How do the different windows tablets compare?

[JTsyo]

My dad is looking to get one. Currently he's considering the Asus one. Not really doing anything heavy with it. Would like a keyboard with it.

 

[Ravynmagi]

That's not a bad price for that silly machine. It's a bit old and I really never paid much attention to it because it was expensive and kind of weird with two displays. But that price now looks pretty good considering it's got a 1080p IPS display (more than one), only 2.4 pounds, and the Core i5 Ivy Bridge is still powerful enough. What my concerns are though is the battery life because of the two displays and Ivy Bridge processor. Though for me an ideal laptop is something I could use for 8 hours without plugging in.

Maybe a couple others to look at are the Dell XPS 12 and HP Pavilion X2. The Dell's screen flips around to convert into tablet mode and the HP the screen is a tablet that docks into a keyboard. The Microsoft Store has a great sale on the HP X2, but it's out of stock.

 

[bearxor]

So by "would like a keyboard with it", does that mean it has to be dockable or convertible or will a bluetooth keyboard suffice?

Can you also define "Not doing anything heavy with it". Is x86 compatibility a requirement?

Just off the top of my head, I'd recommend a 128GB Surface Pro 1 over that ASUS. But need some more information as well.

 

[Roland00Address]

Get a first gen surface pro instead, it has better battery life than the asus taichi, the asus taichi is heavy for what it is, and the software that switches the two screens does not work with windows 8.1 (and it was buggy with windows 8). This product was a concept device brought to market and was never really supported by asus and has since been abandoned.

 

[SnuggleTheBear]

They have some refurbished first generation Surface on eBay for $199, although I bought it when it was at $169. Pair that withy a Type Cover 2 for $129 and the combination of the two is pretty nice for the price.

The Surface 2 does work better if you want a more "lapability" tablet as the redesigned the kickstand, but the price is $449.

Edit: The price is now down to $179.

 

[JTsyo]

So by "would like a keyboard with it", does that mean it has to be dockable or convertible or will a bluetooth keyboard suffice?

Can you also define "Not doing anything heavy with it". Is x86 compatibility a requirement?

Just off the top of my head, I'd recommend a 128GB Surface Pro 1 over that ASUS. But need some more information as well.

Keyboard via bluetooth should be fine as long as it has a stand while you use the keyboard. i3 or i5 processor would be good. I know he runs accounting software and tax software on his current laptop.

 

[JTsyo]

With the surface running RT, I think that's out. The Pro 2 seems expensive compared to other Win8 tablets.

 

[Red Storm]

Typing this on a Dell Venue 8 Pro. So far I think it's a neat little tablet, runs Windows pretty well, haven't noticed any stuttering or lag as of yet. 64GB model was $299 at the local Microsoft Store.

 

[bearxor]

Keyboard via bluetooth should be fine as long as it has a stand while you use the keyboard. i3 or i5 processor would be good. I know he runs accounting software and tax software on his current laptop.

Ok, so he needs x86 compatibility.

With the surface running RT, I think that's out. The Pro 2 seems expensive compared to other Win8 tablets.

Not the Surface RT. The first gen Surface Pro. The 128GB version is $599.99 just about everywhere right now.
Best Buy
Microsoft Store
Amazon ($640, may be a wash if you're a Prime member)

Add a type cover for $130 and you've got a much better machine than the Asus. Add a bluetooth number pad if he needs that. Or you can use the full size USB port to add a Logitech keyboard/mouse combo. Or purchase a bluetooth keyboard/mouse combo. The kickstand on the Surface lets you set it up pretty much anywhere. He can leave the keyboard/mouse at the desk and when he wants to use it, just go back to the desk and set it down and have a full setup. Heck, spend another $100 and buy a USB 3.0 dock that lets you plug in your peripherals, including a wired keyboard/mouse and monitor. One plug in the side of the Surface (two if he needs to have power at the same time) and he's basically got a full blown setup.

