10 best Android tablets in the world

Our list of the best Android tablets in the world - regularly updated

If you're looking for a tablet and don't fancy an iPad, then Android is currently the way to go. (Don't know what an Android tablet is? Check out: what is an Android tablet?)

There are other options out there with Windows 8 tablets such as the Surface 2, Ativ Tab and VivoTab Smartcontinuing to creep out - but Android Jelly Bean is currently the main rival to the iOS 7 toting iPad 4 and iPad mini.

• Read: 10 Best tablet PCs in the world today

Are you wondering what the iPad rival to the new Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD is like?

• Check our iPad mini review to find out!

Some Android tablets have 10-inch screens, others seven, and some land somewhere in between. There are big differences in battery life, processing power and onboard RAM.

So while we wait for the likes of the Tesco Hudl, LG G Pad 8.3 andSamsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) to be put through our in-depth review process let's see what the current best tablets are...

10. Archos 80 Titanium

The overall styling of the Archos 80 Titanium is quite some achievement, and its bountiful connectivity is excellent. It performs all of the core tasks of a tablet efficiently and the build quality is as good as anything on the market.

And the price? Well, £150 is so low that we're not convinced the Archos 80 Titanium shouldn't be bought in multiples.

A poor battery and even worse camera hampers its attractiveness to anyone wanting a tablet on the move, while the occasional freeze-ups will also annoy.

Quick verdict

In many areas the Archos 80 Titanium out-performs its heftily priced rival to the extent that anyone thinking of purchasing a small tablet should seriously consider whether spending more than this is really necessary.

And that is quite some achievement; bravo to Archos and its great-looking, awesome value 8-inch Titanium tablet.

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Android 5.0 phones

Rumors of a new Nexus handset started trickling in during the third quarter of 2012, as we reported on 1 October 2012. There was talk that this phone would be sporting Android 5.0 but the handset, which turned out to be the Google Nexus 4, arrived running Android Jelly Bean.

While the Nexus 4 didn't appear with Android 5.0, speculation that we reported on 21 January 2013 suggested that the Motorola X was the Android 5.0-toting handset that would be revealed at Google IO. The Moto X wasn't on show at IO and instead appeared in August 2013, running Android 4.2.2.

We also heard whispers that a new Nexus phone - the Google Nexus 5 - might be blessed with Android 5.0 but when Google officially announced the new handset, it was confirmed that it would arrive sporting Android 4.4 KitKat.

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Android 5.0 release date, news and rumors

Google's showing no signs of slowing its pace of Android development, with Android 4.0 appearing on the Galaxy Nexus late in 2011, followed by the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean release that arrived powering the super Nexus 7 in July of 2012.

Two more flavors of Jelly Bean were to follow: Android 4.2 was released on 13 November 2012, and then Android 4.3 arrived on 24 July 2013.

Then on 31 October 2013, Google officially revealed its next minor update, Android 4.4 KitKat, which now clears the road for Android 5.

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Android for all and the new Nexus 5

Just in time for Halloween, we have two new treats for Android fans. First, we're excited to unwrap our latest platform release, KitKat, which delivers a smarter, more immersive Android experience to even more people. And second, we're introducing Nexus 5—a new Nexus phone developed with LG.

The first thing you’ll notice about KitKat is we’ve made the experience much more engaging: the book you're reading, the game you're playing, or the movie you're watching—now all of these take center stage with the new immersive mode, which automatically hides everything except what you really want to see. 

Bringing more Google smarts to Android 
Behind the polish on the screen is the power under the hood. Take the Phone app, which for most people hasn’t really changed since the days of flip phones. Now, we’re making calling easier than ever, by helping you search across your contacts, nearby places, or even Google Apps accounts (like your company’s directory), directly from within the app. And with the new Hangouts app, all of your SMS and MMS messages are together in the same place, alongside your other conversations and video calls, so you’ll never miss a message no matter how your friends send it. This is just a small taste of KitKat—learn more on our site.

