GSMArena tablet shopping guide: December 2013

WiFi-only midsize tablets

It's hard to determine where exactly compact ends, midrange begins, and full-size takes over, which is why the screen diagonal margin in this chapter will be fairly large. But, if you're the Goldilocks of tablets and find compact too small and full-size too big, then it's almost sure that at least one of the tablets mentioned in this selection should be just right. On this page we cover WiFi-only variants, which means that these tablets are best for home or office-only use rather than on the go.

We saw the 7-inch Nook HD tablet as one of our compact tablet offerings because of its great price, and now here we see the larger 9-inch Nook HD+ for the same reason. The HD+ offers the same dual-core TI OMAP 4470 processor as the Nook HD, except it's clocked higher at 1.5GHz. Screen resolution for the larger display is also bumped up to 1920 x 1280 pixels.

The same sacrifices to performance and availability have to be made, however. The Nook's TI OMAP 4470 processor is a rather dated option that's not going to impress anyone in terms of performance.

The Nook HD+ isn't widely available, and could be hard to get in your region. Of course, all Nook tablets come with a custom Nook UI, which is quite far from a true Android experience, although it does offer access to the Play Store and its large app selection.

Archos has been slowly building a reputation for affordable yet competitive WiFi-only tablets, and its most capable 8-inch offering is exactly that. The Archos 80b Platinum comes with a quad-core 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Its screen resolution is a paltry 1024 x 768, and it has only 8GB of internal memory (which you'll have to expand via the microSD card slot), but it does come with a microHDMI port, and is the only offering in the midsize lot that can be had for under €200.

LG released its first tablet in almost a year just in time for this holiday season, and it's a doozy. Featuring a 1200 x 1920 pixel 8.3-inch display, the LG G Pad 8.3 runs on a quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor with Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM, so you'll have no problems with gaming and multimedia. There's a 4,600 mAh battery and IR-port for some multifunctional living room use, plus LG have even thrown in 1080p video and HDR support for its 5MP camera. There is also a built-in GPS chip to give this one an edge over the Wi-Fi only iPad mini, which is probably the only tablet in this class that can match it (and perhaps even beat it) in terms of looks.

There's only a 16GB model available, so you should factor in the cost of a microSD card with your purchase as well.

In terms of raw horsepower, no other tablet can currently beat the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. It runs on a quad-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and Adreno 330 GPU, alongside 2GB of RAM. Then there's the 2560 x 1600 display resolution, which provides unparalleled sharpness in the 8.9-inch range. It also features an 8MP primary camera with a front-facer capable of 720p video recording.

Keep in mind, though, that all Kindle Fire's run on a highly customized Android version without support for Google Play, so you'll have to rely on the less-robust Amazon App Store for your app needs. It doesn't have microSD card support either, so you'd do well to consider the 32GB version.

Finally, if price is not a factor, then the Apple iPad mini 2 is definitely worth a look. The latest mini in Apple's popular iPad lineup boasts a 1536 x 2048 7.9-inch Retina display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, which provides more effective screen estate for reading and web browsing than 16:9 tablets. Thanks to Apple's extensive app store, there's no shortage of very functional and polished apps and games for even the most demanding among you.

The iPad mini 2 does not come with a microSD card slot, so we recommend you get at least the 32GB version despite its exorbitant markup. The Wi-Fi only version of the iPad mini also lacks a GPS chip.