Motorola

Moto X

$199 (on contract)

Pros

  • Long battery life
  • Useful Active Display notification previews
  • Easy to activate Quick Capture mode
  • Smooth overall performance

Cons

  • Moto Maker restricted to AT&T;
  • On-contract pricing should be lower

Bottom Line

The Moto X hits a sweet spot with its user-friendly, always-on software features. At $199, though, it's priced a bit too high for a mid-range phone.

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0

$300

Pros

  • Crisp, bright display
  • Slim design
  • Runs Android 4.2

Cons

  • Glitchy performance
  • Unremarkable compared to competitors

Bottom Line

The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 features a nice display and a slim design, but it's otherwise a forgettable device.

NVIDIA

NVIDIA Shield

$300

Pros

  • Fast and powerful
  • Gorgeous screen
  • Excellent media player
  • Impressive battery life

Cons

  • Heavy, not very portable
  • Gamepad needs work, thumbsticks too low

Bottom Line

The Shield is a pleasant surprise and quite an impressive device. It's not the portable console you're looking for, but it's also so much more than that.

HTC

HTC One mini

£380 (unlocked)

Pros

  • Stylish, solid design
  • Sharp, well-performing 4.3-inch display
  • Great camera
  • Impressive loudspeaker audio quality

Cons

  • Disappointing battery life
  • A few features dropped from the original One

Bottom Line

The One mini proves that mid-range phones don't have to embarrass, with a capable camera, high-quality screen and a design that mostly stays faithful to the original One.

ASUS

ASUS MeMo Pad HD 7

$150

Pros

  • Colorful display
  • Long battery life
  • Inexpensive

Cons

  • Lackluster performance, especially in gaming
  • Mediocre cameras

Bottom Line

ASUS' MeMo Pad HD 7 isn't the fastest tablet, but its quality display, battery and software raise it above other budget tablets.

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1

$399

Pros

  • Lightweight, easy to hold
  • Built-in IR blaster useful for TV viewing

Cons

  • Poor display for the price
  • Cheap construction, unappealing design
  • Uneven performance
  • Big drop in battery life from the previous-gen model

Bottom Line

The refreshed Galaxy Tab 10.1 is stuck in the past. Its specs, mostly unchanged from last year's model, make this a forgettable product. At this price, you're better off looking elsewhere.

Google

Google Chromecast

$35

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Simple and easy to set up
  • App implementation is slick and easy to use

Cons

  • Limited app support for now
  • Chrome browser casting is a less-than-ideal UX and requires fairly new computer hardware to stream in HD

Bottom Line

Chromecast is an easy way to stream internet video to your TV from almost any source. With a price of just $35 it's a bona fide steal.

Google

Nexus 7 (2013)

$229+

Pros

  • Beautiful 1080p display
  • Improved performance
  • Incredibly loud sound
  • Wireless charging

Cons

  • Weirdly proportioned bezels
  • Battery life not as long as the original Nexus 7's

Bottom Line

The Nexus 7 is definitely the best bang for your buck, and is still affordable enough for most budget-savvy shoppers.

Hisense

Hisense Sero 7 Pro

$150

Pros

  • Nice design for the price
  • Inexpensive
  • Decent display

Cons

  • Doesn't play nice with all headphones
  • Unclear when or if a software update is coming

Bottom Line

Hisense's first Android tablet almost pulls even with the competition, thanks to a stellar display and decent specs, but it's not without flaws.

Leap Motion

Leap Motion controller

$80

Pros

  • Fine-tuned motion control for up to 10 fingers at once
  • Simple, space-efficient hardware
  • Well-designed app portal

Cons

  • Limited selection of useful apps
  • Not yet a valid alternative to a mouse or touchscreen
  • A wireless connection would be nice

Bottom Line

The Leap Motion controller is well-constructed and relatively inexpensive. However, it's more a novelty than a tool -- best served as a means for entertainment, not productivity.

Nokia

Nokia Lumia 1020

$300 (on contract)

Pros

  • Best-in-class imaging experience
  • Good battery life
  • Smooth performance
  • Solid build quality and materials
  • Beautiful display

Cons

  • Awkward and slightly uncomfortable to hold
  • Has a few bugs

Bottom Line

The Lumia 1020 is the best Windows Phone we've used so far and offers the best camera in the industry, though it's a little difficult to hold comfortably.

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini

$520

Pros

  • Solid camera with great video recording
  • Overall performance is decent for a mid-range phone
  • Easy and comfortable to hold

Cons

  • Display could be better
  • Priced too high for intended audience
  • Limited internal storage

Bottom Line

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is a solid mid-range device, but you can buy similar phones for less -- or better ones for not much more.

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom

TBD

Pros

  • Compact design
  • Full smartphone functionality

Cons

  • Poor battery life
  • Mediocre image quality
  • Sluggish and inconsistent performance
  • Limited camera control in third-party apps

Bottom Line

Samsung's GS4 Zoom may be a slight improvement over the Galaxy Camera, but it's still not very good.

Acer

Acer Iconia W3

$380+

Pros

  • Reasonably priced
  • Microsoft Office included
  • Long battery life
  • For now, the only 8-inch Windows 8 tablet

Cons

  • Washed-out screen with poor viewing angles

Bottom Line

In addition to its portable, easy-to-hold form factor, the W3's long battery life and reasonable price make it a great value among Windows tablets.

BlackBerry

BlackBerry Q5

£320

Pros

  • Long battery life
  • Excellent backlight

Cons

  • Uncomfortable keyboard
  • Small, 3.1-inch display
  • Slow performance
  • Expensive for what it is

Bottom Line

BlackBerry has resurrected the Curve range with a decent mid-range device. It’s just a shame the designers scrimped on the keyboard.