Sony Xperia Android Tablet S Specs, Price and Review

When Sony first launched its Sony Xperia Tablet S it caused a fair few raised eyebrows. This was because of the wedge-shaped design that made it look very, very different from the competition. The shape (fatter along one long edge than the other) was not just about trying to look different, though. It also meant the Tablet S was different than the norm to hold. For some consumers, it was more ‘booklike’, for others it was just plain awkward.

Sony has stuck with the design idea in the newer Xperia Tablet S, although there is now more metal in the design, which makes for a much more solid feel. The wedgy design means it is heavier at one horizontal end than the other, and when holding it in wide mode that feels a little odd at first.

The 9.4-inch screen is the smallest in our group test, and inevitably that means the hardware is the smallest too. In some respects the screen, with its 1,280 x 800 pixel resolution, is a good compromise between the smaller seven inches that aren’t great for media viewing and the larger 10-1-inches that can sometimes be a bit of a pain to carry. It is certainly sharp enough, and viewing angles are good.

The Tegra 3 quad-core processor is nippy enough, and stereo speakers along the bottom-edge deliver plenty of volume even if the sound is a bit on the tinny side. The fact that Sony has made the Xperia Tablet S splash-proof will no doubt appeal to some people too. Sony has added a variety of apps that bulk out Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, including a universal remote control, Evernote and something called Free Type Office Suite for document production. Various Sony stores for music, movies and eBooks are here too.

The proprietary charger and data cable slot won’t please everyone, and Sony has found room for an SD card slot so you can use this larger-sized card as well as micro SD with an adapter, but there’s no HDMI here, which is an infuriating omission.

Design
The wedge-like chassis design is unique and makes for an uneven weight distribution but a comfortable hold. Putting the proprietary mains/data cable under a removable cover might be overkill for some, but it helps with Sony’s splash-proof claim.

General performance

The quad-core processor never seemed to be challenged during our testing, and the Sony Xperia Tablet S was responsive under the fingers. Battery life should be enough to get you through a weekend away from home too, which is always a pleasure.

Features

The 9.4-inch screen sits between the usual seven and ten-inch standard and could be the ideal compromise. It makes for smallish hardware yet a screen that’s suitable for video watching or eReading -the Sony Reader store is here for the latter.

Connectivity

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are both here, but a proprietary data cable is irritating and there’s no USB alternative. Nor is there HDMI which isn’t great. The ability to use it as a TV remote might appeal, though.

All in All

Quirky design and proprietary charge/data cable could be hit and miss. It does run fast, though, and is very portable.

Specification Sony Xperia Android Tablet S

General	2G Network	N/A
	SIM	No
	Announced	2012, August
	Status	Available. Released 2012, September
Body	Dimensions	239.8 x 174.4 x 8.8 mm (9.44 x 6.87 x 0.35 in)
	Weight	570 g (1.26 lb)
Display	Type	LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	800 x 1280 pixels, 9.4 inches (~161 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
	Protection	Oleophobic coating
		- Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine
		- IPX-4 certified - splash proof
Sound	Alert types	N\A
	Loudspeaker	Yes, with stereo speakers
	3.5mm jack	Yes
Memory	Card slot	SD, up to 32 GB
	Internal	16/32/64 GB storage, 1 GB RAM
Data	GPRS	No
	EDGE	No
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
	Infrared port	Yes
	USB	Yes, v2.0
Camera	Primary	8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, check quality
	Features	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection
	Video	Yes, 1080p@30fps, check quality
	Secondary	Yes, 1 MP, 720p video
Features	OS	Android OS, v4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
	Chipset	Nvidia Tegra 3
	CPU	Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A9
	GPU	ULP GeForce
	Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, compass
	Messaging	Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
	Browser	HTML
	Radio	No
	GPS	Yes
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Black/Silver
		- TV-out (via MHL A/V link)
		- SNS integration
		- MP4/H.264/H.263 player
		- MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player
		- Organizer
		- Document viewer
		- Photo viewer/editor
		- Voice memo
		- Predictive text input
Battery		Non-removable Li-Ion 6000 mAh battery
	Stand-by
	Talk time	Up to 12 h (multimedia)

Review: Sony's waterproof Xperia Tablet Z is the thinnest, lightest 10-inch tablet yet (hands-on)

BARCELONA, Spain--The Sony Xperia Tablet Z has been announced for U.S. and European markets. The Xperia is a 10.1-inch tablet and features a quad-core Qualcomm processor. This is Sony's third large-form Android tablet in two years. While the previous entry had some technical issues, the Xperia Tablet Z has the potential to be the company's best tablet yet.

