12 best Android tablets

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 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; Windows 7 tablets are available, the BlackBerry PlayBook is on sale now and the HP TouchPad has come and gone in a flurry of £99 panic-buying. But Android 3.0 is currently the main OS rival to the iPad, and the products are creeping onto the shelves one by one.

• Follow our tablets channel: @TR_Tablets

We’ve gone from zero Android tablets to stacks of the things in a very short space of time, and inevitably some are better than others.

Some have ten-inch screens, others seven, and there are big differences in battery life, processing power and on-board RAM. So while we wait for the likes of the Asus Eee Pad Slider, Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Amazon Kindle Fire, let’s see what the current best tablets are…

1. Asus Eee Pad Transformer

Best Android tablet PC for: replacing your netbook

We love the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. It’s been around for a while now, but in our opinion, it’s still the most compelling Android tablet available. Not only is it powerful and well featured, it’s designed to work with a keyboard dock which turns it into a fully-fledged Android-powered netbook. The fact is that Android as an OS is still lagging behind iOS in terms of tablet usability, so products need a USP.And on that score, this is the tablet that changed the game. Look out also for the Asus Eee Pad Slider which comes packing a slide-out keyboard – it’s coming soon and promises great things!

Asus Eee Pad Transformer review

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Best Android tablet for: the out-and-out tablet experience

While the Transformer offers something a little different at an unbeatable price, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 offers a direct alternative to Apple’s iPad 2. Sporting the Tegra 2 dual-core CPU, it’s both marginally thinner and lighter than the iPad 2. This is some achievement, especially when you consider the fuss Apple made about how thin and light the iPad 2 was on launch. If you want an iPad-like tablet that’s not an iPad, this is the one. The prices are the same as the iPad 2, so it’s a straight shoot-out on features…

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 review

3. Sony Tablet S

Best Android tablet for: PlayStation gaming

As a veritable mega-giant in the consumer tech universe, Sony’s landing on Planet Tablet was always going to be interesting. Blasting off alongside the fold-in-half Tablet P, the Tablet S has a unique wedge-shaped design and top-end specs. It’s a very decent and refined tablet, and has the unique feature of having access to original PlayStation games. The only issue is that it’s not as tidy as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and not as versatile as the Transformer. Apart from that, it’s one of the best Android tablets out there.

Sony Tablet S review

4. Motorola Xoom

Best Android tablet for: sleek good looks and solid performance

The Motorola Xoom was the first Honeycomb tablet to hit the shelves. Current prices are starting at about £330, which is great value for a 10-inch tablet of this calibre and it’s thus worthy of your attention. Solid build quality, decent battery life, good performance.

• Motorola Xoom review
• Compare Motorola Xoom deals

5. Toshiba AT100 / Thrive

Best Android tablet for: anyone who wants a full-size HDMI port

There’s a predicament with the Toshiba AT100: it has a certain appeal for advanced users who’ll appreciate the slick performance, but the bulky size is a major problem. One brilliant move was to make the USB and HDMI ports full size. You can just unplug your Xbox and snap in the Toshiba AT100 when you want to watch on an HD TV. The tablet enables you to plug in a regular keyboard and mouse – this ease of adding peripherals is a win. Battery life is another bonus. Yet, the hefty size and weight (plus the passable screen quality) is the main reason we prefer other recent tablets.

Toshiba AT100 review

6. LG Optimus Pad

Best Android tablet for: Playing around with 3D

The consumer electronics giants are throwing everything at 3D, and LG has decided that its first Android tablet should play a role in its ’3D is the best’ hearts and minds mission. The tablet has dual-5MP cameras which work together to shoot 3D images and record 3D footage. Cool, huh? The problem is that there’s no 3D screen, so if you want to watch your 3D movies you’ll need to either plug the tablet into a 3D TV or watch in anaglyph 3D on the tablet’s screen. If you’re crazy about 3D, this is your next Android tablet.

