Design-wise, the iPad is the only one with a metal body. It feels rich, though it’s heavy at over 650g.
The Xperia Tablet Z is virtually the polar opposite. Weighing just 495g and measuring 6.9mm, it’s the thinnest, lightest tablet on the market, and it’s water resistant too.
The Google Nexus 10, made by Samsung sits somewhere in between. It isn’t as elegant as either the iPad of Tablet Z, but is comfortable to hold. Apple’s Retina Display wins out when it comes to screen quality – it packs the resolution and colour representation to better the other two impressive displays. It’s seconded by the higher resolution, slightly duller Google Nexus 10, followed by the Xperia Tablet Z.
The iPad also offers the easiest OS to get to grips with, though this ease comes at a price. Apps , while abundant, tend to cost more, and the interface is a closed ecosystem. The Nexus 10 runs stock Android. It's smooth to the swipe but doesn’t come with any bells or whistles out of the box – the techy’s choice.
The Xperia Tablet Z isn’t as smooth despite its quad-core internals, though Sony’s interface is charming, with helpful tools like Xperia Link and easy to swap out themes making it the middle ground.
The 5-megapixel camera on the iPad beats both the 8-megapixel camera on the Xperia Tablet Z and the 5-megapixel camera on the Nexus 10 thanks to better noise handling. While the shooting modes of the Xperia Tablet Z and the flash of the Nexus 10 are nice to have, ultimately, it’s picture quality that counts.
If you want to read or watch movies on your tab, the tables turn, with the Androids winning out. For movies, the Xperia Tablet Z triumphs with its light weight body and 16:9 screen. For reading, the Nexus 10’s resolution and middle ground size and weight make it comfortable to use , though still not as comfortable in-hand as the Xperia Tablet Z. Sadly, the iPad’s awkward screen resolution for movies and heavy chassis mean it’s more wrist ache than sweet escape when enjoying media content.
The three tablets are relatively head to head when it comes to gaming. Apple’s App Store may have a slightly richer collection, but once again, the iPad’s cumbersome physicality hampers enjoyment.
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z wins on the connectivity stakes thanks to its infrared blaster and NFC connectivity as well as its LTE. Both the Tablet Z and iPad are available in Wi-Fi and 3G versions starting at £399, though the Tablet Z is also expandable as mentioned earlier.
With the iPad packing a giant, 11,666 mAh battery, Apple takes our final round hook line and sinker. The 6,000 mAh battery of Sony’s tab lasts a couple of days with light to moderate use putting it last, with the Nexus 10 middling once more thanks to its 9000mAh cell.
Three strong tablets, the Xperia Z is our choice for most things thanks to its slender form and water resistance. The iPad is the most premium device of the three across the board, while the Google Nexus 10 is the cost effective, techie’s choice.
Are you using one of these devices already? Tell us how you find using it in the comments below. Perhaps you're considering getting one of these in the near future, tell us which takes your fancy in the comments.
