CNET tablet battery life results
Your tablet might pack a fancy stylus or super-sharp resolution, but can it go a day without a charger? CNET Labs takes up the challenge to find out.
Editor's note: This list is updated regularly.
Battery life testing is one of the last evaluations we subject tablets to at CNET Labs, but by no means is it the least valued. How long you can use your tablet is nearly as important as what it is you do while using it.
Our CNET labs testing standards ensure that all tablets, regardless of size, color, or operating system, are tested as close to equally as possible. Details on how we test tablets are included below the testing results chart. We've also thrown in each tablet's maximum luminosity, resolution, and pixel density for good measure.
Expect this list to be updated frequently as new tablets are tested. To see what tablets are coming down the pike, check out the upcoming tablets blog.
Tablets in the process of being tested say "IP" and results with keyboard docks appear in parenthesis.
| Model | Video battery life (in hours) | Maximum brightness (in cd/m2) | Resolution | Pixel density (ppi) | Screen size (in inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acer Iconia A1-830 | 8.5 | 362 | 1,024x768 | 162 | 8 |
| Amazon Kindle Fire HD (2013) | 9.3 | 421 | 1,280x800 | 216 | 7 |
| Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 | 9.8 | 430 | 1,920x1,200 | 323 | 7 |
| Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 | IP | 472 | 2,560x1,600 | 339 | 8.9 |
| Apple iPad (fourth generation) | 13.1 | N/A | 2,048x1,536 | 263 | 9.7 |
| Apple iPad Air | 13.2 | 421 | 2,048x1,536 | 264 | 9.7 |
| Apple iPad Mini | 12.1 | N/A | 1,024x768 | 162 | 7.9 |
| Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime | 9.6 (15.3 with keyboard) | 570 | 1,280x800 | 149 | 10.1 |
| Asus Fone Pad | 7.3 | 242 | 1,280x800 | 216 | 7 |
| Asus Memo Pad HD 7 | 9.7 | 353 | 1,024x600 | 169 | 7 |
| Asus Memo Pad 8 | 8.9 | N/A | 1,280x800 | 189 | 8 |
| Asus Memo Pad FHD 10 | 8.3 | 287 | 1,920x1,200 | 226 | 10 |
| Asus Transformer Pad TF103C | 8 | N/A | 1,280x800 | 167 | 10 |
| Asus Transformer Pad TF300 (Balance mode) | 8.7 (13 with keyboard) | 331 | 1,280x800 | 149 | 10.1 |
| Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 (Balance mode) | 8.5 (13.9 with keyboard) | 422 | 1,920x1,200 | 224 | 10.1 |
| Barnes & Noble Nook HD | 7.3 | 455 | 1,440x900 | 243 | 7 |
| Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ | 9.5 | 496 | 1,920x1,280 | 256 | 9 |
| Dell Venue 7 | 7.7 | 342 | 1,280x800 | 217 | 7 |
| Dell Venue 8 | 7.9 | 356 | 1,280x800 | 189 | 8 |
| Dell XPS 10 | 9.6/15.7 with dock | 335 | 1,366x768 | 155 | 10.1 |
| EVGA Tegra Note 7 | IP | 423 | 1,280x800 | 216 | 7 |
| Google Nexus 7 (2013) | 11.5 | 570 | 1,920x1,200 | 323 | 7 |
| Google Nexus 10 | 8.4 | 368 | 2,560x1,600 | 301 | 10 |
| Kobo Arc 10 HD | 9.5 | 371 | 2,560x1,600 | 301 | 10 |
| Lenovo A10 | 8.4 | 292 | 1,280 x 800 | 167 | 10 |
| Lenovo A8 | 8.2 | 300 | 1,280 x 800 | 209 | 8 |
| Lenovo IdeaTab A1000 | 4.6 | 369 | 1,280x800 | 216 | 7 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 | 12.6 | 232 | 1,366x768 | 135 | 11.6 |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 | 14.2 | 438 | 1,280x1,080 | 209 | 8 |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 | 12.4 | 435 | 1,280x1,080 | 167 | 10 |
| LG G Pad 8.3 | 6.4 | 289 | 1,920x1,200 | 273 | 8.3 |
| LG G Pad 8.3 (Google Play edition) | 7 | 289 | 1,920x1,200 | 273 | 8.3 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 2 | 6.9 | n/a | 1,920x1,080 | 208 | 10.6 |
| Microsoft Surface 2 | 11.6 | 315 | 1,920x1,080 | 208 | 10.6 |
| Nokia Lumia 2520 | IP | 676 | 1,920x1,080 | 218 | 10.1 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 8 | 8.5 | 458 | 1,280x800 | 182 | 8.3 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) | 6 | 326 | 2,5601x1,600 | 298 | 10.1 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 | 11 | 368 | 2,560x1,600 | 247 | 12.2 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 | 10 | 395 | 1,280x800 | 189 | 8 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 | 8.3 | 421 | 1,280x800 | 149 | 10.1 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 | 9 | 337 | 1,280x800 | 189 | 8 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 | 8.5 | 361 | 2,5601x1,600 | 359 | 8.4 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 | 9 | 375 | 2,5601x1,600 | 298 | 10.1 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 | 12.1 | N/A | 2,5601x1,600 | 359 | 8.4 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 | 13.4 | N/A | 2,5601x1,600 | 288 | 10.5 |
| Sony Xperia Tablet Z2 | 13 | N/A | 1,920x1,200 | 224 | 10.1 |
| Toshiba Excite 7 | 7 | 340 | 1,024x600 | 170 | 7 |
| Toshiba Excite Pro | 7.9 | 301 | 2,560x1,600 | 302 | 10 |
| Toshiba Excite Pure | 6.3 | 284 | 1,280x800 | 151 | 10 |
| Toshiba Excite Write | 8.8 | 335 | 2,560x1,600 | 302 | 10 |
How we test tablets
In the CNET Labs, we currently run two different tests to evaluate the performance of non-Windows tablets.
Battery life
We evaluate battery life by continually running a movie file on the tablet until its battery dies.
We set each tablet to Airplane mode and adjust its respective brightnesses to 150 candelas per square meter (cd/M2) or as close to that number as possible.
For the iPad, we run the iPad version of "Toy Story 3." On Android tablets, we run a 720p version of "Toy Story 3." The reason we chose 720p for Android was that not every tablet can run 1080p video just yet, and we wanted to make sure we tested Android tablets under the same methodology.
On the iPads, we ran the movie through the iPod app; for Android, we used the movie player apps mVideoPlayer or DicePlayer, as they provide a much-needed repeat video function that not all native Android movie players include.
*The Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet reflects continually streaming video through a wireless connection. The router was approximately five feet away with a full signal. We used the Netflix application to stream "Amadeus" and when the movie ended it was manually repeated, due to a lack of repeat video function available.
Contrast ratio and brightness
We also tested the maximum brightness, default brightness, and contrast ratio for each tablet. We conducted these tests using the Minolta CA-210 display color analyzer. With each screen at full luminosity, we placed the sensor in the middle of the screen. We used a completely white screen to test the brightness and a completely black screen to test the black level. We then divided the maximum brightness by the maximum black level to get the contrast ratio.