Dithering escort. In December Archos announced the market launch of the Archos 97 Titanium HD tablet. Now the latest scion of Archos' Element Series is available and promises pictures in razor-sharp HD quality. But can the smart "Frenchman" really compete with the equally sized, 9.7-inch Apple iPad 4 Retina powerhouse? Or will the tablet escort get cold feet after all?
Rockchip RK3066 1.5 GHz | ARM Mali-400 MP4 | 9.70" | 640 g

Marathon Tablet. After Asus, Microsoft and Samsung, the spotlight now shines on Dell's Windows RT tablet PC. The XPS 10 proves to be a long-lasting performer which makes traditional notebooks look outdated, especially in terms of battery life. However, the offered performance comes at a high price.
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus APQ8060A | Qualcomm Adreno 225 | 10.10" | 635 g

The compatible one. No matter whether iOS, Android or Windows RT, all operating systems have their quirks when it comes to the compatibility with the standard Windows 7 or Windows 8 versions. Asus' VivoTab Smart might eliminate these restrictions owing to Intel's Atom CPU and Windows 8. We exhaustively tested how well this works.
Intel Atom Z2760 | PowerVR SGX545 | 10.10" | 570 g

Ultra-Hybrid. Toshiba presents quite a few interesting Ultrabooks to the world. Our latest test model is a fusion of a tablet and Ultrabook. It employs a 12.5-inch touchscreen and a power-saving Intel Core i5-3317U processor with integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 IGP. The Hybrid model looks great but what does it have to offer on the hardware side?
Intel Core i5-3317U | Intel HD Graphics 4000 | 12.50" | 1.5 kg

Slow start. December 2012 was led by the search engine giant Google. The beginning of the New Year was however a bit quieter. Tablets from some low-cost suppliers found their way to our test lab and presented very mixed results. January was themed "midrange" for smartphones.

Runtime miracle. HP launches a slim Windows 8 tablet on the market, which mutates to a full-blown laptop via the keyboard dock, dubbed Envy x2 11. An energy-efficient Atom SoC from Intel not only ensures exceptional battery runtimes, but also modest computing power.
Intel Atom Z2760 | PowerVR SGX545 | 11.60" | 1.4 kg

A real bargain. Acer launched a real bargain at CES 2013 in Las Vegas. The manufacturer promised the visitors a 7-inch tablet featuring decent performance and a high-quality build. And this for a mere 120 Euros (~$160). Acer is trying to steal the march on the first wave of cheap tablets coming to the market.
MediaTek MT8317T | PowerVR SGX531 | 7.00" | 320 g

Premium tablet?At least that's the segment in which Samsung places its new 750 Euro (~$980) ATIV. Windows RT, a 10.1-inch screen, 2 GB RAM, a fast 1.5 GHz SoC from Qualcomm, and the latest wireless technologies make a solid starting point.
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus APQ8060A | Qualcomm Adreno 225 | 10.10" | 574 g

Multifaceted. A compact subnotebook with an 11.6-inch display that can be transformed into a tablet in seconds. Special 360 degree hinges, a touchscreen, and Windows RT make it possible. The ideal companion for mobile use or just a neat idea for certain individuals?
NVIDIA Tegra 3 | NVIDIA GeForce ULP (Tegra 3) | 11.60" | 1.2 kg

Google strikes back. While the industry giant Apple and smartphone specialist HTC claimed the Best-of-Awards for themselves in November, the search engine giant dominated the tablet and smartphone field in December. But other interesting devices were also present.

