Stiftung Warentest: Tablets against iPads in the test
In its December 2013 issue, Stiftung Warentest tested 15 iPad alternatives: Android and Windows tablets from Samsung, Microsoft, Acer and Co. had to compete with the top Apple products shortly before the Christmas season. A competitor now even shakes Apple's supremacy. We present the highlights of the hardware check and show you which tablets could stand up to the iPad.
Stiftung Warentest: Samsung tablet tops iPad
Samsung provided a real surprise among the tablets up to 8.5 inches:
- The test winner: With its Galaxy Note 8.0, Samsung takes the top of the max. 8.5 incher (grade 1.9). Compared to the second-placed iPad mini, the Galaxy Note 8.0 performed better in almost every category.
- The Android tablet from Samsung overtook Apple in terms of "versatility". The reasons for this include the numerous interfaces and the option of using the tablet as a mobile phone. Price about 300 euros.
- For the iPad mini 64 GB 4G, it was only enough for second place (overall grade 2.1), even though it surpasses the test winner in terms of battery life and surfs via LTE network if possible.
- But the mediocre camera and the problem of missing USB / SD ports and (video) outputs, which is typical for Apple products, caused bad grades. Overall, this means a "good" for the iPad mini. Price about 500 euros.
Large tablets in the goods test check: Samsung declares war on Apple
Test winners in the tablet check (from 8.5 inches) of the Stiftung Warentest are two providers:
- The iPad 4 64GB 4G comes in first place among the larger tablets with an overall grade of 1.9 (rating good):
- The iPad 4 collects plus points for photo and video, surfing and synchronization with the PC. However, there are deductions due to the lack of memory expansion and connections (USB / HDMI). Price about 700 euros.
- The Samsung tablet "Galaxy Note 10.1 16GB" (Note 1.9) is on par with the front-runner iPad 4:
- The product test experts particularly praised the convenience of the Internet and e-mail as well as the camera for mobile telephony. Price about 400 euros.
The tablets in the CHIP ranking: test winner only in 15th place
- The test winner "Galaxy Note 8.0" only comes 15th in the CHIP leaderboard. In the test, the tablet revealed long loading times and the much-touted pen for input was unusable for numerous apps. The battery life in the CHIP laboratory was also significantly shorter than at Stiftung Warentest.
- Instead, the iPad mini 4G with 128 GB leads the leaderboard. The iPad mini model with 64 GB, which was placed second by Warentest, is still in third place.
- The Apple alternative among tablets from 8.5 inches - the Galaxy Note 10.1 - performs even worse in the CHIP ranking: it only comes in 32nd place, among other things due to the mediocre battery life.
test.de takes a close look at Windows tablets
- For the first time, Stiftung Warentest also tested 2 Windows tablets. The result: A "good" for the Microsoft Surface Pro (36th place in the CHIP leaderboard) and "satisfactory" for the Acer product Iconia W3-810 (27th place in the CHIP ranking), each with 64 GB.
- How cheap can good tablets be, asked the product test experts and sent smart devices into the race for less than 150 euros. The Intenso Tab 804 for 130 euros came in last place in the test (rating "sufficient") and the successor Tab 824 for 120 euros did not go beyond "satisfactory": battery, loudspeaker and camera weak, according to the conclusion.
Conclusion: Samsung sees the Apple tablets in front of the product test
In the Stiftung Warentest test, the Samsung tablets can easily keep up with the top dog Apple. In the CHIP test, however, the Samsung products had to give up: Apple's iPad Air and iPad mini top the CHIP list. We'll tell you where the differences lie in the latter and which one is more worthwhile in the comparison iPad Air vs. iPad mini. You can find detailed information about the goods test check at test.de.