Ergotron Neo Flex Desk Mount Tablet Arm

Product Information

It will sit on a desk, but probably makes more sense on a bed or on your lap or for use in bed. Sitting on the couch for a video call, the iBeani comes into its own. Of course, the 11-inch iPad Pro 2021 still thrives at the little things. Its bright and colorful display is sharp, its four speakers provide much larger sound than you might expect from such a thin device and. And if you're willing to pony up the cash its amazing (optional) Magic Keyboard offers the simplest and smoothest tablet typing experience there is. Microphone quality is also good, and I had no complaints from anyone listening to me in audio calls for example. The real let down comes in the form of audio quality, which is, frankly, abysmal. There's absolutely zero bass, and the tweeters we do have are tiny, tinny, and rattly. It's going to be fine for virtual work meetings but listening to music or watching a video is a total no go. You'll want to invest in some headphones for that. This is genuinely the weakest part of the device, but again, for the price, I don't think it's a showstopping issue. But this can be avoided! How? Well, it’s pretty simple, to be honest, just invest in a well-made, flexible arm mount for the convenient positioning and placement of your tablet.

Having said that, the availability of a wide range of options can make the selection process quite challenging. So, what should you do? First things first, breathe a sigh of relief! The pen feels nice in the hand and works well on screen. It supports tilt and pressure levels up to 4096, but I find the accuracy of the pen to be a touch off in that slowly drawing a straight line sometimes results in a slight zigzagging instead. Not a problem if you use the pen primarily for writing, but it might be an issue if you intend to use it for drawing. Windows has been supporting active pens for a very long time and that’s why even quite old traditional programs support one. Among these is Adobe Photoshop with which I edited a couple of photos just fine.

Apps that customize the Windows experience might have problems. This includes some input method editors (IMEs), assistive technologies, and cloud storage apps. The organization that develops the app determines whether their app will work on a Windows 10 ARM-based PC. Oh, and it's not just a notebook. Your documents sync to the cloud so you can read them on iPhones, iPads, PCs, Macs and Android. The reMarkable 2 also translates your handwriting to editable text, so you can share your notes with your whole team, or turn your draft ideas into a manuscript. And its two weeks of battery life means you can just leave it on your coffee table, for when inspiration strikes, rather than keep it plugged in all the time. We know that as a digital artist or working professional, you may not have the time needed to carry out extensive research. For this reason, we have shortlisted two top-notch options for you to consider.

Stability: If you’re using your tablet for activities other than reading and watching videos, make sure the stand is stable enough to withstand frequent tapping without wobbling. Once you deactivate the S Mode, you can install Google Chrome and Photoshop just like with any regular Windows PC. Well, almost. As I said, we’ve got an ARM chipset here and that means that many apps won’t run. Let’s get to the display. Even though it’s called Xiaomi Book S 12.4, the screen has a size of 12.35 inches according to the spec sheet. It’s a standard 60Hz screen which is 500 nits bright, just like the iPad Air. We get a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels so that texts and icons look very sharp. Unlike some of the stands that can wobble when you are controlling the screen with a hand, the Lamicall Tablet Stand is sturdy and rigid, although you can move it around the desk with ease. The speakers are fine for Netflix and YouTube. You can watch a couple of videos or even a movie just fine. But sure, the sound quality is not amazing and very far from an iPad Pro or so. The position of the speakers is not great because it’s on the lower end of the sides. That means when holding the tablet while watching something, you easily cover the speakers. Xiaomi Smart PenPorts include two USB-C and one Surface Connect port for fast charging. It also has an upgradable SSD, so if you ever need to swap out your drive for a new one, you can do just that without having to break open the entire device to do so. Battery life is pretty good, with usage lasting around 7-8 hours on a single charge. Thanks to the ARM processor, it consumes little power when you put it to sleep. So it should get you through a day just fine. I certainly cannot recommend it as a gaming tablet. It makes no sense to get an ARM-Windows device to play games with. Many cannot be installed but some are possible. I played a bit of Asphalt 9 and that runs well with medium graphics. But it’s not enjoyable at high graphics settings.

