Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet vs Galaxy Tab PRO 10.1 vs Apple iPad Air specs comparison
After releasing the world's thinnest, lightest 10" slate last year with the Tablet Z, Sony today came up with its Z2 Tablet successor, which owns those same superlatives now. Sony still kept the new slate waterproof, and with IP58 certification at that, so let's give it a quick comparison with the current best representatives of the 10" tablet universe - Apple's iPad Air, and Samsung's Tab PRO 10.1.
Clocking in at the breathtaking just 0.25" (6.4mm) girth, the Xperia Z2 Tablet is also the lightest of them 10" slates, weighing only 15 ounces (426g) for the Wi-Fi model, and 15.5 ounces (439g) for LTE/3G model. For comparison, the Galaxy Tab PRO 10.1 is the thinnest and lightest Android 10-incher released this year, and it measures 7.4mm thick, weighing 16.54 oz (469 g). The venerable iPad Air is only a tad more at 7.5 mm, and with 16.86 oz (478 g) of weight, but a tad smaller display. Sony used its OmniBalance design language, with the signature circular power key, creating a well-crafted slate with soft edges and pretty looks. Galaxy Tab PRO is made of plastic, with the trademark "stitched notepad" look on the back, while the iPad Air claims its design authority with a single-piece aluminum chassis. Sony's device one-ups them both with its waterproof chassis, though, making it perfect for watching movies in the bathtub, for example.
Sony is using its new Live Colour LED display technology for the Triluminos 1920x1200 pixels screen on the Xperia Z2 Tablet. It should result in more vibrant colors on the display, yet without the accompanying oversaturation. Some may scoff at the resolution, given that we have high-end slates with 1600p screens, like the Tab PRO here, yet Samsung's slate uses an alternative "diamond" pixel matrix arrangement, while the Z2 Tablet's 1200p is still more than enough for most purposes. The iPad Air's display also comes with much higher pixel density than Sony's panel, so the Z2 Tablet gives way to the other two slate flagships in that regard.
Sony's new fashion model is powered by the fast 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801, which is a vast improvement over the measly Snapdragon S4 Pro, that last year's Tablet Z shipped with. It also comes with 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of internal memory, expandable via a microSD slot, thus mimicking the silicon and memory of the Tab PRO 10.1. The iPad Air also ships with 16 GB of storage, and uses the no-less powerful Apple A7 processor, with its raging PowerVR graphics, but doesn't offer a memory card slot.
A 6000 mAh battery is nothing to write home about on a 10-incher, but we guess that's what managed to fit in the extremely thin chassis of the Z2 Tablet. Still, Sony claims the typical for an Android tablet up to 10 hours of video playback on a charge, and 100 hours of listening to music. Sony's Xperia Z2 Tablet also takes advantage of the Quick Charge 2.0 technology, that comes with Qualcomm's chipset, offering up to 75 percent faster charging. The iPad Air sports a much larger 8820 mAh battery, making it the king of battery endurance, while the Galaxy Tab PRO 10.1 shrinks it down a notch to 8220 mAh.
Design
Clocking in at the breathtaking just 0.25" (6.4mm) girth, the Xperia Z2 Tablet is also the lightest of them 10" slates, weighing only 15 ounces (426g) for the Wi-Fi model, and 15.5 ounces (439g) for LTE/3G model. For comparison, the Galaxy Tab PRO 10.1 is the thinnest and lightest Android 10-incher released this year, and it measures 7.4mm thick, weighing 16.54 oz (469 g). The venerable iPad Air is only a tad more at 7.5 mm, and with 16.86 oz (478 g) of weight, but a tad smaller display. Sony used its OmniBalance design language, with the signature circular power key, creating a well-crafted slate with soft edges and pretty looks. Galaxy Tab PRO is made of plastic, with the trademark "stitched notepad" look on the back, while the iPad Air claims its design authority with a single-piece aluminum chassis. Sony's device one-ups them both with its waterproof chassis, though, making it perfect for watching movies in the bathtub, for example.
Display
Sony is using its new Live Colour LED display technology for the Triluminos 1920x1200 pixels screen on the Xperia Z2 Tablet. It should result in more vibrant colors on the display, yet without the accompanying oversaturation. Some may scoff at the resolution, given that we have high-end slates with 1600p screens, like the Tab PRO here, yet Samsung's slate uses an alternative "diamond" pixel matrix arrangement, while the Z2 Tablet's 1200p is still more than enough for most purposes. The iPad Air's display also comes with much higher pixel density than Sony's panel, so the Z2 Tablet gives way to the other two slate flagships in that regard.
Processor and memory
Sony's new fashion model is powered by the fast 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801, which is a vast improvement over the measly Snapdragon S4 Pro, that last year's Tablet Z shipped with. It also comes with 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of internal memory, expandable via a microSD slot, thus mimicking the silicon and memory of the Tab PRO 10.1. The iPad Air also ships with 16 GB of storage, and uses the no-less powerful Apple A7 processor, with its raging PowerVR graphics, but doesn't offer a memory card slot.
Battery
A 6000 mAh battery is nothing to write home about on a 10-incher, but we guess that's what managed to fit in the extremely thin chassis of the Z2 Tablet. Still, Sony claims the typical for an Android tablet up to 10 hours of video playback on a charge, and 100 hours of listening to music. Sony's Xperia Z2 Tablet also takes advantage of the Quick Charge 2.0 technology, that comes with Qualcomm's chipset, offering up to 75 percent faster charging. The iPad Air sports a much larger 8820 mAh battery, making it the king of battery endurance, while the Galaxy Tab PRO 10.1 shrinks it down a notch to 8220 mAh.