Wintablet. Tablet + keyboard dock = too little for an innovation? We are testing Intel's tablet platform based on new hardware for the first time. Can the new Atom processor keep pace with a genuine 32-bit Windows 8?
Intel Atom Z2760 | PowerVR SGX545 | 11.60" | 1.5 kg

The battle begins. The Microsoft Surface RT was the first device that introduced the world to the newest version of Windows and the first one to run on the ARM architecture. Asus is well known in the industry to make the best quality tablets other than Apple. Asus is hoping this to be another feather in their cap.
NVIDIA Tegra 3 | NVIDIA GeForce ULP (Tegra 3) | 10.10" | 525 g

High-end meets budget. Google throws down the gauntlet and challenges Apple and Microsoft with its new offering. The Nexus 10 offers up-to-date hardware and a high-res 10.1-inch screen for a price starting of 400 Euros ($530). Is it the perfect gadget for the living room?
Samsung Exynos 5250 Dual | ARM Mali-T604 MP4 | 10.10" | 603 g

The good and the weird. Asus has announced the launch of the PadFone 2 for December. Exactly like its predecessor, the PadFone 2 is a combination of a smartphone and a tablet. We will be taking a look at a much more revealing form of the phone with all its secrets laid bare when compared to the last generation.
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064A | Qualcomm Adreno 320 | 4.70" | 135 g

Full HD debut. Quad-core, Full HD screen, aluminum casing, docking port for a keyboard and other features are united in the MediaPad 10. Is it a successful blend of high-tech components with a good chance of high sales figures? Or is only a weak light in the masses?
HiSilicon k3v2 Hi3620 | Vivante GC4000 | 10.00" | 598 g

Battle of the Titans. Microsoft launched its very first tablet onto the market in November. Apple countered with the fourth iPad generation and added a mini version on top. Nevertheless, there are also other interesting devices, such as Amazon's Kindle Fire HD or HTC's Windows Phone 8X.

Sprightly little nipper. The Prestigio MultiPad 7.0 Prime Duo (PMP5770D) is contending against reputable names and renowned opponents among the 7-inch tablets: Apples iPad Mini, RIMs BlackBerry PlayBook, the Google Nexus 7, and the tablets Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD from Amazon. The question is whether the 7-inch tablet with a sharp IPS display and a dual-core processor for 150 Euros (~$195) is able to assert itself?
Amlogic AML8726-MX | ARM Mali-400 MP2 | 7.00" | 305 g

PC? Tablet? A Different Approach. Microsoft calls its long-awaited tablet Surface a PC: the first PC from Redmond. We extensively tested the tablet and Windows 8 RT and found that this device truly is a PC, and a very exciting one at that.
NVIDIA Tegra 3 | NVIDIA GeForce ULP (Tegra 3) | 10.60" | 676 g

The calm before the storm? October was a rather quiet month in the realm of smartphones and tablets. There were very few big releases, with the exception of the Samsung Galaxy Note II, that captured the attention of the technology press. It feels that everybody was waiting for the release of the new product from Microsoft.

The new number one? Apple has now introduced a smaller tablet featuring a 7.9-inch IPS screen called iPad Mini besides its iPad 4. The older Apple A5 dual-core SoC and a lower screen resolution reduce costs. But will this also have an impact on performance and quality?
Apple A5 | PowerVR SGX543MP2 | 7.90" | 308 g

Apple's new iPad: 3+1 = Retina. Apple presents two new iPads. The Mini is small and the 4th version of the iPad is named "iPad with Retina display". Got it? The question is: do the A6X chip, a better front camera and Lightning interface justify a new name?
Apple A6x | PowerVR SGX554MP4 | 9.70" | 652 g

Mixed double. An Android smartphone and tablet in one - will that work? Asus is the first manufacturer to release a combined solution, dubbed PadFone, which is to kill both birds with one stone on the market. We also ask ourselves what this mixed double is capable of in view of the upcoming market launch of the PadFone 2. Can the smartphone and its tablet casing score as a power duo?
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8260A | Qualcomm Adreno 225 | 4.30" | 130 g

Small tablet. Toshiba installs Nvidia's high-performance Tegra 3 platform in an awesomely compact case in the AT270. The AMOLED screen is only 7.7-inches but provides a high resolution. Will this work?
NVIDIA Tegra 3 | NVIDIA GeForce ULP (Tegra 3) | 7.70" | 332 g