Holiday Gadget Gift Guide 2014: Tablets

Source: Rory-blog.com

Thatgeekdad recently brought you our top choices for the best smartphones of the holiday season, and now we’re back with a list of our favorite tablets that money can buy right now. There should be something for everyone here.

Additionally, we know that tablets can be expensive, so we’re also going to try to address every market segment in some way or another. Some tablets are going to be on the more expensive side, while others shouldn’t hurt that wallet too much. After all, you have a lot of people to shop for, right?

Let’s take a look at some of our favorite tablets right now.

iPad Air 2

Source: Apple.com

The iPad Air 2 is Apple’s best tablet to date and easily earns a spot on our holiday list. We’ve been most impressed with Apple’s ability to create an even thinner tablet than last year, while also boosting the muscle under the hood by adding a new processor.  Another great feature to the Air 2 is the increase to the camera (comparable to the iPhone 5s) to actually allow for tablet picture takers to take great shots. With thousands of great apps available on the App Store and a screen high definition screen that is laminated so close to the glass there is almost zero reflection, even in broad day light.  The only downside to this tablet would be the price tag at $499.99 for the base 16GB Wi-Fi only model.  Then again, if you had told us five years ago you could make a tablet like this, especially how thin it is (we are talking Star Trek sci-fi thin), I would have told you it's impossible.

iPad Mini 2

Source: Apple

While may be last year's model, it is still a great choice and holds up well. A great reason to get this over the new iPad mini 3 is that it is $100 less (or more depending on the deal you find) with the only differences is that the mini 3 comes with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor for security and available in a gold color, that's it.  It is one of, if not the best, Black Friday Deals this year if you get it from Target. $299 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only base model, and you get a $100 Target gift card. So if you are going to buy more gifts for loved ones, or yourself, of at least $100 at Target, you would technically only be paying $199 for this tablet, which is a steal.

Kindle Fire HDX 8.9

Source: Amazon.com

The Amazon Fire HDX 8.9 should be a top choice on your list for a number of reasons this holiday season. First, if the loved one you’re shopping for is a Prime subscriber, the HDX will provide access to Amazon’s Instant Video service and free music streaming library. You’ll also be able to download plenty of Android applications, easily access Amazon’s massive library of books and more. The highlight here is definitely Amazon’s sprawling ecosystem, but don’t forget about the 2560 x 1600 display, which is incredibly sharp, or Amazon’s free Mayday video support service, which is perfect for anyone who might run into technical difficulties while using the tablet. Also, thanks to Fire OS 4, you can now create multiple user profiles on the device, which means it can be shared by the whole family.

Nexus 9

Source: Google Play Store

The Nexus 9 was the first Android 5.0 Lollipop tablet to ship, but if you’ve been reading along you know it’s no longer the only Lollipop tab on the market. Still, it features some compelling hardware including an 8.9-inch 2048 x 1536-pixel resolution, front-facing speakers, 8 megapixel camera with LED flash and auto focus brushed metal sides, and a Tegra K1 processor that easily handles everything we’ve ever thrown at it. The Nexus 9 is best suited for Android users who want quick access to the latest updates as Google pushes them out. We’re more attracted to the white option, but you can also pick one up in black or, soon, sand. Also keep an eye out for the LTE cellular model, which we know will at least hit T-Mobile in early December.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0"

Source: Samsung

The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has one of the best displays you’ll find in a tablet, hands-down. Using it is kind of like peering through a window into a different dimension - that’s how clear the 8.4-inch 2560 x 1600 Super AMOLED display is. It also features 3GB of RAM, expandable storage with a microSD card– and you’ll need it since the base model only packs 16GB – up to 10 hours of battery life, an Exynos 5 Octa processor, and more. It’s also just 0.26-inches thick and weighs less than a pound, which means it can easily slide into a small bag for on-the-go travel. The Galaxy Tab S is not to be overlooked by anyone on the market for a new tab this season.