NVIDIA SHIELD TABLET

Nvidia is known for video cards, not Android tablets, but the Shield Tablet is definitely worth of your attention, especially if you’re into gaming. That’s because the Shield Tablet is powered by a mighty Tegra K1 processor and comes with Nvidia’s TegraZone portal, that gives you access to dozens of Tegra-optimized Android games.

The Nvidia Shield Tablet is built around the 2.2 GHz Tegra K1 quad-core processor (plus companion core for basic tasks) with the 192-core Kepler iGPU. There are 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage, expandable via microSD card by up to 128 GB. There's an 8" IPS screen with 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution and then Wi-Fi a/b/g/n Mimi (dual band, 2.4/5 GHz), Bluetooth 4 LE and GLONASS GPS for wireless connections. On top of that, there's a micro-USB and a mini-HDMI 1.4a.

The Shield Tablet hits the sweet spot with its perfectly sized, 8-inch, 1,920 × 1,200 Full HD screen. It’s strange that Nvidia didn’t put a Quad HD screen on the ultimate gaming tablet, but 1080p will satisfy most folks — and it won’t drain the battery as much.

The Nvidia Shield tablet won’t bend or creak if you try to flex it. Indeed, it feels like it can withstand a few rage-quit-flings-across-the-room, yet it’s not clunky or cumbersome.

The Shield Tablet’s edge hides one other interesting bonus: a 4.5-inch stylus slot. Pluck the so-called “DirectStylus” out with a fingernail, and the screen will bring up a custom app launcher with pre-loaded, stylus-first apps like Evernote, JusWrite, and Nvidia Dabbler. They’re all pretty much the same, in terms of giving users a canvas on which to write and draw as they please.

The Nvidia Shield Tablet isn't just one of the first third party devices to get an update to Android 5.0 Lollipop - it's also a colossally powerful Android gaming tablet that leaves all its rivals in the dust. In terms of sheer gaming performance very few tablets can compete, and it can also be used to stream PC games from a laptop, PC or the Cloud.

Even if you don't take advantage of its gaming prowess, the Nvidia Shield Tablet is one of the most versatile -- and affordable -- high-performance 8-inch Android slates you can buy.