How to Choose the Right Tablet? Windows: Android, Apple, or

By Wendy Sheehan Donnell

It's difficult to remember a time before tablets, but it's been four short years since the original Apple iPad hit the scene, and the current tablet market was born. Since then, we've seen scores of manufacturers trying to snag a slice of the tablet pie. And the game is finally getting interesting: For the first time in 2013, Android tablet sales overtook the iPad. Growth is so rapid in the segment that some analysts claim tablets will make up half the PC market in 2014. There's no denying the tablet is here to stay.

But which tablet is right for you? Whether you're eyeing an iPad, one of the many Android tablets available, or a Windows model, here are the key factors you need to consider when shopping for a tablet:

What do You Want to Do With Your Tablet?
Despite four years of refinements, tablets still can't truly replace computers or smartphones. You can tackle productivity tasks on a tablet, but there are inherent ergonomic benefits to desktops and laptops. Plus, since we're talking about slates here, we're mostly talking about on-screen keyboards. There are plenty of worthy add-on hardware keyboards, especially for the iPad, but few will provide the same comfort you'll experience with a laptop or a desktop. The main focus of the tablets we'll discuss here is media consumption, rather than productivity. We'll touch on lower-cost Windows tablets here as well, but if you want a convertible tablet with a laptop-grade processor for serious work, take a look at the top-rated Windows 8 tablets we've tested—but be prepared to pay laptop prices, as many run around the $1k mark.

Choose Your Operating System
Just like with a full-fledged computer, if you're getting a tablet, you need to pick a camp. And just like with a computer, your decision will likely come down to your gut feeling. Right now, the top contenders are Apple with its iPads and Android with its many hardware choices from the likes of Acer, Amazon, Asus, Google, Samsung, and others. And we're finally seeing affordable Windows 8 tablets built around Intel's Atom (formerly codenamed Bay Trail) processor from various manufacturers like Asus, with its excellent, under-$500 Transformer Book T100TA. Meanwhile, Windows RT, a slimmed-down version of Windows 8, continues to chug along, but doesn't support all Win 8 apps. Microsoft released the second version of its RT-based Surface tablet$444.98 at Amazon this year, but the company seems to be hinting that it might roll RT into its Windows Phone iOS in the future. If you want a Windows tablet, Win 8 is the way to go.

Generally speaking, the greatest strength of Apple's iOS, the operating system on the iPad and iPad miniA$268.03 at CrazySales, is twofold: It's very clean and intuitive, and the wide selection of iPad apps that you can buy right on your tablet—more than 500,000 iPad-specific titles at the time of this writing—work uniformly well with very few exceptions. (For more, check out our full iOS 7 Review.)

Google's Android mobile OS is a more complicated story. Besides having your choice of hardware from several manufacturers, at any given time, there are a few iterations of Android floating around on various devices. The latest version, 4.4 KitKat, is the best yet, with maximum configurability, a top-notch notification system, fast and smooth Web browsing, and seamless integration with Google applications like Gmail, Google Maps, and Hangouts for video chat. Android also includes support for multiple user logins so you can share your tablet with a friend or family member, a useful feature that's missing in Apple tablets. Right now, though, you can only find KitKat on a few models including Google's own Nexus-branded tablets, some Samsung Galaxy Tabs, and the LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition.

Windows 8 comes the closest to offering a traditional computing experience with full x86 support for all of your Windows software. And you can run the full version of Microsoft Office when you buy a Win 8 tablet. Connectivity options and hardware add-ons for Windows models are also typically more plentiful than with other tablet types.

What About Apps?
What's a tablet without quality apps? If you want every third-party app under the sun, right now, nothing out there beats the iPad with its half-a-million programs and games designed specifically for Apple tablets. The App Store is well-curated and monitored, offers a deep selection, and includes every popular app you can think of. If a wide range of compelling apps that look good and work well your tablet is your main priority, Apple is your best bet.

