6 Best Back-to-School Tablets

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By Jess Fee2013-07-30 12:00:13 UTC

Summer's coming to an end, but don't let that get you down — instead, take advantage of back-to-school season and upgrade to a tablet that you truly love.

We've rounded up the best tablets on the market today, including the classically beautiful iPad with retina display, the light-as-a-feather Nexus 7, the media-rich Kindle Fire HD and more.

See also: The 25 Best Free iPad Apps

Which tablet is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below.

Image: Apple

This iPad is easily one of the most beautiful tablets on the market today. With over 3 million pixels, the retina display on this tablet makes for a stunning visual experience. It has a sharp camera and a new A6X chip, which makes it twice as fast as previous iterations.

Price: $499 (16GB), $599 (32GB), $699 (64GB), $799 (128GB)

Image: Apple

The iPad mini is enjoyably small, weighing in at about 308 grams. It fits nicely in one hand, and is small enough that you can carry it in your bag alongside your other books without breaking your back. The device has a 5-megapixel camera and 1080p HD video recording. With so many different data package options, you'll be able to enjoy the Apple store's 275,000 apps, take class notes and store your music, all on this miniature device.

Price: $329 (16GB), $429 (32GB) and $529 (64GB)

Image: Google

Unlike previous Nexus devices, Google's seven-inch tablet is designed by Asus. It's much thinner than previous iterations (2 millimeters thinner and 50 grams lighter than its predecessor), and boasts a high-definition LCD display. It also has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera, Bluetooth 4.0, and a micro USB 2.0 port. The Nexus 7 tablet clocks in as exceptional across the board: The UI is smooth, it weighs very little and it's cheaper than a lot of its competitors.

Its the first to ship with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 8064 processor rated at 1.5GHz. There is also a 4G LTE version, priced at $349.

Price: $229.99 (16GB) and $299 (32GB)

Image: Amazon

This tablet features a sharp visual display, an extensive media library, and it offers a smart and streamlined UI. With an 8.9-inch display, it's bigger than some of its competitors. The Kindle Fire gives you access to more than just books — you can check out Amazon's films, music apps and games. It has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, but does not have a camera on the back.

Price: $159.99 (16 GB), $189 (32GB)

Image: Barnes & Noble

The Nook HD is competitively priced, but it doesn't offer the same sleek user experience as some of its competitors. It's light, weighing just 315 grams, so it's easy to transport to class. However, some argue that the lightweight plastic makes the device feel cheap and detracts from the overall experience. This tablet doesn't have a camera, but it does have dual speakers on the bottom. It also has a microSD card slot.

Price: $129 (8GB), $149 (16GB)

Image: Samsung

The quad-core processor makes the Galaxy Note 10 exceptionally fast. With a stylus pen, it's great for taking handwritten class notes without having to carry heavy binders and notebooks. The Galaxy Note 10 also has functional multitasking, so you can have multiple apps running at once — perfect for updating your Facebook during the boring parts of class.

Price: $449 (16 GB) and $499 (32 GB)

Image: Flickr, Rares M. Dutu

Topics: apple, back to school, Gadgets, tablets, Tech, Windows, Work & Play