And the Surface Pro is FAST. It's well worth the purchase over any of the other Windows Tablets. Most of the higher-end tablets run pared down versions of Core chips. Look at the Venue Pro 11. It runs a i5 4210Y. The Surface Pro 2 runs a i5-4300U now. The 4210Y only turbos up to 1.9ghz (the base clock of the 4300U) and has a much slower GPU than the 4300U. You can't compare apples and oranges like that. If you don't need that much power, then that's fine. But it's not like the Surface Pro series is arbitrarily more expensive than the competition. There are reasons.

tl;dr - The Surface Pro 128GB (first generation model) is an excellent deal at $599.99 and is a fantastic compromise between a laptop and a tablet.

 

[s44]

I'm not sure why you're using the Pro 2's CPU to boost the original Pro's desirability.

The main problem of that original Pro is that it's a rather poor tablet. Too heavy to hold, not fanless, and because it's on Ivy Bridge the battery life isn't great.

I'd probably actually suggest the Asus or the Miix 2 10" that just came out, maybe if/when it has its first price drop. The Miix is the first Windows tablet/convertible I've seen that's actually 16:10! Very helpful at its small screen size; not sure why MS seems to have mandated 16:9 for previous devices.

 

[bearxor]

I'm not sure why you're using the Pro 2's CPU to boost the original Pro's desirability.

The Pro 2 seems expensive compared to other Win8 tablets.

The main problem of that original Pro is that it's a rather poor tablet. Too heavy to hold, not fanless, and because it's on Ivy Bridge the battery life isn't great.

Battery life hits 5 hours. It's not that heavy to hold for an extended period and it even has an integrated kickstand if you get tired of holding it. You're not going to find a fanless i3 or i5 tablet right now, I believe. Best wait until Broadwell if that's your goal.

I'd probably actually suggest the Asus

Why would you suggest the Asus? It's still on Ivy Bridge. It weighs 2.7lbs (a whole 1.2lbs heavier than the Surface Pro), has a fan and gets 5 hours of battery life. Everything you hate about the Surface Pro is present or worse on the Asus Taichi.

or the Miix 2 10" that just came out, maybe if/when it has its first price drop. The Miix is the first Windows tablet/convertible I've seen that's actually 16:10! Very helpful at its small screen size; not sure why MS seems to have mandated 16:9 for previous devices.

The Miix 2 is an Atom Bay Trail based system. Not that it's bad. In fact, I think the Bay Trail Atom's are pretty great but he did specify an i3 or i5 based system. If he's willing to go Bay Trail (Atom Z3 series) there are a lot of great choices in that space including the Dell Venue 11 and the HP Omni 10, which is also a 16:10 1920x1200 tablet.

I think 16:9 is more common simply because that's what most panel manufacturers make, so they're likely cheaper.

 

[s44]

Oops, I thought he had linked the T100. Yeah, I'd avoid the Taichi. If you want something like that, the Yoga 11S is actually surprisingly nice despite the lower-res screen.

The OP said i3/i5 as the thread went along, but nothing in his use description suggested that the extra grunt of those over Bay Trail would make much difference. And the downside is pretty huge.

I think 16:9 is more common simply because that's what most panel manufacturers make, so they're likely cheaper.

But we're talking IPS touch panels, and all Androids are 16:10 so you'd think the economies of scale would favor that. Microsoft definitely pushed 16:9... maybe because of the splitscreen Windowing on RT/Metro?

 

[bearxor]

Oops, I thought he had linked the T100. Yeah, I'd avoid the Taichi. If you want something like that, the Yoga 11S is actually surprisingly nice despite the lower-res screen.

The OP said i3/i5 as the thread went along, but nothing in his use description suggested that the extra grunt of those over Bay Trail would make much difference. And the downside is pretty huge.

I completely agree. A Bay Trail processor is, I think, more than sufficient for the vast majority of users needs. OP, if you haven't really looked at a Bay Trail system, then I'd highly recommend taking some time out and looking. The main down side to Bay Trail systems, IMO, is the eMMC SSD. But I don't think most people would notice.

But we're talking IPS touch panels, and all Androids are 16:10 so you'd think the economies of scale would favor that. Microsoft definitely pushed 16:9... maybe because of the splitscreen Windowing on RT/Metro?

