Skip to Main Content
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Best of MWC 2013: Tablets

Mobile World Congress may be mostly about phones, but tablets managed to snag a slice of the show spotlight too. Take a look at the top tablets we saw in Barcelona this week.

Best Tablets of MWC

Mobile World Congress may have been shoehorned between high-profile announcements from HTC and Samsung, but a number of standout products lined the show floor. Last year, the Samsung Galaxy Note and Asus Padfone blurred the line between smartphone and tablet, and that convergence trend continued in Barcelona this year. But this much is still certain: Tablets aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

This is an industry fueled by superlatives, and MWC 2013 was no exception, although it was a little bit lighter than usual in terms of high-profile announcements. We even saw a few firsts, with the latest crop of mobile processors making their debuts in this year's tablet lineup. We also saw one tablet grab the title of thinnest and lightest in the land.

MWC Bug Art Outside of Apple's iPad, the tablet world is largely dominated by Google's Android mobile operating system. The latest iteration, 4.2 "Jelly Bean," will power most of this year's key tablets. We even saw HP throw its hat into the Android ring after its failed experiment with WebOS on the HP Touchpad. On that note, we also saw LG scoop up the rights to WebOS, but its plans are in the smart TV realm, not tablet.

Sometimes it's not so easy to figure out what kind of gadget you're looking at. Is it a phone? Is it a tablet? Is it both? The devices at this year's MWC are pushing the boundaries, with tablets that can make voice calls, like the Asus Fonepad, and phones that can become tablets, like the Asus Padfone. Confused? I don't blame you, but don't worry; the sky-high price of the latter will likely preclude it from the U.S. market.

Then there's the curious case of Windows 8, which is making its way into a growing cadre of Intel-powered tablets. It's still hard to say whether or not Windows 8 will make a dent in the Android-iOS duopoly, but it looks like there will be a few companies committed to Microsoft's platform for the foreseeable future.

With that, here are some of the best tablets we've seen at MWC this year.

sony-xperia-tablet-zSony Xperia Tablet Z
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z is an impressive combination of form and function. At 6.99mm thick and 1.1 pounds, it's the world's thinnest and lightest 10-inch tablet. On top of that, the Tablet Z is completely waterproof to three feet for up to 30 minutes—and it still works while submerged. Its 1080p display is incredibly crisp and vibrant, and all those pixels are pushed by a powerful 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor.

samsung-galaxy-note-8Samsung Galaxy Note 8
As phones get bigger, so too do tablets, at least in Samsung's world. Not content with the standard 7-inch form factor, Samsung is stepping it up to eight inches in its latest Galaxy Note. The Note 8 will feature the company's signature S Pen, along with Samsung's usual Android customizations. The real kicker here is that the Note 8 is voice call enabled on the international version, meaning you can use it as a comically huge phone.

asus-fonepadAsus Fonepad
Not to be confused with the transforming Padfone, which is a smartphone that docks into a larger screen to become a tablet, the Asus Fonepad is a 7-inch tablet with voice calling capabilities. It's also powered by an Intel Atom processor, but still runs Android. It's reasonably priced at $270, but the utility of a tablet that can make phone calls remains to be seen.

hp-slate-7HP Slate 7
After a failed run at consumer tablets with the WebOS-powered Touchpad—which still sold like crazy in the end, just at a much lower price—HP is back, this time with a budget Android-powered tablet. The HP Slate 7 won't wow anyone with its specs or features, but at $169 it's a reasonably priced low-end 7-inch slate. The real standout feature here is the ability to print: HP says printing will be baked right into Android, so you'll be able to print from a range of different applications over Wi-Fi or directly over USB. And Beats audio is integrated, so your tunes and movies will sound better than on your typical tablet.

Get Our Best Stories!

Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.


Thanks for signing up!

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!

Sign up for other newsletters

TRENDING

About Eugene Kim

Analyst, Mobile

Before joining the consumer electronics team at PCMag, Eugene worked at local news station NY1 doing everything from camera work to writing scripts. He grew up in Montclair, New Jersey and graduated from the University of Virginia in 2010. Outside of work Eugene enjoys TV, loud music, and making generally healthy and responsible life choices.

Read Eugene's full bio

Read the latest from Eugene Kim