21 Best Tablets in 2014: Here’s My Choices of Tablets for This Holiday Season

Written by B Johnson November 07, 2014
21 Best Tablets in 2014: Here’s My Choices of Tablets for This Holiday SeasonHi guys, welcome back!

Ho..ho..ho.. Christmas is about to arrive guys. And that means, in the next few weeks, every corner of your town is gonna be decorated with many beautiful lights and Christmas trees all over the place, including your house as well.

But what exactly is the best thing to do in this holiday season besides decorating your Christmas tree and just hanging out with your fellas?

If you ask me, i probably would advise you to start getting some new contents like movies, music or games on your tablet. But the question is, what if you don’t have any tablet at your disposal?

Well, if that is your situation right now, then the best solution for you is of course buy a tablet before the holiday starts.

But you’re probably confused right now about what kind of tablet that you might want to pick up this holiday season.

As a normal consumer who are looking for a tablet, you might think that iPad Air 2 or iPad mini with Retina is a great choice, right?

Well, you’re probably right about that. However, besides these 2 Apple’s tablets, there is still a lot of other great options out there from other different brands that i believe are as great as iPads. This is why i’m here ready to help you.

Below, i will show you 21 great quality tablets from varied different manufacturers all across the world, including the iPads.

But i probably won’t talk a lot about these Apple’s tablets because – state of the obvious -, they are simply great quality tablets, in terms of design, build quality, experience and bla.. bla.. bla...

That's why, in the list below, i’ll put more focus on other tablets besides iPads. But don't worry, these iPads will still be included on the list.

Okay then, without further ado, here you go, 20 great quality tablets that you might want to buy this holiday season. Enjoy!

1. Nvidia Shield

If you’re looking for a great quality gaming tablet that currently has the BEST gaming performance on the market right now, then your destination is definitely Nvidia Shield Tablet.

This tablet actually just launched around few months ago, but this tablet is just amazing and superior than any other rivals on the market right now, even the new-gen iPads. And that’s mostly because this Nvidia Shield Tablet is just great in the whole aspect and offers a lot of great benefits that any other tablets don't.

First of all, this tablet is powered by an extremely strong Tegra K1 processor, coupled with a staggering 192-core Kepler GPU, plus 2GB of RAM.

According to many benchmark tests, not only did this processor manage to deliver 3 times graphical performance as Apple’s iPad Air (A8 SoC), but it’s also capable to bring the same graphics power of today’s desktops or PCs on a tablet device. Can you believe that?

So with that being said, then Nvidia Shield Tablet is definitely ahead of most of the competitors out there, in both performance and graphics power.

But the more impressively is, this NVIDIA’s homemade tablet is also able to play some PS3 and PC ported games, like Trine 2, Half Life 2, Unreal Engine 4 demos and some other titles from console/PC developers.

So yes - Nvidia Shield Tablet is the best gaming tablet out there right now, alongside Xiaomi MI Pad and Google Nexus 9 (which both are also powered by Tegra K1 processor).

And the other great thing about this device is, NVIDIA also releases a separate Xbox-alike controller – which according to many reviews, it works great on this tablet -, which can be paired together with Nvidia Shield Tablet using the Bluetooth connection.

So in terms of gaming experience, this tablet is just unmatched by other rivals and even the iPad Air.

Not only that, besides great for playing games, Nvidia Shield Tablet is also a great device for taking notes and even drawing pictures. And that’s thanks to stylus that comes packed on this tablet. If you haven’t known already, the stylus of Nvidia Shield Tablet is also as great as the S-Pen on Samsung GALAXY Note devices, especially when it comes to writing experience.

The touch response is really fast and every result occurs in real time on-the-fly to the screen, plus its thickness can be easily controlled manually according to your pressure on the screen.

Not only that, it also has the palm-recognition feature, which will prevent your palm from being registered on the screen when using the stylus. So long story short, the stylus of Nvidia Shield Tablet is just AWESOME.

And the more impressively, you can even draw some professional paintings with this stylus.

The spec sheet of this tablet is also one other strongest point of Nvidia Shield Tablet.

It has an 8-inch display sporting the 1080p full HD resolution, 5MP cameras front and back (which take great shots by the way), microSD card slot, 2GB of RAM and a bunch of other goodies.

So you’ll make no mistake if you decide to buy this tablet, even if you’re only looking for a basic media-consumption device.

This is why i put Nvidia Shield Tablet in my top choice of tablet this year. It’s just top notch in the whole aspect, even than the iPads.

Specs: DirectStylus 2, 8.0 inch Capacitive touchscreen 1920 x 1200 pixels, Dual bass reflex port audio, microSD Memory Card slot for up to 128GB, Internal 16 GB, 2 GB RAM, 5 MP rear-facing HDR camera, 5 MP front-facing camera with HDR, Android OS 4.4.2 KitKat, Quad-core 2.2 GHz Cortex-A15 Nvidia Tegra K1, ULP GeForce Kepler 192-core GPU, 19.75 Wh Li-Ion battery

2. Google Nexus 9

Besides NVIDIA Shield Tablet aforementioned above, there's also another Tegra K1 tablet coming from other manufacturer. This one is Google Nexus 9, which is manufactured by HTC but it’s a Google-branded tablet under the Nexus flag.

However, unlike NVIDIA Shield Tablet above – and Xiaomi Mi Pad -, this Google Nexus 9 is powered by a more powerful dual-core Tegra K1 Denver processor with 64-bit architecture, as opposed to the 32-bit quad-core Tegra K1 processor inside NVIDIA Shield Tablet and Xiaomi Mi Pad.

So when it comes to performance, it’s no brainer that Google Nexus 9 will be more superior and powerful than its 2 counterparts.

Google Nexus 9 comes with Google’s latest and greatest Android 5.0 Lollipop – which is the world’s first tablet that ships with Lollipop out of the box -, (but has been followed by NVIDIA recently with the release of Android 5.0 Lollipop for its NVIDIA Shield Tablet a few months ago).

So in terms of performance and experience, this new Lollipop update could really help a lot in making this tablet run much even faster and smoother, plus more efficient in battery life.

Unlike NVIDIA Shield Tablet, however, this Google Nexus 9 doesn’t come packed with stylus – along with its technology. So if you want a note tablet that is also a great gaming device, then you might want to switch to NVIDIA Shield Tablet instead.

It may have a lower-resolution screen or 32-bit processor than Google Nexus 9, but i believe this NVIDIA’s tablet will provide more benefits than what Google Nexus 9 has to offer.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a productivity tablet, your best shot is definitely on Google Nexus 9 as this tablet also comes with keyboard dock or keyboard cover (sold separately, but is not available yet for now).