On the front, we get a webcam that you can use to record FullHD videos. The quality is fine, especially for video chats. Next to it sits a sensor for facial recognition which Xiaomi just like Apple calls Face ID. Together with Windows Hello, it works great. Below the keyboard sits a touchpad that’s big enough and works great. Multitouch gestures work fine. So, while the keyboard cover is not perfect, it’s a good one overall. Battery Life The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is virtually the same as the Microsoft Surface Pro 8. We don’t have a problem with iterative releases, but we hoped Microsoft would do something to make the latest edition of their flagship Windows 112-in-1 more appealing. Sadly, that isn’t the case. Featuring an incredible 120Hz, 2880 x 1920 3:2 display, 12th Gen U-series Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, up to 32GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD, you can't go wrong with the Surface Pro 9 for photo editing and more, which features the same great design as found on the Surface Pro 9 5G, but with more color choices and power under the hood. If you're a writer who loves pen and paper, you know that the iPad and its Apple Pencil don't really feel right. That's where the reMarkable tablets have jumped into the fray, offering a real-feeling writing experience, with a unique screen technology that uses digital paper and the Marker stylus, which feels more authentic when you press its nib against the screen. The reMarkable 2, however, is a much more seductive device, now measuring a sleek 0.2 inches and ditching its plastic frame for a sleeker metallic chassis.

DTU-1141B Interactive Pen Display

Speaking of Bluetooth, the keyboard cover can also connect to the tablet via Bluetooth for use when detached from the device. This is a lovely addition that I didn’t think was necessary until I actually used it. Now I find myself using it all the time, detaching the tablet and placing it in front of me on the couch, while keeping the keyboard on my lap. It’s sometimes more comfortable! In real world usage, it gets much longer battery life. Because Windows on ARM is so energy efficient, when the device is put to sleep it simply sips on power. So, you can spend longer away from the charger, excellent if you've got a long 8-hour workday that doesn't require you to constantly be on your device. Overall, it’s a very good display. It’s fully laminated, the touchscreen reacts well, it’s bright, and I was able to work with it outside comfortably. Sure, a 120Hz screen would be better than 60Hz, but the only Windows tablet that supports 120Hz is the Surface Pro 8 at the moment. If the apps you use aren't 64-bit only, then you shouldn't rule out the Surface Pro X. The tablet's SQ1 chip gives it built-in LTE connectivity and should enable long battery life. We'll have to wait for a review unit to see how Microsoft's performance claims hold up. If it can go toe-to-toe with Intel's latest 10th Gen CPUs, then the Surface Pro X might be the best Windows tablet for most people. If it can't, then it doesn't really matter which apps the Surface Pro X can run if it doesn't have the performance to do so in the first place. The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 isn't a bad or worthless machine. It's powerful enough to handle everyday computing tasks, has a decent screen for watching videos and is lightweight enough to comfortably take wherever you go. It may not redefine the 2-in-1, but if you want something that's suitable as a laptop or tablet, this machine gets the job done.

I think for most the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is the better choice. It has a premium build, works with an active pen too, has a better 120Hz screen, and supports a fantastic keyboard cover. Here we do get a normal Intel chipset with normal Windows 11 that also runs old Windows apps. By the way, I think the Surface Pro X is not a great choice for most just like the Xiaomi Book.

Features and considerations

Moving onto the cameras, we have a rear 13MP shooter with support for auto-focus and can shoot video in 4K. It looks great and is more than enough for filming meetings or lectures. The front facing camera is a less good 5MP shooter with 1080p video capabilities. It's fine, but it's not winning any rewards. The best thing about the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is its design. It's an excellent looking tablet, with a crisp 3K 13-inch touchscreen display panel that also supports pen, and a high-quality metal chassis that's cold to the touch. The pen magnetically attaches to the side of the device when not in use, and there's also two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports. Xiaomi’s Smart Pen works very well. I was able to write handwritten notes in Microsoft OneNote without any issues and annotating PDFs in Drawboard PDF works great too. Windows 11 has many features for pens built-in and they all work as they should. By the way, there is one big advantage that all Windows tablets including this one have compared to Android devices. Since updates are delivered by Microsoft and not by the manufacturer, every Windows tablet usually will be much longer up-to-date with software than any Android device is. That was always an advantage of Windows that I should point out more. Keyboard Cover So, with this, we conclude our list of the best tablet arms! But were you able to find the option that best meets your requirements? Well, we understand that making a choice may still not be as simple as it sounds.