Put it on the slate (Ethnic Restaurant, 2013)

The mighty iPad might have carved off a hefty chunk of the tablet market, but now it's paved the way for dozens of competitors snapping at Apple's heels. Matt Ng gets the lowdown on the best devices available

If the laptop marked the decline of the humble desktop, the tablet will surely be the final nail in its coffin. With over 200 million units predicted to be shipped worldwide by the end of 2013, the portable device looks set to dominate many households.

Last year Apple gained an enviable 70% share of the tablet market with the hugely popular iPad, but now the floodgates have been open to new competitors in the arena, all looking to take a chunk out of Apple's pie. With such a competitive market and dozens of devices to suit most needs and budgets, now's a good time to invest.

Which one should I get? Despite their popularity, let's not forget that a tablet isn't designed to replace the laptop. The best applications you can use it for are emailing, web browsing, games and watching video. You won't get much productivity out of most, but some do offer docking keyboards for heavier work tasks.

Tablets also come in various sizes - again, ask yourself how you'll be using your new purchase. Are you a sofa-surfer or will you be on the move a lot? Mobile users might opt for lighter, more portable 7-inch tablets, while those less on the go can opt for a larger tablet experience with 10-inch versions.

Choose your camp Besides Windows (and the jury’s still out whether this is a future-proof operating system), you're largely choosing between Apple's iOS and Google's Android. While, iOS is ahead in terms of app numbers, support and quality, Android is fast catching up.

If you already have an iPhone, you'll feel right at home with an iPad. And if you're an iTunes fan, you'll already know your movies and music can be downloaded from the cloud. If you've somehow avoided this camp so far, just remember that you'll be buying all your media from here, and you'll have some limited digital rights management restricting usage on multiple devices.

Android's interface, too, will do just fine for regular users of its phones. Despite their popular lush designs, we can't help but feel that Apple's holy sheen is slowly wearing off. Recent incremental upgrades to their hardware haven't quite set the world alight, and their newest iOS 7 is said to be a step backward in terms of user familiarity.

What Apple still has up its sleeve however, are the vast quantities of tablet apps, with more than 375,000 available in the Apple Store. The Google Play store doesn't quite reach the same number, and while the giant hasn't said how many are available, you can safely bet it's regretting not joining the tablet party sooner.

iPad
£399
A tablet that needs no introduction. Stylish, slick and solid, its build quality is unparalleled, and its Retina display makes pictures and text unbelievably crisp and clear. The latest fourth generation comes with the new Lightning charger, so your older docks and chargers won't work with it, unless you've already taken the plunge and have an iPhone 5 in your pocket. The back is aluminium, and may feel somewhat slippy and bulky, so we wouldn't recommend taking this out and about - rather, it's more of a rest on your lap on the sofa deal.

At £399 you really are paying a premium for quality, but it's up to you to decide if it's really worth it. With so many other tablets on the market operating on a very high par, I'm not quite convinced the iPad is the one for everyone, unless you're a major Apple junkie. And even then, you're tied to paying over the odds for official accessories: £39 for a Smart Case? £30 for a charging adaptor and plug? Behave, Apple. That being said, upgrades from the third generation include a major processing speed boost with its A6X chip, and faster Wi-Fi connectivity. If you've got money to burn, you want a big tablet and you love your tech emblazoned with the Apple logo, this is your stop. Everyone else, keep reading.

Google Nexus 7 (2013)
£199
Hot on the heels of 2012's popular Nexus 7 comes Google's second tablet, and it's sure to be a winner. The first iteration was badly missing a rear-facing camera, but that's now fixed with a 5MP autofocus snapper.

What will impress is it's 1920x1200 display, capable of HD, along with its stereo speakers and lighter, thinner look that will have early adopters trading in their old Nexus 7's in droves. Predictions are that this one will be slightly more expensive than the old Nexus' price tag of £159, but on paper it's a big enough upgrade to justify this.

Google's Play Store has been massively improved since its first introduction, with more and more developers making Android tablet apps, but still, the number is way short of the choice you'd get in the Apple camp. Quality has also been an issue with third party apps, and we recommend users browse reviews before downloading.

