Holiday gift guide: Small tablets (7 and 8 inch screen sizes)

iPad mini / Kindle Fire / Nexus 7

With the holiday gift giving season upon us I thought I would share my ideas of great gifts in a few of my favorite categories. I will be ranking each item in their respective category from Unicorn (best for what money can buy), Stallion (best for value), and Pony (least inexpensive without giving a POS to a family, friend, or loved one).  Obviously there will be some bias as I am only human and what I perceive as value to the average consumer, not the tech nerd/geek.  So lets get started!

Smaller tablets have their pros and cons just like any piece of technology like their bigger brothers, the 9.7 to 10.1 inch tablets.  With a smaller tablet you can always have it with you on the go whether it be just WiFi only or with cellular data without worrying about weight or bulk. You don't need a backpack, satchel, or large purse to carry it as most are no bigger than a paperback book. With portability there comes a smaller screen that might be harder to read for some or for others, not enough screen size for that action or sci-fi movie with all the cool special effects. So if you are looking for something powerful yet very portable, then I have a guide that will help you sort through them all.

Android:

Unicorn - The New Nexus 7 (2013). Available for as low as $199 for the 16GB storage option (no extra storage available).

This tablet wins the position of unicorn for not only the hardware that you get with this tablet but the price as well.  I always believe in consumer options with technology and electronics but honesty if you are looking into a small Android tablet, this should be the first and only one you look into. It has an amazing 1920 x 1200 1080p (Full HD) IPS screen that allows good viewing angles even in direct light for when enjoying in the outdoors. The resolution is so good that it makes text while reading websites and in books easy while making 1080p videos look awesome.

There are two cameras of course but just like all tablets nothing to write home about. The back facing camera is 5 megapixels (MP) capable of taking 1080p video at 30 frames per second (fps) but there is no LED flash. On the front is a 1.2MP cam capable of 720p video calling at 30fps.

It is available in a 16GB or 32GB storage capacity and has 2GB of RAM for multi-tasking with the latest quad core processor.  It also comes with stereo speakers though they are not front facing. Since this is made by Google in a partnership with ASUS, any Android operating system updates will come to this device will come fast. This tablet is also available with cellular data to be used on any GSM carrier, mainly either T-Mobile or AT&T in the 32GB storage option costing more. A Verizon version is suppose to be coming but that remains to be seen how soon as it has now been 4 months since the Nexus 7's release.  With the LTE version you can buy pre-paid data to be used month by month when you need it. So if you need it for vacationing or a road trip one month but not for the next five to six months after, just head in to a carrier storage, buy 5GB of data use for $30 (T-Mobile's price), pop in the SIM card, and you are web browsing on the go where ever there is coverage.

A negative of this tablet are the top and bottom bezels. They are big compared to even 10 inch tablets. Google's reasoning is that it gives you a sturdy positioning for your right and left hands when holding it in landscape position without blocking the screen.  While that is a good reason, I don't think that much space is required, not even for someone with big hands.  Unfortunately this tablet is only available in one color, black. Another negative I have, and I will repeat this on all 7 and 10 inch tablets, is that the screen ratio is 16:9 (rectangular) in shape. While this works great for landscape video viewing as that is the aspect to watch widescreen movies, web content for reading and even book reading is design with a 4:3 screen ratio (slightly tall square) when held in portrait (holding the tablet in the vertical position) mode.  


Stallion - LG GPad 8.3".  Available for $349.99 in the 16GB storage (extra storage is available with a microSD card). 

If you don't like the color back and want to spend $100 more on a small tablet but want a great tablet like the Nexus 7 (2013) then the LG GPad 8.3" tablet just might be for you. It does boast 1.3" more in screen size at 1920 x 1200 with a 1080p IPS screen for great outdoor viewing in direct light.  The resolution is so good that it makes text while reading websites and in books easy while making 1080p look awesome.

There are two cameras of course but just like all tablets nothing to write home about. The back facing camera is 5 megapixels (MP) capable of taking 1080p video at 30 frames per second (fps) but there is no LED flash. On the front is a 1.3MP cam capable of 720p video calling at 30fps.

