iPad 2 wins tablet display quality shootout
updated 02:25 pm EDT, Wed June 22, 2011
Performance said to match iPhone 4 display
The iPad 2 has bested its competition in DisplayMate's latest comparison of display quality among several popular tablets. Although the second-generation iPad lacks the pixel density of Motorola's Xoom or Asus' Transformer, the display calibration company suggests Apple's tablet wins in nearly every other category. The tests included measurements for screen reflections, brightness, contrast, colors and intensities, viewing angles, backlight power consumption and battery life.
While all three tablets were said to have achieved poor color gamut, the iPad 2 was credited with overcoming the limitation by increasing its intensity scale. Both the iPad and Transformer reached wide viewing angles due to their IPS panels, however the latter tablet was criticized for lacking brightness and proper calibration.
The Xoom, with a standard LCD panel, fell to the bottom of the pack. The tablet display was found to be poorly calibrated, with worse color and color saturation than the iPad or Transformer. DisplayMate president Dr. Raymond Soneira further described its dynamic backlight as "counterproductive and just strange display behavior."
"For the current set of Tablets the iPad is the clear winner in every category, which is somewhat surprising considering it was the first Tablet to launch and the one that later competitors knew they had to beat – but as of yet none have succeeded," Soneira concluded.
DisplayMate plans to test Acer's Iconia and Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, which will be compared to the existing tablet results.
