iPad 2 stacked up vs PlayBook, iPad

Many competitors have been benchmarking their tablets against the original iPad, but the iPad 2 is now here and promises to change the game. Apple now has the speed and cameras to back itself up, but is it as good or better a buy? We've put the iPad 2 in a comparison with the BlackBerry PlayBook, HP TouchPad and Motorola Xoom to see how Apple holds up, especially on the matter of price.

In terms of performance, the gap between the iPad and other tablets is now virtually non-existent: much of RIM's performance bragging for the PlayBook is now obsolete, since Apple's dual-core processor is now just as fast. It's difficult to tell how the iPad 2's A5 chip and its (likely) PowerVR SGX543 graphics stack up, but the ninefold speed boost and 1080p support mean it should be very competitive. HP is claiming a slightly faster 1.2GHz Snapdragon on the TouchPad, but with a ship date not due until summer, much of its boasting is limited to paper.

The camera support is more difficult to gauge. That Apple now has front and back cameras means it at least competes on a basic level, and has an edge on the TouchPad's front-only design. Apple hasn't, however, said what resolution either camera will be; it will only say the rear camera is a backside-illuminated CMOS sensor and can shoot 720p video, while the front camera shoots VGA. If so, it should still trail the PlayBook and Xoom on sheer resolution, as both have five-megapixel back cameras and either a two-megapixel (Xoom) or three-megapixel (PlayBook) front camera that would be much more useful for front shots. Image quality is still up for debate, though, as we've seen the cameras on the Xoom aren't as refined as the numbers claim.

Battery life is also difficult, but the 10 hours of battery on the iPad 2 compare favorably. RIM is vowing to outlast the iPad, and the TouchPad is still too distant to gauge. The Xoom's battery life is mixed; it can last longer when it's just browsing the web, but it's noticeably hurt when it plays video and mustered about eight hours in our review.

Apple's device isn't quite the most portable, since the PlayBook's seven-inch screen makes it inherently easier to tote around, but it's now by far the lightest in a comparable size; its rivals weigh the same 1.5 or 1.6 pounds and are thicker.

Where Apple most struggles is, ironically, in software. iOS is still one of the easiest to use and is still one of the most responsive. Try pinch-to-zoom in the browser or rapidly flipping through home screens on each and even an original iPad is seamless where an Android 3.0 tablet, even the fast Galaxy Tab 10.1, tends to stutter; only the PlayBook seems to run as smoothly. But in its current form, iOS 4.3 doesn't go as deeply. It doesn't do full multitasking, a particular strong point of the PlayBook but also in Android 3.0 and webOS; it doesn't have onscreen widgets like Android 3.0; and virtually everyone else has subtler and more detailed notification systems, especially Google.

There's also the question of app policies. If you dislike Apple's stricter regulation of its mobile app portal and what third-party apps can do, there's no changing that at least Android 3.0 and webOS will be more open.

None of that might matter, however, after factoring in price. With comparable 3G and 32GB of storage, the iPad 2 is now a hardware match for the Xoom but costs $70 less. It only gets worse if you don't need 3G or can make do with 16GB of space. At $499, the entry iPad is so much more affordable as to be in an entirely different category.

It's to the point where we're genuinely concerned for some competitors. If Motorola isn't in a panic after having lashed itself to Verizon and an $800 price tag, it should be now -- how does it portray the Xoom as worth the extra cost? It has a Wi-Fi Xoom in the works, but without definite signs of a release date, that model may come too late to help. HP and RIM now have a do-not-cross line for price, too.

RIM may have the hardest time of all. When it won't ship with a native mail client, any price even close to $499 may put it out of contention. There won't be 3G or 4G versions until significantly later, too. While we love the hardware design and portability, no repeated insistences that it's "professional grade" will justify the same price as an iPad without the same expansion.

We love some of the genuine advancements in tablets from Android, BlackBerry Tablet OS and webOS, but competitors -- which also include LG and Samsung -- just lost many of their perceived advantages. Android 3.0 may be the best choice for those who want a truly independent device, but the iPad 2 may simply be the best balanced in having good performance and features matched with a killer price.

By Electronista Staff