Starting this week most tablets, notebooks, and desktop computers you’ll find in stores will likely come with Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 operating system. They’ll come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from large all-in-one desktops to tiny 8 inch tablets.

Some of the most interesting devices will be tablets with 10 to 11 inch screens. These devices are about the size of an Apple iPad, generally offer long battery life, and in many cases the ability to run desktop apps including Microsoft Office.

Thanks to Intel’s Atom Bay Trail processor, these devices should be faster than an old-school netbook, and thanks to Intel and Microsoft’s pricing scheme, many will be cheaper than an entry-level iPad.

Asus Transformer Book T100

Here are some of the first 10 inch Windows 8.1 tablets, most of which will likely come with Office 2013 Home & Student pre-loaded.

Asus Transformer Book T100

Taiwanese computer maker Asus knows a thing or two about making small computers. The company was virtually single-handedly responsible for making netbooks a thing back in 2007 and 2008, and the Asus Transformer Pad of Android tablets have been popular with folks looking for mobile tablets that can also be used as laptops.

Now Asus is launching a 10 inch tablet that works a lot like one of those Android tablets, but it runs Windows.

The Asus Transformer Book T100 features a 10 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB to 64GB of storage. It has an Intel Atom Z3740 Bay Trail CPU.

The 32GB model sells for $350, and the 64GB model is just $50 more.

Both versions ship standard with a keyboard dock which lets you use the tablet like a notebook. Unlike the Transfomer Pad line of Android tablets, the T100 does not have a secondary battery in the keyboard, but with up to 11 hours of run time from the tablet battery alone, you might not need one anyway.

The tablet has a microSD card slot, micro USB port (which can charge the tablet), and a micro HDMI port. There’s also a full-sized USB port on the keyboard dock.

There’s a 1.2MP front-facing camera, but no rear camera. The tablet measures 0.4 inches thick and weighs 1.2 pounds. With the keyboard dock, the whole system measures 0.9 inches thick and weighs 2.4 pounds.

Dell Venue 11 Pro 

Dell’s Venue 11 Pro costs a bit more than the Asus tablet, with prices starting at $500. But this model has a larger display, a faster processor, and more configuration options.

Dell Venue 11 Pro

The tablet has a 10.8 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display and the entry-level model features an Intel Atom Z3770 Bay Trail processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage.

Dell will also offer models with up to 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage, and Intel Pentium, Core i3, or Core i5 Haswell processors.

The Dell Venue 11 Pro features WiFi, Bluetooth, an 8MP rear camera, a 2MP front-facing camera, and a 30Whr or 37Whr battery, depending on the configuration.

Dell will also offer options for HSPA+ or 4G LTE mobile broadband, NFC, and 802.11ac wireless. Accessories including a desktop dock, keyboard dock, and active stylus will also be available.

Fujitsu Sylistic Q584

Fujitsu’s tablets don’t come cheap, but they tend to be durable. The company’s first 10 inch tablet with a Bay Trail processor is no different — at 1.4 pounds, it’s not the lightest tablet you’re likely to find. But it has a semi-rugged case that’s designed to be waterproof and dust-resistant, which makes it a decent option for folks who work outdoors.

q584_03

This tablet is clearly designed for business and industrial customers, and while I haven’t seen an official price yet, I expect it to be relatively high.

The Fujitsu Stylistic Q584 has an Atom Z3770 processor, a 10.1 inch, 2560 x 1600 pixel display, and 64GB to 128GB of storage.

It measures 10.5″ x 7.1″ x 0.6″ and should get around 10 hours of battery life. It has a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, SmartCard slot, 2MP front camera and 8MP rear camers, and a flash card reader.

The tablet features WiFi, Bluetooth, and optional NFC, GPS, UMTS, LTE, and GPS.

HP Omni 10

The HP Omni 10 features a 10 inch, full HD display, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage or mroe. It supports WiFi and Bluetooth, has an Intel Atom Z3770 processor, a micro HDMI port, micro USB port, and HP promises up to 10 hours of battery life.

hp omni 10_01

The tablet has an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front-facing camera.

HP will offer optional accessories including a dock and a wireless keyboard.

Microsoft Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2

Microsoft is also launching its own tablets. The Surface 2 is a $449 tablet with an NVIDIA Tegra 4 ARM Cortex-A15 processor and Windows RT 8.1 software. The Surface Pro 2 sells for $899 and up and features a more powerful Intel Core i5 Haswell processor and the full Windows 8.1 operating system.

Both tablets feature 10.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel displays.

