Cameras
If you want to take pictures or hold video chats, you'll want a camera (or two) on the tablet. We'll discuss the specifics of cameras in a later chapter, but here are a few things to examine as you make purchasing choices.
Most tablets have one camera, but some have two or even three. The camera on the back of the tablet is for taking pictures, and the camera on the front is for video chat. In some cases, there might be two cameras on the back to take 3D photos and video images.
Be sure to look at the camera pixel resolution. Most cameras list their resolution in units of megapixels. A megapixel is a unit of one million pixels.
NOTE: A general rule of thumb is that the more megapixels, the better the camera, though this is not always true. If your camera has lousy optics, each extra megapixel could just represent one million more blurry pixels. Test the quality of pictures in the store before you buy instead of relying on the stats on the side of the box.
In general, you'll want to look at tablets with at least 5 megapixel cameras on the back. If you want 3D pictures or video, look for a tablet with two cameras. It's much harder to fake 3D after you've already taken a picture, so it's important to get a tablet that offers the feature out of the box.
The front camera can be smaller since you're only using it for video chat. In this case, .3 to 1.5 megapixel cameras will do just fine. The back camera(s) should have a flash. Some tablets may even have a single camera that you swivel around from front to back, in which case you should look for a 5 megapixel camera.
You should also check out the quality of video capture. Most tablets with 5 megapixel cameras are capable of high-definition video capture, even if the tablet isn't capable of playing the video back at full resolution.
If photos are totally unimportant, you might be able to find a lower cost option with a poorer quality camera; however, you should look for tablets that have some sort of camera, even if you don't think you'll need one. You may want to try an augmented reality app or take a quick picture to use for contact icons, and you can't add a camera later.