Consumer Reports: Ranking Tablets For Holiday Season
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - This holiday season, tablets are bound to be a top gift item. Chances are there's someone on your holiday list who's been dropping hints that they want one.
Just in time for Black Friday, Consumer Reports has released its ratings of close to 100 tablets.
If you're shopping for a tablet, you'll find more choices than ever.
Apple's newest, the iPad Air, has been getting plenty of attention. Consumer Reports just completed testing it and found plenty to like.
Weighing in at just a pound, and with a super slender profile, the iPad Air is the lightest full-sized tablet tested. That makes it easy to hold for reading or watching movies.
"Even though Apple made the iPad Air thinner and lighter, they didn't sacrifice screen quality at all. This screen looks just as good as the screen on the iPad 4," Donna Tapellini with Consumer Reports said.
The iPad Air with 4G earned Consumer Reports' highest score for any tablet ever. It starts at $629, and at $500 for Wi-Fi only.
If you prefer an Android tablet, Consumer Reports recommends the newest version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. It starts at $550.
"What's unique about it is it comes with a stylus and a set of apps that works specifically with that stylus. The stylus is pretty advanced, and it allows you to do things like write notes within an app or draw graphics. Another interesting feature is it allows you to run two apps at the same time on the display," Tapellini said.
But if you want to save money, the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX is a good option at $230. You don't get as many features, but you do get a unique tech-support button.
"You push a button, and up pops a live tech-support person who can help you out with any question you have about the tablet, right then and there," Tapellini said.
Consumer Reports also just tested the newest small tablet from Apple — the iPad Mini. It's even better than the previous version, including a longer-lasting battery.
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