• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Motoroal Xoom handily beats iPad in performance test

I just read somewhere that the Xoom got its ass whooped by the iPad 2 in the graphics department - wasn't even close.

Gizmodo, the Gadget Guide

It pissed me off to tell you the truth. Here we are with a cheaper device that is more graphically capable than a more expensive device. All I have heard about the Xoom is its amazing capability that outmatches the iPad and here we see that its not true.

I sure as hell hope both motorola and the rest of the andtab hardware companies see this and start doing some serious work.
 
Upvote 0
The iPad 2 is already being seen as the new standard for that type of device, following the original iPad as almost that.

I also think it was a stroke of cleverness to offer the new version at the same pricing as the original iPad.

Handling the Xoom the other day I was surprised as to its weight. I think those grabbing a thin, highly polished iPad 2 will opt away from the Android product, unfortunately.

But I'm sure Motorola is mindful of all this, and will respond with an evolved version themselves. Hopefully it won't be too late, as sales of only 300,000 so far since its release places it in a catch up mode, not a leadership mode.
 
Upvote 0
Interestingly enough I went to Best Buy yesterday looking for a Xoom just to play with in the store and see how well Honeycomb runs on a device that's designed for it. I could not find one anywhere in the store. They had a very prominent display of iPad 2s though.

Perhaps Jobs is beginning to do what Gates did wrt Linux in the Best Buy outlets: scorched Earth tactics, "get rid of them or you can't sell our products." So, no more boxed Turbo Linux, Suse Linux and Red Hat/Fedora Linux to be seen anymore. But shelves and shelves of Windows and other Microsoft products.

I doubt it, but the thought did cross my mind. ;)
 
Upvote 0
I just read somewhere that the Xoom got its ass whooped by the iPad 2 in the graphics department - wasn't even close.

Gizmodo, the Gadget Guide

It pissed me off to tell you the truth. Here we are with a cheaper device that is more graphically capable than a more expensive device. All I have heard about the Xoom is its amazing capability that outmatches the iPad and here we see that its not true.

I sure as hell hope both motorola and the rest of the andtab hardware companies see this and start doing some serious work.

I don't know if it's fair to compare the Xoom to the iPad2. When Motorola was developing its tablet, its reference point was the original iPad. Motorola's goal was likely to beat the iPad1 in performance, and it has done so soundly.
 
Upvote 0
I was not expecting this! The Xoom has more ram and a Tegra 2 but yet it still took a beating when compared to the ipad 2! I was expecting the A5 chip to be kinda soft and deliver only a margin increase over the original ipad. Apple Delivered! The iphone 5 will be awesome and we have no Android devices that can counter this now that it is proven that Apple's A5 processor can easily defeat a Tegra 2.
We also have no Android devices coming in the near future that can outperform the Apple A5 chip , now that it is proven that Apple's A5 processor can easily defeat a Tegra 2


Apple iPad 2 GPU Performance Explored: PowerVR SGX543MP2 Benchmarked - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

Apple iPad 2 GPU Performance Explored: PowerVR SGX543MP2 Benchmarked - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News
 
Upvote 0
AnandTech has done a performance comparison between the Motorola Xoom's processor and the iPads. The results: the Xoom handily beats the iPad.

GPU Performance Explored: PowerVR SGX543MP2 Benchmarked - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

GL Benchmark 2.0 Egypt:

Xoom = 11.8 fps
iPad = 8.1 fps

GL Benchmark 2.0 Pro:

Xoom = 26.7 fps
iPad = 17.6 fps

Nice try, the Xoom beats ipad original but the XOOM TAKES a MASSIVE BEATING from the iPAD 2. iPAD 2 just destroyed the Xoom
 
Upvote 0
I don't know if it's fair to compare the Xoom to the iPad2. When Motorola was developing its tablet, its reference point was the original iPad. Motorola's goal was likely to beat the iPad1 in performance, and it has done so soundly.

Nice try,

You can't compare a current gen product (XOOM) w/ your competitor's last-gen product. Doesn't matter if Motorola only used the 1st gen as their reference. They need to anticipate that their competition is not sitting still.

XOOM was only released a few weeks before the iPad 2. XOOM should only be compared to iPad 2 and not the iPad 1. Yes, it is fair to compare current shipping products to their current competitor's shipping products.

Again, nice try and trying to change the subject at hand.
 
Upvote 0
Nice try,

You can't compare a current gen product (XOOM) w/ your competitor's last-gen product. Doesn't matter if Motorola only used the 1st gen as their reference. They need to anticipate that their competition is not sitting still.

XOOM was only released a few weeks before the iPad 2. XOOM should only be compared to iPad 2 and not the iPad 1. Yes, it is fair to compare current shipping products to their current competitor's shipping products.

