Droid Xyboard 10.1 vs. iPad 2
The original Xoom was impressive on paper but fell short on what people expected from a tablet that comes from a respectable company like Motorola. It was popular because it was the first ever tablet to come with Honeycomb. But the popularity quickly disappeared after users laid hand on a tablet with buggy interface and troublesome hardware. The Xoom was never able to land a punch on the reigning champ, the iPad 2.
Motorola looks to bounce back with the Droid Xyboard, AKA Xoom 2. The first name sounds cooler so we will to stick with it (it is also the tablet’s name in the US). Similar to what Samsung did to their Galaxy Tab, Motorola released both a 10.1 and an 8.9 inch slates. Is the Droid Xyboard worthy enough to compete with other tablets in the market? Our Droid Xyboard vs. iPad 2 comparison, after the break.
Contents
Performance
The Droid Xyboard runs on TI OMAP 4 processor. It’s a dual-core processor that is clocked at 1.2 GHz, slightly higher than the iPad 2’ A5 which is at 1 GHz. The Xyboard’s RAM doubles that of the iPad 2, 1 GB to 512 MB. Both tablets use Image Tech’s PowerVR GPU except that the Xyboard uses the older SGX540 as compared to iPad 2’s SGX540MP2. Here are some benchmark results for the two tablets (smaller number is better for SunSpider):
Looks
As the image suggests, the Xyboard is longer than the iPad 2 but a bit narrower. The Xyboard is also a hair lighter at 599 grams as compared to the iPad 2’s 601 grams.
Display
Viewing multimedia content is better on the Xyboard because of its 10.1 inch LCD display versus the 9.7 IPS screen of the iPad 2. The resolution of the Droid tablet is also higher, 1280 by 720 pixels compared to 1024 by 768 pixels on the other.
Camera
It would not be a surprise if the Xyboard has a better camera since the ones on the iPad 2 are crappy. The 5 MP rear and 1.3 MP front cameras all outmatch both cameras of the iPad 2. The video quality though is the same for both tablets at 720p and 30 fps.
Internal Storage
The Droid Xyboard comes in 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB models. There is now way to expand the memory further since there is no SD card slot present, which is the same for the iPad 2. The iPad 2 comes in the same capacities of 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB with Wi-Fi only and 3G+Wi-Fi models.
Battery Life
Motorola says the Xyboard lasts for 10 hours of web surfing but there are some reports that it does not reach this number. The iPad 2 boasts 11 hours of battery life while some models reach only 10 hours. Both are fairly even in this category.
Operating System
The Xyboard is an Android tablet while the iPad 2 runs on iOS 4 (upgradable to iOS 5). The Droid Xyboard first came out with Honeycomb but can be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich. To know which OS is better, check out our iOS 5 vs. Ice Cream Sandwich comparison.
Connectivity
Depending on the model, the iPad 2 can connect either in 3G or Wi-Fi. Meanwhile, the Xyboard is one of the first tablets to have 4G LTE support. The 4G service is limited to Verizon, however.
Prices
The Xyboard starts at $530 (16 GB) and goes up to $630 (32 GB) and $730 (64 GB). The Wi-Fi only models of the iPad 2 are priced at $500, $600, and $700 for the 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB capacities respectively while the Wi-Fi+3G models are priced at $630, $730, and $830. The contact price for the Xyboard with Verizon is less $50 for all models but you have to agree for a two-year deal.
Verdict – Droid Xyboard 10.1 vs. iPad 2
The selling point for the Xyboard is its support for high-speed 4G internet connection. But not all users can take advantage of it since the product is only offered on Verizon. 4G networks are also still expanding which means there are not many areas where you can enjoy the increased internet speed. The price of the Xyboard is also quite high although not as high as that of the Wi-Fi+3G iPad 2. Based on the benchmark results, it seems the Xyboard still lacks in the performance department. It is a good tablet on paper, but there are tablets better than it not named iPad 2 (like the Transformer Prime). In that case, choosing the iPad 2 over it is a wise decision.
Check how the Droid Xyboard compares to other tablets here.
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