This is Sony’s best Android tablet ever, but it is a lower
value in comparison with rivals.
The water-proof Sony Xperia S was removed from the shelf due
to a problem with the water-proof polish. It is now available again but will it
bring Sony good market shares?
Sony Xperia Tablet S
It actually has quite good technical specs, with NVidia
Tegra 3 CPU 1.3GHz, 16GB storage, 8MP camera and Android 4.0. Although this
model we tested only supports Wi-Fi, 3G versions are also available. It is
sleek, lightweight and easily handled. It looks similar to other tablets, but
edges are convex, hiding power button and volume keys in one side and 3.5mm
jack plus SD card slot in the other side. Pitifully, there’s no video output,
thus you can’t connect the tablet with TV. Card reader and charging port are
covered by plastic flips though the charging port’s flip is removable yet
easily lost.
However, these thin plastic pieces are very important for
one of the tablet’s most essential feature: it is completely waterproof. We
poured a glass of water onto the screen and it didn’t get any difficulty. Along
with guest account restriction, it makes Xperia Tablet S ideal for families
having kids.
Guest room
Sony developed guest mode when Google announced Android 4.2
would support multi-user-accounts thus this feature is not unique. However, as
it runs Android 4.0.3 ICS, it was one of the available tablets that supported
this version of the OS. Once guest mode is activated, you can choose specific
apps and utilities to enable or disable, limit access to the Internet or
features such as camera and Google Play Store. Using password, you can safely
give your kids the tablet without worrying that they will be absorbed.
Beside guest mode, Sony made little change to the default
Android UI. Two only additions are a shortcut bar, which offers quick access to
4 apps no matter which screen you are at, and mini Apps mode. It allows you to
open web-browser, calculator, recorder or remote control via any open App. They
are all approved supplements yet not breakthroughs for Android user’s
experience.
There are quite many pre-installed apps, including Sony
Walkman media player, eBook Reader, Music & Video streaming service and
Xperia Link, which allows you to combine Sony smartphone to connect with
one-touch Internet. Though Google Play Store is quickly collecting contents,
Sony exclusively has a lot of movies and singers. But, you have to check both
as we realize some difference in prices. The installed IR blaster allows you to
replace remote controls with a general remote control installed into the
tablet.
All apps looked great on the 9.4in IPS display (1280x800
pixels). Image looked clear with lots of contrast and balanced colors. It was
not as bright and vivid as AMOLED, and the too glossy screen may turn
reflection into a problem, but basically texts and icons seemed sharped and
legible. We could play 720p smoothly though audio quality was medium. Two
speakers turned downward and volume was a little low. They were not much loud
even at full volume. For the screen, Sony also applied low-friction coat, which
did nothing to prevent fingerprint and felt a little slippery, resulting in
more mistyping than usual.
The rear 8MP camera was surprisingly powerful but we still
expected the tablet shouldn’t be used for anything except portrait sometimes.
Images looked clear in distance but when enlarged, it was easy to loss in detail.
Colors also looked duller than from a medium smartphone. Plus, it was possible
to record 1080p videos but continuous focusing was not ideal.
Core values
Xperia Tablet S did well thanks to NVidia Tegra 3 quad-core
processor (1.3GHz) and 1GB of RAM. It got a score of 4070 in Quadrant
Benchmark, putting it on par with Asus Transformer Prime, and completed
SunSpider JavaScript test in 1602.8ms. It is not the fastest Android tablet at
present but strong enough to play game and perform multi-tasking without lagging.
It also created 12h 35min considerably in our test of battery, thus you will
easily get through a day working.
It’s a pity that Sony kept Xperia Tablet S too long to solve
the problem of the waterproof polish, as it lost much market share to Nexus 7,
Nexus 10 and Amazon Kindle Fire HD. The two 7in tablets are as powerful and,
much cheaper while Nexus 10 has better screen for an equivalent price. The
waterproof design and friendly customer care of Xperia Tablet S is completely
useful but according to the high price, Nexus 10 is clearly a better one to
buy.
The device is
waterproof.
|
Info
·
RRP: $494
·
Website: www.sony.com
Technical
specs
·
CPU: NVidia Tegra 3 1.3GHz
·
RAM: 1GB
·
Storage: 16GB
·
Graphics: NVidia Tegra 3
·
Display: 9.4in IPS (1280x800 pixel)
·
OS: Android 4.0.3
·
Size/weight: 9x240x174mm/570g
·
Warranty: RTB 1 year
·
Runtime: 12h 35min
Verdict
·
This is Sony’s best Android tablet ever, but it is a lower
value in comparison with rivals.
·
Ratings: 4/5
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