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 jump on board Cupertino's lovetrain, and use one of the most popular tablets on the planet?

Remember - the iPad 2 is nearly available to buy, as is the new iPad Mini 3(or iPad Mini with Retina 2, if you're getting really picky) so perhaps hold off that new tablet purchase for the next few weeks to check out what's on offer - or if the new Apple slates will force the cost of Android options down.

And for the budget conscious: the Tesco

We've made it easy for you and pulled together the top 10 tablets of the moment available in the UK.

It's a difficult process divining which place each of these excellent tablets should occupy in our list, so we take into account multiple elements including performance, battery life, screen quality and more.

Price plays a minor part, as does age: a tablet that's been replaced by a sequel will tumble down the rankings as you can get all the great features on a better slate.

If none of the top 10 tablets here take your fancy then head on over to ourtablet 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.

Apple's former CEO Steve Jobs famously slammed small tablets a few years back, leading many to believe the Cupertino-based firm would never dabble in the budget end of the market, but this model proved that wrong.

In terms of consistency in the tablet market Apple cannot be matched, as it still lays claim to the the top spot in our top 10, although the iPad mini is no longer the jewel in an already glistening crown - it's already been usurped by the upgraded Google Nexus 7 and its successor.

However, the new iPad mini 3 is nearly here. Don't buy this one now - it will probably go off sale really soon. If you must have it, the price will drop quickly at other retailers if you wait.

Leaner, meaner and more powerful than its predecessor, Amazon has stepped its game up with the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 as it looks to keep pace with the new Nexus 7.

On paper Amazon's latest 7-inch tablet is more than up to the job with a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, full HD display, up to 64GB of storage and prices starting at £200.

In reality however it's not the complete offering the Nexus 7 is, with Amazon's heavily modified Fire OS 3.0 stripping out a lot of the functionality of Android and putting the retailer's services front and centre.

Well, when you make an Android tablet with a design language like this one, perhaps it's time to quietly worry at Samsung. In place of plastic, it's got a lovely aluminium shell, and connectivity with other Android phones makes it a viable option for a wider range of users.

Some might question whether the Snapdragon 600 chip is too low-power for a tablet that costs around £200, but it allows for a sleeker design according to the Korean brand.

Never one to leave a tablet niche unexplored, Samsung pushed screen sizes up to new heights with the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2.

Thankfully that's not all it has going for it, as the Note Pro 12.2's 3GB of RAM and quad-core processor give it superior performance, while the S Pen becomes truly useful in combination with the slates large, bright screen.

It's an obvious choice for digital artists or anyone else who wants a device they can be productive on, but the bigger screen makes it great just for web browsing and watching videos too.

On the flip side the increased size makes it a little unwieldy and the build quality is a touch creaky thanks to the larger chassis, but is offset by the sheer expanse of screen to play with.

The first Hudl was good - but this is a much better option.

The Intel Atom processor, the quad core speeds, the Full HD screen and the general interface is really something to behold.

The price tag is the best thing though: the Hudl 2 will cost no more than £129, and if you're a Tesco Clubcard holder it can be much, much cheaper.

OK, it's a bit slow to wake and the battery is suspect, but for the price you're getting something we'd be happy to recommend you buy for a loved one this Christmas.

The new Nexus 7 takes over from the original 7-inch effort from Google in 2012, and packs a 1.5Ghz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and comes with either 16GB or 32GB of storage

Offered up at just 260g, it's the perfect tablet for slinging in a bag and hurtling down to the local supermarket, or is equally adept at being a long-haul saviour, with reams of apps, a decent slug of battery life and that all-new high-res 7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 display with 323 ppi.

It's a little more expensive than the previous model was at launch, with prices beginning at £199 for the 16GB option and £239 for the 32GB variant - and it's worth remembering that the OS takes a portion of that storage too, to allow for Android 4.4 KitKat to thrive. Plus there's a 4G option.

But it has some top end features, a low-risk update policy and is built in a way that makes it feel both premium and robust enough to chuck around the house. That's a good mix in our eyes.

Look at that - Apple's taken the two of the top five spots in our tablet round up. You'll either love or hate that decision, but we can't deny that Apple has the best slates on the market right now.

The iPad Air is ahead of the Mini 2, thanks to being more competitive on price and having a larger screen for all those iPad-friendly apps.

But this is far from a poor device. It's got reams of style from the aluminium back, a superfast A7 chip and that screen... well, it's what we should have had last year, but it still looks the business.

Don't forget that this model is about to be usurped by a new iPad Mini 3 - best to wait until that lands on shelves before deciding to buy.

Sony's done it again in the tablet world, making an amazing large-screened device, and while it hasn't nabbed the top spot, it's still given us a jolly good tablet.

The Xperia Z2 Tablet - so named to tie in more neatly with the phone version - brings a massively uprated Snapdragon 801 CPU, 3GB of RAM and an all-new Live Color LED screen that brings vibrancy and contrast to what you're watching.

Video is also improved thanks to the dual front-facing speakers, meaning you can ditch the headphones when watching in a hotel room and still get a decent experience.

Like its predecessor it's also water and dust resistant, so kitchen-based misdemeanours and reading an ebook in the bath are all on offer for you.

Samsung has been pouring a lot of effort into making a really decent iPad rival, and that strategy has seen some hare-brained decisions (such as launching the Tab Pro in January, and then replacing it a few months later with the Galaxy Tab S).

But, apart from annoying anyone that's already bought into the Tab Pro range, this strategy has finally yielded a brilliant tablet in the shape of this Super AMOLED-shorn Tab S duo. Available in both 8.4- and 10.5-inch screen sizes, Samsung has taken the best of its OS and technology ability, fused them with the best display on a tablet and created something pretty special.

The battery life is great, the screen has to be seen to be believed (and is excellent for media and internet viewing, which is really the point of a tablet) and the price is on a par with the rest of the industry. Well done, Samsung.