Check out the rest of the specs sheet comparison details below, and tell us which one would you pick, as they are likely to be priced in a very similar way, yet offer rather different experiences in terms of design and software.
|
|
|
| Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet | Apple iPad Air | Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 |
Design
| Dimensions | ||
|---|---|---|
| 10.47 x 6.77 x 0.25 inches 266 x 172 x 6.4 mm |
9.45 x 6.67 x 0.30 inches 240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm |
9.57 x 6.75 x 0.29 inches 243.1 x 171.4 x 7.3 mm |
| Weight | ||
| 15.49 oz / 439.0 g | 16.86 oz / 478.0 g | 16.54 oz / 469.0 g |
| Materials | ||
| Back: Aluminum | ||
| Resistance | ||
| Water, Dust; IP58 | ||
| Features | ||
| Notification light, Stylus | ||
| Keys | ||
| Right: Volume control, Other | ||
| Colors | ||
| Black, White | Black, Gray, Silver, White | White |
Display
| Size | ||
|---|---|---|
| 10.1-inch, 64.68% screen-to-body | 9.7-inch, 71.65% screen-to-body | 10.1-inch, 70.97% screen-to-body |
| Type | ||
| IPS LCD | IPS LCD | Super Clear LCD |
| Resolution | ||
| 1200x1920px, 224 PPI | 1536x2048px, 264 PPI | 1600x2560px, 299 PPI |
| Colors | ||
| 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 |
| Features | ||
| Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor | Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor | |
Hardware
| System chip | ||
|---|---|---|
| Snapdragon 801 8074 | Apple A7 | Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 |
| Processor | ||
| Quad-core 2300 MHz Krait 400 | Dual-core 1400 MHz Cyclone |
Quad-core 2300 MHz Krait 400 |
| GPU | ||
| Adreno 330 | PowerVR G6430 | Adreno 330 |
| Memory | ||
| 3GB (LPDDR3)/16GB | 1GB (LPDDR3)/128GB 1GB/16GB 1GB/32GB 1GB/64GB 1GB/128GB |
2GB (LPDDR3)/32GB 2GB/16GB |
| Storage expansion | ||
| microSDXC up to 64 GB | microSDXC up to 64 GB | |
| OS | ||
| Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4) | iOS (12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x, 8.x, 7.x) | Android (4.4) |
Battery
| Type | ||
|---|---|---|
| 6000 mAh | 8820 mAh, Li - Polymer | 8220 mAh |
Camera
| Rear | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single camera | Single camera | Single camera |
| Main camera | ||
| 8.1 MP (Autofocus) | 5 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor) Aperture size: F2.4 Focal length: 33 mm |
8 MP (Autofocus) |
| Flash | ||
| LED | ||
| Video recording | ||
| 1080p HDR |
1080p (30 fps) Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling | 1080p Video calling |
| Front | ||
| 2.2 MP Video capture: 1080p |
1.2 MP Video capture: 720p (30 fps) |
2 MP |
Connectivity & Features
| Bluetooth | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| WLAN | ||
| a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac | a,b,g,n,dual-band Multiple antennas, MIMO, Hotspot 802.11 a, b, g, n | a,b,g,n,dual-band,ac Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac |
| USB | ||
| microUSB, USB 2.0 | Lightning | microUSB, USB 2.0 |
| Sensors | ||
| Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor |
| HDMI | ||
| Yes | ||
| Location | ||
| GPS, A-GPS, Glonass | A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass |
| Other | ||
| NFC, ANT+, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync | Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, AirDrop | Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, ANT+, Infrared |
Multimedia
| Headphones | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack |
| Speakers | ||
| Multiple speakers | Multiple speakers | Multiple speakers |
| Features | ||
| Album art cover, Background playback | Album art cover, Background playback | Album art cover, Background playback |
| Screen mirroring | ||
| DLNA,Wireless screen share,MHL,MirrorLink | TV-out | Wireless screen share,MHL,TV-out |
| Radio | ||
| FM, RDS | ||
| Additional microphone(s) | ||
| Yes | ||
Cellular
| 4G (FDD) Bands | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 17, 20 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 | |
| 3G Bands | ||
| 5, 8, 4, 2, 1 | 5, 8, 2, 1 | 5, 8, 2, 1 |
| Data Speed | ||
| LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s | LTE, HSPA, UMTS | LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS |
| SIM type | ||
| Micro SIM | Nano SIM | |
| VoLTE | ||
| Yes | ||
Phone Features
| Notifications | ||
|---|---|---|
| Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone | Flight mode, Silent mode | Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone |
| Other features | ||
| Voice commands, Voice recording | Voice commands, Voice recording | Voice commands, Voice recording |
Regulatory Approval
| FCC approval | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date approved: Oct 22, 2013 FCC ID value: BCGA1475 | ||
| Measured SAR | ||
| Body: 1.19 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.33 W/kg |
||
Availability
| Officially announced | ||
|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 2014 | Oct 22, 2013 | Jan 06, 2014 |
| Prices (MSRP) | ||
| $500 | $929 | |
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Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet vs Apple iPad Air vs Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 specs comparison
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