For the past two weeks, I’ve been testing Apple’s new iPad 2 against its closest competition, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1v. Before I begin, I should point out that I’ve been using an iPad (version 1) since it launched in Australia last year, while the Galaxy Tab 10.1v is much newer. Android tablets have been available since last year, but the 10.1v is the first model in Australia to use Google’s tablet-specific version of Android, known informally as “Honeycomb”. Make of that potential bias what you will.
Prices:
iPad 2 16GB: $579/$729
Galaxy Tab 10.1v: $729
The two price variants of the iPad2 are there, since Apple offers it with and without the 3G option; if you see the cheapest iPad2, it’s the one that doesn’t offer mobile broadband, just WiFi. However, it’s pretty obvious that this is a clearly tied price race for comparable tablets. There are pitfalls in both approaches that may not be immediately apparent. It’s possible to spend a bit more on an iPad2, up to $949, but that comes with higher storage, up to 64GB, where the 10.1v is a stock, set, unalterable 16GB. On the other hand, 10.1v, which is exclusive to Vodafone, is offered by the operator under contract from as little as $39 a month with data included. From a budget perspective, that’s pretty compelling.
Look and feel:
Apple’s whole marketing gimmick behind the iPad2 is that it’s thinner than the original iPad, and this is true; At 8.8mm thick, it’s slim and tapers beautifully. The Galaxy Tab 10.1v is a beefy beast by comparison, but there’s a hidden benefit to that. The back of the tablet is textured and gently contoured inward, making it easy to grip even without a case. By comparison, the back of the iPad2 is relatively slippery unless you put it in a case, at which point the thickness advantage disappears.
Basic specifications:
iPad2: Screen: 9.7″ 1024×768 Processor: Apple A5 Dual Core 1Ghz Memory: 16GB-64GB
Galaxy Tab 10.1v: Screen: 10.1″ 1024×768 Processor: Nvidia Tegra 2 Dual Core 1GHz Memory: 16GB
Again, it’s pretty neck and neck; The larger 10.1v screen and improved resolution are nice, but the fact that it has a fixed memory size is a rarity in the Android world and sticks out like a sore thumb.
Performance:
This is a considerably more subjective thing, and much harder to call. There’s no doubt that Honeycomb is a much better version of Android than previous tablets offered, as the native apps make better use of screen real estate, on-screen navigation is very fast, the mail client works well, and the browser is just a little. faster than iPad2. Using Browsermark’s online benchmark, I recorded a score of 88717 for the Galaxy Tab 10.1v compared to 70310 for the iPad2. If your application needs are modest, the Galaxy Tab 10.1v delivers just fine. The problem for Android is that there is still a dearth of genuine “Honeycomb” apps for Android, and running older Android apps is a very hit or miss affair. Some scale perfectly to full screen, while others take up only a small area of the screen, or shrink everything so small it’s useless. Comparatively, the iPad2 not only offers a great variety of native apps, but also extends the vast majority of iPhone apps with just a bit of a thick pixel drawback. Honeycomb should improve over time in this regard, but it’s not quite there right now.
Recommendations:
The 10.1v is a solid competitor to the iPad2, but it’s not quite there yet, and it’s something Samsung is well aware of. The company has already announced that the newer models of the Galaxy Tab 10 will be available in slimmer frames and possibly with more storage capacity. It’s nice to see competition from Apple in this space, but for now, I’d still say the richer app infrastructure the iPad2 supports makes it a better buy. If you’re staunchly anti-Apple for whatever reason, I think it would still be worth saving your money to buy more Android tablets and, critically, more Honeycomb native apps to hit the market.