Windows 8 Tablets are threating to arrive into Australian stock in January 2013. Thanks to Microsoft’s stringent design rules, they all pretty much look alike, so the big question is how do you choose?

Fortunately there is more to go on than just looks. So we’ve put together a summary of 4 different Windows 8 Pro Tablets that are coming to or Available in Australia now. This is not a comprehensive study, and we’ll highlight the following caveats:

• We considered these tablets as a notebook replacement primary user computer
• Based only on available Australian configurations 
• Criteria are selected based on what we consider to be important in a Windows 8 Tablet for day-to-day laptop replacement business use.

Here is the table:

Model	Fujitsu Stylistic Q702	Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro	Sony Vaio Duo 11	Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2
Performance	**** Intel Core i5 Option, 4Gb RAM	**** Intel Core i5 Option, 4Gb RAM	***** Intel Core i7, 8Gb RAM Option	** Intel Atom “Clover Trail”, 2Gb RAM
3G/4G Mobile Broadband	*** 3G	*** 3G	N/A	*** 3G
Storage	*** 128Gb SSD	***** 256Gb SSD – The most you’ll find in a Tablet yet…	***** 256Gb SSD	* 32 or 64Gb options
Active Digitizer	**** Gen 4 N-Trig with Storage	***** Wacom with storage	** N-Trig (i7 Model)	** N-Trig Optional
Screen	**** 11.6”, 1366×768 Resolution, Wide Viewing	***** 11.6”, 1920×1080 Resolution, Wide Viewing	***** 11.6”, 1920×1080 Resolution, Wide Viewing	*** 10.1” 1366×768 Resolution, Wide View IPS
Ports / Connection	***** 1x USB3, 1x USB2, HDMI, Audio In/Out, SD Card, Optional Docking Keyboard with Battery.Keyboard offers VGA, 2x USB2, LAN and Pen Holder.	*** 1x USB3, Micro HDMI, Audio In/Out, Micro SD Card, Pen Holder, Optional Docking Keyboard.Keyboard offers 2x USB2, DC In.	***** 2x USB3, HDMI, VGA, LAN, Memory Stick Duo, SDXC card.	*** 1x USB2, Micro HDMI, Micro SD, Audio In/Out.
Durability	** Corning Gorilla Glass, Exposed ports, Solid construction, Keyboard option is solid.	** Corning Gorilla Glass, Exposed ports, Solid construction, Keyboard option is solid.	* The sliding mechanism is a big durability concern.	** Asahi Dragon trail Glass, Exposed ports, Solid construction.
Security	**** Fingerprint Reader, TPM, Intel Anti Theft	*** TPM expected on top end 3G model, Intel Anti Theft	** NFC Reader, Intel Anti Theft	** TPM
Battery Management	**** Onboard 4- 6 hours, 2 hour charge, Removable battery in keyboard for extended runtime.	*** Onboard 4- 6 hours, 2 hour charge.	**** 8-10 hours from extended battery on i7 Model.	***** 8-10 hours.
Look, Feel and Finish	*** Looks good, but in a non-glossy business uniform way.	**** Very well presented, slick as Samsung is becoming famous for.	**** Looks shiny, different and unique, if a little bulky.	**** Looks business ready, but slightly better than the typical Thinkpad fashion.
Weight / Portability	*** 850g	*** 880g	** 1.35kg	***** 600g
Overall Score	39	40	35	32
Conclusion	The Q702 fell behind slightly because the screen resolution is not as high as the Samsung and the 256Gb model has not yet reached our shores (It soon will though).Personally I would choose this tablet above all of the other options for one reason: Fingerprint login. Having a secure tablet involves typing your login password in 10-20 times a day. The fingerprint reader works brilliantly and makes this the fastest tablet to login to of them all! The keyboard and ports also put this tablet at number one on my list.	Samsung have once again created a brilliant tablet with 95% of the options that business users need.The keyboard dock is brilliant and takes this tablet up a significant notch from the extremely well selling series 7 slate. This tablet is sure to be popular. Don’t be fooled into buying it from retail stores though because you’ll miss out on the 3G option as well as the lightning fast 256Gb SSD. You would be proud to turn up in a room full of iPads with this baby!	Sony have made a unique twist on the ultrabook and resurrected the slider form factor.It seems pretty sturdy, but as much as it is designed by Sony we think that the slider could be problematic. If you need a performance tablet then this is the one. However, you would probably also look at the Fujitsu Q702 if you’re not bothered by the bulk and weight of the Sony.	Word of warning: Beware of the Atom processor!Atom is fine for single task applications, but this comparison is about notebook replacement, executive tablets. Atom is too slow for these customers period. Don’t say you weren’t warned. If you’re looking for a tablet to deploy for simple field data collection and you don’t need rugged then there’s nothing wrong with this tablet. Technically this tablet does not ship with Win 8 pro, but we included it to highlight the Atom option.

So there’s a one size fits all guide to just a snapshot of the Windows 8 tablets worth looking at.

The beauty is that you can contact us any time for the best expert advice on Windows Tablets PCs. Don’t bother asking the pimply faced kids down at the store. Ask the people who use windows 8 tablets themselves!

We also have access to a much wider range of the best stock of Windows 8 Tablets in Australia (only from Australian sources, we never parallel import!). So call us on our Australia wide number below.