6 Best Full-Sized Tablets: Perfect Gifts This Holiday Season

3. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (starts at $499)

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is for a creative person. It’s the only tablet that comes with a “pen” that can be used to write and draw on the screen. The Note 10.1 runs Google’s Android software, giving it access to a wide array of apps originally written for smartphones. The selection is not on par with the iPad’s but better than other alternatives. The Note’s screen is low-resolution category, with 1,280 by 800 pixels and its storage memory can be expanded with cards.

4. Microsoft Surface (starts at $499)

Microsoft’s first tablet seems at first similar to the first iPad. It’s thick, heavy and rough. It runs Windows RT, a version of Windows 8 adapted for tablets. It comes with a version of Microsoft’s Office suite and the ability to connect to wireless printers and USB drives. The screen resolution is 1,366 by 768 pixels, placing it in the low-resolution category. It’s the tablet for those who want to take their writing on the go. The basic model starts out with “32 Gbs” of memory, but interestingly, only 16 Gb is available to the user. It accepts memory cards of up to 64 gigabytes, though. The poor thing is that it doesn’t run standard Windows applications. It will run only programs specifically adapted for Windows RT.