In term of gaming performance, this Google Nexus 9 is probably similar with NVIDIA Shield Tablet or Xiaomi Mi Pad -, given their similar Tegra K1 processor.

However, given that the Tegra K1 processor inside Google Nexus 9 is made with 64-bit architecture, then its gaming performance probably will be more superior than on its 2 counterparts.

But even so, both tablets in my opinion are equally great. Any games that you see today on the market, can all be played smoothly and perfectly, plus in full graphics on this device.

No argue about that. Not to mention, you’re also able to play many PS3 and PC ported titles like Trine 2, Half Life 2, Unreal Engine 4 demos and many future console-quality games on this tablet.

In terms of spec sheet, Google Nexus 9 is probably up ahead than NVIDIA Shield Tablet.

And that’s because it comes with a higher-resolution 1536x2048 pixel display (just like the iPads), a 64-bit Tegra K1 processor, 8MP rear-facing camera, longer battery life, better design and some other more. The only downside found on this device – compared to NVIDIA Shield – are probably its lack of microSD card slot and stylus.

But on the good side, this device will be supported with its own keyboard cover, which will arrive soon on Google Play Store.

Specs: 8.9 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen 1536 x 2048 pixels, 4G LTE, Dual-core 2.3 GHz Denver Nvidia Tegra K1 64-bit Chipset, Kepler DX1 GPU, 2 GB RAM, Android OS, v5.0 (Lollipop), No Memory Card slot, 16/32 GB Internal storage, 8 MP rear-facing camera LED flash, 1.6 MP front-facing camera, xxx , Non-removable Li-Po 6700 mAh battery

3. Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro

If you’re still confused about what kind tablet that perfectly suits your needs, then you might want to go with this Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro.

This tablet is probably perfect for you if you’re currently looking for a perfect media-consumption device.

It has a super-sharp 2.5K display, a monster processor, huge RAM, new improved and complete overhauled Android UI, great cameras, good battery life, solid build quality and impressive design. Yup - Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 has all of that.

Besides perfect as a platform to enjoy all of your contents this holiday season, Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 can also be a great machine to play games.

And that’s thanks to Snapdragon 800 processor, Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM that come on board with this device.

So basically, games like Asphalt 8: Airborne, GTA San Andreas or Modern Combat 5 can all be executed on this tablet perfectly in buttery smooth performance and of course, in full highest graphics.

This tablet actually consists in varied different models – from 8.4, 10.1 and 12.2-inch models, then divided again in 2 different variants: LTE and WiFi-only/3G models.

And these models are powered by 2 different types of hardware specs – Snapdragon 800 for all the LTE variants + the WiFi-only 8.4 model, while Samsung 5 Octa Exynos 5420 octa-core processor and Mali-T628 GPU are found inside the WiFi-only 10.1 and 12.2 models.

However, despite using 2 different processors/GPUs, all of these tablets – in my opinion – are equally great and powerful, even for gaming (although the Snapdragon 800 models are more powerful).

So you'll make no mistake if you decide to pick any of these models.

It's a perfect device for watching movies, reading books, editing documents, browsing the web, taking photos, recording videos and even playing games.

Specs: Super clear LCD capacitive touchscreen 1600 x 2560 pixels, 4G LTE (SIM Micro-SIM), microSD for up to 64 GB, 16/32 GB internal storage, 2 GB RAM, 8 MP rear-facing LED flash, 2 MP front-facing camera, Android OS, v4.4 (KitKat), Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset, Adreno 330 GPU, Samsung TouchWiz U

4. Samsung Galaxy Tab S

If Samsung’s tablet aforementioned above doesn’t quite impress you at all, i still have one other great awesome tablet from Samsung.

This one is Samsung GALAXY Tab S series and actually just launched a few months ago. So don't be shocked with its sky high price tag.

But i believe that is acceptable given that this tablet is armed with beefy specs on it, from 2.5K resolution, Super AMOLED display (which 'outstanding color saturation' is its trademark), Snapdragon 800/Samsung 5 Octa Exynos, 3GB of RAM, stock TouchWiz Android UI, 8MP and 2MP cameras back and front with LED flash and many other high-grade specs.

Not only is this tablet amazing for enjoying all of your favorite media-contents, but Samsung Galaxy Tab S is a perfect machine for playing games.

Its gaming performance is definitely on par with most of the flagship tablets on the market right now.

So you can basically expect games like Asphalt 8: Airborne, Modern Combat 5 or GTA San Andreas to run perfectly smooth and in full graphics on this device. No doubt about that.

However, it’s worth noting that the LTE and WiFi-only models of this tablet are powered by 2 different processors – just like on Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro.

So when it comes to gaming performance, the LTE models with Snapdragon 800 processor are clearly the winners here.

But even so, both of these LTE and WiFI-only variants are still equally great and powerful for playing games.

Anyway, Samsung Galaxy Tab S consists in varied different models: from the 8.4 and 10.5-inch models.

So pick up the one that suits you best and don’t hesitate to buy it. This tablet is probably the best media-consumption tablet on the market right now, even than the iPads.

Specs: Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen 1600 x 2560 pixels, 4G LTE, Fingerprint sensor, Samsung TouchWiz UI, 3 GB RAM, Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, Adreno 330 GPU, Android OS 4.4.2 KitKat, microSD Memory Card slot for up to 128 GB, 16/32 GB Internal storage, 8 MP rear-facing Camera with LED flash, 2.1 MP front-facing camera

5. HP Slate 7 Extreme

Last year, there was one tablet that in my opinion was probably the best gaming tablet out there on the market. That tablet was HP Slate 7 Extreme, a Tegra 4 tablet that came packed with stylus.

This tablet actually reminds me with NVIDIA Tegra Note given their striking resemblance on many sectors of them.

They share the same Tegra 4 processor, 1GB of RAM, 720p display, stylus, dual-speaker grilles on the front and they even look identical one to another.

Soon i found out that NVIDIA Tegra Note was actually the actual device that’s used as the reference tablet for other manufacturers if they want to make this same tablet but with their own branding.

That’s why when HP released this tablet to the market, it was then called as HP Slate 7 Extreme, instead of Tegra Note. But even so, both tablets are just the same in the whole aspect.

There are many great things that you can expect from this tablet. First of all, it is a note-taking device and it has its own stylus (just like S-Pen on Samsung Note).

The most impressive thing about this stylus, it’s able to deliver the touch response as great as S-Pen on Samsung GALAXY Note. So if you love drawing pictures or even professional paintings, you’re in great hands with this tablet.

