CNET updates tablet test results
CNET updates its test results for non-Windows tablets.
Tabs on tabs on tabs - The iPad better watch its throne if tablets like these keep coming out.
(Credit: Xiomara Blanco/CNET)Editor's note:This list was originally posted on July 25 and is updated regularly.
Back in March I posted test results for the most popular tablets at the time. Since then, many more tablets have been released and thanks to our new CNET Labs intern, Xiomara Blanco, we now have updated tests results for some of the newest non-Windows tablets.
Due to its somewhat unpredictable nature, I've removed Web site speed testing from the test suite. Web site speed tests are great for videos, since they take only a few seconds to run, are relevant to most people's interests, and serve as a great comparison benchmark with the launch of a new tablet.
However, we've seen that results can change drastically with each OS update, and unfortunately we can't keep each tablet in-house forever, and for many, we must eventually send them back to their respective vendors. So, comparing the Xoom running Android 3.0 with the Toshiba Thrive running the 3.2 version of Honeycomb isn't all that fair.
As for battery life, we've found that results have much more to do with a tablet's screen brightness than which version of the OS it's currently running, so we're still using that criterion. We've also tested the tablets' default and maximum respective luminosities and contrast ratios.
If you're still unclear as to which tablets are coming down the pike, check our current and upcoming tablets list.
Here's the updated list of tablets with new test results. Now that we have a dedicated tablet-testing person, expect this list to be updated much more frequently.
| Tablet name | Video battery life (in hours) | Maximum brightness (in cd/m2) | Default brightness (in cd/m2) | Contrast ratio | Resolution | Screen size (in inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acer Iconia Tab A100 | 6 | 227 | 96 | 840:1 | 1,024x600 | 7 |
| Acer Iconia Tab A200 | 7.7 | 318 | 120 | 1,766:1 | 1,280x800 | 10 |
| Acer Iconia Tab A500 | 7.8 | 377 | 67 | 1,340:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Acer Iconia Tab A501 | 6.4 | 322 | 62.7 | 1,568:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Acer Iconia Tab A510 | 11.6 | 353 | 118 | 1,604:1 | 1280 x 800 | 10.1 |
| Amazon Kindle Fire | 6.7* | 424 | 147 | 963:1 | 1,024x600 | 7 |
| Apple iPad (2012) | 12.8 | 455 | 160 | 941:1 | 2,0484x1,536 | 9.7 |
| Apple iPad (2010) | 12.6 | 388 | 161 | 881:1 | 1,024x768 | 9.7 |
| Apple iPad 2 | 14.2 | 432 | 176 | 939:1 | 1,024x768 | 9.7 |
| Archos 70 8GB | 4.7 | 302 | 216 | 581:1 | 800x480 | 7 |
| Archos 80 G9 | 5.8 | 220 | 93 | 581:1 | 1,024x768 | 8 |
| Archos 101 8GB | 5.8 | 177 | 133 | 1,106:1 | 1,024x600 | 10.1 |
| Archos 101 G9 | 5.5 | 247 | 111 | 94:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Asus Eee Pad Slider | 7.7 | 323 | 323 | 842:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Asus Eee Pad Transformer | 7.3 (10.7 with keyboard) | 320 | 85 | 1,063:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime | 9.6 (15.3 with keyboard) | 570 | 183 | 1,220:1 | 1280 x 800 | 10.1 |
| Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet | 6.5* | 307 | 152 | 1,023:1 | 1,024x600 | 7 |
| Coby Kyros | 6.06 | 157 | 149 | 541:1 | 800x480 | 7 |
| Dell Streak 5 | 4.7 | 340 | 135 | 1,172:1 | 800x480 | 5 |
| Dell Streak 7 | 3.3 | 330 | 146 | 868:1 | 800x480 | 7 |
| HP TouchPad | 6.8 | 292 | 85 | 768:1 | 1,024x768 | 9.7 |
| HTC Evo View 4G (Sprint) | 6.9 | 454 | 161 | 890:1 | 1,024x600 | 7 |
| HTC Flyer | 6 | 372 | 151 | 1,005:1 | 1,024x600 | 7 |
| HTC Jetstream | 7.7 | 293 | 187 | 1,465:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad | 7.6 | 425 | 53 | 883:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad K1 | 8.6 | 289 | 129 | 1,521:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad A1 | 4 | 224 | 98 | 800:1 | 1,024x600 | 7 |
