How to choose a 10 inch tablet

When choosing a tablet of this size you should pay attention primarily to the technical characteristics of the device.

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1. How to choose a tablet for 10 inches: what to look for
   
2. Main selection criteria
3. Important technical specifications
4. Top manufacturers

How to choose a tablet for 10 inches: what to look for

The main criteria for choosing a larger tablet are:

1. Screen parameters (resolution, type);

2. Battery capacity (in mAh);

3. Performance (based on the processor and RAM);

4. The amount of internal storage.

5. Also important is the manufacturer of the device.

Main selection criteria

Screen characteristics

For tablets with a diagonal of 10 inches, the characteristics of the screen are crucial, since the practicality of the device and its usability will depend on them. Two parameters are most important - resolution and matrix type.

Screen resolution

From the screen resolution depends on the "smoothness" of the image. The higher it is, the more difficult it will be to consider individual pixels. At screens with low resolution, the image is noticeably grainy, which affects the convenience of viewing.

The minimum acceptable screen resolution of a 10 inch tablet is 1200 × 800 pixels. Such a display is quite “smooth”, but individual points can still be seen. It is better to purchase tablets with a resolution of Full HD - 1920 × 1080 pixels.

If you plan to use the tablet for work, including editing image files, as well as for watching movies and other multimedia content, it is recommended to purchase a device equipped with a higher resolution display. For example, 2K, QHD (not to be confused with qHD) or 4K.

Matrix type

The second important parameter is the type of matrix. In most cases, one of the three standards is applied - TN + F, IPS or AMOLED.

1. TN (also called TH + film) is the simplest, cheapest, and low-quality version of matrices. It is found mainly in ultra budget tablets from little-known Chinese manufacturers. Low price - the only advantage of TN-matrices. Such displays have very poor color reproduction and limited viewing angles of about 60 degrees.

2. IPS is the most common type of matrix. Such tablets are recommended for purchase. IPS provides good color reproduction (although some manufacturers can save a lot and install a dim screen), wide viewing angles of about 160-170 degrees without noticeable color distortion and high brightness.

3. AMOLED is a completely new type of screen. Such displays are characterized by maximum saturation, bright colors and realistic black shades. In fact, only active pixels are lit in such screens, the dark ones are physically disabled. Therefore, low power consumption is also ensured.There are two drawbacks to AMOLED displays - a very high price (especially for matrixes with a physical size of about 10 inches) and the appearance of burnout after a few months of use.

It is recommended to purchase tablets with IPS-display, which have the best price-quality ratio.

Battery capacity

The touch panel of a 10-inch display due to its size has a fairly high power consumption. Therefore, to ensure optimal autonomy, you should pay attention to the battery capacity.

The higher the battery capacity, the longer the tablet will work from one charge. For example, devices with a 6500 mAh battery (one of the standards for current devices of this class) can live about 6 hours of active use without connecting to a power outlet. Well, or they will be enough for the whole day, only mixed use.

Buying tablets that are equipped with a battery of less than 4000 mAh is undesirable. Even if they are equipped with the most modern energy-efficient processors. Touchscreen (touch panel on top of the screen) will still consume a lot of energy.

Performance

Two parameters directly affect tablet performance - processor characteristics and RAM. They are not directly related to the screen (since “virtual space” is used for drawing graphics), but they are still important.

CPU

Processor performance determines how quickly the processor will perform certain tasks. For example, to run resource-intensive applications, games, or at least to draw web pages.

The most productive mobile chips are processors from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series. These flagship devices, in addition to high "power", are distinguished by the support of the most advanced "common" technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile communication standards. However, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series processors (as of today’s 2017 most advanced 835) are expensive and therefore are installed mainly in flagship tablets.

An alternative are the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 series processors. Also, optimal performance will provide the chips NVIDIA Tegra, Kirin and MediaTek Helio.

But various ultrabudgetary processors like MediaTek “regular lines”, solutions from Spreadtrum, Allwinner and Rockchip, are better off. They will hang even with everyday use, not to mention resource-intensive tasks like games.