• LG Optimus Pad review
• Compare LG Optimus Pad deals

7. Acer Iconia Tab A500

Best Android tablet for: fans of brushed aluminium bodywork

Acer’s Android tablet is good looking and offers similar performance to the other Android 3.0 tablets on show here. We like it, but it’s missing a bit of sparkle and there’s not much on show here that we can cling on to. It’s not as stylish as the Galaxy Tab 10.1, and doesn’t offer anything different like the Transformer does with its keyboard.

Acer Iconia Tab A500 review

8. Acer Iconia Tab A100

Best Android tablet for: budget 7-inch tablet performance

It’s hard to recommend the Acer Iconia Tab A100 in light of the 10-inch alternatives. Yet, for such as ebook fans and those who like smaller tabs, this is the best of the 7-inch lot. In some ways, the BlackBerry PlayBook is better in a technical sense – at least it does real multitasking – but it has too few apps. We like the A100 for an express purpose: greater mobility and book reading. For most tasks, a 10-inch tablet is a wiser bet. But for well under £300, this is not a bad product.

Acer Iconia Tab A100 review

9. HTC Flyer

Best Android tablet for: Portability and fans of Sense UI

HTC has decided to release the tablet running on Android Gingerbread, which will upset some purists that believe these tablets should run on Honeycomb. However, the HTC Sense overlay deals with that, offering a new range of widgets and content to mask the fact it’s running older versions of the OS (although a Honeycomb update is imminent). The new tablet has a 7-inch LCD screen, and comes with an aluminium unibody shell that feels very nice in the hand. However, with a price of nearly £600, can this tablet compete?

• HTC Flyer review
• Compare HTC Flyer deals

10. Samsung Galaxy Tab

The original iPad rival – does the Galaxy Tab still have something to offer?

Samsung’s original 7-inch Galaxy Tab is looking a bit old and tired now, and we weren’t big fans of it when it was brand new anyway. However, with heavy discounts, this tablet is now available for under £300 and there are plenty of attractive 3G package deals available. There’s no Android 3.0 here though, which makes this Tab little more than a smartphone on steroids.

Samsung Galaxy Tab review

11. Viewsonic Viewpad 7

A decent Android 2.2 tablet but it’s already out of date

The Viewsonic Viewpad 7 is exactly the same, albeit slightly more expensive than the Linx Commtiva N700 – and confusingly, Viewsonic is marketing it as a smartphone. It’s a terrible smartphone but it’s a fairly competent 7-inch Android tablet: its 600MHz processor isn’t really fast enough for Flash though, not to mention recent Android releases. There’s no Android 3.0 on board here though, so this should only be considered if you can get it for a cut-down price.

Viewsonic ViewPad 7 review

12. Hannspree Hannspad

Another Android tablet bereft of the Android Market

This tablet has more in common with Samsung’s current tablet offering, the seven-inch Galaxy Tab, than the new boys when it comes to software. However, it’s a match for them when it comes to hardware grunt. The problem is that it’s let down by the absence of Android 3.0 and the Android Market, an unresponsive touchscreen, poor viewing angles and some shoddy optimisations.

Hannspree Hannspad review

And our pick of the hottest up-and-coming tablets is….

Amazon Kindle Fire

After months of speculation, the Amazon Kindle Fire has been officially announced at an event in New York, marking the first time the company has entered the tablet market proper. The successor to the Amazon Kindle is a 7-inch device that comes with Android, albeit a version that has been heavily altered by Amazon to make the best use of the company’s e-shopping spine. The screen is an IPS display that’s made from Gorilla Glass, it houses dual-core processor, and weighs in at 14.6 ounces. There is a tablet-optimised shopping app on board – this is said to comprise simplified and streamlined pages, so it is easier to buy stuff on than the actual Amazon website.

Come back for our full Amazon Kindle Fire review very soon!

ViewSonic will be showing off the £150 ViewPad 7e tablet at IFA 2011, and will launch it by the end of the year.

The 7-inch ViewPad 7e is billed as ‘affordable’ and brings a 4:3 multi-touchscreen and pre-installed Amazon Kindle software.

