I hope Apple enjoyed there brief months of market exclusivity with the iPad, because the competition is starting to heat up. Major computer manufacturers ASUS and HP as well as smartphone giants like BlackBerry and Motorola have all announced specs for their entries into the tablet segment, so I thought I'd put together a seven-way shootout to see how all the 2011 offerings stack up–at least on paper.
| iPad 2 | Samsung Galaxy 10 | BlackBerry PlayBook | Motorola XOOM | HP TouchPad | LG Optimus Pad | ASUS Eee Pad Transformer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Network | AT&T, Verizon, WiFi-only | GSM, HSDPA | Sprint WiMax, LTE, HSPA+, WiFi-Only | Verizon | GSM | T-Mobile | Unknown |
| OS | iOS 4.3 | Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) | BlackBerry Tablet OS | Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) | webOS 3.0 | Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) | Android 3.0 |
| Screen size | 9.7" IPS LED 1024×768 | 10.1" 1280×800 | 7" LCD 1024×600 | 10.1" 1280×800 | 9.7" 1024×768 | 8.9" 1280×768 | 10.1" 1280×800 IPS |
| Processor | Apple A5 Dual-Core 1GHz | NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual-Core 1GHz | ARM Cortex A9 Dual-Core 1GHz | NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual-Core 1GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon Dual-Core 1.2GHz | NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual-Core 1GHz | NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual-Core 1GHz |
| Memory | Unknown | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB | Unknown | Unknown |
| Storage | 16/32/64GB non-expandable | 16/32GB non-expandable | 16/32/64GB non-expandable | 32GB, expandable via microSD | 16/32GB, non-expandable | 32GB | Up to 64GB, expandable via SD |
| Cameras | 720p rear; VGA front | 8MP rear; 2MP front | 5MP rear, 3MP front | 5MP rear, 2MP front | No rear, 1.3MP front | Dual 5MP rear; 2MP front | 5MP rear; 1.2MP front |
| Video recording | 720p at 30FPS | 1080p at 30FPS | 1080p | 720p at 30FPS | Unknown | 1080p 3D | Unknown |
| Adobe Flash | Never | At launch | At launch | Eventually | At launch | Eventually | Unknown |
| Bluetooth | 2.1 + EDR | 2.1 + EDR | 2.1 + EDR | 2.1 + EDR | 2.1 + EDR | 2.1 + EDR | 2.1 + EDR |
| WiFi | 802.11b/g/n WiFi | 802.11b/g/n WiFi | 802.11b/g/n WiFi | 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi | 802.11b/g/n WiFi | 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi | 802.11b/g/n WiFi |
| GPS | aGPS (3G versions only) | aGPS | aGPS | aGPS | aGPS (3G version only) | aGPS | aGPS |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, light | Accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, light | Accelerometer | Accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, light, barometer | Accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, light | Accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, light | Accelerometer |
| Video out | 1080p HDMI, VGA, comoponent, composite (all require adapters) | HDMI | HDMI | HDMI | None | HDMI | HDMI |
| Battery | 25 watt-hour | 6860mAh | 5300mAh | 6500mAh | 6300mAh | 6400mAh | 8 hours, 16 hours with dock |
| Size | 9.5×7.3×0.34 inches | Unspecified | 5.1×7.6×0.4 inch | 9.8×6.6×0.5 inch | 9.4×7.5×0.54 inch | 9.6×5.9×0.5" | Unknown |
| Weight | 1.33lb | 1.32lb | 0.9lb | 1.6lb | 1.6lb | 1.38lb | Unknown |
| Availability | 3/11/2011 | Unknown | Spring 2011 | Now | Summer 2011 | Spring 2011 | Summer 2011 |
| Price | WiFi $499/599/699 3G $629/729/829 | Unkown | $599 | $799 | Unknown | $799 | $399 – $699 |
Some things of note:
Samsung has recently announced that they feel, in short, threatened by the iPad 2's price. The $900 off-contract price of the Galaxy 7 tablet was a major factor in driving potential customers away and toward the original iPad; the Galaxy 10 will more than likely be priced more competitively.
The Eee Pad Transformer has an optional laptop-style dock, similar to the Motorola Atrix 4g's dock (but better implemented, as the tablet becomes the entire screen). Docking the tablet provides a keyboard and a 100% increase in maximum battery life (up from 8hr to 16hr). You can watch a video here.
The HP TouchPad has several interesting features, on which I elaborated a bit more in this article. In short, it's got inductive charging, connect-by-touch with phones.
The LG Optimus does indeed have a pair of 5MP cameras mounted on the back a few inches apart, allowing it to capture stereoscopic 3D video. No word on whether the screen is going to require glasses or if it's going to be autostereoscopic like Nintendo's 3DS
Images can be found at the following sites:
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