We round up the best Android tablets on the market, from the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab to the underrated Acer Iconia Tab.
Tablets were the hot item of 2011. Every phone and PC manufacturer jumped onboard the new hot trend, but few of them have seen much success so far. It’s still the iPad’s market to lose, though Amazon and Barnes & Noble have put forth some good low-cost challengers. With most consumers yawning at straight Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) tablets, perhaps these branded tablets will take off. If you have a bit more money to spend though, we recommend you check out something like the Galaxy Tab 8.9. Below are our picks for best Android tablets.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9
Motorola Xoom
 | Screen: 10.1 inches, 1280×800 pixels OS: Android 3.2 Processor: 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 RAM: 1GB Storage: 16GB-32GB internal, microSD Camera: 5MP rear, 2MP front Connection: 4G LTE and/or Wi-Fi Price: $400-$650 |
Description: The Xoom is an oldie, but a goodie. It got a bad rap for not destroying the iPad and failing to deliver LTE and Flash out of the gate, but since then it’s been the most reliable tablet for updates and has equal specs to most tablets and a basic, but acceptable design. | |
Acer Iconia Tab A500
 | Screen: 10.1 inches, 1280×800 pixels OS: Android 3.2 Processor: 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 RAM: 1GB Storage: 16GB internal, microSD Camera: 5MP rear, 2MP front Connection: Wi-Fi Price: $400 |
Description: The Iconia Tab is another tablet we reviewed some time ago, but until tablets begin going quad-core, it matches the basic specs that most devices come with and is available for more competitive prices than most. The Iconia Tab also has a full-size USB port, which is nice if you have a spare mouse. | |
Amazon Kindle Fire
 | Screen: 7.0 inches, 600×1024 pixels OS: Android 2.3 (heavily modified by Amazon) Processor: 1GHz dual-core- TI OMAP 4 RAM: 512MB Storage: 8GB internal Camera: No cameras Connection: Wi-Fi Price: $200 Description: The Kindle Fire is not the most powerful tablet and doesn’t even have cameras, but it is the best value, offering a curated Amazon experience with the best UI we’ve seen in an Android tablet yet. But don’t buy this expecting access to the Android Market or Google apps. |
Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet
 | Screen: 7.0 inches, 600×1024 pixels OS: Android 2.3 (heavily modified by B&N) Processor: 1GHz dual-core- TI OMAP 4 RAM: 1GB Storage: 16GB internal, microSD Camera: No cameras Connection: Wi-Fi Price: $250 Description: Everyone is hot on Amazon this holiday, but Barnes & Noble has had the second best-selling tablet for a year now. The Nook Tablet is the sequel to the Color. It’s a direct competitor to the Kindle Fire, costing $50 more, but coming with microSD, double the RAM, and double the internal storage of the Fire. Also, did we mention that the Nook Tablet’s screen is a helluva lot brighter than Amazon’s? |
There are others…
When it comes to Android tablets, most recent tablets seem to follow similar specs–at least those running Android 3.0 or higher. The Toshiba Thrive and Asus Transformer are also good pics, though every tablet comes with its drawbacks. Make sure to make sure your device has good built quality, has a 1GHz dual-core processor (or higher), and has at least 1GB of RAM. Access to the Android Market is also a must…unless you get a B&N or Amazon tablet.
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