“The ViewPad 7e includes other additional features to be expected of a ViewSonic tablet, such as wireless, Bluetooth and HDMI connectivity,” adds ViewSonic’s release.

UK release date

The ViewPad 7e UK release date has been set as late Q4 – so by the end of the year – and has a European price point of €169, which is around £150.

Low-cost tablets are obviously a hot topic at the moment, with the much higher specification HP TouchPad being flogged off cheap after Hewlett Packard’s decision to end the focus on webOS devices.

However, it remains to be seen if ViewSonic’s bargain basement offering will catch the attention in the same way when it is shown off at IFA 2011.

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 the way to go.

There are other options out there; Windows 7 tablets are available, the BlackBerry PlayBook is on sale now and the HP TouchPad is coming soon. But Android 3.0 is currently the main OS rival to the iPad, and the products are creeping onto the shelves one by one.

We’ve gone from zero Android tablets to stacks of the things in a very short space of time, and inevitably some are better than others.

Some have ten-inch screens, others seven, and there are big differences in battery life, processing power and on-board RAM. So which tablets are the most tempting? Let’s find out.

1. Asus Eee Pad Transformer

Best Android tablet for: replacing your netbook

We love the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. In our opinion, it’s the most compelling Android tablet we’ve yet seen. Not only is it powerful and well featured, it’s designed to work with a keyboard dock which turns it into a fully-fledged Android-powered netbook. What’s more, it costs just £429 on launch, with the keyboard – £379 without. This is the way it’s supposed to be. This is the tablet that changes the game. Look out also for the Asus Eee Pad Slider which comes packing a slide-out keyboard – it’s coming soon and promises great things!

Read: Asus Eee Pad Transformer review

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Best Android tablet for: the out-and-out tablet experience

While the Transformer offers something a little different at an unbeatable price, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (not to be confused with the Galaxy Tab 10.1V – see below) offers a direct alternative to Apple’s iPad 2. Sporting the Tegra 2 dual-core platform, it’s both thinner and lighter than the iPad 2. This is some achievement, especially when you consider the fuss Apple made about how thin and light the iPad 2 was on launch. If you want an iPad-like tablet that’s not an iPad, this is the one. The only caveat at the moment is that we don’t know how much it’s going to cost when it goes on sale in the UK… if Samsung can match the prices of its closest rivals, this will be the tablet to beat.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 review

3. Motorola Xoom

Best Android tablet for: sleek good looks and solid performance

The Motorola Xoom was the first Honeycomb tablet to hit the shelves, and while it’s a lovely piece of kit, there’s a snag. It’s just a little too expensive. Current prices are floating around the £459 which is simply too high when you’ve got the Transformer available keyboard-free for £379. In all other respects, this is a tablet that’s worthy of your attention. Solid build quality, decent battery life, good performance. If the price drops by another £50, this could become the iPad rival Motorola wants it to be.

Read: Motorola Xoom review

4. LG Optimus Pad

Best Android tablet for: Playing around with 3D

The consumer electronics giants are throwing everything at 3D, and LG has decided that its first Android tablet should play a role in its ’3D is the best’ hearts and minds mission. The tablet has dual-5MP cameras which work together to shoot 3D images and record 3D footage. Cool, huh? The problem is that there’s no 3D screen, so if you want to watch your 3D movies you’ll need to either plug the tablet into a 3D TV or watch in anaglyph 3D on the tablet’s screen. If you’re crazy about 3D, this is your next Android tablet.

Read:LG Optimus Pad review

5. Acer Iconia Tab A500

Best Android tablet for: fans of brushed aluminium bodywork

Acer’s Android tablet is good looking and offers similar performance to the other Android 3.0 tablets on show here. We like it, but it’s missing a bit of sparkle and there’s not much on show here that we can cling on to. It’s not as stylish as the Galaxy Tab 10.1, and doesn’t offer anything different like the Transformer does with its keyboard.

