The Holiday 2013 Tablet Gift Guide

What's This?

By Christina Warren2013-12-02 21:50:37 UTC

'Tis the season to buy tablets. As the holiday shopping season takes off in earnest, tablets are once again some of the hottest items on the planet. Even better: This year, there are tons of great tablets available.

In fact, there are so many tablets on the market, it can be hard to decipher which tablet is worth the money and which tablet is best to skip. At Mashable, we've had the benefit of reviewing nearly every major tablet on the market.

We've broken out six of the holiday's best tablets and summarized who they are for and where you can get the best price. Note: Prices are subject to change, so if you see a great deal, grab it.

iPad-Air-in-Case-on-Box Summary: The iPad Air takes everything that was already great about the iPad and makes it lighter, thinner and more powerful.

Who It's For: Users who want the larger screen a full-size tablet provides with the largest variety of apps.

Retail Price: Starts at $499.99 for 16GB

But You Can Get it For: The best deal on a 16GB iPad Air is $449.99 at Staples.com through Monday, Dec 2 — that's $50 savings. Walmart, MacMall and B&H are also selling the iPad Air for $20 off.

Apple_iPadMini_Retina-thumb Summary: The retina iPad mini crams all the power and resolution of the iPad Air into a frame better suited for being on the go.

Who its For: Users who want a high-powered small form-factor tablet that runs iOS.

Retail Price: Starts at $399.99 for 16GB

But You Can Get It For: Although Apple discounted the iPad mini With Retina Display on Black Friday, we haven't seen any other discounts for the latest tablet. You can, however, find the original iPad mini for as low as $249.99 ($50 off) at retailers such as Walmart, B&H and Staples.

Ascani_KindleFireHDX_NewThumbs-1 Summary: A powerful, low-cost tablet that is designed for games, reading books and watching movies.

Who It's For: Tablet users who enjoy the Amazon ecosystem and prefer to have the focus on content consumption.

Retail Price: $229.99

But You Can Get It For: On Cyber Monday, Amazon is offering the Kindle Fire HDX for $179.99, a big $50 savings.

Google Nexus 7 2013 Summary: The Nexus 7 offers the pure Android experience with powerful hardware and a small form factor.

Who It's For: Users who rely on Google services and apps and those that want the best pure Android experience.

Retail Price: $229.99

But You Can Get It For: Staples is selling the newest 16GB Nexus 7 for $199.99 ($30 off) and so is Walmart.com. You can get the 32GB model for $239.00 ($30 off) from Amazon or Staples.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Summary: The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 combines some of the best features from the Galaxy series of smartphones with a small form-factor tablet focused on consuming content.

Who It's For: Users who want an Android alternative to the iPad mini and who like the idea of controlling their TV with a tablet.

Retail Price: $299.99

But You Can Get It For: On Cyber Monday, you can save $50 on the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 at Amazon, Staples, Best Buy and direct from Samsung.

Surface 2 Summary: If you love Microsoft, Windows and, especially all things Windows 8, this is your ultimate do-everything tablet.

Who It's For: Heavy Microsoft Office users who want (most of) the Windows experience, with the caveat that the app selection isn't as strong as offerings from Apple or Google.

Retail Price: $449.99 for 32GB

But You Can Get It For: Microsoft has had some deep discounts on the original Microsoft Surface RT tablet and the first Surface Pro but the Surface 2 hasn't budged. You can find the tablet at retailers such as Best Buy and directly from Microsoft.