Motorola's partnership with Google (and use of the 3.0 version of its mobile operating system, Honeycomb), has made that assumed inevitability a very serious reality. There can be little question that the Xoom is certainly a contender for the hearts and minds of potential tablet buyers in the market.
iPad2 looks very similar to the previous model, the screen is the same 9.7in, 1,024 x 768 IPS unit as before, and even where significant new features have been added (the cameras, for instance), there’s plenty of room for improvement. It’s the Apple iPad 2 vs Motorola Xoom.
The Design
1st: Apple Pad 2 : 241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8mm, 613g
- 2nd: Motorola Xoom : 249.1 x 167.8 x 12.9mm, 730g
Most people care bout “how thin is it?” and “how heavy is it?” iPad 2 is thinner and lighter compare to Motorola. iPad2 is 33 per cent thinner than the original iPad and skinnier even than the iPhone 4, the iPad 2 is just 8.8mm in profile and only 613g in weight.
Display
1st: Motorola Xoom: 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800px, LCD with IPS
- 2nd: iPad 2 :9.7-inch, 1024 x 768px, LCD with IPS
Although iPad 2 is slimmer and lighter than Xoom but, with no change to the viewing surface and those Retina Display hopes dashed against the rocks, the screen to watch definitely belongs to the Xoom.
Large 10-inc display is one of the most popular aspect of Motorola. The LCD screen has IPS which means that you get a decent viewing angle, which is the same as iPad 2 - One of the advantage the Xoom has over iPad2 is its relatively high 1280 x 800px resolution, as well as a proper 16:9 aspect ratio for widescreen video viewing rather than the slightly awkward size that Apple presents.
Engine Room
Tie: Apple iPad 2 : Apple A5 chip, 1GHz dual-core CPU
- Tie: Motorola Xoom: Tegra 2, 1GHz dual-core CPU
iPad2 has been given a huge boost with the inclusion of Apple's new A5 chip, compare to model's A4 chipset in iPad. It's a dual-core processor which means that it measures up to the Xoom's Nvidia Tegra 2 in terms of power and, indeed, they’re both based on the architecture of the ARM Cortex-A9 family. Both Tablet have the same processor speed.
Storage
1st: Motorola Xoom: 32GB + SD
- 2nd: Apple iPad 2 :16GB, 32GB or 64GB flash
the disadvantage iPad 2 has over other tablet in this category is lack of micro SD slot which offer expandable storage, this seems to be common on Apple devices. You can choose from 16, 32 or 64GB while the Xoom is only offered as a 32GB model, but this is upgradable by SD card, which it will give you the equivalent maximum storage to the iPad 2 but with it the slight edge with the flexibility that you can swap cards in and out.
Battery
Tie: Apple iPad 2 : Up to 10 hour video playback
- Tie: Motorola Xoom : Up to 10 hour video playback
Both devices has up to 10 hours playback.
Software
1st: Motorola Xoom : Android 3.0 Honeycomb
- 2nd: Apple iPad 2 : iOS 5
Apple release iOS 5 now and is available to iPad 2, looks good, there is no doubt. In fairness, even Google’s Android 3.0 looks pretty smashing as well. The Honeycomb offers a full browsing experience while the iPad 2 will give you everything except Adobe Flash (which is the big let down of Apple devices) which is a bit of a bummer because it’s still an important enough web tool to miss.
Connectivity
1st: Motorola Xoom : 3/4G, Wi-Fi, USB, SD, HDMI and more
- 2nd: iPad 2 :3G, Wi-Fi, HDMI, BT
Motorola has 4G which is good if your in the US but the rest of the world it wouldnt make any difference, iPad 2 does not have 4G support and on top of that iPad2 is missing USB ports and SD cards.
Imaging
1st: Motorola Xoom : 5MP rear, 2MP front, 720p video
- 2nd: iPad 2 : VGA front, 720p video rear
iPad2 with only VGA front camera is not as good as 2MP on Motorola, iPad 2 does not have LED flash like the one available on the Motorola Xoom. So, even if the iPad 2 can compete with the 5MP front and 2MP rear, it’s still going to lose out in the imaging department
Price
1st: Motorola Xoom : £326.99 (32GB, Wi-Fi only)
- 2nd: Apple iPad 2 : £479.99 (64GB, Wi-Fi only)
Motorola Xoom is cheaper than iPad2
Conclusions
- Tie: Apple iPad 2
- Tie: Motorola Xoom
According to our analysis its is close tie. If you like the brand 'Apple' then iPad 2 is the one to go for, but if you dont care about the brand you want the value for your money then Xoom is one for you.
Share this post