Read: Acer Iconia Tab A500 review

6. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1V

Best Android tablet for: taking 8MP photographs

The Galaxy Tab 10.1V’s key selling point is its 8MP rear-facing camera. It’s the best cameratablet (did we just make up a word?) yet and frankly makes a mockery of the 0.7MP camera that the iPad 2′s of this world are rocking. It’s a snazzy tablet then, lightweight, powerful and a joy to use. It’s due to come out very soon, but at the moment we’re not 100% sure when or how much it’s going to cost. If the price is under £450, this could be a winner.

UPDATE: Samsung and Vodafone have both decided they will not be selling this device in the UK. It is to be replaced by the newer Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1V review

7. HTC Flyer

Best Android tablet for: Portability and fans of Sense UI

HTC has decided to release the tablet running on Android Gingerbread, which will upset some purists that believe these tablets should run on Honeycomb. However, the HTC Sense overlay deals with that, offering a new range of widgets and content to mask the fact it’s running older versions of the OS (although a Honeycomb update is imminent). The new tablet has a 7-inch LCD screen, and comes with an aluminium unibody shell that feels very nice in the hand. However, with a price of nearly £600, can this tablet compete?

Read: HTC Flyer review

8. Samsung Galaxy Tab

The original iPad rival – does the Galaxy Tab still have something to offer?

Samsung’s original 7-inch Galaxy Tab is looking a bit old and tired now, and we weren’t big fans of it when it was brand new anyway. However, with heavy discounts, this tablet is now available for under £300 and there are plenty of attractive 3G package deals available. There’s no Android 3.0 here though, which makes this Tab little more than a smartphone on steroids.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab review

9. Viewsonic Viewpad 7

A decent Android 2.2 tablet but it’s already out of date

The Viewsonic Viewpad 7 is exactly the same, albeit slightly more expensive than the Linx Commtiva N700 – and confusingly, Viewsonic is marketing it as a smartphone. It’s a terrible smartphone but it’s a fairly competent 7-inch Android tablet: its 600MHz processor isn’t really fast enough for Flash though, not to mention recent Android releases.

Read: Viewsonic ViewPad 7 review

10. Creative Ziio

Resistive screen and Android 2.1 meets bargain retail price

The Creative Ziio 7-inch tablet runs long out-of-date Android 2.1 and has no access to the Android Market. However, it’s a decent media tablet, designed to stream music to wireless speakers and it’s available for under £200. Depending on your needs, this tablet has a chance of being the one.

Read: Creative Ziio review

11. Viewsonic Viewpad 10s

A step too far for Viewsonic’s weakling Android tablet

We called the original Viewpad 10 a stinker, so what about its successor? It runs Android 2.2 with its own Tap UI overlay, there’s a 1GHz processor inside, and there’s a very useful option to give each family member their own account. We wish the iPad had that. The 10s is a vast improvement over its predecessor, although it just can’t compete with the products higher up in this list.

Read: Viewsonic Viewpad 10s review

12. Hannspree Hannspad

Another Android tablet bereft of the Android Market

This tablet has more in common with Samsung’s current tablet offering, the seven-inch Galaxy Tab, than the new boys when it comes to software. However, it’s a match for them when it comes to hardware grunt. The problem is that it’s let down by the absence of Android 3.0 and the Android Market, an unresponsive touchscreen, poor viewing angles and some shoddy optimisations.

Read: Hannspree Hannspad review

13. Notion Ink Adam

The Android tablet that promised so much

Notion Ink’s take on the Android tablet was different and exciting in equal measure. Offering a heavily modified Android OS, the tablet was supposed to be able to run apps onscreen side-by-side, it was supposed to have a screen that was readable in bright sunlight, it was supposed to be able to host external devices like cameras. But it doesn’t look like many of these pipedreams have been woven into anything even resembling reality. At this point, it’s unclear whether we’ll ever even see one in the UK.

Read: Notion Ink Adam – everything you need to know

14. Advent Vega

Another budget tablet. Has the Advent Vega missed the boat?

When we first tested the Advent Vega back in December 2010, it was a decent little unit. First-gen Tegra 2 power in a budget device meant there was a lot of bang to be had for not much buck. However, there is not currently an official Android 3.0 update incoming for the Vega so with the presence of more worthy competitors in 2011, the Vega has lost some of its sparkle.