Microsoft Surface 2

The big question is why anyone would spend $449 on a Surface 2 when you could buy a full-fledged Windows tablet for around the same price or less. Windows RT was developed at a time when ARM chips were far more energy efficient than Intel processors, but tablets with Bay Trail chips offer competitive battery life and the ability to run pretty much any Windows app, not just those that are available for Windows RT.

The Surface 2 is a step up from last year’s Surface RT, featuring a higher-resolution display, a faster processor, and longer battery life with up to 10 hours of run time. But it’s still a tough sell.

On the other hand, the Surface Pro 2 offers all the power of a mid-to-high-end ultrabook in the size of a small tablet. It’s available with 4GB to 8GB of RAM, up to 512GB of storage, and an active digitizer which lets you write or draw on the screen with pressure-sensitive input.

surface pro 2

 

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11 replies on “Meet the first 10 inch Windows 8.1 tablets”

  1. Does anyone KNOW if any of these devices have GPS hardware built in?

  2. I love the Omni 10 but wish it had a integral stand, not the great big clunky thing. debating to get the T100 for its excellent design and live with the screen res.

  3. Thinking about getting a T100 but I’ll wait to see what Acer are going to offer up.

  4. “The big question is why anyone would spend $449 on a Surface 2”

    “Don’t even include an RT zombie device in the same list with real windows devices.”
    Did you venom spitting haters stop to think maybe thats what people want. But then y’all don’t think since you’re so busy hating.

    Brad, how much is Intel paying you to slam Surface 2 and sell their product? Guess this is your interpretation of Fair and Balanced reporting. Kinda like Fox News report one side only.

    So much for the integrity of liliputing…I guess

    1. Well that’s just inaccurate on all counts, the question posed by Brad is perfectly valid and the main reason why the ARM Surface hasn’t done well to date. The original premise was to leverage ARM’s lower costs and higher power efficiency as the benefit but those never materialized as real advantages for any RT devices.

      While the W8 app store remains limited, it leaves it to the legacy support to really find the wealth of apps needed to really promote the software ecosystem and that’s something that RT simply can’t provide.

      You can also get Office now with any W8 tablet that 10.8″ or smaller… so that’s another reason not to single out RT for any reason.

      So, with similar pricing, similar battery life, and a more restricted app ecosystem. It’s perfectly valid to point out it’s still a tough sell for the average user.

      Fox News also doesn’t just report one side… It’s why it has a ton of other side commentators they’re always arguing with and why it’s one of the highest viewed news organization as there are plenty that are far more one sided.

      So, let’s leave the stereotyping out of this and stick to the facts! Like it or not, RT is a hard sell because it doesn’t present any real advantages other than just being able to run a desktop based OS on ARM instead of just mobile OS like Android and limited access to Linux distros that don’t require a lot of work to get working 100% on ARM but those aren’t reasons the average user will care about… Most people just want things to work out of the box and for those coming from x86 to more mobile devices, RT will seem more limiting…

      Only those, coming from mobile devices to something that can offer a bit more will see the upside but there’s little to argue that they can see even a bigger upside getting a Bay Trail tablet instead that’ll give them more options!

    2. Dude, why does Intel have to pay anyone. Anyone will prefer a $ 400 full Windows 8 device that is as power efficient as the Surface 2! Microsoft and Intel have made a smart move by reducing prices.

      Microsoft is its hardware OEMs a chance by overpricing Surface 2!

  5. ugh the Surface 2 Pro would be perfect if they did a lite version with just the Baytrail processor and 32gb SSD or EMMC and an active digitizer for about $500. if I am getting closer to 1K I need to be able to game on it. I wish Asus would allow customization on the T100 if that had an active digitizer for about $400-$500 they’d have my money in a second… I never understood the need for 1080P on a mobile device.

    1. I’m not fond of 1080p on a 10″ screen either, but the GPU in the Pro 2 seems to handle light to medium gaming pretty well.

      1. the Surface Pro 2 would be nice if the price wasn’t so high plus 2lb is a bit straining for prolonged use…I’d like to eventually have one of these as a dual use tablet with windows for business and android for play atm I carry a laptop and an HP touchpad.. hoping to change that eventually. The Fujitsu comes close but the fancy display and the ruggedness drive the price up to an insane level ($1500 seriously? in what world do we need that high a resolution for a screen that small)… hoping they release a consumer version.

  6. Don’t even include an RT zombie device in the same list with real windows devices.

    You might accidentally lead less attentive or less savvy people into wasting their money.

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