The best phablets and tablets bring the latest technology to your fingertips

THE LATEST phablets and tablets put the world, and a bit more, in the hands of the user, writes Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson

LG G Pad 8.3 tablet.

THE LATEST phablets and tablets put the world, and a bit more, in the hands of the user.

IPAD MINI WITH RETINA DISPLAY / APPLE

$479-$949 / store.apple.com.au

Rating: 4.5/5

The iPad Mini received a serious screen upgrade this year, with more than 3.1 million pixels on its 7.9-inch screen. But its internal upgrade is just as notable, with the 64-bit, A7 chip from the Air, 1GB RAM, dual-channel wi-fi, and a 24.3 watt-hour battery. The result is a 341g tablet that doesn't pause even as you import multi-megapixel images. Its screen upgrade isn't as obvious as you might think, but neither is its added 29g.

LUMIA 1520 / Nokia

$894 / harveynorman.com.au

Rating: 4/5

The 1520 has a high-definition six-inch display, allowing a third column of Windows Phone Live Tiles. It has a 2.2GHz quad-core chip, 4G connection and there's room for a MicroSD card. A lack of apps still holds the Windows Phone back, but this is its finest offering.

ONE MAX / HTC

$816 / htc.com.au

Rating: 4/5

The 5.9-inch 4G handset has a metal body, front-facing speakers, 1.7GHz quad-core chip, 2GB RAM and UltraPixel camera. It also includes a fingerprint scanner, MicroSD card slot and the Blinkfeed homescreen can be turned off. A fine first effort but users may be put off by a poorly fitting back cover and 217g weight.

G PAD 8.3 / LG

$399 / lg.com.au

Rating: 3.5/5

Named for its 8.3-inch screen with a sharp, 273ppi resolution, LG's tablet uses a 1.7GHz quad-core chip, 2GB RAM and 4600mAh ba

LG G Pad 8.3 tablet.

ttery. It includes an interesting app called QPair, that delivers SMS and call alerts to Google Android phones paired by Bluetooth. It's a solid performer for its price.

TRANSFORMER BOOK T100 / ASUS

$599 / asus.com.au

Rating: 3.5/5

The 10.1-inch tablet part of the T100 is powered by a 1.33GHz quad-core chip, has 2GB RAM, 64GB storage and full Windows 8.1 softw

ASUS Transformer Book T100t.

are. It comes with a keyboard dock, which also has a USB 3.0 port. But when locked together, the pair is top heavy and the keyboard feels cheap and breakable.