Read: Advent Vega review

More incoming Android tablets:

• Asus Eee Pad Slider
• Asus Eee Pad MeMo
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9
• Toshiba tablet
• Lenovo Think Slate
• Dell Streak 7
• Dell Streak 10

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 the way to go.

There are other options out there; Windows 7 tablets are available, the BlackBerry PlayBook is on sale now and the HP TouchPad is coming soon. But Android 3.0 is currently the main OS rival to the iPad, and the products are creeping onto the shelves one by one.

We’ve gone from zero Android tablets to stacks of the things in a very short space of time, and inevitably some are better than others.

Some have ten-inch screens, others seven, and there are big differences in battery life, processing power and on-board RAM. So which tablets are the most tempting? Let’s find out.

1. Asus Eee Pad Transformer

Best Android tablet for: replacing your netbook

We love the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. In our opinion, it’s the most compelling Android tablet we’ve yet seen. Not only is it powerful and well featured, it’s designed to work with a keyboard dock which turns it into a fully-fledged Android-powered netbook. What’s more, it costs just £429 on launch, with the keyboard – £379 without. This is the way it’s supposed to be. This is the tablet that changes the game. Look out also for the Asus Eee Pad Slider which comes packing a slide-out keyboard – it’s coming soon and promises great things!

Read: Asus Eee Pad Transformer review

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Best Android tablet for: the out-and-out tablet experience

While the Transformer offers something a little different at an unbeatable price, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (not to be confused with the Galaxy Tab 10.1V – see below) offers a direct alternative to Apple’s iPad 2. Sporting the Tegra 2 dual-core platform, it’s both thinner and lighter than the iPad 2. This is some achievement, especially when you consider the fuss Apple made about how thin and light the iPad 2 was on launch. If you want an iPad-like tablet that’s not an iPad, this is the one. The only caveat at the moment is that we don’t know how much it’s going to cost when it goes on sale in the UK… if Samsung can match the prices of its closest rivals, this will be the tablet to beat.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 review

3. Motorola Xoom

Best Android tablet for: sleek good looks and solid performance

The Motorola Xoom was the first Honeycomb tablet to hit the shelves, and while it’s a lovely piece of kit, there’s a snag. It’s just a little too expensive. Current prices are floating around the £459 which is simply too high when you’ve got the Transformer available keyboard-free for £379. In all other respects, this is a tablet that’s worthy of your attention. Solid build quality, decent battery life, good performance. If the price drops by another £50, this could become the iPad rival Motorola wants it to be.

Read: Motorola Xoom review

4. LG Optimus Pad

Best Android tablet for: Playing around with 3D

The consumer electronics giants are throwing everything at 3D, and LG has decided that its first Android tablet should play a role in its ’3D is the best’ hearts and minds mission. The tablet has dual-5MP cameras which work together to shoot 3D images and record 3D footage. Cool, huh? The problem is that there’s no 3D screen, so if you want to watch your 3D movies you’ll need to either plug the tablet into a 3D TV or watch in anaglyph 3D on the tablet’s screen. If you’re crazy about 3D, this is your next Android tablet.

Read:LG Optimus Pad review

5. Acer Iconia Tab A500

Best Android tablet for: fans of brushed aluminium bodywork

Acer’s Android tablet is good looking and offers similar performance to the other Android 3.0 tablets on show here. We like it, but it’s missing a bit of sparkle and there’s not much on show here that we can cling on to. It’s not as stylish as the Galaxy Tab 10.1, and doesn’t offer anything different like the Transformer does with its keyboard.

Read: Acer Iconia Tab A500 review

6. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1V

Best Android tablet for: taking 8MP photographs

The Galaxy Tab 10.1V’s key selling point is its 8MP rear-facing camera. It’s the best cameratablet (did we just make up a word?) yet and frankly makes a mockery of the 0.7MP camera that the iPad 2′s of this world are rocking. It’s a snazzy tablet then, lightweight, powerful and a joy to use. It’s due to come out very soon, but at the moment we’re not 100% sure when or how much it’s going to cost. If the price is under £450, this could be a winner.