Besides its great stylus and touch response, HP Slate 7 Extreme is also a great media-consumption device and even gaming tablet. Any games that you see today on the market right now, like Asphalt 8: Airborne, Modern Combat 5 or GTA San Andreas – all can be executed perfectly on this device, and the most importantly, in full highest graphics.

So if you’re into gaming, HP Slate 7 Extreme will serve you well as a gamer.

As a 2012-released tablet, the spec sheet of HP Slate 7 Extreme can still be considered as great though.

It has a 7-inch display sporting the 720p resolution, 5MP rear-facing camera (that’s able to take decent shots), Tegra 4 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 72-core GeForce ULP GPU, stylus, stock Android 4.2.2 out of the box, 4100mAh battery and many other awesome goodies.

This tablet actually reminds me with NVIDIA Shield Tablet aforementioned above (no 1 on the list) given its same exact design, dual-speaker grilles and Tegra processor.

But that’s not shocking given that HP Slate 7 Extreme uses NVIDIA Tegra Note as the reference device when manufacturing this tablet.

So no wonder if this HP tablet is still 'on the same page' with NVIDIA Shield. I really hope HP is gonna update this tablet near time soon by using NVIDIA Shield as its next reference device for the next-gen HP Slate 7 Extreme tablet, along with its monster specs.

Fingers' crossed for that!

Specs: 7.0 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen 800 x 1280 pixels, Nvidia Tegra 4 Quad-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A15 CPU, 1 GB RAM, 5 MP rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing camera, microSD card slot for up to 32 GB, 16 GB Internal storage, Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean), Non-removable Li-Po 4100 mAh battery

6. Google Nexus 7 (2013 Edition)

Google Nexus 7 (2013 Edition) is definitely one of the best affordable tablets on the market right now, alongside Kindle Fire HDX 7. It retails at just $229 for the basic 16GB model but it offers a lot of great stuff to its users.

It’s great for watching movies, reading books/magazines, browsing the web, checking out photos, listening to music and even playing games.


And thanks to the Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor inside this tablet – accompanied with Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM, this Google-branded tablet is more than happier to execute any games that you want to play.

However, in terms of gaming performance, this second-gen Google Nexus 7 is not as powerful as Kindle Fire HDX 7 or other Snapdragon 800 tablets out there.

And that can be seen clearly on this tablet when deployed with heavy games like GTA San Andreas, which runs really laggy in full highest graphics (with all visual effects, shadows, objects, full resolution, etc).

This is probably due to the game developer - Rockstar - that hasn't updated this game specifically for this Nexus 7 tablet. But even so, other games like Asphalt 8: Airborne or Modern Combat 5 will surely run smoothly in full graphics on this tablet.

So if you’re still confused about which tablet that you want to pick up this holiday season, Google Nexus 7 could turn out to be your good choice here.

Its gaming performance may not be as powerful as Kindle Fire HDX or any other high-end tablets on the market right now, however, this tablet is still blazing fast in performance and great for enjoying media contents though.

It has a razor-sharp 7-inch display with 1080p resolution, 5MP rear-facing camera, a fast Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, Adreno 320 GPU, 2GB of RAM, stock Android UI and many more.

I think its only downside is actually its lack of microSD card slot, which is probably not such a big a deal given its pretty huge 16GB of native storage. The rest of this tablet - in my opinion - is just great for a $229 tablet.

And yes – it’s still a great gaming tablet, no doubt about that. Asphalt 8: Airborne, Modern Combat 5 and many other latest titles will run perfectly and in full highest graphics on this device.

I even believe that GTA San Andreas has been updated by Rockstar by now to run smoothly in full graphics on this Nexus 7.

Specs: 7.0 inch LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen 1200 x 1920 pixels, 4G LTE (Micro-SIM), Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait Qualcomm Snapdragon S4Pro Chipset, Adreno 320 GPU, 2 GB RAM, 5 MP rear-facing camera, 1.2 MP front-facing camera, No Memory Card slot, 16/32 GB Internal storage, Non-removable Li-Ion 3950 mAh battery, Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v5.0 (Lollipop)

7. HP Slate 8 Pro

Another great Tegra 4 tablet is also coming from the same company that releases HP Slate 7 Extreme, of course, HP (duh!).

This one, however, is an 8-inch tablet and not a note-taking tablet just like its sibling. Okay then, introducing to you, HP Slate 8 Pro.

Compared to HP Slate 7 Extreme, this 8-inch tablet actually falls in different league than its sibling, on high-end tablet market actually. And that’s why it has a much higher 1200x1600 pixels or slightly below the 1080p display (1200x1920 pixels).

So when it comes to sharpness and clarity, it’s no brainer that HP Slate 8 Pro will be the winner here if compared to Slate 7 Extreme with its 720p display.

Besides that higher-resolution screen, this sibling also offers some other great things compared to HP Slate 7 Extreme, like a much higher quality 8MP rear-facing camera with LED flash and bigger 5680mAh battery, as opposed to 720p resolution on 7-inch display, the 5MP camera without LED flash and smaller 4100mAh battery on HP Slate 7 Extreme.

However, despite being the real flagship here, there is one downside found on HP Slate 8 Pro compared to its sibilng. And that is its lack of stylus and touch response tech on this tablet.

So if you’re looking for a note tablet that has great gaming performance, i strongly recommend you to pick up HP Slate 7 Extreme instead, despite having lower specs compared to HP Slate 8 Pro.

But even so, HP Slate 8 Pro is still a decent quality tablet especially if you’re looking for a pure media-consumption and gaming tablet.

In terms of gaming performance, this tablet is also as great as HP Slate 7 Extreme, despite using a much higher resolution screen – thanks to Tegra 4 processor, 72-core GeForce ULP GPU and 1GB of RAM that come packed on this device.

Specs: 8.0 inch Capacitive touchscreen 1200 x 1600 pixels, Nvidia Tegra 4 T40 S Quad-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A15 CPU, 8 MP camera with LED flash, xxx, 1 GB RAM, Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean), microSD card slot for up to 32 GB, 16 GB Internal storage, Beats Audio sound enhancement, Non-removable Li-Po 5680 mAh battery

8. Kindle Fire HDX 7

Google Nexus 7 (2013 edition) has got a competition here and this one is coming from Amazon. This Amazon’s tablet is Kindle Fire HDX 7, which was released back then in 2013 alongside its powerful sibling, Kindle Fire HDX 8.9.

The strongest point of this tablet is definitely its beefy hardware specs. It comes with a super fast Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM, plus a super sharp 1080p resolution on its 7-inch display.