RAM

If the processor determines the performance when running specific tasks (for example, for the simplest tablets that you plan to use exclusively for reading electronic books, a powerful chip is not needed), then the amount of RAM affects the overall performance. It is exactly in it that the tasks currently being performed are stored, including the background services of various online applications - instant messengers, social networking clients, “mailboxes” or just web notifications.

The minimum amount of RAM in which the tablet retains sufficient performance even when switching between multiple tasks is 2 GB. However, with so much RAM, some important services like cached web pages or services of a long time-out instant messenger will still be unloaded. They will have to download or open manually.

If you plan to use the tablet especially actively, it is recommended to purchase a device with at least 3 GB of RAM. And the best solution, of course, will be a device with 4 GB of RAM, but such devices are usually expensive.

Built-in storage capacity

The amount of data that can be stored in the permanent memory of the tablet depends on the amount of the built-in drive. So, if you want to use the device for surfing the web or reading electronic books, a lot of space on the "flash drive" is not required.But for tablets from which you want to watch movies or, for example, play modern games, a large amount of internal memory is of critical importance.

In addition, it is on the internal storage that the Android operating system is stored (which, depending on the manufacturer, takes 2-4 GB) and all applications installed by the user.

In this way:

1. 8 GB - the minimum allowable amount. The place on the internal drive may end after 6-8 of the installed application. Using a memory card is strongly discouraged;

2. 16 GB - the minimum optimal amount. Most of the internal drive will be occupied by the operating system and installed applications, and the remaining space can be “thrown” the necessary user data;

3. 32 GB is the optimal volume. Enough to install several "large" games or store a couple of movies, as well as using "voracious" applications like Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Music, Yandex.Music, etc .;

4. 64 GB - we recommend the volume for tablets that are planned to be used as a gaming or multimedia device.

When choosing a tablet with a relatively small amount of internal memory (8 or 16 GB), it is critical that it is equipped with a microSD card slot. On these external drives you can store various user data, among which are movies, music, documents, etc.

Older tablet models also support transferring some applications to a memory card. But this is an ineffective procedure that does not save much space on the internal drive, but it will significantly increase the launch time of the ported programs.

Important technical specifications

Among other technical characteristics that are worth paying attention to can be identified:

1. The presence of a slot for a SIM card. If you plan to use the tablet for Internet access (including for online games), you should purchase a device with support for mobile networks;

2. 4G support. 4G mobile networks provide significantly higher data rates than previous generations;

3. Generation operating system. The fresher it is, the better. The latest versions of Android and iOS implement many useful features (for example, split-screen mode) and built-in protocols for protecting against malicious software;

4. Camera resolution. It is important in the case when you plan to take a lot of pictures. From a tablet, of course, this is not as convenient as from a smartphone or a full-fledged camera, but if necessary, it is desirable that the matrix be of high quality;

5. OTG support. A very important feature for people who plan to print a lot. You can connect a wired (or wireless) keyboard to this tablet, which can greatly simplify typing;

6. Support GPS and GLONASS. Useful features for people who will use the tablet as a navigator;

7. The presence of video outputs (HDMI, including in the form of micro or mini, Thunderbolt). They allow you to connect the tablet to an external display - a TV, monitor, projector, etc.

All these functions should be chosen only if you plan to actively use them. If, say, you don’t want to take pictures on a tablet, then the resolution of the main camera doesn’t matter much - just anybody is enough. Similarly with the other similar specifications.

Top manufacturers

Among the best manufacturers of 10-inch tablets are:

1. Apple;

2. Asus;

3. Huawei;

4. Lenovo;

5. Samsung.

Microsoft can also be mentioned, but it rather releases the hybrid ultrabooks of the Surface series - although they are made in the format of a 10-inch tablet.

But the products of little-known Chinese companies are not recommended for purchase, since they have a low maintainability.

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Attention! This material is the subjective opinion of the authors of the project and is not a guide to purchase.