How to Choose the Right Tablet for your Needs?

The Right way to splurge on a high-end tablet
India is a market for the price-conscious; this statement has been repeatedly highlighted over the years. The technology industry follows the same ideology but even then one has to consider that the country constitutes of uber rich consumer base as well. Which is why the likes of Apple iPhone 5S, Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One have takers in the smartphone space. Coming over to the tablet segment, you will find similar buyers looking for products that imbibe class, premiumness and not averse to spending deep. This month, we help out the tech-fanatics in the upper rung, who are not only well versed about technology but also carry a certain taste along.

What are we talking about?
The average price of a smartphone/tablet bought in the country remains around the Rs 13,000 mark. Anything above that spent to buy a tablet is considered entering the risk-zone. The tablet market comprises of devices powered by Android (Indian market leader), iOS and Windows 8/8.1 platform and from an Indian consumer point of view, a tablet which costs upwards of Rs 17,000 undergoes intense scrutiny to determine its value.

What are my options?
Well, luckily there is no dearth of option in this segment, with biggies like Samsung, Asus (Nexus), Lenovo and Apple among others doing their bit with devices that epitomise the need of a high-end tablet. Typically, we are talking about tablets ranging from 7 inch to 10.1 inch and 12.2 inch in some cases as well that starts from a price point of around Rs 20,000 and go as high as they can. These tablets are available in varied platforms; Android, iOS and Windows 8.

What do I get for the money I spent?
One should always consider their requirements and make their choices strictly keeping those in mind, as you wouldn't want to face the unfortunate case of buying the wrong one which might force you to look for others and end up being a costly affair. If content consumption is your need, then you can look at tablets ranging between 7 to 10.1 inch with top quality display, powerful hardware and long battery life. Same is the case with content generation purposes as well but these are less hardware-hungry which can alter your choices. Gaming is another aspect that one has to consider. Most of the top-end tablets are conducive for gaming but one is better off looking at the build quality, design and handling of the device as well.

Can they replace my bulging laptop?
A lot of discussion is happening around the globe to determine whether tablets will ultimately replace the bulky laptops and perform in same capacity? We've seen instances where tablets (big-sized ones) are being used for work purposes as well but more like a secondary device, complimenting your laptop or sleek Ultrabook. There is a case for hybrid devices like detachable laptops as well but for the time being, tablets have not evolved to such an extent that they can be substituted for your notebook. That said, a lot of convergence is taking place in the world, so who knows tablet might actually evolve to become the notebook-killers.

Which one to buy?
If you are going for Android tablet then watching movies, listening to music, reading books, surfing web or primary phone (via SIM) are the obvious activities attached to a 7 or 8 inch device. Move to anything bigger than that, your horizons widen with the likes of creating content becoming possible. Apple iPad has been adopted in quite a few countries with successful results.

Which OS provides you more Apps?
For productivity or fun you really have to look for good Apps for your tablet, and iPad has half-a-million programs and games designed specifically for Apple tablets it includes every popular app you can think of. On the other hand Android has made some strides on app selection, offering more high-quality tablet apps. 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 you can also run all of your standard Windows-compatible programs.

What about the storage options in tablet?
If you want to store HD movies Games music in your tablet for your travel need then you have to look for tablets with good amount of storage space. So you need to decide how much you need before you buy as many vendors offer no way to increase the onboard capacity. So to take care this you'll need to get the tablet at least of 16 GB of storage , or go for tablets with Micro SD slots, as these do give you the option of additional storage, sometimes up to 64GB or more.