GSMArena tablet buyer's guide: November 2014

Full-sized tablets

For those interested in only the biggest tablets out there we finally come to your segment - the full-sized tablet buyer's guide. Here will focus on the biggest and the best, but also the biggest and most affordable slates with a size above 9".

Since our August of 2014 tablet buyer's guide we've a lot changed. Most of the tablets featured last time are gone this one. Another important event was the announcement of the Apple iPad Air 2 which marked a big move to make the tablet smaller but even more powerful.

So let's get started - as usual, we'll run the slates down starting with the most affordable.

The Asus Memo Pad FHD10 tips off our list with a good set of skills and an even better price. It's the cheapest featured here but doesn’t falter in specs. It has a 10" IPS panel of 1920 x 1200px resolution. The exterior also has two cameras - a 5MP one on the back and a 1.2MP one on the front. Stereo speakers are also a highlight and the 16/32GB of storage can be expanded through the microSD card slot.

The Asus Memo Pad FHD10 has an LTE option as well and at its base 16GB storage is priced adequately.

What we don't like is the large price gap between the 16GB and 32GB models – you have to pay through the nose for that. Further on, it's unclear when and if Asus will roll out Android 5.0 Lollipop to the Memo Pad FHD10. Also, the tab is a little cumbersome at 580g.

For a little more money (around 25% more) you could opt for the excellent Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1, which is featured on our list yet again and for good reason, too. Its 10.1 inches of screen canvas are populated with the ample 2560 x 1600px resolution, there's expandable storage, stereo speakers, good Exynos 5 Octa 5420 chipset and an 8MP camera on the back, capable of 1080p video.

More importantly the front-facing 2MP camera can do 1080p video as well, great for video chats through the tablet.

For a pretty penny more you could go for the LTE variant of the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 if you need the extra connectivity.

If you're buying into the 10.1" Galaxy Tab Pro there's very little you need to watch out for. One thing is that Android 5.0 Lollipop is yet to be seeded but should come eventually. Otherwise the tablet is well equipped in both hardware and software - Samsung's TouchWiz UI facilitates great multitasking with support for 4 apps running simultaneously on-screen.

The Asus Transformer Pad TF701T is once again listed in our buyer’s guide and we're getting the sense this is the last time. It's very good tablet on its own and even better coupled with its keyboard dock and still makes perfect sense for the price you'd pay. Asus is yet to name a direct successor although it has released a Transformer Pad TF303CL this year with an Intel processor that could make a claim against the year-old Transofrmer Pad TF701T.

Still, the Transformer Pad TF701T is adequately priced and could make a good point for itself as a portable Android tablet slash mini laptop. Its battery life is very good and so is the Tegra 4 performance. We also liked the display and the relatively clean Android experience.

There are things you need to pay attention to here. For starters, we don't know if the Transformer Pad TF701T will receive Android 5.0 Lollipop. There's no LTE or 3G option and without the keyboard dock the tablet itself is heavy and not as practical.

Apple has long ruled the tablet space and its year-old Apple iPad Air is the perfect example why. Freshly replaced by the iPad Air, it is still a very good tablet to buy even now. It has gotten cheaper thanks to the iPad Air 2 and the 64-bit A7 chipset is quite capable, the 9.7" 1536 x 2048px display is superb still and the sheer number of tablet optimized apps is great for iPad users.

The iPad Air has a great all-metal body, good battery life and the full set of connectivity features, including LTE. Currently, Apple sells the iPad Air as a 16/32GB-only affair but you might be able to get your hands on a discounted 64GB or 128GB model easily.

What we're not in love with here is the steep price of storage options and the tightly-locked UI that doesn't allow for many of the simple customizations users might want - like deciding where the empty spaces on the homescreen should be.

The Apple iPad Air 2 brings a lot of physical improvements over its predecessor. For one, it's noticeably thinner and lighter. Touch ID users on the iPhone will appreciate the feature on Apple's latest big tablet and some will cheer for the golden color option.

There's a higher resolution 8MP camera and a much powerful 64-bit A8X chipset that proved unbeatable on graphics. The screen lamination process has brought the screen image even closer to the surface and there is less glare.

Currently, the iPad Air 2 is not a steal compared to its predecessor and users would have to pay the full premium for Apple's latest slate. But the high price hasn't stopped Apple faithful before so it might not prove to be a deal breaker this time around. After all, the iPad Air 2 is Apple’s best iPad to date.