UPDATE: Samsung and Vodafone have both decided they will not be selling this device in the UK. It is to be replaced by the newer Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1V review

7. HTC Flyer

Best Android tablet for: Portability and fans of Sense UI

HTC has decided to release the tablet running on Android Gingerbread, which will upset some purists that believe these tablets should run on Honeycomb. However, the HTC Sense overlay deals with that, offering a new range of widgets and content to mask the fact it’s running older versions of the OS (although a Honeycomb update is imminent). The new tablet has a 7-inch LCD screen, and comes with an aluminium unibody shell that feels very nice in the hand. However, with a price of nearly £600, can this tablet compete?

Read: HTC Flyer review

8. Samsung Galaxy Tab

The original iPad rival – does the Galaxy Tab still have something to offer?

Samsung’s original 7-inch Galaxy Tab is looking a bit old and tired now, and we weren’t big fans of it when it was brand new anyway. However, with heavy discounts, this tablet is now available for under £300 and there are plenty of attractive 3G package deals available. There’s no Android 3.0 here though, which makes this Tab little more than a smartphone on steroids.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab review

9. Viewsonic Viewpad 7

A decent Android 2.2 tablet but it’s already out of date

The Viewsonic Viewpad 7 is exactly the same, albeit slightly more expensive than the Linx Commtiva N700 – and confusingly, Viewsonic is marketing it as a smartphone. It’s a terrible smartphone but it’s a fairly competent 7-inch Android tablet: its 600MHz processor isn’t really fast enough for Flash though, not to mention recent Android releases.

Read: Viewsonic ViewPad 7 review

10. Creative Ziio

Resistive screen and Android 2.1 meets bargain retail price

The Creative Ziio 7-inch tablet runs long out-of-date Android 2.1 and has no access to the Android Market. However, it’s a decent media tablet, designed to stream music to wireless speakers and it’s available for under £200. Depending on your needs, this tablet has a chance of being the one.

Read: Creative Ziio review

11. Viewsonic Viewpad 10s

A step too far for Viewsonic’s weakling Android tablet

We called the original Viewpad 10 a stinker, so what about its successor? It runs Android 2.2 with its own Tap UI overlay, there’s a 1GHz processor inside, and there’s a very useful option to give each family member their own account. We wish the iPad had that. The 10s is a vast improvement over its predecessor, although it just can’t compete with the products higher up in this list.

Read: Viewsonic Viewpad 10s review

12. Hannspree Hannspad

Another Android tablet bereft of the Android Market

This tablet has more in common with Samsung’s current tablet offering, the seven-inch Galaxy Tab, than the new boys when it comes to software. However, it’s a match for them when it comes to hardware grunt. The problem is that it’s let down by the absence of Android 3.0 and the Android Market, an unresponsive touchscreen, poor viewing angles and some shoddy optimisations.

Read: Hannspree Hannspad review

13. Notion Ink Adam

The Android tablet that promised so much

Notion Ink’s take on the Android tablet was different and exciting in equal measure. Offering a heavily modified Android OS, the tablet was supposed to be able to run apps onscreen side-by-side, it was supposed to have a screen that was readable in bright sunlight, it was supposed to be able to host external devices like cameras. But it doesn’t look like many of these pipedreams have been woven into anything even resembling reality. At this point, it’s unclear whether we’ll ever even see one in the UK.

Read: Notion Ink Adam – everything you need to know

14. Advent Vega

Another budget tablet. Has the Advent Vega missed the boat?

When we first tested the Advent Vega back in December 2010, it was a decent little unit. First-gen Tegra 2 power in a budget device meant there was a lot of bang to be had for not much buck. However, there is not currently an official Android 3.0 update incoming for the Vega so with the presence of more worthy competitors in 2011, the Vega has lost some of its sparkle.

