Loading...Last Monday Microsoft revealed their latest gadget – the Microsoft Surface – a strange combination between a tablet and a notebook which will battle head on with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.10.1 and Apple’s iPad3. However, which is the best one?
All three companies want to take over the tablet market, but at the moment it looks like the domination of Apple’s iPad won’t end soon. Apple have been dominating this niche since their introduced the first iPad in 2010. Microsoft and Samsung are the big underdogs in this battle. Here is a comparison between the three best handheld tablets – hopefully it will help you get a better idea about their specifications and make the right choice.
The first thing we see in the tablet is the design – the iPad has a minimalist design just like all other iOS devices created during the time of Steve Jobs. The Galaxy Tab 2.10.1 is definitely more different than the previous version in order to avoid the legal battle with Apple. The tablet features round edges and the device has a grey bezel around the outside. Microsoft surface definitely has the most unique design – the hybrid between a laptop and tablet comes with a light, but strong protective magnesium case.
Display
The new iPad will feature the highly anticipated Retina display which offers the user a 2048×1536 resolution running on a 9.7” screen. The Galaxy tab 2 has a bit bigger display – 10.1”. However the display’s resolution is just 1280 x 800. The iPad has 246ppi while Galaxy’s tablet has just 149ppi. Microsoft Surface features a 10.6” touch screen running with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The iPad 3 definitely has the best display.
Hardware
The iPad 3 features the A5X processor chip which also features quad core graphics. The device is four times faster than the Nvidia Tegra 3 chip. The Galaxy Tab 2 runs on a 1GHz dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor which is featured on many other tablets in the market. It is important to note that the Android platform runs very well on this processor. The Microsoft Surface will come in two versions – one featuring an ARM based chip and one running on a Intel Mobile Processor & Nvidia Tegra 3.
Software
The iPad 3 will run the new iOS5 which will be updated to iOS6 when it is released in Q4 2012. Samsung’s tablet runs the Android Ice Cream Sandwich while the Microsoft Surface users will be able to enjoy the shiny Windows 8.
Camera
The iPad 3 is definitely the undisputed leader in this section – it features a 5MPx BSI (backlight-illuminated sensor) supporting stabilization for images and video. The iPad’s camera can record 1080p video with auto-exposure and auto-focus. The Tab 2 uses a 3.15MPx camera which can also record 1080p videos. The camera can take photos with a resolution up to 2048×1536 pixels and features auto-focus, geo-tagging and a LED flash. Sadly, there is still no information about the Microsoft Surface camera. In fact, it is possible that the Surface won’t have a camera.