The most impressively is, even with those beefy specs, Amazon decides to sell this monster tablet at just $229, making it a tough rival for Google Nexus 7 tablet in mid-end tablet market.

Kindle Fire HDX 7 is not only great for watching HD movies, reading books/magazines or browsing the web – given its super high-resolution display.

But thanks to Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM and Adreno 330 GPU, this tablet is also a perfect machine for playing games.

Even though Amazon’s App Store is not as huge as Google Play Store, in terms of app and game catalog, there are still many popular games from famous developers like GTA San Andreas, Asphalt 8: Airborne, Modern Combat 5 and many more, which all of them can be played perfectly and smoothly on Kindle Fire HDX 7, even in full highest graphics.

However, similar just like Google-branded Nexus tablet, Kindle Fire HDX 7 also lacks in microSD card slot. So you can only count on its native storage (16/32/64GB) to keep all of your media contents.

The worst part is, Kindle Fire HDX 7 is not equipped with a rear-facing camera, which now has been added to the second-gen Google Nexus 7.

So it’s probably the sacrifice that Amazon did for having a powerful chipset on this tablet, in order to keep its price at $229.

Specs: 7-inch 1920x1200 pixels, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.2GHz quad-core, Adreno 330 GPU, Android Skin Fire OS 3.0 Mojito, 2GB of RAM, Internal storage 16GB/32GB/64GB, Front-facing camera, 1.3MP camera, LTE, 11 battery life

9. Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 and Amazon Fire HDX 8.9

Well, if you want the same Kindle Fire HDX tablet that has a rear-facing camera, then you can switch to Kindle Fire HDX 8.9.

Compared to its 7-inch sibling, Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 has a much better spec sheet. It may share the same exact Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM and Adreno 330 GPU just like Kindle Fire HDX 7.

But on other sectors like screen, rear-facing camera and battery, Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is definitely the winner here.

It has a super-razor-sharp 2560x1600 pixel resolution on its 8.9-inch display, 8MP rear-facing camera with LED flash and bigger longer battery life.

In terms of gaming performance, this tablet may be similar just like its sibling.

However, given its super-sharp display, the experience of playing games on this tablet is definitely far better than Kindle Fire HDX 7.

Actually, Amazon just released the refreshed model of Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 recently. And it now carries the new name "Amazon Fire HDX 8.9".

This new model is now equipped with much even more powerful goodies - from Snapdragon 805 processor, Adreno 420 GPU and new build of Fire OS (with Sangria UI), while the rest of its specs still remain the same with predecessor.

If i’m not mistaken, this tablet costs around $350 to 400 for the WiFi-only 16GB model, and the price tags go up for the LTE and bigger storage models.

So it’s your call now. If you feel that you don’t really need a super-high-resolution 2.5K display, 8MP camera with LED flash and bigger battery, you can grab its sibling - Kindle Fire HDX 7.

But if you think that this basic 7-inch model doesn’t quite impress you at all, you can aim your target at Amazon Fire HDX 8.9 instead.

Specs: 8.9 inch 2560 x 1600 pixel IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 450 Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset, Adreno 420 GPU, 2 GB RAM, Fire OS 4 Sangria UI, Android OS, v4.4 (KitKat - customized), No memory card slot, 16/32/64 GB Internal storage, 8 MP rear-facing camera LED flash, Secondary front-facing camera, Up to 12 hours Talk time, 4G LTE (Micro-SIM)

10. HP Slate 7 Plus

If you want a much cheaper tablet that has great gaming performance, then HP Slate 7 Plus can be your destination.

This tablet was actually released at the same time as its 2 siblings, HP Slate 7 Extreme and HP Slate 7 Pro on HP’s website. However, unlike the "Extreme" and "Pro" models, HP Slate 7 Plus comes with lower-class of specs, given its low price tag.

But despite being priced at just $150, there are still some awesome things you can grab from this device. HP Slate 7 Plus comes with a 7-inch display sporting the 720p resolution (which is more than great for a cheap tablet), a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, 12-core of GeForce ULP GPU, 5MP camera, microSD card slot for up to 32GB, 8GB of native internal storage, 4000mAh battery and some other more. Not to mention, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean comes out of the box, and it’s the stock version, so this tablet is going to perform really fast and smooth.

In terms of gaming performance, HP Slate 7 Plus is actually really great for that matter.

Thanks to its Tegra 3 processor, 12-core GeForce ULP GPU, 1GB of RAM and medium-resolution 720p display (not to mention, stock Android UI), this tablet really flies when playing games like Modern Combat 4, NOVA 3, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Dead Trigger, Horn, GTA Vice City or even Asphalt 8: Airborne.

This Asphalt 8 game may not run perfectly smooth in full highest graphics, but it’s still playable even in full graphics.

Meanwhile, other titles aforementioned above obviously will run smoothly in full graphics.

So if you’re currently only looking for an affordable $150 tablet as your media-consumption device or even for playing games, there’s no doubt that HP Slate 7 Plus will serve you well as customer. It’s great for watching HD movies, reading books, browsing the web, listening to music and even gaming.

Specs: 7.0 inch Capacitive touchscreen 800 x 1280 pixels, Nvidia Tegra 3 Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, 1 GB RAM, 5 MP rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing camera, microSD up to 32 GB, 8 GB Internal storag, Android OS v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean), Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery

11. Xiaomi Mi Pad

Another Tegra K1 tablet here, but it’s not coming from HTC or NVIDIA. But it is Xiaomi that is selling this tablet. This one is called Xiaomi Mi Pad, a 7.9-inch tablet shipping with NVIDIA’s latest and greatest chipset this year.


In terms of design, this tablet actually bears a striking resemblance to Apple’s mini tablet – iPad mini. And that can be seen clearly on the entire design of this tablet.

Not only that, Xiaomi Mi Pad surprisingly is also packing the same exact screen specs just like iPad mini with Retina – like its 7.9-inch screen size, 1536x2048 pixel resolution, -324ppi and even the same exact 4:3 aspect ratio.

But that’s not it. There’s more. The UI of Xiaomi Mi Pad actually also looks and works similarly like the icon-grid UI on iOS 8 the of iPad mini – especially when MIUI 6 arrives for this tablet later.

However, when it comes to features and visual presentations, in my opinion Xiaomi Mi Pad probably has the edge here compared to iPad mini.

But there's the consequence of that, MIUI is also really heavy and consumes a lot of memory/RAM of this tablet in default. But the good news is, Xiaomi decides to put 2GB of RAM inside this device, which leaves a lot of free RAM to the users.

