Which Android Tablet to Get? True iPad2 Competition Here.

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Wow, I lost count of how many Android based tablets I saw at Computex in Taipei this year.  Literally hundreds of models that are out, available, or coming out.  There are still only a few that you shouldseriously consider if you want the best Android experience though, and I will go over these here.

Hardware differences:

The latest tablets (running 3.x HoneyComb) from the top manufacturers all have very similar specs CPU hardware side and so will have very similar performance.  The differences you will see will be in screen size and quality, physical casing dimensions and materials, ports, built-in camera(s), and accessories.

 

My #1 choice:

Samsung Galaxy Tab 101 - 32GB - Metallic Gray

Samsung clearly set their eyes on making an iPad2 Killer, and this is it.  The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the newest on the market today and is the lightest and thinnest tablet in its class right now (even beats the iPad2 thin-ness by a tiny margin).  Its very polished, looks and feels great in the hand, and has decent stereo speakers and a nice set of headphones.  It comes in two colors, white or metallic grey - I opted for metallic grey.

What I don't like is that it has only two ports - and that's the Samsung proprietary port (think Apple), and a headphone/mike jack. That means no USB ports, no micro-SD slot expansion, no built-in HDMI.  To get these ports, you're going to have to shell out more money for accessory jacks that are in-the-works and hopefully coming soon.

The cameras are 2 Megapixel front facing and 3 Megapixel back with 720p video recording.  I think they made the right choice in not going with massive megapixels and the results from the pictures show it gives decent picture quality.

#2 Choice:

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Tablet with 32GB Hard Drive - Brown/Black

Asus wanted to beat Apple on price and features and they scored very well on both marks.  The most compelling reasons to get this is that it gives you great value for the money, and you have the option to get the Asus Transformer Keyboard Dock for $150 which effectively transforms your tablet to an Android laptop with up to 16 hours of battery life!  Wow!

It has the important microSD slot, and microHDMI port with much more added with the docking station including a full SD slot and USB ports.

There are reported issues with light leakage and fit and finish on early EEE Pad Transformers though, so know that going in.

#3 Choice

Toshiba Thrive Tablet with 32GB Hard Drive - Black Tie

This isn't out yet, but it has a very unique feature: user replaceable battery.  Among other things is it has the best in terms of expansion ports, and its built by Toshiba, one of my all time favorite notebook manufacturers.