Best tablets 2014: The best tablets available to buy today

You're looking to buy a new tablet but are confused by all the options out there? If you're looking for the best tablets of 2014, then you've come to the right place. Here we will guide you through the hottest tablets from 7 inches and up, to help you reach a decision on buying the right device for you.  

Our list of the top 10 tablets covers a mixture of operating systems at various price points. Run this question through your head: "Which tablet is best for me?" Think about size first and foremost, what you'll be using the device for and, therefore, how powerful it ought to be. Is build quality your most important factor, or can you settle for a plasticky finish at a more attractive price point?

The tablets market is vast and not all of the best stuff is brand new. Refreshes are always on the horizon, but many tablets from 2012 and 2013 remain strong. We’ll be regularly updating this feature with the latest and greatest tablets that we review - but only those we've reviewed in full.

Let us know what you think is the best tablet in the comments below - you mig

 have personal preference or advice for others and we'd love to hear it.

10. Amazon Kindle Fire HDX

The Amazon Kindle Fire HDX does a lot to make itself a competitive offering. The detail in the display and the power on offer, for the price, make it a compelling choice.

But the HDX finds itself in the same position as last year's model: it's fighting incredibly hard, but stuck to the Amazon track. The result is that when it comes to content you can get everything in competition Android land - aside from Lovefilm. But on those other devices you get more freedom and you're part of the bigger system, with more choices.

PRICE: £199 (with offers)

QUICK VERDICT: If you're after a good-quality tablet that performs well, with a great display, plenty of power, at a good price and you're more interested Amazon's content than having the latest apps, then the Kindle Fire HDX may well make you very happy.

FULL REVIEW: Amazon Kindle Fire HDX

9. Kobo Arc 7HD

There are two reasons why we’re drawn to the Kobo Arc 7HD over the Amazon Kindle. First, it allows you to access Google Play without either rooting the device or side-loading applications. You're free to do as you please, not locked down to shopping in Amazon’s own Appstore as on the Kindle platform.

Second, the price. At £159 for the £16GB storage model - it's £189 for the 32GB model - it remains great value for money. It might not be quite as powerful as the Kindle Fire HDX, but if you want an "open" experience then the Kobo has a lot going for it, and we rather like the way it offers access to eBook content. If all that scares you a bit and you want Kindle familiarity, then you'll know exactly where to head: to the Kindle Fire HDX.

When considered on its own merits, and the price, the Arc 7HD is a great buy that we've enjoyed using a lot. Its only real letdown - and this might be a deal-breaker for some - is there's no possibility of 3G or 4G connectivity, it's Wi-Fi only.

PRICE: £159

QUICK VERDICT: A great Android tablet with Kobo's eBook store put in pride of place. But you're not locked down to anything - use Google Play, use Amazon's Kindle store, or Kobo's. It's all wide open here, and for the price it's a really tempting 7-inch tablet. Just a shame there's no 3G or 4G offering.

FULL REVIEW: Kobo Arc 7HD

8. Advent Vega Tegra Note 7

The Advent Vega Tegra Note 7 is one of the better affordable 7-inch Android tablets on the market, particularly if you're a gaming fan or like to use a stylus.

Before you shrug it off as "just another tablet" this Tegra-4-powered device is well worth a look in. The £129 price point sits it well below the Nexus 7 (2013), and that's what makes it a hugely appealing proposition. Not because it's "cheap", but because it delivers plenty for the price.

However, its spec also sits it below the Nexus 7 because the screen resolution can't quite compete. Saying that, at this scale the 1280 x 800 resolution is fine enough for gaming in our view.

We're not sure why the device has opted for a bonkers-long name, but for this price and with a stylus included it's a real bargain well worth a look.

PRICE: £129

QUICK VERDICT: A great 7-inch tablet and stylus combo. A touch less weight, the latest Android OS and a higher resolution screen in version two and we'll have near perfection. But when it comes to price point, it's hard to beat.

FULL REVIEW: Advent Vega Tegra Note 7

7. Sony Xperia Tablet Z

Previous Sony Android tablets were late to arrive to the party and blighted by quirky design that just didn't quite deliver.

Then Sony flipped that on its head with the Xperia Tablet Z. It's a stylish, lightweight Android tablet that is also waterproof so you can take it in the bath. How about that?

The 10.1-inch display isn't quite the best out there, though, as it's bettered by the Samsung-built Nexus 10, which offers a more natural colour palette as well as a higher resolution for sharper details, but at 1920 x 1200 the Xperia is still very good.

The thing that the Xperia Z tablet does deliver is build quality. It's more luxury than the likes of Google's slightly more affordable tablets, so if Android is a must have then Sony has a true competitor for the Apple iPad 4 here.

PRICE: £399

QUICK VERDICT: Excellent design and specification at an impressive price, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z is a great Android tablet with plenty on offer. It's got a more luxury design than the Google Nexus 10, but then it comes in at a price point that's on par with the Apple iPad 4. If you're not an Apple fan and must have Android, however, then this well built and waterproof tablet has a whole lot going for it.

FULL REVIEW: Sony Xperia Tablet Z review

6. Google Nexus 10

Another 2012 model in the ranks, the Nexus 10 brings that pure Android experience, meaning you'll be the first to get updates and it's free from the bloat of additional apps and services you don't want and that some manufacturers add.

Larger than the Nexus 7 (see further down the page), it's the Nexus 10's display that's its real beauty. The sharp 2560 x 1600 resolution looks fantastic and packs in more pixels than even the iPad 4. That screen resolution is also an echo of Sansung's own Note 10.1 2014 Edition.

All that res means you can revel in the desktop experience of websites with less zooming, and it makes for a great, sharp, reading device too. Or watch movies and play games - there's enough power for that too.