Google has always focused on helping users get immediate access to the information they need, and we want to bring this same convenience and power to users on Android. With the new Nexus 5 launcher, Google smarts are deeply integrated into the phone you carry around with you, so getting to the information you need is simple, easy and fast. Swipe once from the home screen to get Google Now literally at your fingertips. Put Google to work for you by saying “OK, Google” to launch voice search, send a text, get directions or even play a song you want to hear. And in the coming weeks, we’re enhancing Now with important new card types that bring you information about contextual topics that interest you such as updates from a favorite website or blog.

Reaching the next 1 billion users
Building a platform that makes mobile phones accessible for everyone has always been at the heart of Android. Until now, some lower-end Android phones couldn't benefit from more recent Android releases due to memory constraints. With KitKat, we've slimmed down Android’s memory footprint by doing things like removing unnecessary background services and reducing the memory consumption of features that you use all the time. We did this not only within Android but across Google services like Chrome and YouTube. RAM (or memory) is one of the most expensive parts of a phone, and now Android can run comfortably on the 512MB of RAM devices that are popular in much of the world, bringing the latest goodies in Android 4.4 within reach for the next billion smartphone users.

Introducing Nexus 5
Along with our sweet naming tradition, we also introduce a new device with each platform release to showcase the latest Android innovations. For KitKat, we partnered with LG to develop Nexus 5 -- the slimmest and fastest Nexus phone ever made. Its design is simple and refined to showcase the 5” Full HD display. Nexus 5 also keeps you connected at blazing speeds with 4G/LTE and ultra fast wifi. The advanced new lens on Nexus 5 captures more light for brighter night and sharper action shots. And with optical image stabilization, you no longer have to worry about shaky hands and blurry pictures. A new HDR+ mode automatically snaps a rapid burst of photos and combines them to give you the best possible single shot. Learn more on our site.

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Verizon Galaxy Nexus gets Android 4.4 KitKat ROM

When Android 4.4 KitKat was officially announced on October 31st, Android fans around the globe rejoiced. That is, unless they owned a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. With the roll-out of Android 4.4, Google had dropped support for their two year old Nexus device, only announcing that the Nexus 4, 7, and 10 would be getting OTA updates in the coming weeks. While this should be no surprise as it follows within Google’s 18 month life cycle, many Galaxy Nexus were upset to hear the news. Thankfully, we have talented Android developers here to save the day.

Android developer baldwinguy77, known for his OTA-like builds for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, has released a brand new, “Shiny” Android 4.4 KRT16M ROM for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus (toro). What does OTA-like mean? For starters, it’s built from AOSP with very few modifications done to the ROM, besides those needed to make it work. Next, he’s included the standard set of Verizon apps and Google apps you’d likely find on an official update. And lastly, because this is OTA-like, this ROM is not rooted (yet, it can easily be done if you choose).

If you’re a Verizon Galaxy Nexus user and wish to add a little KitKat to your life, head on over to the official Verizon Galaxy Nexus KitKat ROM thread on RootzWiki. Please remember while this ROM states “no bugs”, Android 4.4 ROMs are still very new and there’s likely to be a hiccup along the way. That said, baldwinguy77 has a good track record and plans to continually update the ROM as needed.

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Put the phone down! Doctor warns excessive smartphone use can lead to eye problems

Remember the days when your grandmother used to yell at you for standing too close to the TV? You never listened, thinking that her logic was clearly flawed. Well as it turns out, there certainly was some truth to her advice, as eye surgeon Dr. David Allamby has recently coined the term “Screen Sightedness.”

However this condition doesn’t refer to televisions— this time, it’s the almighty smartphone. “Screen Sightedness” applies to those that develop nearsightedness from staring at computer displays. Adding to this, according to a recent study, smartphone-related vision issues are on the rise.

Allamby has predicted that around 40-50% of 30-year-olds will be near sighted by 2033 as smartphones and touch displays become even more commonplace around the globe.

The issue stems from multiple factors. First of all, people spend way too much time looking at their smartphone each day, and second, people hold their smartphone much more closer to their faces than they would, say, a book or magazine.

We’re certainly an evolving race, but unfortunately, biological factors do not change as fast as the technology we use each and every day.

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