Released only a few weeks ago, the GPad is equipped with this years latest quad core processor and 2GB of RAM to keep from slowing down or stuttering while having multiple apps opens, playing high end graphic games, and watching videos, whether streaming or natively from your tablet.  A strength of this LG tablet, just like ones made by ASUS, are they get updated in a fairly good fashion when Google updates its Android operating system. Not nearly as fast those made by Google, but a lot faster than those made by Samsung.

A negative I have, and I will repeat this on all 7 and 10 inch tablets, is that the screen ratio is 16:9 (rectangular) in shape. While this works great for landscape video viewing as that is the aspect to watch widescreen movies, web content for reading and even book reading is design with a 4:3 screen ratio (slightly tall square) when held in portrait (holding the tablet in the vertical position) mode.  Another negative would be speaker placement. They are good loud speakers but being directly on the backside of the tablet facing away from you whether being held in portrait or landscape mode, it forces you to turn the volume all the way up for only 1/2 to 2/3 of the sound volume while anyone in front of you will get the full brunt of the tablets sound.


Pony - Kindle Fire HDX 8". Available starting at $349.99 for 16GB storage option (no extra storage option available via microSD card), WiFi, and special offers viewing.

I put this tablet in as a pony in the Android section not because of the price or hardware, as both are exceptional but for the experience you may or may not enjoy. While the Kindle Fire HDX is built on Google's Android operating system, because they license it from them to be able to make their own mortifications that go against the terms set by Google.  It's not really Android but Amazon's own operating system called "Fire". Specifically the new edition of Fire on this Kindle is 3.0. I will explain in the negatives why this might be a problem for the user.

The HDX 8 comes with a LCD screen at a Full HD resolution of 2560 x 1600 for great colors and viewing angles but doesn't suffers in direct sunlight due to software built in with the ambient light sensor.  Amazon has added a software feature that will detect the amount of light on the sensor and adjust screen brightness accordingly, but only in excessive situations. So if you go from one lit room to another it won't make a screen brightness change. But if you go from a lighted room to the bright summer sunlight or complete darkness, then it will change according.  

Unlike past iterations of the Kindle Fire, this one does not suffer from out dated processing power at RAM for multi-tasking with apps. It packs the latest quad core processor with 2GB of RAM for switching in an out of reading, gaming, and video watching. It comes with a 8 megapixel rear facing camera with something most tablets, big or small, don't, an LED flash to slightly improve your photo taking in low light situations. This rear camera is also capable of taking 1080p video at 30 frames per sec (FPS) and a front facing 1.2 megapixel camera capable of taking 720p video at 30fps for selfie's and video conferencing.

It's standout feature that Amazon is marketing heavily is 'Mayday' (also available on the HDX 7). Available to Amazon Prime members, this button will put you in touch with a Amazon customer service representative via video conferencing to help you with any problems you have with your Amazon account, orders, but mostly trouble with your tablet.  The promise wait time is within 30 secs but I think that depending on how many people buy either HDX tablet, that could be a tall order to fill. Nonetheless, it's free and available 24x7, 365 days a year (can you imagine what Christmas morning might be like?) and more suited to those who are new to tablets and might need help navigating their tablet to help with settings and app issues.  Speaking of navigating, if things get too complicated for the tablet user, they can hand off control of their tablet to the service rep allowing them to open apps, go into settings, etc. Note that the user hands control over, Amazon has stated that the service reps can NEVER take control without your permission as it is a security feature in every HDX. You are prompted with a box that asks and if you don't feel comfortable with them seeing photos or accidentally seeing your browser history, you can hit no and that is that.

