Tablet PC: Five Factors To Consider Before Buying

Even though recently Manchester United banned fans to bring a tablet to matches, tablet computers are still becoming more popular by the day especially with those consumers looking for a device that can offer greater features and functionality than the standard smartphones while offering more convenience than a laptop due to less weight and more portability.

While the new iPad is just around the corner, Android OS has developed and garnered a reputation for reliability it’s also opened the door to cheaper tablets with a wider range of available apps.

As with any computer, there are many options and factors for consumers to consider when selecting the best tablet for their needs, this includes, tablet size and processor speed, display qualities, connectivity and camera which can all determine which product best suites them. This guide should help you identify these key features and advise what to look for so you can make an informed decision when selecting the right tablet for your needs.

1. Size

Size isn’t everything but despite what you may have been told it does matter. This all comes down to how you want to use a tablet PC. If you want it to replace your phone then you may want something smaller so a 7 to 8 inch tablet that has SIM card support may be ideal. These are also a good size for reading e-books and many can be held in one hand. They should be fairly lightweight and compact so fit in to a large pocket or purse, making them suited use on a daily commute.

If your primary use for the tablet will be game playing or video streaming then something between 8.9 and 10.1 inches is probably better. These bigger tablets may also have faster processors as well as better resolutions and the screen size will allow for a more immersive,  enjoyable viewing and gaming experience. The drawback is that they will weigh more so may not be as easy to carry around as they can’t fit in a pocket or purse. Chinavasion has a full range of tablets from 7 to 10 inches and above.

2. Processor

The processor is probably the most important and often overlooked feature to consider when buying an Android tablet. If you want to use the tablet for gaming then a slow processor is out of the question and will cause your games to run slow, crash or not even launch in the first place. Also streaming HD videos will be problematic and cause lags in the streaming that can totally ruin the viewing experience. Even if you just want a tablet for surfing the web or reading e-books, you should make sure that the processor is powerful enough to cope with multitasking and running a variety of applications at the same time.

Most processors these days are multi-core meaning they have two or more complete execution cores within the processor. Dual core, quad core and even octa core processors are common nowadays. This enables the processors to run multiple tasks at the same time more effectively and improves performances. When buying an android tablet, consumers should look at getting the best, most recently released chipset available that fits within their budget. Like all technology, CPU’s become obsolete over time and purchasing a tablet with the strongest and fastest processor is one way to ensure the product won’t quickly become outdated and will last you a long time.

3. Display

Display is a hugely important feature that shouldn’t be underestimated and can make or break your tablet experience. There are several key specifications to look for when choosing the best display.

Screen resolution is perhaps the most obvious. When comparing tablets with the same size screen it’s always best to compare their resolutions. This indicates the number of pixels on the screen and determines the detail of any images displayed. The greater the number the better; therefor a resolution of 1280×840 would be clearer and crisper with a sharper image than a resolution of 1024×600. This is of particular importance if you want to use the tablet for playing games, viewing images or watching video. If you’re planning on using a tablet for surfing the web or reading e-books the resolution may not be as important to you.

The second thing to consider is the touch screen abilities. You can get tablets with capacitive or resistive screens. Capacitive screens are the most responsive and work well if you are using your fingers to interact with the screen, whereas resistive screens are generally better for use with a stylus, which may work better for design and drawings. Additionally you should check how responsive the screens are and how many points the screen can detect at one time. These are known as multi touch screens and most tablets will have a 5 point touch screen that are beneficial for many apps and games.

Another thing to look for is IPS, this allows the screen to be viewed from wider angles without the image quality dropping, it is particularly useful when watching films or playing games.

4. Connectivity

Connectivity determines where and how you can use a tablet so it’s another key feature to consider. Wi-Fi will let you connect to networks at home or shared networks when out and about and as many of these are free it can save you money when compared to using 3G or 4G networks. However, in order to access the Internet the user must have a Wi-Fi connection. As this is not always possible users with a Smartphone on a 3G or 4G network may be able to tether their Android tablet to the smartphone so as to utilize the 3G or 4G networks on their phone. Alternatively some tablets allow you to use your SIM card with them which makes connectivity better and will also allow you to make and answer phone calls. Others tablets may allow you to use a 3G Dongle instead. These types of accessories can easily be purchased through Chinavasion.

Using a SIM card with your device will commonly allow users with a data plan on the SIM card to use 3G or even 4G networks. The term 3G refers to the third generation of communications technology for mobile devices and many cell phones are on the 3G network, which is now widely supported. A few devices allow for access to the newer and faster 4G network that is the fourth generation of communications technology. It’s important to remember that not all wireless or SIM providers offer this service so it’s crucial to check that your carrier is able to utilize this technology or that you switch to a suitable carrier before buying a tablet with 4G communications abilities.

5. Camera

Depending on what you want from your tablet will determine just how important this feature is. Rear facing cameras allow the user to take videos or pictures whereas a front facing camera is useful for video chatting with software such as Skype. Some tablets will feature both sorts of cameras where as other may not have any. Like with any digital camera the megapixels indicate how good the any pictures or video will be. Cameras with more megapixels will produce better images. Front cameras are normally of a lower quality than rear facing cameras which typically have around 5 or 8 megapixels

Whatever you want from an Android tablet Chinavasion has a huge range available wholesale prices so why not check out our website and to see the latest Android Tablet offerings.

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