GSMArena tablet shopping guide: December 2013

WiFi-only full-size tablets

If you must have the best, full-size tablets is where it's at. With 10-inch and higher display sizes, you'll have plenty of screen estate for multitasking, and watching videos is also a more pleasant experience than you'll have on smaller screen sizes. If you're going this big then display fidelity plays a much bigger part, so we'll only be listing tablets with eye-popping pixel density in our full-size recommendations.

Up next is another offering from Archos, this time in the 9.7-inch flavor. The 97b Platinum HD features a very respectable 2048 x 1536 screen, which is the same diagonal and aspect ratio of the new Apple iPad Air. You'll find a decent 1.6GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 processor and 2GB of RAM, although again you'll have to pay for a microSD card to build on the very limited 8GB of internal memory. But you'll have more than enough money left over, as the 97b Platinum is still more affordable than most competitors' 8-inch offerings.

Asus makes it to our WiFi-only list with its affordable yet capable Memo Pad FHD10 tablet. At 1920 x 1200 pixels, the 10-inch display provides great sharpness, and although the dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor isn't the fastest out there, the 2GB of RAM should help take some of the pressure off. There's also 1080p video recording for the camera, as well as some interesting colors available like Royal Blue and Vivid Pink.

Google's Nexus 10 offering by Samsung is now a year old, but has aged well thanks to its dual-core 1.7GHz Exynos 5250 chipset and excellent 2560 x 1600 pixel Super PLS TFT display. The resulting pixel density is just under 300 ppi. That and the 1080p video recording, Android 4.4 KitKat, and ample 9,000 mAh battery make it a very compelling value for its now reduced price.

However, there is no microSD card slot, so we recommend you go for the 32GB version.

Microsoft's Surface 2 tablet saw an October release this year alongside Windows 8.1 RT. While the 8.1 update did bring a few improvements, the RT version of Microsoft's mobile OS still retains its love-it-or-hate-it stigma. Nevertheless, the quad-core 1.7GHz Tegra 4 CPU, FullHD display, and solid construction with 2-stage kickstand make for quite a compelling offering, and the ample amount of storage is expandable via microSD. There's also the Full office suite that comes preinstalled, which offers the sort of productivity you will have a hard time finding on competing platforms.

Windows RT offers a fluid user experience but it's nether Windows Phone, nor regular Windows, so there is not that big of a choice of apps and also the only way you get those is via the Windows Store. There are also many compelling tablets running the proper version of Windows on Intel's new Bay Trail architecture, such as the 8-inch Dell Venue 8 Pro or the 10.1-inch Asus Transformer Book.

If you plan on getting one of the (rather expensive) keyboard covers, we recommend the Type cover, as the Touch cover offers no tactile feedback.

Sony's Xperia Tablet Z is one of the most stylish tablet offerings you'll see at this or any other size, with is dual-glass panel design and ultra-slim 6.9mm waistline. Under the hood there's a 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor with 2GB of RAM and Adreno 320 GPU, and Sony is already working on an Android 4.4 KitKat update.

The relatively small 6,000mAh battery is the only real downside, as you may not get much time between charges, but battery life is still passable.

If you're big on typing, then Asus has you covered again with its latest Transformer Pad TF701T. Basically a MeMo Pad on steroids, the TF701T comes with an ultra-crisp 2560 x 1600 pixel screen, a hefty quad-core 1.9 GHz Tegra 4 processor, and 32GB of expandable storage. More importantly, the Transformer earns its moniker by being the only tablet that also comes with a keyboard dock as part of the retail package, making it a great deal.

The latest Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 brings an incredibly sharp 2560 x 1600 pixel display, 3GB of RAM, and quad-core Snapdragon 800 to the table. Samsung's great pressure-sensitive S-Pen offers something other tablets simply can't match. The pleasant leather-like textured plastic back from the Note 3 has also made its way to its elder sibling and it works great visually.

Finally, if price is not a factor, then the Apple iPad Air brings an ultra-sharp display alongside Apple's proprietary A7 chipset. The iPad Air features a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is arguably the more user-friendly aspect for web browsing or reading and also offers more screen real estate for the same diagonal. Thanks to Apple's extensive app store, there's no shortage of functional and innovative apps and games.

The iPad Air does not come with a microSD card slot, so we recommend you get at least the 32GB version despite its exorbitant markup.