One of the negatives I have with Kindle Fires in general are the ads. If you pay the lower price point, your lock screen when you wake the tablet up will have a random ad for a product Amazon thinks you will like based on your past purchases from Amazon and their app store. I understand this is how they compensate for offering the tablet at a low price but this is something Amazon doesn't make known to the buyer from the beginning and it could affect your experience with the tablet if you are definitely someone that doesn't like being bombarded with ads. My opinion, if your heart is set on a HDX, pay the extra $15 to have control over your lock screen and choose no ads.  The other negative I have goes back to the operating system. Since Fire 3.0 belongs to Amazon, they have locked it down, considerably. So much that it goes against the Android operating system agreement for free use and doesn't allow you access to Google's Play Store for apps. So instead of having the free range of Google's app store available to you, you have to settle for Amazon's app store. While Amazon's does have a good selection, it pails in comparison to Google's because individual developers choose whether they want their apps on Amazon's app store, and many have said no thank you. So if your friend/family member has that new and cool app on their Nexus 7, don't be disappointed when it's not available for your HDX. That's the trade off for a Amazon tablet.


Honorable Mentions:

Kindle Fire HDX 7".  The little brother to the HDX 8 starting at $229 with lock screen ads. A toss up really as the only hardware difference between the two are no rear facing camera (so no LED flash as well) on the HDX 7 and the screen resolution is more suited to a high end tablet from last year. It was close to put this as the pony because of a great price point but since this tablet is for media consumption (reading and video watching) I choose the one with the better screen for a better viewing experience.

ASUS MeMo 8".  Another ASUS but unfortunately they are still working out their designs for the smaller tablet size. The real let down is the WXGA screen at 1200 x 800 (720p) resolution. WXGA means will have the colors not as bright as they can be with a LCD or even AMOLED screen. At least it offers great reading in outdoor lighting. So for a media consumption device, it plays a big part. Everything else is good. 5 megapixel rear camera (take 1080p video) with a 1.2 megapixel camera in the front for 720p video conferencing, latest quad core processor, optional extra storage via 64GB microSD card, small side, top and bottom bezels, light weight, and  8 to 9 hours of battery life depending on usage.

Samsung Galaxy tab 3 8".  As much as I am not a fan of Samsung products, this one is a nice if you can find it close to $200 as possible. If you can find it under $200, this makes it a great tablet for the value and price paid.  The screen is WXGA 1200 x 800 LCD screen, the same as the ASUS MeMo 8" (see above). Comes with 16GB of storage with extra storage available via microSD card (up to a 64GB card) and 1.5GB of RAM for multi-tasking with apps. Has a 5 megapixel rear camera capable of 1080p Full HD but no LED flash and a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera capable of 720p video for video conferencing.  If you have a Samsung smartphone you are going to feel like this is just a bigger version of your smartphone since the software experience is the exact same. Even the shape and design of the tablet will make you think that as well (Honey I blew up my smartphone!).  If you don't have a Samsung smartphone (like a Galaxy S3, S4, Note, Note 2, etc), then this will expose you to the appeal of their smartphones from so many.


Apple:

Unicorn - iPad mini with Retina Display. Available starting at $399 for the 16GB storage option with no extra storage option available via a microSD card. Extra storage available at 32GB for $499 and $599 for 64GB.

What some say is the tablet that should have been released last year in the form of the original iPad mini, this year Apple releases the iPad mini with retina display.  This boast a 2048 x 1536 IPS display with great viewing angles from the sides, top, and below but struggles in direct outdoor lighting.  A great display particularly while reading text on websites and in books and will make 1080p videos shine. 

Other than the display another difference is the processor and RAM for multi-tasking. This mini comes with the newest dual core 64 bit processor from Apple, the A7. While other high end tablets have the latest quad core 32 bit processor, the dual core should not be considered weaker as it is a 64 bit processor. This processor will help the new mini be future proof to more powerful apps as developers move from 32 bit apps to 64 bit apps, particularly in power productivity apps and games.  Unfortunately the new mini only comes with 1GB of RAM for multi-tasking. While that is twice as much the original mini, for a 64 bit processor to fully utilize it's potential, 4GB of RAM is needed. So while this is a very fast, it's potential means it could have been incredible.