Read: Advent Vega review

More incoming Android tablets:

• Asus Eee Pad Slider
• Asus Eee Pad MeMo
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9
• Toshiba tablet
• Lenovo Think Slate
• Dell Streak 7
• Dell Streak 10

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 the way to go.

There are other options out there; Windows 7 tablets are available, the BlackBerry PlayBook is on sale now and the HP TouchPad is coming soon. But Android 3.0 is currently the main OS rival to the iPad, and the products are creeping onto the shelves one by one.

We’ve gone from zero Android tablets to stacks of the things in a very short space of time, and inevitably some are better than others.

Some have ten-inch screens, others seven, and there are big differences in battery life, processing power and on-board RAM. So which tablets are the most tempting? Let’s find out.

1. Asus Eee Pad Transformer

Best Android tablet for: replacing your netbook

We love the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. In our opinion, it’s the most compelling Android tablet we’ve yet seen. Not only is it powerful and well featured, it’s designed to work with a keyboard dock which turns it into a fully-fledged Android-powered netbook. What’s more, it costs just £429 on launch, with the keyboard – £379 without. This is the way it’s supposed to be. This is the tablet that changes the game. Look out also for the Asus Eee Pad Slider which comes packing a slide-out keyboard – it’s coming soon and promises great things!

Read: Asus Eee Pad Transformer review

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Best Android tablet for: the out-and-out tablet experience

While the Transformer offers something a little different at an unbeatable price, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (not to be confused with the Galaxy Tab 10.1V – see below) offers a direct alternative to Apple’s iPad 2. Sporting the Tegra 2 dual-core platform, it’s both thinner and lighter than the iPad 2. This is some achievement, especially when you consider the fuss Apple made about how thin and light the iPad 2 was on launch. If you want an iPad-like tablet that’s not an iPad, this is the one. The only caveat at the moment is that we don’t know how much it’s going to cost when it goes on sale in the UK… if Samsung can match the prices of its closest rivals, this will be the tablet to beat.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 review

3. Motorola Xoom

Best Android tablet for: sleek good looks and solid performance

The Motorola Xoom was the first Honeycomb tablet to hit the shelves, and while it’s a lovely piece of kit, there’s a snag. It’s just a little too expensive. Current prices are floating around the £459 which is simply too high when you’ve got the Transformer available keyboard-free for £379. In all other respects, this is a tablet that’s worthy of your attention. Solid build quality, decent battery life, good performance. If the price drops by another £50, this could become the iPad rival Motorola wants it to be.

Read: Motorola Xoom review

4. LG Optimus Pad

Best Android tablet for: Playing around with 3D

The consumer electronics giants are throwing everything at 3D, and LG has decided that its first Android tablet should play a role in its ’3D is the best’ hearts and minds mission. The tablet has dual-5MP cameras which work together to shoot 3D images and record 3D footage. Cool, huh? The problem is that there’s no 3D screen, so if you want to watch your 3D movies you’ll need to either plug the tablet into a 3D TV or watch in anaglyph 3D on the tablet’s screen. If you’re crazy about 3D, this is your next Android tablet.

Read:LG Optimus Pad review

5. Acer Iconia Tab A500

Best Android tablet for: fans of brushed aluminium bodywork

Acer’s Android tablet is good looking and offers similar performance to the other Android 3.0 tablets on show here. We like it, but it’s missing a bit of sparkle and there’s not much on show here that we can cling on to. It’s not as stylish as the Galaxy Tab 10.1, and doesn’t offer anything different like the Transformer does with its keyboard.

Read: Acer Iconia Tab A500 review

6. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1V

Best Android tablet for: taking 8MP photographs

The Galaxy Tab 10.1V’s key selling point is its 8MP rear-facing camera. It’s the best cameratablet (did we just make up a word?) yet and frankly makes a mockery of the 0.7MP camera that the iPad 2′s of this world are rocking. It’s a snazzy tablet then, lightweight, powerful and a joy to use. It’s due to come out very soon, but at the moment we’re not 100% sure when or how much it’s going to cost. If the price is under £450, this could be a winner.