However, despite all that, Xiaomi Mi Pad is still a decent quality tablet.

It has beefy monster specs on it, great build quality (despite using plastic material, it feels really sturdy and impressively, it's not prone to catch finger prints), sharp cameras (according to many YouTube reviews.

I've seen it already by myself), fast processor, powerful GPU and pretty much everything about this tablet is just awesome.

As a matter of fact, thanks to Tegra K1 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 192-core Kepler GPU, this tablet is a clear winner here compared to iPad mini.

And that’s because according to many benchmark tests, Tegra K1 processor is capable to deliver 3 times of graphical performance than Apple’s A8 chipset and the same graphical performance as today’s desktops or PCs.

So when it comes to gaming, Xiaomi Mi Pad is no doubt superior than Apple’s tablet.

The good news is, there will be many PS3 and PC-ported games that are about to arrive in the next few months for Tegra K1 tablets like Xiaomi Mi Pad.

But the current available titles for this tablet are Trine 2 (PS3) and Half Life 2 from PC.

Not to mention, there are also some other Unreal Engine 4 demos that are intentionally prepared for this Xiaomi’s tablet.

And this is something that can’t be found on iPad mini or even iPad Air, although these iPads now have great Metal API that allows developers to make console/PC-quality games for these devices. Not to mention, Bioshock has been released for iPads, not yet on Android devices.

So long story short, if you’re currently looking for a super monster-spec’d tablet with great UI and experience, plus rich features and awesome visual presentations, i strongly recommend Xiaomi Mi Pad to you.

It only costs around $399 or $349 (if i’m not mistaken) for the basic 16GB model.

This Xiaomi tablet may not have the same premium feel and material just like iPads, however, Xiaomi Mi Pad has microSD card slot and perfectly-usable Bluetooth, while iPads DON'T.

Specs: 7.9 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen 1536 x 2048 pixels, Quad-core 2.2 GHz Cortex-A15 Nvidia Tegra K1 Chipset, ULP GeForce Kepler (192 cores) GPU, xxx, 2 GB RAM, 16/64 GB of Internal storage, microSD Memory Card slo for up to 128 GB, 8 MP rear-facing camera, 5 MP front-facing camera, Li-Po 6700 mAh battery

12. Nokia Lumia 2520

Well, if you’re not a big fan of Android OS and its full-featured UI or even iOS with its simple-to-use UI, then you might want to go with a much simpler tablet.

This is made by Nokia, which is quite surprising given that this Finish-based company is a specialized phone manufacturer.

But i think it’s great to see this company finally make a brave decision to jump to another bandwagon. Anyway, this tablet is Nokia Lumia 2520 and this one is running on Windows RT platform.

But the strongest point of this tablet is definitely its beefy monster specs.

Nokia Lumia 2520 comes with a 10.1-inch IPS LCD display sporting a full HD 1080p resolution, a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 6.7MP rear-facing camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 2MP front-facing camera, microSD card slot for up to 64GB, 32GB of native internal storage, a huge 8120mAh battery promising for up to 10 hours of talk time and 600 hours of stand by, LTE connectivity with Micro-SIM and of course Microsoft Windows RT out of the box.

In terms of app catalog, it’s obvious that Windows RT of this tablet is not as huge as Android and iOS with their app markets.

However, there are still some popular games like Asphalt 8: Airborne or GTA San Andreas that are available to play on this device, plus in full highest graphics.

But Nokia Lumia 2520 is probably not an ideal gaming tablet given that Nokia makes this device solely as a productivity tablet, which is why it has keyboard cover (Smart Cover) just like on Microsoft Surface RT.

But even so, for handling games, this tablet is still more than happier to do that job perfectly.

Nokia Lumia 2520 is definitely perfect for those of you looking for a solid built productivity tablet that is also great as a media-consumption device and even gaming tablet.

But of course, with all of the complete package that come on board with this device, Nokia Lumia 2520 is going to cost you a lot, especially since its cameras are really superior compared to other rivals out there on the market now.

So i believe its high price tag can be acceptable for the exchange of beefy monster specs and Nokia’s years of experience in camera development and technology. Anyway, if this Nokia Lumia 2520 is too big for you, you can still aim at its sibling - Nokia Lumia 1520 that has smaller 6-inch screen but some high-grade specs, however, it's running on Windows Phone platform.

The lower-end model of this device is also available, it's Nokia Lumia 1320 that comes with low-class of specs than 1520.

Specs: 10.1 inch IPS LCD touchscreen 1080 x 1920 pixels, 4G LTE (Micro-SIM), Quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400 Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 Chipset, Microsoft Windows RT, Adreno 330 GPU, 2 GB RAM, microSD memory card slot for up to 64 GB, 32 GB Internal storage, 6.7 MP rear-facing camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 2 MP front-facing camera, Non-removable 8120 mAh battery

13. Asus PadFone X

I have another great tablet here. However, unlike other tablets aforementioned earlier in the list, this one is actually not exactly a tablet.

It is a smartphone – a normal regular 5-inch Android smartphone, but what makes it awesome, this smartphone can be docked into a tablet and turn into a 9-inch tablet.

Well, you probably know it already with that description. YES, you got it right - It is Asus PadFone X.

Similar just like its predecessor, Asus PadFone X is actually no different than its siblings. It’s still a 5-inch smartphone that can turn into a tablet by using a device called “Padfone Station” (similar just like inserting a non-removable battery into a tablet/smartphone).

This tablet actually also has a next-gen sibling called Asus PadFone S, which is the 'real flagship' from Asus’ latest Padfone lineup. It has a more powerful Snapdragon 801 processor, as opposed to the Snapdragon 800 processor inside Asus PadFone X.

But they both are equally great, although the S model is more powerful yet more efficient in battery consumption.

Asus PadFone X is definitely a perfect device for many people. It’s great as a smartphone (5-inch 1920x1080 pixel display), while it’s also great as a tablet (9-inch 1920x1200 pixel display).

Asus Padfone S
So basically, with this device, you can do a lot of things this holiday season – like taking sharp photos, watching HD movies, reading books, editing documents, listening to music, browsing the web, checking out photos and most definitely, playing games.

Yes – any games like Asphalt 8: Airborne, GTA San Andreas or even Modern Combat 5 will surely perform well on this device, even in full highest graphics.

There are 2 choices here, however, the Asus PadFone X and Asus PadFone S. Both are equally great and in fact, share almost identical spec sheet one to another (with the exception of their processors).

But of course, Asus Padfone S is the 'real' flagship here given its Snapdragon 801 processor. However, whatever you choose, it’s still gonna be a decent quality device.

