Universal "soldiers": TOP-5 tablets with a screen size of 10"

"Ten" from the fourth generation of Lenovo tablets is available in two guises: regular and Plus version, which is head and shoulders above the classics in terms of characteristics. The standard modification of the 10.1-inch tablet will be more to the liking of those who need a device to brighten up their home leisure with periodic forays into people — the 3G / LTE module facilitates access to the Internet using mobile data networks.

In the hands of Lenovo Tab 4 10 X304L 3G fits like a glove, which is facilitated by relatively small bezels around the display and pleasant to the touch non-slip plastic with a rough structure on the back panel. "Under the cover" of the back there is an entry-level hardware (the 425th "dragon" in conjunction with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of permanent memory), as well as a 7000 mAh battery, the energy in the tanks of which is enough to provide a 10-hour marathon of activity display.

Given the large diagonal, the model's screen has a low resolution (1280x800 pixels). Nevertheless, the picture on it remains visible at any viewing angle and does not fade in the bright sun. On such a display, it is convenient to surf the Internet, watch videos, and play not the most "heavy" games. Here everything depends on the capabilities of the electronic hardware, for example, World of Tanks at low settings produces a frame rate of 30-40fps, and Angry Birds can be played at maximum graphics settings.

The main orientation of the gadget is landscape. The controls of the device are assembled on its left side, all kinds of interfaces (3.5mm audio output, microUSB port, hybrid slot for a SIM card and a microSD flash drive up to 128 GB) are located on the right, and holes for a pair of stereo speakers with support for volumetric technology are made on the bevel of the upper edge. Dolby Atmos sound. The speakers do not shine with bass, but they can provide the proper sound when playing videos or while playing games without the slightest effort.

The simpleton tablet, if you judge the model by its “clothes”, is imprisoned in reliable metal “armor”. It is included in the cohort of strong state employees, which is confirmed by the equipment of the 10.1-inch device and its “hardware”.

The Asus ZenPad 10 Z301ML hardware platform is based on a 4-core MediaTek MT8735W chip, supplemented with 2/16 GB of memory. This is a non-gaming hardware aimed at performing the simplest tasks: surfing the web, watching movies and videos online, social networking and chatting in instant messengers. Modesty also emanates from the display resolution of 1280x800 pixels — for a 10-inch diagonal of the device, such a figure is not enough. However, you should not be upset, because the screen boasts excellent colour reproduction, standard wide viewing angles for IPS matrices and a decent margin of brightness.

The screen of the gadget is well suited for watching movies at a short distance from the tablet. The picture during video playback is accompanied by high-quality sound from two stereo speakers placed on the front panel of the device. The speakers on board the model support HD Premium Sound surround sound technology.

Surprisingly , the tablet got a USB Type-C port, which is the prerogative of older models. The whole "salt" of the connector lies in the ability to connect the connector of either side. Ways to use the Asus ZenPad 10 Z301ML are not limited to bedside-sofa operation — the SIM card slot in the tablet's arsenal allows you to take it with you on trips, while remaining online in the coverage area of the mobile operator's network. At the same time, energy reserves in a small 4680 mAh battery last for a long time — up to 9 hours of continuous screen activity.

The orientation of the 10-inch tablet to work with multimedia can be traced directly in the model name, which includes the prefix MediaPad. It encodes the name of the line of tablets of the eminent Chinese brand, sharpened for browsing the Internet, watching videos and performing other everyday tasks.

The performance of the tablet in everyday work is provided by an 8-core chip of the entry-level Snapdragon 435, which is assisted by 3 GB of “RAM”. In the AnTuTu test, such a bundle is gaining about 45K points — a worthy result for a multimedia device. If you wish, you can play on it, but not in the most resource-intensive games. Permanent memory in the younger version of Huawei MediaPad M3 Lite 10 LTE has only 16 GB, but the modest amount of built-in storage is partly offset by microSD support (the memory card slot is combined with a “seat” for SIM).

"Simka" is used on board the tablet to organize access to the World Wide Web via mobile data networks 3G and LTE. An alternative to it is a high-speed Wi-Fi module of the 802.11ac standard (data exchange at speeds over 1 Gbps). Complement the list of communication modules equipped with Bluetooth and GPS models.

