storage. It has a microSD support for up to 128b GB of space. Above its multitouch display is a 2.2-megapixel 1,080p secondary camera to go with its 8.1-megapixel 1,080p rear-facing camera.