Although attention continues to be focused in many respects on high-end tablets, increasingly closer to notebooks in many ways, the importance of mid-range tablets In terms of sales and market share, it seems that it has only grown and is receiving more and more attention, which means more competition than ever and more interesting options.
The iPad 2018: Apple tablets are close in price to Android
El iPad Pro 10.5 It was undoubtedly one of the best tablets of 2017, if not the best, but the key to the recovery in sales of the Apple tablet was actually the much more modest iPad 2017, a model that introducing the best jousts and even disregarding some of those that had reached its predecessors (the laminated screen, for example), could be launched for 400 euros, a most striking price for a 10-inch tablet with the seal of the apple.
It seems that in Cupertino this success has convinced them of the benefit that it could be for them to gain a foothold in the mid-range field and for this they have left us a iPad 2018 which, again, focuses on a few key improvements, to not only maintain the good price of last year's model, but to lower it even further, to $350. And even more, in recent times we have seen that it is already possible to find it in some distributors even a little cheaper.
And it is true that the iPad 2018 It is a somewhat limited tablet in the multimedia section if we compare it with the best Android tablets of the moment, but it is also cheaper, it has a better performance, a more advanced operating system in the section of the multitask and fairer optimized apps. As if these were not enough, its arrival has meant a very notable drop in prices for the iPad 2017, which makes it still possible to buy a 10-inch Apple tablet for up to under 300 euros.
A cheap new Surface: Microsoft will join the battle
Brianda Windows tablets, there has never been much doubt that their high prices were largely to blame for their slow expansion in market share, not so much because there were no affordable options, but because the sacrifices that had to be made to launch cheap tablets with this operating system they were rarely worth it. After several attempts, it seemed that Microsoft He had given up entirely as of late, no longer even bothering to renew his Surface 3.
Right now, in fact, our options if we are looking for one Windows tablet to work or study (the main reason we turn to them), we don't have much choice other than Miix 320, a competent tablet (within certain limitations) in the performance section at the cost of serious sacrifices in design and screen, or enter the field of chinese tablets.
Apple's success with its 350 and 400 euro tablets, however, seems to have given new hope to Microsoft and we already told you last week that this year a cheap new Surface, which is going to move away from the concept of Surface 3: It will not be limited to being a small Surface Pro but will be closer to the iPad in design, nor will it force us to use Windows RT, Windows 10 S or any other capable variant of its operating system, nor will it sacrifice power using ARM processors. We really want to know more about it, because it could be a really powerful option.
The battle between Samsung and Huawei on Android tablets
The most difficult challenge, in a sense, is probably the one faced by the Android tablets mid-range, because it is true that they start with a lot of advantage, and it can even be said that, in a certain sense, they are playing in case, but they are also the ones that have the most to lose and manufacturers find themselves with the limitation of working within of the operating system framework Google, which in recent times is clear that what he is turning to is improving Chrome OS on tablets.
In any case, it seems clear that the responsibility to stand up to the iPad and the future cheap Suface will fall on the men of Samsung y Huawei, the first the current champion in this field, and the second the contender for the title, who has already thrown the glove this year with the excellent MediaPad M5 (350 euros for the 8.4-inch model and 400 euros for the 10.8-inch) and that with the MediaPad M3 10 Lite last year (which we can buy for less than 250 euros) leaves us one of the widest offers. The Galaxy Tab S2 is still a powerful option, but we are already more aware of the Samsung tablets yet to come.
The great asset of all of them, especially those of Samsung, but to a large extent also those of Huawei, is the section multimedia and taking into account that Android gives what it gives to work and that GoogleAs we have said, he does not seem concerned about taking it further, it will probably continue to be so in the future, which is not an understatement because browsing, watching movies and series, listening to music, etc., is still the fundamental use that many continue to give to. their tablets.
Which of the three will win?
The most important thing for us as users, in the end, is that we are going to be the main beneficiaries of this competition, with more and better options in a price bracket that with the iPad Pro and the Galaxy Tab S3 and the lack of proposals from other manufacturers seemed on the way to extinction. It will be interesting to see, anyway, which of these bets is the one that ends up winning. For now, it must be recognized that at Android tablets They have come up with a very complicated rival in the most affordable tablets of Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),.
Things are definitely getting very interesting. The moment of brands like Apple or HP on tablets has gone down in history. Other manufacturers such as Samsung or Xiaomi have managed to win the hearts of users. I must say that a review of the CHUWI HI9 would be very good. a spectacular tablet and one of the best that the manufacturer has released to date.