Nvidia Shield Tablet returns as the K1, with 4K video output and a rock bottom price
The Nvidia Shield Tablet K1 is a tweaked version of the original, with a few new features and a significant price cut
Nvidia has officially announced the Shield Tablet K1, an updated version of last year’s ‘gaming-grade’ Android tablet that promises to fix the battery overheating issues that plagued the original model. It’s also going to launch with a much lower price: £150 here in the UK.
The Shield Tablet K1 retains the 2.2GHz quad-core Tegra K1 processor and 2GB of RAM from the original model, which should help it stay faster than almost every competing device. According to Nvidia, it is faster than the iPad Mini 4 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 in a range of the most popular benchmarks, including Basemark OS II, AnTuTu, Basemark X 1.1 and GFXBench 3 Manhattan.
The 5-megapixel front and rear cameras return too, but Nvidia has made a few changes to reach that all-important lower price. The 32GB and 3G mobile broadband models are gone, replaced with a single 16GB, Wi-Fi only device. There’s still an SD card reader for adding extra capacity, at least, up to 128GB. The Stylus is optional now, rather than bundled in the box, so creatives will have to pay extra (or supply their own stylus).
There are a few positive changes, too. The Wi-Fi adaptor has been upgraded to 2×2 MIMO 802.11ac, which should allow for smoother streaming over the internet through GeForce Now or from a local PC using ShadowPlay, and the mini HDMI video output now supports up to 4K resolutions. The grilles covering the front-facing speakers are now made from soft silicone, and the back has a soft-touch finish that should add a bit of extra grip.
The original Shield Tablet was excellent value, so the price drop could make it even more desirable – even with the changes Nvidia has made to reach that price. It will be available on November the 17th, with an over the air update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow expected by Christmas. Customers will get three free months of GeForce Now game streaming with their purchase, which can be shared with a Shield Android TV set-top box if you have one.