GSMArena tablet shopping guide: December 2013

3G/4G compact tablets

If you plan on taking your compact tablet on the go - and let's face it, seven-inch or thereabout is the only tablet size that's actually portable - then 3G and LTE are likely on your list of features. After all, there won't be WiFi hotspots everywhere, and a tablet's utility becomes somewhat hampered without being able to go online. What follows is a list of recommended compact tablet offerings that let you connect to a 3G and/or 4G/LTE networks.

The Asus FonePad 7 is a low cost option that has 3G connectivity and even supports phone calls. You can currently find it for about €100 less than 3G/4G-enabled variants of the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HDX.

You should factor in the cost of a microSD card to expand the otherwise limited storage though (around 25 euro for a 32GB card).

The MediaPad 7 Vogue from Huawei is another affordable offering on par with the Fonepad 7. While it offers an inferior screen of 600 x 1024px resolution and a 3MP camera, it does have a quad-core 1.2 GHz processor. Keep in mind that the MediaPad 7 Vogue only has support for a limited set of 3G bands, so be sure your area supports HSDPA 900 / 2100 if you're getting it for the 3G connectivity.

Factor in the cost of a microSD card as the 8GB of internal memory will run out very quickly.

The Google Nexus 7's LTE-enabled variant winds up next on our list. It offers a wide array of support for different LTE networks, so you can be assured that it'll work in many areas - even if you're traveling overseas. Like with the WiFi-only version, we recommend going for the 32GB version as the Nexus 7 does not have microSD card support.

The Kindle Fire HDX brings the same stellar performance with its quad-core 2.2 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor into the LTE arena. Keep in mind that it has the same limitations as the WiFi-only version: no Google Play support and no microSD card slot.