I thought most Android phones were 16:9 1920x1080. I think the Nexus 4 and whatever the LG it's based off of were the last big 16:10 releases (1280x768?)

The split screening on Windows works even on 1280x720 screens. You have to have 1920x1080 to do three apps in the split mode. I think as long as you're at THOSE resolutions or greater, you shouldn't have an issue. The only other common 16:10 format I can think of that might be considered is 1680x1050. You'd lose the ability to do three apps at that point, but I'm not sure most people would care.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'd actually like a 10-11" 1680x1050 tablet.

 

[s44]

I thought most Android phones were 16:9 1920x1080.

They are. But the tablets have been 16:10 since Honeycomb... Currently either 19*12 (Nexus 7, Memopad FHD) or 25*16 (Nexus 10, Note 10.1 2014, TF701), with even the low-end ones at 12*8 and not 720p.

 

[bearxor]

They are. But the tablets have been 16:10 since Honeycomb... Currently either 19*12 (Nexus 7, Memopad FHD) or 25*16 (Nexus 10, Note 10.1 2014, TF701), with even the low-end ones at 12*8 and not 720p.

Yeah, don't know why I was trying to transpose phones vs tablets, lol. Yeah, that is a bit of head scratcher.

 

[Roland00Address]

The main problem of that original Pro is that it's a rather poor tablet. Too heavy to hold, not fanless, and because it's on Ivy Bridge the battery life isn't great.

You do know that the OP was thinking about a convertible that is heavier and has even worse battery life than the 1st Gen Surface right? People were recommending the surface pro 1 for it is a similar price, similar speed, but lighter and have better battery life.

Of course haswell will have bettery battery life, or you can go with atom if you do not need the speed.

Asus taichi battery life quote from notebookcheck

Battery Life

Intel specifies a runtime of at least five hours from ultrabooks. Our Asus Taichi misses this target - at least in the practical Wi-Fi test. We only surfed through the Wi-Fi test for 3:15 hours in tablet mode. The brightness was reduced to approximately 150 cd/m², which is the standard brightness for this test. Only the idle runtime test accomplished five hours.

After recharging the non-removable 35 Wh battery, the Taichi lasts for 1:17 hours in CPU load (maximum brightness). 2:30 to 3:00 hours pass in idle before the battery is fully recharged. This is annoyingly long in relation to the short runtime. The runtime is a downer when regarding the use of this mobile device.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-Taichi-21-Convertible-Ultrabook.85572.0.html

Compared to the Surface Pro 1 battery life

Battery runtime
6h 56min-Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
4h 45min-WiFi Surfing
1h 33min-Load (maximum brightness)

With the Battery Eater Readers Test (maximum possible battery life, minimum display brightness, wireless modules off, power saver mode), the battery falls just short of the 7-hour mark. The Microsoft Surface RT for example, is able to hold out for more than twice this time despite its smaller battery. During the more realistic WLAN test (power saver mode, approx. 150 cd/m² display brightness, wireless modules on), the battery life falls to about 5 hours - which is about 4 hours less than the result achieved by the Surface RT. With the Battery Eater Classic Test (minimum possible battery life, maximum brightness, everything on, high performance profile), which more or less represents continuous conversion of audio or video files, our test device ran out of juice after 1:33 hours.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Microsoft-Surface-Pro-Tablet.90881.0.html

 

[JTsyo]

I'm not sure why you're using the Pro 2's CPU to boost the original Pro's desirability.

The main problem of that original Pro is that it's a rather poor tablet. Too heavy to hold, not fanless, and because it's on Ivy Bridge the battery life isn't great.

I'd probably actually suggest the Asus or the Miix 2 10" that just came out, maybe if/when it has its first price drop. The Miix is the first Windows tablet/convertible I've seen that's actually 16:10! Very helpful at its small screen size; not sure why MS seems to have mandated 16:9 for previous devices.

I had actually suggested the Miix to him if was willing to wait. Didn't realize it was out, thought it wasn't due until March or April.