Android tablets are numerous but few have managed to come close enough to Apple's iPad 2 to provide a real challenge. We are comparing the upcoming Xoom 2 from Motorola and iPad2.
Will the iPad 2 win the day, or will it be yet another contender steam-rollered by the Xoom 2 seemingly limitless charm and good looks?
The Design
Tie: Apple iPad 2 : 241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8 mm, 607g
Tie: Motorola Xoom 2 : 253.9 x 173.6 x 8.8mm, 599g
The devices arent so different in term of the physical design. They are both slim, relatively light and admirably crafted, although Motorola is slightly lighter.
The Xoom 2, has a nicely rounded off corners and slim bevel certainly looks as if someone with an artistic eye has had a hand in its design, and the improvements over the previous model are easy to see.
The iPad 2 is also lovely, and as with all Apple products you can see a lot of thought has gone into the aesthetic of the device.
Its a Tie
Engine Room
1st :Motorola Xoom 2: 1.2GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU
2nd : iPad 2 : 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU
Motorola's Xoom 2 is powered by a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU clocked at 1.2GHz and also benefits from a ULP GeForce GPU, making it a peach for playing games and enjoying other visual content. While the iPad 2 runs on a dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, making it a slightly slower than the Xoom 2. The device's PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU is perfectly fast and capable though, making gaming a fast, fun experience on the device.
With 1GB RAM in Xoom 2 while only 512MB RAM the iPad 2 falls short of what we've come to expect from a top-level mobile device. iOS 5 uses what it has very efficiently though, so it needn't be a huge drawback.
Winner - Motorola Xoom 2
Camera
1st :Motorola Xoom 2: 5MP rear, with LED flash, geo-tagging,720P, 1.3-MP front
2nd : iPad 2 : 0.7MP rear, 720p
iPad 2 features a 0.7-megapixel primary camera which is, honestly this is a massive let down. Performance is weak even in ideal conditions and we'd really hoped to see more from Apple, especially after it gave us all such a treat with the iPhone 4 camera. The device does capture video at 720P though, and the quality is pleasingly good. The secondary camera, a VGA, isn't hugely powerful, though it serves its purpose well enough.
On the Motorola Xoom 2 comes with a 5-megapixel primary camera, with LED flash, geo-tagging and 720P video capture and a secondary 1.3-megapixel offering for video chatting and the like.
Winner - Motorola Xoom 2
Software
1st : iPad 2 : iOS5
2nd :Motorola Xoom 2: Android 3.2
The user-interface is amazingly simple to use in iPad 2, but powerful and highly functional nonetheless, and the amount of apps on offer in the Apple App Store is huge, with over 4000 designed specifically for the iPad 2 and its older sibling.
While the Xoom 2 runs version 3.2 of Android, which has been specifically designed by Google with tablets in mind. The platform is fast, fun to use and offers plenty of customisation potential, as well as flash browsing - which is more than can be said for the iPad 2!
Both operating systems have their own virtues. Android is much more open than Apple's software; which is a boon to advanced users, while iOS is much more polished and slick. Overall Apple's software is the more pleasing to use though, which is what counts.
The Display
Tie : iPad 2 : 9.7-inch, 768 x 1024, 132PPI.
Tie :Motorola Xoom 2: 8.2-inches, Gorilla Glass, 1280 x 800 resolution, 184 ppi
The iPad 2 features a high quality 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT display which operates at a resolution of 768 x 1024 and has a pixel density of 132PPI.
While the Xoom 2's screen is decent, but doesn't really offer anything new or special.It's responsive, hard-wearing and does the job but when compared the iPad 2 does appear a little flat and cold.
Conclusion
Tie : iPad 2
Tie :Motorola Xoom 2
According to the review both of these tablets have a lot to offear. The iPad 2 is exceptionally easy to use and benefits from Apple's huge app library, while the Xoom 2 is more powerful and has by far the more pleasing photographic capabilities.
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