Specs: 5.0 inch Super IPS+ LCD capacitive touchscreen 1080 x 1920 pixels, Padfone Station with 9 inches IPS display 1920 x 1200 pixels, 4G Network LTE (Micro-SIM), Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad-core 2.3 GHz Chipset, Adreno 330 GPU, 2 GB RAM, Android OS v4.4.2 (KitKat), 13 MP rear-facing camera LED flash, 2 MP front-facing camera, microSD memory Card slot for up to 64 GB, 16 GB Internal storage, Non-removable Li-Po 2300 mAh battery

14. Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet LTE

This year, Sony made a great comeback with its new-gen tablet - Sony Xperia Z2. Compared to its predecessor, this tablet now has really improved a lot on many sectors - like, a LOT.

The most prominent improvement found on this device is its display, which now looks more vibrant and super sharp, plus it has better viewing angle and outstanding color saturation – as opposed to the predecessor that has a washed out display with bad viewing angle.

There are also some other departments that get revamped on the next-gen model, like sound quality, its IP58 certification, more powerful processor, bigger RAM, better cameras, longer battery life and there’s a lot more.

So basically, Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is the ‘perfect’ version of its predecessor.

Not only is this Sony’s tablet great for enjoying stuff like HD movies, books, magazines, music, web pages or photos, but Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is also a perfect machine for playing games.

And that’s thanks to its Snapdragon 801 processor that is now more powerful but more efficient in battery consumption, coupled with 3GB of RAM and Adreno 330 GPU, which are more than happier to execute any of your favorite games in full highest graphics, even the heavy titles like Asphalt 8: Airborne, GTA San Andreas or Modern Combat 5.

In terms of specs, Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is definitely really prepared for that matter.

It comes with a 10.1-inch TFT display sporting the 1080p resolution (1920x1200 pixels), a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, Adreno 330 GPU, IP58 certification, 8.1MP rear-facing camera, 2.2MP front-facing camera, microSD card slot for up to 64GB, 16GB of internal storage, 6000mAh battery, Android 4.4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box, 4G LTE connectivity, much better design and a lot more.

Basically, this tablet is an ideal choice for you especially if you’re looking for a decent quality media-consumption tablet that has razor-sharp display and powerful gaming performance.

Yes – you can get all of that on this one single device.

But i believe Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet will also be a great productivity tablet especially if you already own 3rd party keyboard dock for this tablet.

Specs: 10.1 inch TFT capacitive Triluminos touchscreen (X-Reality Engine) 1200 x 1920 pixels, Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 Qualcomm MSM8974AB Snapdragon 801 chipset, Adreno 330 GPU, Android OS 4.4.2 KitKat, microSD of Memory Card slot for up to 64 GB, 3 GB RAM, 16 GB of Internal storage, 8.1 MP rear-facing camera, 2.2 MP front-facing camera, IP58 certified (dust proof and water resistant over 1 meter and 30 minutes), Non-removable Li-Po 6000 mAh battery, 4G LTE (Micro-SIM)

15. LG G Pad 8.3

This LG’s tablet was actually released around 1 year ago or more if i’m not mistaken. However, i believe this tablet still deserves to be positioned alongside other flagship tablets on the market right now. This one is no other but LG G Pad 8.3. And as its model name suggest, this tablet is indeed an 8.3-inch tablet running on LG’s homemade Android UI.

When it comes to specs, LG G Pad 8.3 is probably more ideal as the challenger for Sony Xperia Z Tablet released also last year, given their same Snapdragon 600 processor.

However, the overall quality of this LG’s tablet is actually much better than Sony’s last year device, especially in terms of display and features.

So that’s why i think LG G Pad 8.3 still has what it takes to compete against other high-end devices such as NVIDIA Shield Tablet, Google Nexus 9, Xiaomi Mi Pad or even iPads.

LG G Pad 8.3 comes with an 8.3-inch display sporting the 1920x1200 pixel resolution (or 1080p display), Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz, Adreno 320 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 5MP rear-facing camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera, microSD card slot, 16GB of internal storage, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box and 4600mAh power battery.

The other great thing about this device is actually its design. LG G Pad 8.3 is made out of the aluminum material and its design looks really awesome, even alongside iPad mini.

It feels really sturdy in hands and comfortable to use, although its 4:3 aspect ratio makes it harder to use it with one hand.

LG G Pad 8.3 is absolutely great as your tablet choice for this holiday season.

It retails at $300 but i believe this price is acceptable with all the goodies that LG G Pad 8.3 has to offer to users – like its solid build quality, powerful gaming performance, awesome features (like multitasking window mode with 3-finger gesture, etc), sharp cameras and pretty much everything about this tablet is just great.

It’s great for watching HD movies, reading books, browsing the web, checking out photos, editing documents and even playing games.

Specs: 8.3-inch display 1920x1200 pixels, .7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 5MP rear-facing camera, 1.3MP front-facing snapper, 4600mAh battery, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, 16GB of internal storage, microSD card slot for up to 32GB

16. Archos Gamepad 2

If you’re currently looking for a pure gaming tablet, then Archos Gamepad 2 is probably your best destination here. Compared to other tablets aforementioned above – which i recommend also as great gaming tablets -, this Archos Gamepad 2 is definitely the winner here in the specific gaming tablet category.

And that’s mostly because its design is actually made by Archos as a pure gaming tablet, not just a media-consumption device like its counterparts.

Archos Gamepad 2 is actually no different than any other regular Android tablets out there. It has a 7-inch display sporting 720p resolution, a quad-core Cortex-A9 processor, Mali-400 MP4 GPU, 2GB of RAM, microSD card slot for up to 64GB, 8/16GB of internal storage and other standard internals of normal Android tablets.

However, there is one thing that makes this device stand out compared to its rivals, especially as a gaming tablet. And that is its physical gaming buttons and controllers.

Yes – that’s true, on this 7-inch tablet, you are provided with all gaming buttons and controllers that you’re familiar to see on Xbox 360.

So it has some normal gaming buttons, 2 analogue sticks, trigger buttons on the shoulders and even directional-Pad. Isn’t that awesome, huh?

This tablet actually reminds me with PlayStation Vita, in terms of design concept.

With Mali-400 MP4 GPU, 2GB of RAM and a quad-core Cortex-A9 processor, this tablet is more than capable to handle even the latest graphics intense games like Asphalt 8: Airborne, Modern Combat 4, NOVA 3 or Need for Speed Most Wanted – all in buttery smooth performance and amazingly, in full highest graphics.