Android has made some strides on app selection, courting more developers and offering more high-quality tablet apps, but its still nowhere near the number Apple offers. It's tough to say exactly how many tablet-optimized Android apps are available, but it's likely in the thousands, rather than the hundreds of thousands. There are also Android phone apps, which look decent on a 7-inch tablet, but less so on a 9- or 10-inch one, so you're likely to have more problems getting high-quality apps for larger Android tablets.

Windows 8, meanwhile, offers an impressive array of more than 100,000 touch-screen-friendly tablet apps, but remember, you can also run all of your standard Windows-compatible programs.

Screen Size and Storage
This consideration is a bit obvious, but size—both screen real estate and storage capacity—is important to consider. First things first: When you hear the term "10-inch or 7-inch tablet" this refers to the size of the screen, measured diagonally, and not the size of the tablet itself. 7-inch tablets are considered small-screen, while 8.9- to 10-inch tablets are considered large screen. Apple iPads, Google Nexus, and Amazon Kindle Fire tablets all come in both small- and large-screen iterations

Lately, some phones are even blurring the lines with tablets. For example, Samsung, for one, wants you to have multiple choices, so it offers its Galaxy line in five different screen sizes ranging from 5.7 to 12.2 inches. The smallest, the Galaxy Note 3$717.60 at T-Mobile, is actually a phone with plenty of tablet-like features, including a stylus, that mirror what the larger versions offer. And the Galaxy Mega$0.01 at Amazon, is also more phone than tablet in that it requires a two-year contract, but it packs a huge 6.3-inch display.

Screen resolution is important too, especially for ebook reading and Web surfing. A sharp, bright display is key. Right now, the sharpest you'll find is 2,560 by 1,600 pixels on the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9"$339.00 at Amazon (339 pixels per inch) and the 2014 Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (298 ppi). The iPad Air$499.00 at Apple Store with its 2,048-by-1,536-pixel (264 ppi) Retina display is no slouch either. If you're in the market for a 10-inch Android tablet, look for a display with at least a 1,280-by-800 resolution. For 7-inch models: The entry-level Amazon Kindle Fire HD's display is 1,280 by 800, and is perfectly viewable, even for ebook reading, but line it up side-by-side with the same-size Amazon Kindle Fire HDX's 1,920-by-1,200 screen, and you'll notice the difference.

The weight of a tablet is one definite advantage it has over a laptop—but with large-screen tablets typically weighing around a pound, they're not cell-phone light. After you hold one with a single hand on a subway ride for 20 minutes, your hand will get tired. Setting one flat in your lap, rather than propped up on a stand, can also be a little awkward. And few tablets will fit in your pocket, unless it's an extra large jacket pocket.

Cloud (off-device) storage is an option for many tablets (iCloud for iPads, Amazon Cloud Storage for Kindle Fires, and OneDrive for Windows), but when it comes to on-board storage, more is always better. All those apps, when combined with a typical music, video, and photo library, can take up a lot of space. Right now storage tops out at 128GB of flash-based memory, and that's only on the iPad Air and the iPad mini, with most of the tablets we've tested available in either 16, 32, or 64GB varieties. Larger-capacity models can get as expensive as full-featured laptops, though—the 128GB Wi-Fi-only iPad rings up at $799; add 4G service, and you're up to almost $930. Some non-Apple tablets have microSD memory card slots that let you expand storage.

Wi-Fi-Only vs. Cellular Models
Many tablets come in a Wi-Fi-only model or with the option of always-on cellular service from a wireless provider. If you want to use your tablet to get online anywhere, you should opt for a model that offers a cellular version, like the aforementioned iPads, or the Wi-Fi + 4G version of the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX$199.00 at Amazon. Of course, this adds to the device's price, and then you need to pay for cellular service. Generally, though, with a tablet, you can purchase data on a month-to-month basis, without signing a contract.

Another way to get your tablet online: Use your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot for your tablet. This won't work with every phone/tablet combo, so you should check with your carrier before you seal a deal.

Finally, before you buy, if you can, head to your local electronics store to get hands-on time with some different tablets, so you can see which feels and works best for you. For the latest lab-tested tablet reviews, hit our Tablet Product Guide, and for the top models we've tested, check out The 10 Best Tablets.