Today’s Best Tablets (December 2011)

December 28, 2011 2 Comments

This article was just updated! You can view the new version here.

Tablets continue to be some of the best selling CE devices. With new tablets coming out every few weeks, it’s hard to pick the best one. To make this process easier, I made the following chart.

Top Performing Tablets

 

Apple     iPad 2

Trans-former   Prime

Droid   Xyboard 8.2

Droid   Xyboard 10.1

HTC Jetstream

Samsung   Galaxy Tab 10.1

Processor

1.0 GHz   dual-core

1.3 GHz quad-core

1.2 GHz dual-core

1.2 GHz dual-core

1.5 GHz dual-core

1.0 GHz dual-core

RAM

512MB

1GB

1GB

1GB

1GB

1GB

Internal   storage

16/32/64

16/32/64

16/32

16/32/64

32

16/32/64

Screen   size

9.7”

10.1”

8.2”

10.1”

10.1”

10.1”

Display

1024×768

1280×800

1280×800

1280×800

1280×800

1280×800

Pixel   density

132 ppi

145 ppi

~184 ppi

~149 ppi

150 ppi

149 ppi

Rear   cam

0.92

8MP

5MP

5MP

8MP

3MP

Front   cam

0.92

1.2MP

1.3MP

1.3MP

1.3MP

2MP

Video

720p

1080p

720p

720p

1080p

1080p

4G data

No LTE

No LTE

LTE

LTE

LTE

LTE

Dual-band   Wi-Fi

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

Bluetooth

2.1

2.1

2.1

2.1

3.0

3.0

Mic

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

NFC

No

No

No

No

No

No?

Thickness

8.8mm

8.3 mm

8.89 mm

8.80 mm

13 mm

8.6 mm

Weight

601g

586g

386g

603g

709g

565g

Battery

6930 mAh

6579 mAh

3960 mAh

7000 mAh

7300 mAh

7000 mAh

OS

iOS 5.0

Android   3.2

Android   3.2

Android   3.2

Android 3.1

Android   3.1

USB

Via adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Via adapter

HDMI

Via adapter

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Via   adapter

SD Slot

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

Via   adapter

IR Emitter

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Price

$499   (16GB)

$499 (16GB)

$429 (16GB)

$529 (16GB)

$699   (32GB)

$499   (16GB)

Most of the tablets in this chart are second generation devices which outperform their predecessors.

What About the Kindle Fire?

You probably noticed the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet were omitted from the chart above. This was done for two reasons: First, it’s not fair to compare a $200 tablet with a $500 tablet. Second, the Kindle Fire, along with the rest of the tablets here, are not the highest performing tablets available today. Still, the Kindle is an exceptional value and I would recommend it to many people.
Here are its specs, along with some others, in case want to compare them:

 

Amazon Kindle Fire

B&N Nook Tablet

Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus 7

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

Processor

1.0 GHz dual-core

1.0 GHz dual-core

1.2 GHz dual-core

1.0 GHz dual-core

RAM

512MB

1GB

1GB

1GB

Internal storage

8

16

16/32

16/32

Screen size

7.0”

7.0”

7.0”

8.9”

Display res.

1024×600

1024×600

1024×600

1280×800

Pixel density

169 ppi

169 ppi

169 ppi

170 ppi

Rear cam

None

None

3MP

3MP

Front cam

None

None

2MP

2MP

Video

N/A

N/A

1080p

1080p

4G data

No LTE

No LTE

No LTE

LTE avail

Dual-band Wi-Fi

No

No

No

No

Bluetooth

None

None

3.0

3.0

Mic

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

NFC

No

No

No?

No?

Thickness

12.4mm

13.2mm

9.9 mm

8.6 mm

Weight

414g

400g

345g

470g

Battery

4400 mAh

4000 mAh

4000 mAh

6100 mAh

OS

Android 2.3

Android 2.3 Custom

Android 3.2

Android 3.1

USB

Yes

Yes – Micro

No

Yes – Micro

HDMI

No

No

No

No

SD Slot

No

Yes

Yes – Micro

Yes

IR Emitter

No

No

Yes

No

Price

$199

$249

$399

$469 (16GB)

I should also mention I stuck two of the Galaxy Tabs in this chart because there wasn’t enough room in the first chart. Both are top performers.

So, What is the Best Tablet?

When it comes to specs alone, the quad-core Asus Transformer Prime is hard to beat. It’s faster, thinner and lighter than the iPad 2. It also has a higher resolution display and much better cameras than the iPad 2. Furthermore, it has a slot for an SD card and a really nice keyboard dock that transforms it into an ultrabook.

The Transformer Prime beats the iPad 2 in web browsing tests. Chart courtesy of SlashGear

Processor Speed Isn’t Everything

However, there’s more to the iPad than just specs. The iPad 2 beats the Transformer Prime in some graphic-related benchmarks as you can see in the chart below.

Battery Life Matters Too

The Motorola Xyboard 8.2 is a strong performer (as you can see in the chart above), but has issues with battery life as you can see below. The iPad 2 currently leads in battery life, with the Transformer Prime a close second.

Chart courtesy of Engadget

How to Decide Which Tablet to Get

In the end, the only person who can answer this question is you. I suggest you first decide what you are buying the tablet for.