| Motorola Xoom | 9.3 | 312 | 131 | 1,200:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Motorola Droid Xyboard 10.1 | 8.7 | 411 | 172 | 1208:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Motorola Droid Xyboard 8.2 | 5.3 | 469 | 255 | 1,342:1 | 1,280x800 | 8.2 |
| Pantech Element | 8.8 | 446 | 271 | 675:1 | 1,024x768 | 8 |
| RIM BlackBerry PlayBook | 7.6 | 587 | 474 | 1,223:1 | 1,024x600 | 7 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab | 7.8 | 364 | 123 | 674:1 | 1,024x600 | 7 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 | 7.1 | 379 | 150 | 1,222:1 | 1,024x600 | 7 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus | 7.8 | 214 | 50 | 1,258:1 | 1,024x600 | 7.2 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 | 8.8 | 110 | 51 | 1,258:1 | 22,449:1 | 7.7 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 | 8.2 | 372 | 181 | 1,206:1 | 1,280x800 | 8.9 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 | 7.5 | 336 | 336 | 1,120:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 | 6.2 | 380 | 213 | 968:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G (Verizon) | 8.4 | 455 | 83 | 948:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Sony Tablet P | 5.9 | 388 | 152 | 1,251:1 | 1,024x480 | 5.5 |
| Sony Tablet S | 6.2 | 393 | 160 | 842:1 | 1,280x800 | 9.4 |
| T-Mobile G-Slate | 9.7 | 424 | 143 | 794:1 | 1,280x768 | 8.9 |
| T-Mobile SpringBoard | 7.3 | 353 | 106 | 840:1 | 1,280x800 | 7 |
| Toshiba Excite 7.7 | 7.5 | NA | NA | NA | 1,280x800 | 7.7 |
| Toshiba Excite 10 | 7.8 | 358 | 154 | 873:1 | 1,280x800 | 10 |
| Toshiba Excite 10 LE | 8 | 359 | 249 | 944:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| Toshiba Excite 13 | 8.8 | 236 | 94.1 | 944:1 | 1,600x900 | 13.3 |
| Toshiba Thrive 10-inch | 9.6 | 337 | 131 | 1,404:1 | 1,280x800 | 10.1 |
| ViewSonic gTablet | 7.8 | 364 | 123 | 1,093:1 | 1,024x600 | 10.1 |
| Velocity Micro Cruz T410 | 6.5 | Coming soon | Coming soon | Coming soon | 800x600 | 10 |
| Velocity Micro Cruz T408 | 4.6 | Coming soon | Coming soon | Coming soon | 800x600 | 8 |
| Vizio Tablet VTAB1008 | 5.9 | 278 | 203 | 1,112:1 | 1,024x768 | 8 |
How we test tablets
In the CNET Labs, we currently run two different tests to evaluate the performance of non-Windows tablets.
Battery life
We evaluate battery life by continually running a movie file on the tablet until its battery dies.
We set each tablet to Airplane mode and adjust its respective brightnesses to 150 candelas per square meter (cd/M2) or as close to that number as possible.
For the iPad, we run the iPad version of "Toy Story 3." On Android tablets, we run a 720p version of "Toy Story 3." The reason we chose 720p for Android was that not every tablet can run 1080p video just yet, and we wanted to make sure we tested Android tablets under the same methodology.
Some lesser Android tablets like the Coby Kyros weren't capable of running 720p video, so we tested them using the same "Toy Story 3" file, converted to 480p.
On the iPads, we ran the movie through the iPod app; for Android, we used the movie player app mVideoPlayer, as it provides a much-needed repeat video function that not all native Android movie players include.
*The times for the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet reflect continually streaming video through a wireless connection. The router was approximately five feet away with a full signal. We used Amazon Prime to stream "Amadeus" on the Amazon Kindle Fire; for the Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet we used the Netflix application to stream "Amadeus". On both tablets when the movie ended it was manually repeated due to a lack of repeat video function available.
Contrast ratio and brightness
We also tested the maximum brightness, default brightness, and contrast ratio for each tablet. We conducted these tests using the Minolta CA-210 display color analyzer. With each screen at full luminosity, we placed the sensor in the middle of the screen. We used a completely white screen to test the brightness and a completely black screen to test the black level. We then divided the maximum brightness by the maximum black level to get the contrast ratio.