UPDATE: Samsung and Vodafone have both decided they will not be selling this device in the UK. It is to be replaced by the newer Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1V review

7. HTC Flyer

Best Android tablet for: Portability and fans of Sense UI

HTC has decided to release the tablet running on Android Gingerbread, which will upset some purists that believe these tablets should run on Honeycomb. However, the HTC Sense overlay deals with that, offering a new range of widgets and content to mask the fact it’s running older versions of the OS (although a Honeycomb update is imminent). The new tablet has a 7-inch LCD screen, and comes with an aluminium unibody shell that feels very nice in the hand. However, with a price of nearly £600, can this tablet compete?

Read: HTC Flyer review

8. Samsung Galaxy Tab

The original iPad rival – does the Galaxy Tab still have something to offer?

Samsung’s original 7-inch Galaxy Tab is looking a bit old and tired now, and we weren’t big fans of it when it was brand new anyway. However, with heavy discounts, this tablet is now available for under £300 and there are plenty of attractive 3G package deals available. There’s no Android 3.0 here though, which makes this Tab little more than a smartphone on steroids.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab review

9. Viewsonic Viewpad 7

A decent Android 2.2 tablet but it’s already out of date

The Viewsonic Viewpad 7 is exactly the same, albeit slightly more expensive than the Linx Commtiva N700 – and confusingly, Viewsonic is marketing it as a smartphone. It’s a terrible smartphone but it’s a fairly competent 7-inch Android tablet: its 600MHz processor isn’t really fast enough for Flash though, not to mention recent Android releases.

Read: Viewsonic ViewPad 7 review

10. Creative Ziio

Resistive screen and Android 2.1 meets bargain retail price

The Creative Ziio 7-inch tablet runs long out-of-date Android 2.1 and has no access to the Android Market. However, it’s a decent media tablet, designed to stream music to wireless speakers and it’s available for under £200. Depending on your needs, this tablet has a chance of being the one.

Read: Creative Ziio review

11. Viewsonic Viewpad 10s

A step too far for Viewsonic’s weakling Android tablet

We called the original Viewpad 10 a stinker, so what about its successor? It runs Android 2.2 with its own Tap UI overlay, there’s a 1GHz processor inside, and there’s a very useful option to give each family member their own account. We wish the iPad had that. The 10s is a vast improvement over its predecessor, although it just can’t compete with the products higher up in this list.

Read: Viewsonic Viewpad 10s review

12. Hannspree Hannspad

Another Android tablet bereft of the Android Market

This tablet has more in common with Samsung’s current tablet offering, the seven-inch Galaxy Tab, than the new boys when it comes to software. However, it’s a match for them when it comes to hardware grunt. The problem is that it’s let down by the absence of Android 3.0 and the Android Market, an unresponsive touchscreen, poor viewing angles and some shoddy optimisations.

Read: Hannspree Hannspad review

13. Notion Ink Adam

The Android tablet that promised so much

Notion Ink’s take on the Android tablet was different and exciting in equal measure. Offering a heavily modified Android OS, the tablet was supposed to be able to run apps onscreen side-by-side, it was supposed to have a screen that was readable in bright sunlight, it was supposed to be able to host external devices like cameras. But it doesn’t look like many of these pipedreams have been woven into anything even resembling reality. At this point, it’s unclear whether we’ll ever even see one in the UK.

Read: Notion Ink Adam – everything you need to know

14. Advent Vega

Another budget tablet. Has the Advent Vega missed the boat?

When we first tested the Advent Vega back in December 2010, it was a decent little unit. First-gen Tegra 2 power in a budget device meant there was a lot of bang to be had for not much buck. However, there is not currently an official Android 3.0 update incoming for the Vega so with the presence of more worthy competitors in 2011, the Vega has lost some of its sparkle.

Read: Advent Vega review

More incoming Android tablets:

• Asus Eee Pad Slider
• Asus Eee Pad MeMo
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9
• Toshiba tablet
• Lenovo Think Slate
• Dell Streak 7
• Dell Streak 10