10 best tablet PCs in the world today

What's the best tablet for 2012? Today's latest tablets compared and rated - constantly updated

Tablets are taking the world by storm. Just a few years ago they were an unknown for many people, but nowadays you've got more choice than you can shake a mildly agitated badger at.

And with choice comes decisions - difficult decisions. Do you eschew Apple's high prices, join the Android brigade and find the best iPad alternative? Or do you give in to near-perfection and the get the new iPad?

Luckily we've made it easy for you and pulled together the top 10 tablets of the moment available in the UK. We'll keep this listing constantly updated as new players enter the market and the older ones fizzle out.

For those of you who are still new to the whole tablet game, let us fill you in on what one is:

In general terms, today's tablet computers sport touchscreens ranging in size from 7- up to 13-inches. These dimensions are by no means static, and boundaries can be blurred as smartphones get larger displays, a la the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

Physical keyboards are also a rarity, but there are the exceptions such as the Asus Transformer Prime and newer Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, which come with a keyboard dock for the tablets, but there's a new kid on the block in the form of the Microsoft Surface.

Apps

As with today's best smartphones, applications play a big role on tablets – once you've decided which of these tablets if right for you, check out our top app lists so you can get your fill of Temple Run, update your friends on Facebook and read the latest news, all on a bigger screen.

• Top 200 best Android apps
• Top 200 best iPad apps

If none of the top 10 tablets here take your fancy then head on over to our tablet reviews pages, where you'll find in-depth reviews for many more models.

Let us know your thoughts on the top 10 (and whether you think we've got the order wrong) in the comment box below.