Other small differences are the battery is 10% bigger to give you 8-10 hours of on time depending on usage and it is a hair, literally, heavier and thicker. So much that it is very hard to feel when picked up and see with the naked eye. So if you had an original mini and upgrading to this one, your older case may or may not fit the thickness of the new mini depending on how snug it was to begin with.

There are two cameras of course but just like all tablets nothing to write home about. The back facing camera is 5 megapixels (MP) "iSight" capable of taking 1080p video at 30 frames per second (fps) and video stabilization but there is no LED flash. On the front is a 1.2MP cam capable of 720p video calling at 30fps.

A big negative of this is the price point for the amount of storage you get.  The Nexus 7 and new mini are very close with hardware internals and screen display but the 16GB Nexus 7 is $150 less. That is a huge margin but Apple has said that this tablet isn't trying to compete with the less expensive tablet market. It is simply a different size choice for someone who wants an Apple tablet, but smaller.  This is true though since the only difference between the new mini and the new iPad Air are screen size. Everything else from the outside to the inside are the exact same.  Still, $150 is a huge difference between the smallest and best Android tablet in the Nexus 7 2013 edition which provides a lot and the smallest and best Apple tablet which provides a lot as well.


Stallion - iPad mini (original).  Available starting at $299 for the 16GB storage option with no extra storage option available via a microSD card. Extra storage available at 32GB for $399 and $499 for 64GB.

The original iPad mini was a success and a disappointment at the same time. It was a long time coming that Apple fans wanted a smaller more portable iPad and that is what they got, with a few let downs. First you have a 1024 x 768 LCD screen with resolution that is nowhere near Retina display quality but the same resolution as the iPad 2 which at the time of the release of the original iPad mini last year, the screen was two years old.  Very unlike Apple.

There are two cameras of course but just like all tablets nothing to write home about. The back facing camera is 5 megapixels (MP) "iSight" capable of taking 1080p video at 30 frames per second (fps) and video stabilization but there is no LED flash. On the front is a 1.2MP cam capable of 720p video calling at 30fps.

A great tablet but definitely on borrowed time the day it was released. It comes with a dual core processor from 2011 and only 512megabytes (MB) of RAM for app multi-tasking which is half of the the new iPad Air and new iPad mini at 1GB. Even other smaller tablets released today come with a minimum of 1GB of RAM and a current or last year's processors. This adds to the problem that since the newest iPhone, iPad, and iPad mini all have A7 64 bit processors, app developers are going to make new apps for 64 bit processors instead of the older 32 bit processors like the one in the older iPad mini. 

This is still a good tablet that was wonderfully designed but since it originally was released with hardware that was 2 years old (the same hardware as the iPad 2), it begs the question just how long will it be able to keep up with apps in the near future or if it will be given the next major update to iOS, Apple's iPhone/tablet operating system.

Pony - None.

Honorable Mentions:

None.  Just something to keep in mind with Apple tablets is that if you can afford to make the jump away from 16GB of storage to 32 or 64GB, try to.  With the 16GB storage option, you will only get 12.5 to 13GB of actual usage as the operating system and default apps take up 2 to 2.5GB. After apps and games that you like to have on your tablet, storage space will disappear quickly not leaving much left for photos, videos, and movies you might want to download and take with you.

Wrap Up:

There are a lot of options out there, even more than I named above, but the thing to keep in mind is who are you buying this for. If you are getting it for yourself, be really really honest if you need or want a tablet. Is it that you don't need a tablet but need a better smaller laptop, then don't let the sparkle and shine of a tablet draw you in. If you are getting it for someone else, then why are you getting it for them. Is their laptop/PC dying and you don't think they need those to get on the web? Are they always hogging the TV with their Netflix movies and you want to get them out of the way?  Point being this is a $250-$500 investment for the next 3 to 4 years, make sure you know why a tablet and not something else. No matter what you choose I always tell people this, don't buy a low end tablet from a low end manufacturer name like RCA, Coby, Panasonic, Hipstreet, Vizio, Sanyo, Sylvania, Dynex, or any other OEM (original equipment manufacturer) you don't recognized from this guide, because in the end with new technology, you get what you pay for.