In fact, i've already seen this device handle those games even in full highest graphics. And they perform really smoothly on this device.

So if you’re planning to buy a great present for your kids this holiday season, Archos Gamepad 2 is probably the tablet you’re looking for.

Not only is this tablet great for enjoying media contents, but it’s also a great machine for playing games.

Specs: -inch IPS display sporting 1280 x 800 pixels, Quad-core A9 @ 1.6GHz, Quad-core GPU Mali 400 MP4, 8GB/16GB internal storage with micro SD for up to 64GB, 2GB RAM, front camera, Gaming Controls (Two analogue thumb-sticks, Directional pad, 6 front facing buttons, etc), Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, Lithium Polymer battery

17. iPad Air 2 and iPad mini Retina 3

As mentioned above, in this list, i won’t talk a lot about the entire thing of iPads, given that these Apple's tablets are already great in the whole aspect.

But i’ll still keep these 2 tablets in the list because they are probably the best media-consumption tablets on the market right now.

They have a super sharp 1536x2048 pixel display, a fast 64-bit A8 processor, 1GB of RAM, powerful PowerVR G6430 GPU, sharp 5MP iSight camera, iOS 7 out of the box and great battery life. iPad Air comes with a 9.7-inch display and 8820mAh battery, while the iPad mini 2 with Retina ships with a 7.9-inch display and smaller battery capacity.

It's really obvious, both of these Apple’s tablets are great for many things such as: watching HD movies, browsing the web, listening to music, checking out photos, editing documents, taking pictures/videos, reading books/magazines and even playing games.

Any games that you see today on App Store, including Bioshock, can all be played in buttery smooth performance and in full highest graphics. No doubt about that, although there are some games that probably haven’t been updated and optimized for these 2 devices.

Just a few months ago, Apple actually just released the next-gen Apple iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 that has more powerful performance with the addition of fingerprint scanner on the home button (finally).

Not to mention, they are much thinner and lighter now than the predecessors (even much thinner than pencil, as showed on the presentation of new iPads).

So if you don’t mind spending more cash for a single tablet, any of these new iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3 can be a perfect choice for you.

Specs: 9.7-inch/7.9-inch Retina Display 1536x2048 pixels, 64-bit A7 processor, 1GB of RAM, PowerVR G6430 GPU, iOS 8, 5MP iSight camera, iWork free apps for productivity supports, 8820mAh battery (iPad Air)

18. Kobo Arc 7 HD

Besides HP Slate 7 Plus, there is also another Tegra 3 tablet i want to recommend to you for this holiday season. This one is actually made by a not-so-popular tablet manufacturer – Kobo.

It’s a 7-inch slate sporting a full HD resolution, called Kobo Arc 7 HD.

As a Tegra 3 tablet, it’s really obvious that this tablet will perform well and smooth for doing some basic daily tasks.

However, given that this Kobo Arc 7 HD is using a full HD resolution (1920x1200 pixels) – as opposed to the 720p display (1280x800 pixels) on its Tegra 3 counterparts -, then its performance is probably not really fast and smooth for playing games.

But Kobo Arc 7 HD is actually not intended by the company to be a gaming tablet. It’s actually designed as a tablet reader – similar just like Amazon Kindle Fire or Barnes and Noble tablets.

And it’s shown clearly by its Android UI that has new design layout and features compared to stock Android UI on other tablets out there.

So if you slide the screen from the right to the left, there is one new window that allows you to keep and save all of your favorite books. There are also some new addition features that are optimized to enhance the reading experience on this tablet, especially if you love reading books.

So basically, this tablet is going to be a great choice for you especially if you’re looking for a tablet reader that happens to have good gaming performance.

Its display is razor-sharp, its features are useful for reading books/magazines and last but not least, Kobo Arc 7 HD can also be pretty good for playing games (if not the best), thanks to its Tegra 3 processor and 12-core GeForce ULP GPU.

Anyway, there's also the bigger screen model called Kobo Arc 10HD that comes with more powerful specs like 2560x1600 pixel display, Tegra 4 processor, etc.

You might want to check out this model if you like big tablet. 

Specs: 7 inch 1920x1200 pixel LCD capacitive display, NVIDIA Tegra 3 1.7 GHz quad-core processor, 12-core GeForce ULP GPU , 1GB of RAM, Android OS, 16 GB/32 GB Internal storage, microSD card slot for up to 32 GB, 8 hr of use time

19. Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 (8.0 and 10.1-inch models)

Compared to most of other tablets aforementioned above, this Samsung’s slate may not be on par especially in terms of specs.

However, i think this new-gen tablet still deserves to be recommended for you guys here especially if you’re looking for an affordable tablet this holiday season.

This one is Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0.

Despite having some low-grade hardware specs for today’s standards, Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 can actually be a pretty good quality tablet though, especially as a media-consumption device for watching HD movies, reading books, listening to music, checking out photos and even playing games.

It may not have the same beefy monster specs just like its siblings - Samsung Galaxy Tab S/Pro -, however, as a simple tablet for enjoying your favorite media contents, i believe what Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 has to offer is more than enough for most of users.

In terms of gaming performance, this tablet is also not too shabby at all. It’s powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, coupled with Adreno 305 GPU and 1.5GB of RAM, which are more than adequate to handle games like Asphalt 8: Airborne, Modern Combat 4, NOVA 3 or Need for Speed Most Wanted, all in buttery smooth performance and in full graphics as well.

So when it comes to playing games, i believe this tablet has you covered.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 comes with an 8-inch TFT display sporting the 800x1280 pixels, a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5GB of RAM, Adreno 305 GPU, 3.15MP rear-facing camera (which takes pretty good shots, if not the best), 1.3MP front-facing camera, microSD card slot for up to 64GB, Android 4.2.2 KitKat and a non-removable 4450mAh battery, promising for up to 141 hours for music play.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 consists in 3 different models: the 7-inch, 8-inch and 10.1-inch variants.

But i strongly recommend you to pick up either the 8-inch or 10.1-inch models because these 2 tablets are the only ones that are powered by Snapdragon 400 processor inside, while the basic 7-inch has low-grade processor compared to these 2 siblings.

So in terms of gaming performance, it’s really obvious that the 8-inch and 10.1-inch models are far better than the 7-inch variant.

