The GSMArena tablet buyer's guide: June 2014

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 a safe bet that at least one of the tablets mentioned in this section should feel just right.

If you want to take your tablet on the go, then being able to rely on a 3G and/or LTE connection is almost a must, so we'll be specifying which of the below models come with a telephony support as well. As before, the tablets in this section are listed by price in ascending order.

Archos continues to build a reputation for affordable yet competitive Wi-Fi-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 768px, but it's an IPS LCD with excellent viewing angles. The 4:3 aspect ratio provides more effective screen estate for reading and web browsing than 16:9 tablets of the same diagonal.

True, it has only 8GB of internal memory (which you'll need to expand via the microSD card slot), but it does come with all-metal body ala iPad mini and it has a microHDMI port, and is the only offering in the midsize lot that can be had for under €150.

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 the respectable 1920 x 1280 pixels (that's more than FullHD on a 9-inch screen).

The same compromises with performance and availability apply though. The Nook's TI OMAP 4470 processor is a rather dated option that's not going to impress anyone in terms of performance even at 1.5GHz.

The Nook HD+ is only officially available in the US and the UK and since last Christmas it's only the 32GB version that remains available in the US. Rumor is Barnes & Noble is clearing inventory prior to a release of an updated Nook family, so you better act quickly if you'd like to secure one as a new model could be announced at any moment.

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. If you know your way around flashing a custom ROM, you can enjoy an official CyanogenMod ROM on the Nook HD+ tablet.

Acer's latest Iconia tablet offers quite a compelling package at a very competitive price point. For less than €200, the Acer Iconia A1-830 gives you a iPad mini-esque 4:3 aspect ratio, although at just 768 x 1024 pixels resolution it's far from Retina quality. The 4:3 aspect ratio though provides more effective screen estate for reading and web browsing than 16:9 tablets of the same diagonal.

The 5MP camera is also touted to be one of the more impressive from a midsize tablet, and while the 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2560 processor is only of the dual-core variant, it's no slouch when it comes to performance.

The Acer Iconia A1-830 has a metal back and a great overall build quality. It also has a GPS chip, which few of the low cost tablets have.

Acer haven't gotten around making a 3G or LTE version, so if you need a telephony-capable compact tablet, keep reading.

The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 is one of the most affordable 8-inch tablets to offer 3G connectivity. Its quad-core 1.2GHz Mediatek processor isn't the best around, but it does have a decent 1280 x 800 pixel screen resolution. Plus, its built-in 3-stage kickstand, 6,000 mAh battery and the stereo speakers make it a great media player. It also has a GPS chip on-board.

The Yoga Tablet 8's telephony-capable variant runs for about €60 more than the Wi-Fi-only model. It does, however, have fairly limited 3G network connectivity (it supports only two HSDPA bands - 900/2100Mhz), so be sure it has the right coverage for your area if you decide to get one. That said, those should be enough to get you connected to just about any carrier in Europe.

LG released its G Pad 8.3 late last year and it's a gorgeous piece of tech. The LG G Pad 8.3 has also had a healthy drop in price, which helps keep it competitive with Samsung's recently-refreshed Tab series.

Featuring a gorgeous 1200 x 1920 pixel 8.3-inch display (that's more than FullHD), it runs on a quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 chipset 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.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 makes our list here thanks in large part to its extensive LTE support. The 8-inch tablet otherwise has low screen resolution of 800 x 1280 and gets beat out by the LG G Pad 8.3 in terms of performance as well, but the G Pad has to make do with just Wi-Fi support (outside the Verizon's US network).

The Note 8.0 also has a wide array of connectivity extras, including an IR-port and USB Host support.

Plus, Samsung's excellent pressure-sensitive S-Pen is perfect for jotting things down or doodling away and there's hardly a tablet out there that can match it.

HP's updated Slate series of tablets has more variants than you can shake a stick at, with varying availability across different markets. The HP Slate8 Pro is perhaps the most popular, and enters our guide thanks in large part to its 8-inch diagonal with a resolution of 1200 x 1600 px. The IPS LCD screen is covered by Gorilla Glass 3 for protection, which is always a good thing.

It has an 8MP camera and there is also a microSD slot. It hardly stands a chance against the LG G Pad 8.3 in Europe where it has pretty much the same price tag, but in the US it actually sells for a lower price so it might as well be considered.

HP also offers in the States its prepaid DataPass mobile data service, which is sometimes bundled along with their tablets. It gives users 250MB worth of wireless data traffic per month for a period of 2 years.

Samsung recently released its premium mid-size tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, and we're happy to report that it has benefitted from a very healthy price drop to make it much more competitive with other top mid-size tablets.

It was able to beat out the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 thanks to its slew of software extras and connectivity features, including a microSD card slot for expansion. Besides that, it offers 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution and a Snapdragon 800 processor, the combination of which probably makes it the fastest and meanest mid-size tablet there is. The 8MP camera with 1080p video recording complete the landmark features.

It not only comes with the latest Android OS v4.4 (KitKat) but Samsung has also baked a spanking new tablet interface of their own, which truly elevates the tablet user experience to a whole new level (the split-screen multi-tasking view is well overdue on high-res screen tablets).

When it comes to tablets, no self-respecting tablet guide can go without mentioning Apple's. The latest Apple iPad mini 2 (with Retina screen) in Apple's popular iPad lineup boasts a 1536 x 2048 7.9-inch display with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The 4:3 aspect ratio 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 of users.

The iPad mini 2 does not come with a microSD card slot, so we'd recommend you get at least the 32GB version despite its exorbitant markup. The LTE-enabled version offers an immensely wide LTE band support, and also has the benefit of a built-in GPS chip - something which the Wi-Fi only version lacks.