[USA-focused post]
The 8-inch Windows tablet segment is pretty hot right now which is no wonder considering that these usable tablets are also fully-capable PCs. Microsoft have price reductions on three of the 8-inch low-cost Windows 9 tablets today and Amazon have an offer on the Lenovo Miix 2 8. Here’s an overview for you.
Dell Venue 8 Pro Tablet – 32GB $229.00 (was $299.00) save $70.00
You’ll find the Dell Venue 8 Pro 32GB for just $229. That’s probably the easiest Windows 8 tablet to recommend right now because of the price and the all-round quality of the device. There’s no HDMI which makes the free Office suite a little more difficult to take advantage of.
Lenovo Miix 2 8 Touchscreen Tablet – 32GB $249.00 (was $299.00) save $50.00
How about the Lenovo Miix 2 8. It’s $20 more than the Dell Venue 8 Pro right now but comes with GPS on board which might be attractive to those looking for a location-focused device. The Lenovo Miix 2 8 is the lightest Windows 8 PC in the world right now and also has the ability to do concurrent data and charging over the MicroUSB port. Our full review just went up this week. Click here.
Update: While writing this post the price dropped further. Lowest price is $213 at time of writing but latest lowest price at Amazon always available here.
Toshiba Encore WT8-A32M Touchscreen Tablet $299.00 (was $329.00) save $30.00
The Toshiba Encore WT8 is the big boy of the group. Large battery life, HDMI port and probably the best mics of all the Windows 8 tablets. With that HDMI port you’ll be able to take advantage of the free Office Home and Student license and, honestly, you’ll be surprised how fast it is at doing that. Our full review here.
Acer Iconia W4 Windows Tablet 32 GB $249.99 (was $299)
The Acer Iconia W4 is, again, a larger tablet with a a bigger battery, GPS, good screen and that all-important HDMI port for those wanting a mini desktop. We’ve just had the W4 with us for a three day trip and are pleased to report that it was on active standby (InstantGo) for the whole time and used just 60% of the battery. Acer have a range of keyboard and cover accessories and a 3G option making this the all-round mobile PC winner.
You can find all the Microsoft offers on their store page here.
A side-by-side comparison of these four tablets is available here.
When in Connected Standby, do any of these tablets automatically connect to WiFi when they get into range? I used to have a Clover Trail tablet before Windows 8.1 came out and I always had to wake it up so it would connect to WiFi.
I don’t see the Acer Iconia W4 on that link.
I’ve the dell Venue 8 pro – It can go pretty low on dell outlet – I picked up mine for $169.
There’s a big flaw with the charger and numerous threads on Dell’s forums, and other forums about it.
They use a Micro-A usb socket and Micro-B plug. The problem is the plug fits in the wrong way and can go almost all the way in. Attempting to push it in the last bit can damage the plug or socket.
I pushed it in the wrong way myself but realized it before damaging it. I had my wife try it to get her used to it, and it damaged the plug. I ended up bending the socket and plug so it only fits easily one way – this isn’t something I’d recommend doing.
This is a seriously good tablet otherwise. In comparison to my nexus 7, it’s faster, and since there’s regular desktop mode, more versatile. The battery life is great. the fact that it takes micro-sd puts it ahead of many android devices I’ve tried.
The only downside I’ve experienced is the damn charger. Get one from dell outlet for a steal, but be careful. Use colored tape to mark the charger if you have to.
Thanks for the tip for the Micro USB plug problem. Whenever I plug in Micro USB anywhere, I use light force as I know it is very fragile. I actually don’t like this, as it’s too thin. Mini USB wasn’t that bad before. I prefer barrel DC jack, or Ericsson old cellphone plug (impossible to damage it, as when you bend it, it simply falls off. completely anti intuition but works great).
What’s the warranty from Dell Outlet? And I don’t think Dell Outlet is avail in Canada.
I like the USB based charging than a separate DC jack (unless it’s an additional port for optional fast charging like my Dell Latitude 10). There’s talk about updating the USB spec to a new port again. This time they may use a type-B plug that can go in either direction like Apple’s Lightning port.