Motorola DROID XYBOARD 10.1 Review

This is a short review of the Motorola DROID XYBOARD 10.1 (which is identical to the Motorola XOOM 2), as it shares many of the same features of the DROID XYBOARD 8.2 that we reviewed in detail here.

Introduction:

Last month Verizon released two new Motorola tablets, both of which are the first to receive the “DROID” branding: the DROID XYBOARD 8.2 and DROID XYBOARD10.1. The first Motorola tablet that Verizon released which ran on the Android Honeycomb operating system was the XOOM, but it didn’t go over well, as it did not initially ship with LTE built-in (and the LTE Upgrade was delayed for several months). But this time around, Motorola seems to have got their act together, as both of these DROID tablets have LTE right out of the box. So what’s the difference between these two DROIDs? Simply put, it’s the screen size – at 8.2” and 10.1” respectively. This has become common in the Tablet marketplace, as some customers prefer a larger screen, while others want a more compact tablet with smaller screen.

Included in the retail box is the Motorola DROID 10.1 tablet (available with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of internal memory), wall charger, microUSB data cable, stylus pen, and user guides.

Design:

The Motorola DROID XYBOARD 10.1 isn’t overtly big, coming in at 6.8”H x 9.9”W x 0.34”D, but does feel a bit heavy at 1.3 lbs. The device appears well built, almost like a tank, using premium materials, which gives it a nice sturdy feel. It has angled corners, just like the DROID RAZR smartphone, which give it an aggressive styling, and we welcome the soft-touch coating on the back edges.


The 10.1” IPS-enhanced HD Display carries the same 1280x800 resolution as its 8.2” brother. Colors are vibrant but we did notice some loss in contrast   when viewed at extreme angles, which in regular daily use is not a concern.


On the right back-edge is the power/lock button and volume rocker. They can be a bit difficult to locate at times, since it has the same soft-touch coating on it and doesn’t protrude any. Along the bottom edge is the 4G SIM card slot and the microUSB and microHDMI ports, and up on top is the 3.5mm headset jack and IR blaster, which can be used with the Dijit app to turn the tablet into an universal remote control. Above the display is a 1.3MP camera, and on the rear is a 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash that can also record HD videos. On either side of it is a pair of stereo speakers that does remarkably well with music playback.