Lumia 2520 vs Surface 2 vs iPad Air vs Galaxy Note 10.1 2014

This Christmas shopping is gonna be a little tricky for the techies and for those who need a new tablet. This is because you have four tablets. Two of these tablets are from the same family ie Microsoft , the other two are from Apple and Samsung.



There are four tablet computers that are gonna hit the market very soon. These are Apple's ipad Air, Nokia's Lumia 2520, Microsoft's Surface 2 and Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1. The ipad Air runs IOS 7, The Galaxy Note runs Android 4.3 and both the Lumia and Surface 2 tablets run Windows 8.1.

All these tablets have there pro and cons. These tablets are all powered by the most powerful chipsets available on the market so power is not gonna be the prime decision maker. Your decision about which tablet you are gonna get will largely depend on the following. The familiarity with the OS, App Ecosystem, looks and size.

Nokia Lumia 2520

This is a gorgeous Windows 8.1 tablet. It is available in a variety of colors as we have seen from other lumia devices. It is very slim at only 0.35 inches and is very light weighing in at 615g. The lumia 2520 is Nokia's first tablet. It features a multi-touch 10.1 inch 1920x1080 display covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 2

The lumia 2520 tablet features 2GB RAM, 32GB of on-board storage and can be expanded by 32 GB via Micro SD card. It features a 6.7 MP camera with a 1/3.4 inch sensor. It has all the mini ports such as mini USB and mini HDMI. It is 3G , 4G LTE and WIFI enabled. All this is powered by Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800.

The 2520 has an optional keyboard cover that has two full sized USB ports so you can use your external USB devices with this tablet.

Microsoft Surface 2

The Surface 2 is a Windows RT tablet features a 10.6 inch Full HD 1080p ClearType display which is a big upgrade from its predecessor. It features a full-size USB 3.0 port for up to four times faster file transfers. Remember most tablets have mini USB ports. It has no SIM slot and no support for mobile networks. LTE version in the works.The Surface 2 is powered by the  NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor.  Its thicker and heavier than the Lumia 2520.

The iPad Air

Apple has just released its 5th tablet. Its so light that Apple found it okay to be given the Air brand. This tablet is for most just an iPad. The difference between this and the 4th iPad is the fact that this nee tablet is powered by Apple A7 processor which is 64 bit. Apple is very serious with its graphics and so the iPad Air is equipped with a mid blowing PowerVR G6430 quad-core graphics. It runs IOS 7 out of the bag.


It features a 1536 x 2048 pixels, 9.7 inch Retina display. This is way better and sharper than the display that both Windows tablets have. It is available with 16, 32, 64 and 128 GB storage options. This device is fast on both mobile and WIFI networks as it features two antennas.

And of course not forgetting the hundreds of thousands of Apps on the App store which make the iPad second to none in terms of Apps. To put it simply, there is an App for everything on the App store.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

This is Samsung's latest offering. This tablet features a 10.1 inch 2560 x 1600 pixels display. This is way more pixels than the iPad's Retina display although both devices will have similar pixel density since the iPad has a smaller display at only 9.7 inch compared to the Note's 10.1 inches. The display is multi touch up to 10 fingers so the Piano App would greatly benefit from that

As we all know in the Android world, its a battle of the Specs and the Note 10.1 doesn't disappoint. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU with Adreno 330 GPU , has 3GB of RAM and is available in 16, 32, 64 GB options with Micro SD support upto 64GB.

This tablet features an 8 MP camera and runs Android OS, 4.3 Jelly Bean and as a result has a lot of apps at its disposal from the  various Android app markets.

Verdict 

So what have we decided here. Who is the winner. I think it all comes down to your personal needs and preferences as all these tablets are pretty neck and neck in various departments. The iPad has a lot of premium  apps and games and has a lot of power to run them smoothly. 

Both windows tablets are running a young OS so don't have as many apps available to them but have a powerful OS with great multitasking abilities to get your work done. They however have Microsoft Office suite available and are the best option for someone who is a heavy Office user.

The Galaxy Note 10 has a lot of apps to it and has the power to get you done.

So at the end, its about which Operating system you prefer

Let us know which tablet you are more likely to buy this Christmas in the comment box below and tell us the reason why. Even if you aren't going to buy anything, just let us know which one you prefer