Apple’s new toy, the iPad 3, has a blistering processor and a screen more detailed than a 40 inch HD TV – but much like their Macbook Pro’s the prices for the top-spec model rise rapidly, with the high end of the iPad reaching an eye-watering £659.

While we expect Apple’s dominance over the market share to continue with this smart and sophisticated update on the last market leader, iPad 2, we have put their rivals to the test to find the five best alternatives.

Amazon Kindle Fire

Price: £168.95

At first glance, the Fire’s biggest advantage is price. Sure the specs aren’t the greatest, and it lacks a camera, but for £168.98 – it’s not a bad experience for its cost. It is a modified version of Android 2.3, with 7 inch screen (1,024 x 600), dual-core 1GHz processor, has free storage in Amazon Cloud, and has access to Amazon Prime and its streaming video service.

Amazon Prime is where the Kindle really top trumps the iPad 3. While Apple has iTunes, it doesn’t have its own dedicated service for streaming video for a low flat rate.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Price: £499.99

The Prime’s best feature is its detachable keyboard, which makes it a virtual laptop. Better still the keyboard actually powers the tablet, giving it 18 hours of battery life for those days when you’re working on the road.

The Prime also challenges the iPad in the form of Nvidia’s Tegra 3 quad-core processor, which on paper means two more cores than the iPad’s dual-core chip. Using the Android’s in-demand Ice Cream Sandwich, this sleek machine bridges the gap between the smartphone and tablet user interface. Specs include TF201, 10.1 inch (1,280 x 800), 8MP rear and 1.2MP front camera.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Price: £199 plus tariff or £500 to buy.

Much like its 5-inch brother the Galaxy Note – the main feature the Galaxy Note 10.1 carries as a tablet is the S-Pen stylus for sketching and writing. However, they have gone one step further – the new and improved S-Pen has a clip, “eraser” on top, and is more comfortable to use.

Like the Transformer Prime, it also offers Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich, and also features a higher quality 2-megapixel front-facing camera for high-quality video chatting. The specs include Android 4.0, 10.1 inch (1280 x 800), 1.4GHz dual-core processor, 3MP rear, 2MP front camera.

Sony Tablet P

Price: £359

Since eating up Ericsson shares in the mobile business the Sony branded products that followed have been intriguingly promising. This device is packing two screens, and it is able to be folded much like the Kyocera Echo that was released in 2011. Where the Sony Tablet P really challenges the iPad 3 is in the gamers market – its unique feature is that it supports the Sony PlayStation Suite which allows users to play certain PlayStation games through the tablet.

Motorolo Xoom 2 Media Edition

Price: £327.98.

This smart-looking tablet is another Android based challenge to the iPad, offering the 3.2 Honeycomb. It has an 8.2 inch (1,280 x 800) screen, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and a 1.3MP front and 5MP rear-facing camera. It has splash-guard coating, and MotoCast app as its standout features – but any challenge that Motorolo Xoom 2 Media Edition may have made to the iPad would have happened by now as it has been available since November. But still, it is a neat tablet.

 

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