Tablet Buying Guide: The 8 Inch Android Tablet

Yesterday we spoke about the current 10 inch Android Tablet situation, if you didn’t read it check it out here. If you don’t have time to read it, our conclusion ended up being that although 10” Android Tablets are what everyone is craving right now, it might actually be better to hold off on your purchase until prices drop, or specifications improve.

But, we understand that for some (like us) you can’t wait to get your next gadget fix, and if it is an Android tablet you crave, then what should you get?

Fortunately, there are alternatives to buying a 10” tablet, however the alternatives are also smaller, but that’s not necessarily bad as you’ll see below.

That’s correct today we’ll be going over 8 inch tablets!

Like it’s bigger 10 inch brother the capacitive screened 8 inch Android tablet is still quite new, however due to their screen size more can be squeezed in to an ‘8 incher’ for the same price as your average 10 inch screened tablet.

The majority of 8 inch tablets that we’re beginning to see flocking on to the market cost roughly the same as the current 10 inch models, however for that same price you can often find a web camera (ranging in quality from 1.3 mega-pixels to 3.0 mega-pixels) plus 3G as standard.
Also, due to the manufacturers of the smaller tablet being less interested in mimicking the iPad, we can find a nice array of ports and plugs, such as micro USB data transfer plugs, USB 2.0 and if you’re very lucky you might even get HDMI out!

So, already your getting a great deal more than you would if you were to buy a larger tablet!

But, there’s even more!

For some reason (and we’re not quite sure why) manufacturers of 8 inch tablets have suddenly become very generous with the batteries they are fitting. It’s quite common to find an 8 inch tablet with a 4400 mAh battery fitted for the same price as a 10 inch tablet with only a 2200 mAh battery!
Not only will the larger battery last longer due to its size, but it will also last longer in the 8 inch tablet as the smaller screen will sap less power from it while in use.

Then we have the inherit benefits from the size and weight of an 8 inch tablet. It will more than likely weigh less and it will have a smaller footprint, meaning it will take up less room in your bag.

And then there’s the O.S. Unlike current 10 inch tablets, which lack a camera, 8 inch tablets shouldn’t suffer from crashes when pressing the camera button in the gallery. Instead your web cam should activate allowing you to take still pictures.
This might not sound like a deal breaker, but at least your O.S isn’t peppered with left over, none functioning icons.

So it’s all good is it? Well yes, on a whole 8 inch tablets look like much better investments, but there are still a few things you should be aware of.

At the time of writing there are very few 8 inch tablets on the market, but there are a lot more waiting in the wings so expect prices to drop in a few months, or specifications to get better.
Also you may find that ‘Find my location’ still won’t work in the Maps application (unless you use 3G then it shouldn’t be a problem).

Overall  8 inch tablets are, at this moment in time, a much better purchase when compared to the current crop of 10 inch tablets. You will get more for your money, better battery life and more functions!

Tomorrow 7 inch tablets.

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