The iPad too pricey for you? Too
limited? Or just too Apple? These 10in Android offer a real alternative
What’s new?
With hybrid form factors, bags of power and
a fully customizable OS, Android tabs are finally coming of age. Sorting the
kings of the jungle from the copycats is tricky, though so we’ve done it for
you.
Acer
Iconia Tab A700 - Toshiba AT300-101
What we tested…
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
Price: $487 (16GB)
The new Galaxy Tab is cheap, capable and
has a great screen so will it finally see Sammy transfer its smartphone
dominance to the tablet world?
Acer Iconia Tab A700
Price: $698 (32GB)
This quad-core beast has a full HD 1920 x
1200 screen and more ports than an island nation. It’s also fairly well-priced,
so it has to be a contender.
Toshiba AT300-101
Price: $535.5 (16GB)
Toshiba brings a slim form factor, vanilla
Android and the might of Tegra 3 to the table. Will that be anough to make it
stand out in a crowded field?
Asus Transformer Pad Infinity
Price: $974 (64GB)
If its predecessor the Prime is the best
Android slate yet, and the Infinity adds a HD screen, it must surely win this
test, right? But then again, $974…
Archos 101 XS Gen 10
Price: $487 (16GB)
The ultra-thin G10 is Archos’ most exciting
tablet in ages, with a killer magnetic keyboard as its secret weapon. But can
its innards match up to its outards?
What to look for
Display
Plump for full HD if you can afford it, but
remember viewing angles and bright displays are also vital when it comes to
watching films or using your tab outdoors.
Storage
Don’t be put off by small storage
capacities – many of these tabs can be expanded with microSD cards and all will
work with Google Drive and Dropbox
Connections
Some tabs are better served for add-ons
than others. Want to add photos from your SLR? Look for an SD slot. Fancy using
your wired Xbox controller? Get USB
Speakers
For tab use minus headphones, good built-in
speakers really matter. Watch out for placements which muffle sound, and check
how loud they go.
Jargon buster
Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS)
All of the tablets here run ICS, also known
as Android 4.0. It’s not the latest OS – 4.1, or Jelly Bean, is out, but not
widely available yet. Makers may add their own tweaks to ICS, to varying
degrees of usefulness.
CPU/ Processor
The brain of a tablet, now usually composed
of multiple ‘core’. For multitasking and intensive gaming, quad-core processors
such as Tegra 3 come into their own. For casual browsing and word processing, a
dual-core CPU is fine.
Full HD (1080p)
A screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 or 1920
x 1200 pixels. 720p HD is 1280 x 720 or 1280 x 800. Generally, the more pixels,
the crisper the screen.
16:10
Horizontal: vertical screen ratio. 16:10 is
‘widescreen’, better for movies than reading.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
Price: $487 (16GB, Wi-Fi)
Website: Samsung.com
Samsung may rule the smartphone roost
these days, but its latest tablet won’t be ending the iPad’s reign any time
soon.
Samsung
Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
The Tab 1 is the new version of Samsung’s
original iPad ‘killer’ (inverted commas essential in this case), but it isn’t
big on actual improvements: it has the same plastic back, the same 1GHz
dual-core processing grunt and the same 1280 x 800 screen resolution.
That said, it’s still a decent tablet. It
lags a second or two behind the Tegra 3 models in this test, but was plenty
fast in our day-to-day usage. As with all Samsungs, it has lovely bright
display, with vibrant colors and impressive viewing angles, which helps make up
for the fact that it’s not full HD. Its 16GB storage can now be boosted with up
to an extra, and Sammy’s useful TouchWiz skin is a nice addition to Ice Cream
Sandwich. The 3MP camera isn’t much cop, but you’ll rarely use it anyway.
So, there’s nothing wrong with the
well-priced Tab 2 10.1. But neither is it anything special. Given that the iPad
has had a significant upgrade since the first Tab’s release, and that the
Android competitions is fiercer than ever, it looks slightly outdated here.