Despite getting so much for so little, Google's effort isn't perfect. We reckon the Nexus would be perfect to take HD films with you while travelling, yet there's still no microSD slot for memory expansion. Battery life too, was an issue with the first Nexus. For the second generation, this has been downgraded, and powering its bright screen when playing high-performance games will really eat through its longevity throughout the day.

However, in our eyes it's the go-to tablet if it doesn't have to be an iPad, especially for its features and attractive budget price.

iPad mini
£249
Targeting the smaller tablet market, the iPad mini is a fantastic device to have on the move, and true to the Apple way of lush design and superior build quality. It's aspect ratio might be the clincher for most though - it's one of the few portable tablets with a 4:3 screen, meaning that it's wider than most. This makes the mini a superb choice for frequent web surfing and ebook/magazine reading, and its light body can be held in one-handed without too much fatigue. However, the opposite is true for watching videos, as naturally they have a widescreen ratio, which is more suited to 16:9 screen tablets. As with most Apple tech, battery life is better than most, and will allow ten hours' standard use.

There's no doubting that the iPad mini is a great piece of kit, but what slightly spoils it is its lower pixel display density, which is noticeably blocky. However, there are reports that an Apple mini 2 will be announced for sale this November, and it’ll sport a high-definition Retina display, but nothing has been announced at time of press. With the rumour mill working overtime, our advice would probably hold off getting one of these altogether, until Apple announce the mini 2, a highly likely scenario.

Sony Xperia Tablet Z
£399
We've seen countless phones dropped in pint glasses and toilets. Now Sony has perhaps given us something we never thought we needed - a waterproof tablet. The Xperia Tablet Z can withstand 30 minutes of submerging, as well as more common water-based accidents, which is hardly a bad thing. This means however, that there are tiny flaps that need to be undone every time you want to plug a charging cord or headphone jack in, which is annoying.

Design-wise, it's Sony through and through, right down to the clean black matte finish. The flaps too, add to the impression that the Z is a flush piece of 10-inch slate, and it's slimmer and lighter than most devices in its class. An infrared sensor lets you control your TV, if you can steal your eyes away from the Bravia Engine 2 screen. Offering 1080p resolution, colours look deep and highly convincing, as they always do on Sony goods. Four stereo speakers are a welcome sight too, with so many other tablets still on a single output. We've also never been that impressed with tablet cameras either, but the Z comes with an 8.1MP autofocus lens that should do just fine quality pictures to post on Twitter and Facebook. The top left hand corner placement of the snapper does make compositioning shots quite awkward though.

The waterproof design is a welcome one, as you'll be able to have this around the kitchen, bathroom, and even swimming pool with some peace of mind. Performance-wise, the Tablet Z handles applications with ease with its Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, although according to reports they're not quite at the level of the latest machines.
The Xperia Z is a feature-packed 10-inch tablet that's a great effort by Sony, however, its bulk isn't for everyone, and for the high price-point there's little to tempt new tablet-buyers away from the premium iPad.

Amazon Kindle Fire HD
£159
The Kindle has sold by the bucket load since release, and has seen numerous iterations. The latest Kindle Fire HD runs a stripped down version of Android, with a custom interface on top.

The tablet’s screen features anti-glare technology and a polarising filter, while its 216 pixels per inch beats the iPad mini. The display is impressively sharp, something highly important if it’s to be used as an ebook reader. The large bezel border around the screen slightly spoils the party however, and the plastic strip across the back seems rather unsightly to us. The Kindle boasts 11 hours of use, which is perfect for frequent fliers and travellers.

However, we’re dismayed to learn that the Kindle's standby mode displays adverts to you, and though a paltry £10 removes them, it's still a bugbear to see them on hardware you own.

With limited tablet functionality compared to its rivals, the Kindle Fire HD is a great little product for those just looking to consume the vast quantities of media on offer: perfect for the techno-phobic. Performance won't be as fast as the N7 or mini, but with its barebones approach, placing a focus on watching films, listening to music and reading ebooks, the Kindle is perfectly priced to capture that section of the market not obsessed with specs, but just want a user-friendly media device. The Amazon store will do the rest.