Specs: 8.0 inch/10.1-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen 800 x 1280 pixels, 4G LTE (Micro-SIM), Android OS v4.4.2 (KitKat), Quad-core 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A7 Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor, 1.5 GB RAM, Adreno 305 GPU, microSD memory card slot for up to 64 GB, 16 GB Internal Storage, 3.15 MP rear-facing camera, 1.3 MP front-facing camera, Non-removable Li-Po battery, Up to 141 hours for Music play

20. Google Nexus 10

In 2012 - to be more specific, in late 2012 -, Samsung struck the tech world with its Samsung Nexus 10. Alongside Google Nexus 4, this 10.1-inch tablet was released by Google in its own headquarter in Mountain View.

I exactly remembered the day Google Nexus 10 debuted because that was the time when Hurricane Sandy happened.

Google Nexus 10 was a truly amazing device, in fact, it’s still one of the best 10.1-inch tablets on the market right now. Not only is tablet amazing as a media-consumption device, but it’s also incredible for playing games.

It has a super-sharp 2.5K display (2560x1600 pixels), 2GB of RAM, Mali-T604 GPU, 5MP rear-facing camera with LED flash, 1.9MP front-facing camera and a huge 9000mAh battery inside. So if you buy this tablet, it’s guaranteed that you’ll end up as a happy costumer.

As a matter of fact, this Google-branded has a lot of great reviews from across the net and YouTube. And most tech reviewers really insanely love with the sharpness and great color saturation delivered by the 2.5K Super PLS display on this tablet – including Marquees Brownlee and TheVerge.

It’s just sharp, vibrant and the colors look really popping up from the display. This is actually not shocking given that Samsung has been well known for its experience in making the best quality display on the market.

Google Nexus 10 is also a perfect machine for playing games.

Thanks to its Samsung Exynos 5250 dual-core processor, accompanied with Mali-T604 and 2GB of RAM, any games that you see today on the market, like Asphalt 8: Airborne, GTA Vice City, Modern Combat 4, Dead Trigger, Dark Knight Rises or NOVA 3, all can be perfectly executed on this tablet, in buttery smooth performance and in full graphics. So for playing Android games, Google Nexus 10 is just a great device for that matter.

The other most impressive thing about this tablet is its battery life.

Google Nexus 10 is powered by a really huge 9000mAh battery (which is the biggest battery capacity on the tablet market right now), promising you more than 1 solid day of battery life even in heavy use.

So long story short, Google Nexus 10 is a perfect device for watching HD movies, reading books/magazines, browsing the web, listening to music, taking photos/videos, editing documents and even playing games.

You’ll make NO mistake if you decide to get this device this holiday season.

However, the only downside found on this tablet is actually its lack of microSD card slot.

But i believe with only 16/32GB of internal storage, you can have enough of space to keep many of your favorite contents for this hoilday season.

Specs: 10.1 inch Super PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen2560 x 1600 pixels, Android OS v4.2 (Jelly Bean), Dual-core Exynos 5250 1.7 GHz Cortex-A15, 2 GB RAM, Mali-T604 GPU, 5 MP rear-facing camera with LED flash, 1.9 MP front-facing camera, No MicroSD card slot, 16/32 GB Internal storage, Non-removable Li-Po 9000 mAh battery

21. Asus MemoPad 7HD

The last tablet i would like to recommend to you for this holiday is actually not 'on the same level' with most of the tablets aforementioned above.

And it’s not even a new-released tablet either. But the reason why i decide to put this tablet to you is because there is a lot of great things that this tablet has to offer to you especially if you’re looking for a cheap budget tablet for enjoying media contents this holiday season.

This one is coming from Asus and it is Asus MemoPad 7HD.

As its model name suggest, Asus MemoPad 7HD is indeed a 7-inch tablet sporting an HD display (720p).

But the most impressive thing about this tablet is, despite being a cheap budget $150 (probably costs less than that right now), this tablet receives many great feedback from many tech reviewers on YouTube (like CNET, PhoneArena, etc).

Most of the reviews really like the HD display of this tablet, which looks really vibrant and the colors are popping up on the screen. Meanwhile, other reviews also complement its rear-facing camera, which takes good pictures.

However, there are still some downsides found on this tablet – not surprising given its low $150 price tag. First of all, its design. Asus MemoPad 7HD is made out of plastic with glossy finish.

It feels really cheap in hands and the design is also not too attractive and comfortable to hold, especially on the corners of this tablet.

The other con of this tablet is its gaming performance, i’ve already seen this tablet perform when playing GTA Vice City, NOVA 3 and Modern Combat 4, and these games run pretty laggy even in medium graphics.

This is probably due to its HD display, which creates a huge stress on its processor - a quad-core MT8125 processor from Mediatek -, which is not on par with even quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor.

It may have PowerVR SGX 544 GPU and 1GB of RAM, but there are not enough to ensure its great gaming performance.

So if you’re planning to buy this tablet for its gaming performance, you will be left disappointed by this tablet. But even so, as a $150 tablet, Asus MemoPad 7HD is still a pretty decent choice in low-end tablet market.

Its display is pretty sharp and the colors look really great and popping up, it has many great features (like multiwindow mode), its camera takes pretty good shots and the most importantly, it’s great as a media-consumption device for this holiday season.

Specs: 7.0 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen 800 x 1280 pixels, Quad-core Mediatek MT8125 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU, PowerVR SGX544 GPU, 1 GB RAM, Android OS v4.2 (Jelly Bean), microSD card slot for up to 32 GB, 16 GB Internal storage, 5 MP rear-facing camera with autofocus, 1.2 MP front-facing camera, Non-removable Li-Po battery

Conclusion

So there you go guys, 21 great tablets i want to recommend to you for this holiday season. You can find all of these devices at any online or offline retail stores like Amazon, etc. But before you make any decision to buy, make sure that you choose your tablet according to your needs (the most importantly) and of course the budget.

I mean, if you’re looking for a productivity tablet that is also great as a media-consumption device and gaming tablet, then you can aim your target at Google Nexus 9 as this tablet ships with keyboard cover (sold separately on Google Play Store, but not for now).

It goes the same if you’re looking for a note-taking tablet that has great gaming performance, your best shot is NVIDIA Shield Tablet or HP Slate 7 Extreme.

The same thing applies on your other tablet preference.

You always need to prioritize your needs and budget first before making any decision to purchase the tablet.

This is the most important thing to do if you want to be a smart buyer.

Okay then guys, that’s all for now about these 21 best tablets for this holiday season in 2014.

Well, if you have any other recommendation of great tablets for this year, don't hesitate to shoot your suggestion here on the comment section below.

I'll be glad to add yours up here if i feel your recommended tablets are relevant for this list. :)

Anyway, if you feel this article is helpful and informative for you (hopefully entertaining as well), don’t forget to share it guys. Really appreciate it a lot what you've done here on this site.

Happy holiday people!
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