Stuff says 4/5 stars
A decent tablet at a great price, but a
lack of power and 2011-res screen count against it.
Ports aren’t the Tab 2’s strong point: the
microSD card slot is useful, but for USB and HDMI-shaped fun you’ll have to
shell out for separate adapters.
The US version of the Tab 2 has an IR
blaster up top, so you can use it as a nifty universal remote. Sadly, it’s
missing on the UK model. Sucks to the British, eh?
An arrow at the bottom of the TouchWiz
homescreen brings up custom widgets such as email. Media hubs also take centre
stage for easy buying of games, music and video.
Tech specs
Screen 10.1in, 1280 x 800 PS TFT
CPU Dual-core @ 1GHz, 1GB Ram
Storage 16GB + up to 32GB microSD
Camera 3MP, 720p @ 30fps (rear); VGA
(front)
Connectivity 3.5 mm socket, Bluetooth 3.0,
Wi-Fi, microSD
Battery 9hrs 15min (tested)
Sound decision
Samsung has enlarged the speakers and moved
them to either side of the display, so the sound comes straight at you and
won’t be muffed when you put it down. Sensible.
Facing forward, going back
The VGA front camera is actually a step
down from the original 10.1’s 2MP forward facing snapper. It’s not a massive
deal, but it’s bound to frustrate avid Skypists.
Acer Iconia Tab A700
Price: $698 (32GB)
Website: acer.com
Acer
Iconia Tab A700
The Iconia Tab A700 is a strange
beast: it’s stuffed with mightily impressive innards, but they’re wrapped in a
dullard design.
Indeed, at first glance you’d think it was
a cheapo tab running some ancient Android OS. Compared to its rivals here it’s
also heavy and thick set although at 11 mm, not exactly obese, against that
it’s got a quad-core Tegra 3 brain, impressive full HD display and Ice Cream
Sandwich, making it one of the best-specced Androids out there. As we said, it’s
a strange beast.
Fire it up and you’ll be blown away by its
1920 x 1200 display. Viewed head on, it’s fantastic, with 1080p video content
in particular looking superb. It’s not quite up there with the Infinity for
viewing angles and brightness, but it’s not far behind. Strangely, though, it
didn’t run as buttery smooth as we’d expected – with those extra pixels to
push, the 1.3GHz Nvidia chip really gets a work-out and we encountered a few
hiccups when gaming and using the 5MP camera.
Still, you’ll have no problem using the
A700 for movies, working or browsing, and it’s well served for ports, with
microSD, microUSB and microHDMI. So if a good screen is your priority and you
can’t stretch to the Infinity, it’s your best option.
Stuff says 4/5 stars
Feast your eyes on its HD display rather
than its bland design and the A700’s a rather good tab
The A700’s SD slot is handy: a 1080p movie
downloaded from a store such as Google Play will use up at least 3GB, so the
32GB of onboard storage will fill up fast
It might not be a looker, but the A700 is
one of the most comfortable tablets to hold in landscape mode thanks to its
thicker sides and pleasantly textured back.
Hit the colored dot at the bottom of every and
the A700 will bring up the Acer ring, a nice UI tweak that shows recent web
pages and a few shortcuts.
Tech specs
Display 10.1in, 1920 x 1200 LCD
CPU quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 @ 1.3GHz, 1GB
Ram
Storage 32GB + up to 32GB microSD
Camera 5Mp, 1080p (rear), 1MP (rear)
Connectivity 3.5 mm socket, Wi-Fi,
microHDMI, microUSB, microSD, Bluetooth 2.1
Battery 8 hrs 33 min (tested)
Carry that weight
If you’re looking for a svelte addition to
your manbag, look elsewhere. The A700 is pretty chunky and, at 649g, a full 50g
heavier than any of its rivals here.
Speaker no evil
The pair of Dolby-powered speakers at the
bottom of the A700 are easily the best in this test. Given the Acer’s equally
great screen, it’s a great choice for movie sessions.