This Samsung-constructed device is well built too, even if it's not in quite the same league as the iPad Air. But if you're an Android fiend then this will likely be your preference product, and if you're undecided then the more accessible price point might help in your decision making. 

PRICE: £319

QUICK VERDICT: The Nexus 10 fill our hearts with joy when we look at that screen. In many ways, this typifies the difference between Android and iOS. The Nexus is competent and powerful, but it lacks that whiff of passion and build quality that you get from Apple products. A great buy at a great price though, Android tablets don't come much better than this.

FULL REVIEW: Google Nexus 10 review

5. LG G Pad 8.3

It's been a while since LG dipped its oar into the tablets market. And during its absence it's a market that's got busier and more competitive. But, despite that, the LG G Pad has a whole lot to love about it. The LG G Pad represents a strong return to the tablet market for LG.

This 8.3-inch tablet is a little larger than the 7-inchers out there, without pushing into the seemingly giant 10-inch space. If you want a decent handheld size Android tablet with epic battery life then this could be the exact tablet scale that you've been looking for.

Fun features such as QPair functionality enable Android phone pairing are genuinely useful to monitor incoming calls and texts direct from the tablet without taking your phone out of your pocket. And many of the same gesture-based features as in the LG G2 smartphone make it into the G Pad too.

PRICE: £260

QUICK VERDICT: If you want something a bit different, that's bigger than a Nexus 7, smaller than an iPad mini and a noticeable amount smaller than one of the many 10-inch tablets out there then the G Pad could be the one for you. It's one of the hottest Android tablets around.

FULL REVIEW: LG G Pad review

4. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

The Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition is a powerful bit of kit. It's also pricey - but then it's good enough to function as a laptop replacement if you see it that way.

The thing that really sells the Note 10.1 2014 for us isn't so much the super-high-resolution screen - which at 2560 x 1600 pixels does look amazing by the way - but the inclusion of the stylus, otherwise known by Samsung as the S Pen. It works beautifully, and the handwriting recognition is a step ahead of where it was before.

If you're after an Android tablet with plenty of power than this is the best of the bunch. If, that is, price is no object - otherwise the smaller, lighter and less powerful Nexus 7 (2013) gets our vote.

PRICE: £500

QUICK VERDICT: Powerful, high resolution, and with great stylus input, this is the larger-scale Android tablet to beat. The only downsides are the lack of USB 3, meaning slow charging times and the price will get in the way for some.

FULL REVIEW: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition

3. Nexus 7 (2013)

The Nexus device range from Google has always been the benchmark for an Android device. The clean state in which to deliver an experience that is pure, that Google owns, before the likes of Samsung, Sony or LG get their hands on it.

The original Nexus 7 was hot stuff: a 7-inch tablet experience that just worked. Enter the 2013 Nexus 7 update and we've got a rip-roaringly good tablet that continues to deliver the goods anew, complete with a 1920 x 1200 resolution screen that - at this price point - knocks many other tablets out of contention.

If you're new to tablet land and want an affordable, portable offering that's got access to the wide range of Google's apps then the Nexus 7 II is probably the best balance of features to price. Indeed it's one of the best Android tablets out there.

It's not as luxury in build as the iPad mini, but if that doesn't bother you then save yourself more than £100 and invest - Google's got a winner on its hands here.

PRICE: £159

QUICK VERDICT: It is just an incremental update to the original Nexus 7 - so existing users may want to stick with what they've got - but for those who don't have the original, and are keen to get a small and brilliant tablet, then this is the Android device for you.

FULL REVIEW: Nexus 7 (2013) review

2. Apple iPad mini with Retina display

The iPad mini with Retina display bests the efforts of the original iPad mini in virtually every department - and where it doesn't offer an outright improvement it sticks with what worked before.

What you get with the iPad mini Retina is one of the best tablets on the market, although it can't quite top the iPad Air. The Retina panel is the same quality as the iPad Air, though, just at a smaller scale given the 7.9-inch screen. That 2048 x 1536 resolution delivers a 326ppi density which is pin sharp.

Just like before, Apple has succeeded in making a tablet just as a tablet should be. Thin, light, easy to use, and with an abundance of available apps for all walks of life - whether it's watching Netflix or Sky Go from the bath, drawing a picture using apps like Paper or Photoshop, or playing games like Real Racing 3.

We do love the iPad mini Retina. You won't be disappointed.

PRICE: from £319

QUICK VERDICT: It might be mini by nature, but it is mighty in the things it can offer and that huge resolution and internal power makes it among the best tablets out there. We love it.

FULL REVIEW: Apple iPad mini Retina review

1. Apple iPad Air

The iPad Air is sort of the iPad 5. And this latest tablet walks all over the iPad 4 - it's lighter and thinner, but retains the same 9.7-inch screen panel. It's also faster than before, to the point it's future-proof for the time being and won't feel out of date in six months.

For die-hard Apple fans we can see how you would be disappointed in terms of wow factor, as there is no standout feature here - the Air feels like an iPad mini Retina upscaled. And it lacks the Slow-Mo movie and Touch ID fingerprint scanner of the iPhone 5S.

That's not to say the iPad Air is lacking. It's not. It is seamless experience that just works. If anything the Air is a problem for Apple - and this is a good thing for us all - because by creating something so desirable, fast and functional, we suspect you won't need or want to upgrade for a long, long time. Even iPad 4 owners will likely want one, especially if you're fed up of resting the weightier, larger slab on your leg all the time.

Apple has created a tablet experience that surpasses all others. It's the best tablet on the market in terms of performance, apps, and desirability. What more can we say than that?

PRICE: from £399