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Editors’ note: This post was originally published August 8, 2011, but was updated April 19, 2012, with new products.
The iPad may be the most popular tablet out there, but there are still a few features it’s missing. And competitors haven’t been shy about pointing them out.
One feature still lacking from Apple’s tablet is an integrated HDMI output. Sure, they’ll sell you a $40 adapter cable or a $99 Apple TV that can connect to your iPad wirelessly, but there’s no direct way to connect your iPad to a TV right out of the box.
Fortunately, there are plenty of non-Apple tablets that deliver an HDMI connection. Having a built-in HDMI output on your tablet makes it easy to share slideshows on a family TV, play videos at a friend’s house, or display documents or presentations at company meetings.
With so many tablets on the market striving for an edge over the iPad, HDMI connectivity is a fairly common feature for high-end Android tablets. Still, some tablets pull off this feature better than others. To help you sort out which tablets do the best job of getting your tablet media onto your TV, check out this roundup of tablets with HDMI.
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Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
As the name implies, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a tablet with a few tricks up its sleeve. This thin tablet typically gets attention here on CNET for its keyboard dock compatibility, which allows it to blur the line between tablet and laptop. But let’s not forget that this quad-core beauty also includes a Micro-HDMI output.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Transformer Prime is the only tablet on this list currently running Android 4.0, making it one of the most up-to-date Android tablets available. Read the full review of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime.
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The original Toshiba Thrive is not a tablet we find ourselves recommending often, but when it comes to HDMI, it’s a winner. This industrial-grade tablet comes with a full-size HDMI output, making it dead-simple to plug into an existing cable. That simplicity comes in handy if you’re traveling or taking media to a friend’s house. On top of that, the Thrive also features full-size USB ports and a removable battery pack. Read the full review of the Toshiba Thrive.
Josh Miller/CNET
For Toshiba’s second act, the company created the thinnest 10-inch Android tablet money can buy. But the real engineering achievement of the Excite is that Toshiba managed to keep much of the connectivity found on its big ol’ Thrive tablet, including a Micro-HDMI output.
The tablet’s relatively high price makes this tough to recommend, especially if you’re purely interested in its HDMI capabilities. Still, hat’s off to Toshiba for making a tablet that preserves both beauty and utility. Read the full review of the Toshiba Excite 10 LE.
Josh Miller/CNET
The Asus Eee Pad Slider has a bit of an identity crisis. Its integrated slide-out keyboard puts it in the blurry world of laptop hybrids, whereas its Android 3.2 OS tugs it toward the tablet end of the spectrum.
However you want to classify it, this misfit includes a Mini-HDMI out (yes, mini — not micro) and is also one of the rare tablets to offer a full-size USB port. Read the full review of the Asus Eee Pad Slider.
Josh Miller/CNET
Acer’s Iconia Tab A100 was one of the first tablets to deliver Google’s Honeycomb OS on a smaller, 7-inch screen. We weren’t very hot for it at the time, given its relatively high price, but time has humbled this tablet down to the $270 range. It’s a powerful tablet that includes memory expansion and a Micro-HDMI output. Read the full review of the Acer Iconia Tab A100.
Josh Miller/CNET
The Xyboard 8.2 is a powerful tablet, running on Verizon’s robust 4G LTE network. Its 8.2-inch screen strikes a nice compromise between the more-common 7-inch and 10.1-inch competitors, making it better for thumb-typing when held in portrait orientation. It doesn’t come cheap, though, and the only affordable way to acquire one involves a two-year contract. Read the full review of the Motorola Droid XyBoard 8.2.
So there you have it, our top picks for tablets with HDMI connections. You can find others made by the likes of Sony and Samsung that promise wireless DLNA connections for transmitting photos, videos, and music to your TV — but I’ll take the reliability of an HDMI cable any day of the week.
Looking for specs and pricing? Compare these tablets head-to-head.
