It's clobberin' time!
With the tablet wars heating up, the playing field has been pretty much reduced to the "fantastic four" as far as operating systems go. That would be Apple's iOS, Google's Android, BlackBerry's BlackBerry Tablet OS and HP/Palm's webOS.
Is the market big enough for four distinct tablet operating systems? As always, consumers will ultimately be the judge of that. To help you compare the various tablets, we've put together a side-by-side comparison of several of the touchy-feely competitors.
To see the chart, just keep scrolling down on this page. This tablet comparison will be updated as new devices hit the market and was last updated on March 16, 2011. For tips on picking a tablet, check out our Tablet Buying Guide.
UPDATE: Apple just made its big announcement so the Tablet Comparison chart has now been updated with some extra iPad 2 goodness. That would be the second-generation iPad, which has now officially galloped away from the unicorn stables.
Tablets on the list so far include the following:
- First-generation iPad
- iPad 2
- BlackBerry PlayBook
- HP TouchPad
- Motorola Xoom
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
| TABLE 1 | OS | Processor | Dimensions (inches) | Weight (pounds) | Display | Resolution | Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPad 2 | iOS | 1GHz dual core |
9.5x7.31x0.34 | 1.33 | 9.7 inches | 1024x768 | 512MB RAM, 16GB-64GB internal |
| Apple iPad | iOS | 1GHz | 9.56x7.47x0.5 | 1.5-1.6 | 9.7 inches | 1024x768 | 256MB RAM, 16GB-64GB internal |
| BlackBerry PlayBook | BlackBerry Tablet | 1GHz dual-core | 7.6x5.1x0.4 | 0.9 | 7 inches | 1024x600 | 1GB RAM, 16GB-64GB internal |
| HP Touchpad | webOS | 1.2 GHz dual-core | 9.45x7.48x0.54 | 1.6 | 9.7 inches | 1024x768 | 512MB RAM, 16-32GB internal |
| Motorola Xoom | Android Honeycomb | 1GHz dual-core | 9.8x6.6x0.5 | 1.6 | 10.1 inches | 1280x800 | 1GB RAM, 32GB internal, SD card support |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 | Android Honeycomb | 1GHz dual core |
10.1x6.9x0.338 | 1.25 | 10.1 inches | 1280x800 | 1GB RAM, 16GB-32GB internal, *64GB |
| TABLE 2 |
Rear camera | Front camera | Video | Audio | Wireless | Connectors | Battery Life | Other specs | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPad 2 | Yes | Yes | Up to 1080p output | AAC, MP3, WAV, etc. | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G* | Apple port, 3.5mm headphone | Up to 10 hours | Accelerometer, gyro, mic, light sensor | $499-$829 |
| Apple iPad | None | None | Up to 720p playback | AAC, MP3, WAV, etc. | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G* | Apple port, 3.5mm headphone | Up to 10 hours (tested 7 hours for gaming) | Accelerometer, mic, light sensor | $499-$829 |
| BlackBerry PlayBook | 5 MP | 3 MP | 1080p capture, playback | AAC, MP3, WMA | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G-4G* | HDMI, microHDMI, microUSB | 4 to 6 hours | Adobe Flash, AIR, Java, etc. | $499-$699 |
| HP Touchpad | None | 1.3MP | TBA | AAC, MP3, WAV, etc. | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | MicroUSB, 3.5mm headphone | TBA | Accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, light sensor | $100-$150* |
| Motorola Xoom | 5MP dual-LED flash | 2MP | 720p capture, 1080p playback | AAC, MP3, AMR, etc. | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, *3G&4G model available |
MicroUSB, MicroHDMI, 3.5mm headphone; MicroSD card slot | Up to 10 hours (tested 5 hours for gaming) | Accelerometer, gyroscope, mic, compass, barometer, etc. | $800, $600 w/ contract for 3G/4G model; $599 for Wi-Fi-only model |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 | 3MP | 2MP | 720p capture, 1080p playback | AAC, MP3, WMA, etc. | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth; 3G coming | Samsung port, 3.5mm headphone, SIM | Up to 9 hours | Accelerometer, gyro, mic, light sensor, compass | $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB |
Comments
Interesting! I hope that everyone’s Sunday was great and I hope that they are having a great Presidents’ Day and I hope that they have a great George Washington’s birthday! I also hope that they have a great weekend,like the other weekends that have occurred.
This is either not accurate or not updated. Xoom’s even got 4g yet even 3g wasn’t mentioned. Why was apple’s camera reso weren’t specified? Xoom’s got HDMI, it didn’t say here. Ipad2’s RAM? Misleading comparison.
@noel
This chart was first posted before details of the Xoom were official and I just haven’t had a chance to update it because of all the other articles and reviews I’m working on. I’m actually reviewing a Xoom right now (and I like it a lot) so I’ll be adding the updated features soon. As for the iPad 2 RAM, Apple has not officially released it (as with the first iPad) so I’m just waiting for a legitimate source to do a tear down.
I was reading the 2011 holiday tablet shopping guide, which by the way is very biased. At the bottom was a link to tablet buying guide, again very biased (dated start of year). That article then linked to this chart. The only true advantage given the Android is Flash.
A mentioned by the above comment, Android has the HDMI port. But how about the other advantages the Android has over the Apple. More operating memory for one. Yes it’s in the chart, but many buyers won’t understand the advantage of that. USB ports in most Androids, versus how many in the Apple, zero? There is more but that should be your job.
This chart was made in March, so it’s old, but again, most people will not notice that. They will think it is current. Being linked to a holiday review is unprofessional. The links should be removed or the article and chart updated to reflect current offerings and show the real advantages of each.
The Android phone outsells the iPhone for a reason, I feel the Android tablet will surpass the Apple soon. But with misleading reviews like this, your readers are being mislead into thinking the ipad has an unfair advantage.
@Sam
I’m not aware of this “Holiday Tablet Guide” you mention but I did write the “Tablet Buying Guide” that compares operating systems and that article indicated a heck of a lot more advantages to Android than just being able to play Flash. I should know because my phone is Android and I also use an Android tablet. Also, since the tablet buying guide I wrote is based on operating systems, it does not make direct comparisons of actual tablets so it does not touch on features like memory, USB and HDMI. But if you read my review of the iPad 1 and 2, then you’ll see that having no USB connector is one thing I harp on about the iPad. I also rated the Xoom and Galaxy Tab 10.1 high (I gave both the same 4-star rating I did the iPad) so your claims of bias, at least for the articles I wrote, are unfounded. But thank you for the comment nonetheless.