  • Do you spend hours playing games?
  • Will you use your tablet mostly for web browsing?
  • Do you need blazing-fast data speeds? Are you willing to pay a monthly fee for this privilege?
  • How important is battery life to you?
  • Are you an Apple fan who wants to sync your tablet with iCloud?

Once you answer these questions, you’ll find it easier to narrow down your list. Before making a final decision, I suggest you visit a few of the top tech blogs like Engadget or Gizmodo, and read their tablet reviews. I find them to be very helpful.

Since great new tablets are coming out every month, I’ll be updating this chart on a regular basis. Expect to see the first update after I return from CES in January.

Happy tablet shopping!

– Rick

Copyright 2011 Rick Schwartz. All rights reserved. Linking to this article is encouraged.

Filed under Mobile Technology Tagged with , , , ,

How to Evaluate Mobile Processors

November 29, 2011 1 Comment


Since this article was first written, an updated version has been posted here. Check it out. A lot has changed.

The Need for Speed

The HTC Rezound has a 1.5GHz processor making it one of the fastest smartphones

The processor is the engine behind your mobile device and determines its speed. Mobile processor speeds have been increasing quickly over the past few years. Today, most of the best smartphones have processors which are either 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz. The HTC Rezound and Samsung Galaxy S II HD LTE both have dual-core 1.5GHz processors. Processor speed isn’t the only thing that matters. The number of cores is important as well. Back in February, we saw the first smartphones ship with dual-core processors. Dual-core processors allow your mobile device to do more things at once without slowing down. They are also faster than single-core processors and this can result in a more responsive user interface. Over the next year, dual-core processor speeds are likely to top out around 1.7GHz. Although processor speeds will continue to increase, there are limits to how fast they can get. Mobile processors are beginning to face the same performance and power challenges desktop CPUs faced a few years ago. Demanding applications such as HD video playback and advanced gaming are stretching their capabilities. In order to further increase performance and stay within the available power limits, mobile devices will migrate to processors with more cores.

Apple iPhone 4S

HTC Rezound

HTC Titan

Motorola Droid RAZR

Samsung Galaxy S II

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket

800MHz dual-core

1.5 GHz dual-core

1.5 GHz single-core

1.2 GHz dual-core

1.2 GHz dual-core

1.2 GHz dual-core

1.5 GHz dual-core

Chart 1: A comparison of the processor speeds of popular smartphones

Four Can Do More

Like PCs, mobile devices will migrate from dual-core to quad-core. Quad-core makes even more sense on platforms like Android which allows multiple apps to run in the background. Having four different cores allows your phone (or tablet) to do more at once without slowing down. Tablets will be the first mobile devices to get quad-core processors.  The NVIDIA Tegra 3 will be the first quad-core processor available on mobile devices. NVIDIA says it has 2 to 5 times the processing power and 3 times the graphic performance of the Tegra 2. This will result in smoother graphics and better gaming performance. The Tegra 3 is also capable of 1440p video playback. That’s higher quality than you can watch on your HDTV. The Asus Transformer Prime will be the first tablet to ship with a Tegra 3 processor, but rumors are also circulating about quad-core tablets from Motorola and others. Smartphones won’t be left out of the party; phones with quad-core chips will be announced at CES in January.

The Asus Transformer Prime will have the first quad-core CPU

Most quad-core processors are more efficient and generate less heat than today’s dual-core chips. That will result in better performance and longer battery life. How much longer? NVIDIA says a Tegra 3 tablet should be able to provide 12 hours of HD video playback.  The first quad-core processor will be 1.3GHz, but speeds will increase to 2.5GHz next year. Those chips will be faster than some of the CPUs that ship with mid-priced home computers today. Of course, NVIDIA isn’t the only company making quad-core processors, Qualcomm, Apple and others will also launch products containing quad-core processors next year.

Amazon Kindle Fire

Apple iPad 2

Asus Transformer Prime

B&N Nook Tablet

HTC Jetstream

Motorola Xoom 2

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

1.0 GHz dual-core

1.0 GHz dual-core

1.3 GHz   quad-core

1.0 GHz dual-core

1.5 GHz dual-core

1.2 GHz dual-core

1.0 GHz dual-core

Chart 2: A comparison of the processor speeds of popular tablets
 

The Importance of the Graphics Co-processor

Some of the fastest phones have separate graphics co-processors, which can have a big impact on performance. Even though the iPhone 4S has a slower processor, it outperforms the Samsung Galaxy S II in some benchmarks. This occurs mainly because the iPhone 4S has a faster graphics coprocessor. See the chart below for details.

“

Even though the iPhone 4S has a much slower processor than the Samsung Galaxy II S, it outperforms it in some benchmarks. Chart courtesy of AnandTech

 

Final Thoughts

In summary, the speed of the CPU and GPU in your mobile device has a major impact on its performance. Dual-core processors almost always outperform single-core processors, and quad-core processors outperform dual-core processors. Although dual-core processor speeds are starting to slow down, quad-core speeds will improve substantially next year.  By the end of the year, quad-core processors will be found in most high-end tablets and smartphones due to their improved performance and extended battery life.

In case you’re wondering, my next post will discuss the importance of 4G on data performance speeds. Stay-tuned…

– Rick

Copyright 2011 Rick Schwartz. All rights reserved. Linking to this article is encouraged.

Filed under How-to, Mobile Technology Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,