Very, very thin and awfully light
Sony claims the Xperia Tablet Z is the thinnest, lightest 10-inch tablet yet, and while I didn't have a chance to break out my scale or tape measure, it definitely felt incredibly light and looked really thin. Sony claims a 6.9mm profile, which is actually a hair or two thinner than the iPad Mini. Weight-wise it comes in at 1.09 pounds. That's the lightest yet for a 10-inch tablet and it's immediately apparent the moment it's in your hand, feeling almost as if Sony left out a few components (it didn't).

The Xperia Tablet Z eschews the quirky asymmetrical design of its predecessors, opting instead for a more traditional, completely rectangular design. It's a glossy black tablet that, thanks to its plastic chassis feels more fragile than the rubbery Nexus 10 and doesn't have the durable metal backside of the Xperia Tablet S.

 

A fully submersible tablet with thoughtful safeguards
The Xperia Tablet Z features three different ports on its body: the headphone jack, microSD slot (supporting up to 64GB cards), and MHL/Micro-USB connection. All three include attached covers that function to seal the ports. While covering an headphone jack may seem a bit excessive, there's a good reason behind it. As long as those ports are covered, the Xperia Tablet Z is fully dunkable in up to 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. This makes bathtub and kitchen use much more appealing.

Software features
The Xperia Tablet Z ships with Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and will be upgradable to 4.2. For more information on the Tablet Z's software features, check out our full breakdown in the video below.

A closer look at Sony Xperia Tablet Z software

Hardware features
The Xperia Tablet Z is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and includes 2GB of RAM, supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, MHL, NFC, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and aGPS.

The screen is scratch resistant and delivers 1,920x1,200 pixels. Text looked extremely sharp and the colors popped from the screen with a vibrancy seen only on the very best tablets.

 

The tablet houses an 8-megapixel back camera and Sony has included several new software features not seen on the previous iterations. There's also and 2.2-megapixel camera on the front. Each camera takes advantage of Sony's low-light technology, Exmor R and Superior Auto, which optimizes scenes to produce pictures with reduced noise.

 

The Xperia Tablet Z's built-in IR blaster allows it to also function as a universal remote, but its actual functionality hasn't changed much since we last saw it on the Xperia Tablet S.

First thoughts
After last year's relatively cheaper Xperia Tablet S, Sony once again embraces its premium lineage with the Tablet Z. The camera features are impressive, as are its CPU and screen clarity. While the waterproof feature is impressive, only a small percentage of users will ever make use of it.

 

The Xperia Tablet Z seems to be Sony finally getting it right. It's no iPad killer, but it makes a strong case for best full-size Android tablet yet. Of course, that determination will come once I've had more time to play with the device.

Look for the Xperia Tablet Z to hit stores this spring starting at $499 for 16GB and $599 for the 32GB version. A white 32GB version will be exclusively available at both online and brick-and-mortar Sony stores.

Computing Brought to you by Sony’s New Xperia Z Tablet Is Crazy Thin And Waterproof To Boot

Sony rather likes the idea of its Xperia Z smartphone, so much so that it’s turning it into a tablet. Not just any tablet, though: one that’s waterproof and insanely thin.

The creatively-named Xperia Tablet Z was announced at Mobile World Congress tonight, and Sony is calling it the thinnest 10-inch tablet in the world.

The screen measures 10.1-inches, with the tablet measuring just 6.9mm at its thickest point. It weighs only 495 grams, and inside it’s packing a quad-core 1.5GHz asynchronous Snapdragon processor and 2GB of RAM.

The asynchronous processor means that each core fires up independent of the other cores for maximum power efficiency.

The Xperia Z Tablet will come in both cellular (4G) and Wi-Fi-only models, with the former packing 32GB of internal storage, and the latter 64GB. Both, however, will have expandable microSD storage.

The screen on the Xperia Z is right up there with the iPad 4′s Retina display. It’s got a 1920×1200 display with 324 pixels per inch and Sony’s Bravia Engine display tech at the back-end to make a pretty screen even prettier.

On the back you’ve got an 8-megapixel camera and up-front it’s packing a 2-megapixel camera.

As far as accessories go, you’ve got NFC, an infrared blaster for controlling your home theatre, four speakers for improved sound, a 6000mAh battery, Android Jelly Bean out of the box and it’s Playstation Mobile certified for all of your games.

On top of all that, you’ve got waterproof and dustproof certifications that mean you can leave it immersed in up to a metre of water for 30 minutes at a time.

No word yet on Australian pricing or a release date, but it’s fair to say we’re waiting on this one.

Update: Sony says the Xperia Tablet Z will launch globally sometime between April and June of 2013. 

Australian pricing details have not yet been released.