The tablet has got a 10.1-inch screen with an optimal resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. Although individual pixels are visible on it from a close distance, they practically do not affect the integrity of the perception of the picture. In addition, the IPS-matrix of the device should be praised for the correct colour reproduction and a large supply of brightness. Under the display on a wide bottom frame is a smart fingerprint scanner with a touch layer, which allows you to use it as a navigation key (swipe control).

The multimedia orientation of the model is emphasized by a quartet of loud stereo speakers from Harman / Kardon, one of the world leaders in the field of building acoustic systems. The built-in speakers produce loud and clear sound that is comparable in quality to the sound of some portable speakers. The whole thing is powered by a 6660 mAh battery — in conjunction with not the most “gluttonous” electronic “hardware”, it allows the gadget to last without recharging for 7-8 hours of activity. And otherwise, the media device is not particularly required.

The heir to the popular Apple iPad Air 2 model has got a simple and concise name — iPad without any extra prefixes. However, in order not to confuse it with the very first generation of the tablet, originally from Cupertino, the name of the gadget sometimes contains the markings New or 2017 (according to the year of release).

The appearance of the tablet is entirely borrowed from the Air 2 model. However the body of the device is slightly thicker (from 6.1 mm to 7.5) due to the use of a more capacious 8610 mAh battery. The convenience of gripping the tablet in the hand did not suffer from this, but there was a slight increase in battery life. However, the merit of a long battery life (10 hours in video playback mode) lies not only on the shoulders of the battery, but also on the more energy-efficient hardware.

Under the hood, the tablet is powered by a combination of the Apple A9 chip (a similar processor is installed in the Apple iPhone 6S and Apple iPhone SE smartphones) and 2 GB of RAM. You can’t name the freshest “hardware”, however, its performance reserves to perform any tablet tasks will last for a long period of time. The built-in memory on board the tablet has 32 GB and, of course, it cannot be expanded.

The main element of any tablet, with which the user spends most of the time interacting, is the screen. It is good for the Apple iPad 9.7 of the 2017 sample — an IPS-matrix with a resolution of 2048x1536 pixels demonstrates bright and rich colours. Under the display (if you look at the device in portrait orientation) is a Touch ID scanner. It is not as fast as modern iPhones, but it recognizes the owner of the device by fingerprint very accurately.

Perhaps, the weaknesses of the model include the lack of a connector for connecting a keyboard and an archaic front camera (1.2 MP). But the main camera in the arsenal of the tablet deserves praise — an 8-megapixel module with an f / 2.4 aperture is equipped with autofocus and image stabilization systems. If you want to get a more powerful device (both in terms of cameras and speed), you can look at the PRO version of the tablet in the face of Apple iPad Pro 9.7.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7 ranks first on the Android tablet podium as of early 2018. The effective glass body of the model, which will leave few people indifferent in terms of appearance, keeps a powerful electronic “hardware” inside the tablet with a significant margin of performance for the future.

The glass on the back of the device is indeed eye-catching, but the downside of its use in the design is the susceptibility of the back to collecting fingerprints. It is better to direct them in the right direction — the fingerprint sensor in the Home key, located on a narrow frame under the tablet display, is used to recognize the pattern on the fingertip. As a screen, the brainchild of Samsung uses a high-resolution SuperAMOLED matrix (2048x1536 pixels) with HDR support, which is a real pleasure to spend time in front of.

The “hardware” of the gadget tries to keep up with the advanced features of the screen – the trio of the top-end Snapdragon 821 chip, 4 GB of RAM and Adreno 530 graphics turn everything that comes to hand with the hardware. The performance of the tablet in any task is confirmed by high scores in synthetic tests (for example, over 140K points in AnTuTu) and reviews from satisfied owners of the model regarding the actual operation of the device.

Out of the box, the tablet is equipped with an S-Pen stylus, for which for some reason there was no place in the case, and four AKG stereo speakers. The built-in acoustics produce a rich and detailed sound, providing a decent soundtrack in movies or games. The device lacks only support for 3G and LTE networks, which the related version of the tablet has — Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7 3G. The model without a slot for a SIM card is designed to become a home multimedia entertainment centre that can compete on equal terms with the Apple iPad Pro 9.7, an advanced rival from sunny California.