Again, nice try and trying to change the subject at hand.

What about a real world test slash review by a fairly reasonable user (ME) that receives/answers email, surfs the web, edits technical documents, writes new documents, downloads/views iTunes rentals, fools too damn much with GarageBand, edits musical scores, draws pictures for the machinists, and plays music day in and day out?

The reviews are in, the iPad is a most capable machine. Talking about the first iPad, not the iPad2.

The iPad is solidly built and the screen is bright and sharp. The Xoom is smaller and it feels cheap. The Xoom's screen is also difficult for Bob to read.

I looked at the Xoom and I was not really impressed. Nothing against the Xoom, just not impressed. As an aside, I looked at keyboards yesterday and not one of the after-market wireless keyboards cones close to Apple's version. I bought the KB with the dock. Metal and polymers, well built and thin; Zaggmate's unit was inferior in my opinion and I can't see how it will stand up over the long term.

So forget the performance tests you find on the web. Or look for many reviews and tests and decide on your own. Remember, most comparisons found on an Apple-centric site will tell you just how bad the Xoom stinks and many reviews on an Android site will praise the Xoom and decry the iPad.

I found one to counteract the one that started this thread. Apparently both suck and both rule and both are filled with problems and both are great. Or just the opposite.

The Xoom has a shorter battery life according to CNET and compared to the iPad. The test results I saw compared video performance. Then again, you might find just the opposite on another web site. All I can report is this: the fact that I can download and watch a few iTunes rentals and fiddle with lots of crappy apps; surf the web, visit YouTube, work on projects like writing and editing, send endless email messages and still have plenty of power left over, adds one more reasonable reason for selecting the iPad: great battery life proven daily in the real world, by a real user.

Besides, no such thing as a Xoom a year ago.

I say, look at both units and spend a little time with each. Only you know what you want. Something new will arrive that kills all current units; of this there is zero doubt.

Try writing a few thousand words on each unit. Watch some YouTube, and review currently available apps. Chances are, you will make a good choice. Forget how great you think the iPad or Xoom keyboard is and take both for a spin. If you need to write daily, your choice might already be made.

Bob
 
Upvote 0
^ He's right.

Here's the thing. If manufacturers compete with current Apple products instead of what's coming, they'll get beat... badly. Apple moves quickly, but they're predictable. What else would they fix about the iPad to compete with upcoming Android devices? Performance. I could've seen that coming.
 
Upvote 0
Perhaps Jobs is beginning to do what Gates did wrt Linux in the Best Buy outlets: scorched Earth tactics, "get rid of them or you can't sell our products." So, no more boxed Turbo Linux, Suse Linux and Red Hat/Fedora Linux to be seen anymore. But shelves and shelves of Windows and other Microsoft products.

I doubt it, but the thought did cross my mind. ;)

All I know is if I'm the typical clueless person on the street and I walk into a store and am greeted by a display of tablets prominently featuring the iPad 2 and the only other alternatives there are the Galaxy Tab (which is smaller, chunkier and comes with a data plan) and the Dell Streak (don't get me started), the iPad is easily the most appealling of those three options. Motorola is not going to sell any Xooms at all to that person regardless of how it's priced.
 
Upvote 0
All I know is if I'm the typical clueless person on the street and I walk into a store and am greeted by a display of tablets prominently featuring the iPad 2 and the only other alternatives there are the Galaxy Tab (which is smaller, chunkier and comes with a data plan) and the Dell Streak (don't get me started), the iPad is easily the most appealling of those three options. Motorola is not going to sell any Xooms at all to that person regardless of how it's priced.

I tend to agree. Every maker must compete with the iPad. Apple set the standard (no arguments about how good or bad the 'standard' is please) and if you want to compete, you must prove to an often clueless public that A is better than B.

I'll say it again . . . we will eventually see an iPad/Xoom killer that is twice as fast and half the price and outdated in a year or so by something that is even better.

Bob
 
Upvote 0
I was not expecting this! The Xoom has more ram and a Tegra 2 but yet it still took a beating when compared to the ipad 2! I was expecting the A5 chip to be kinda soft and deliver only a margin increase over the original ipad. Apple Delivered! The iphone 5 will be awesome and we have no Android devices that can counter this now that it is proven that Apple's A5 processor can easily defeat a Tegra 2.
We also have no Android devices coming in the near future that can outperform the Apple A5 chip , now that it is proven that Apple's A5 processor can easily defeat a Tegra 2


Apple iPad 2 GPU Performance Explored: PowerVR SGX543MP2 Benchmarked - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

Apple iPad 2 GPU Performance Explored: PowerVR SGX543MP2 Benchmarked - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

The Kal-El (Tegra 4) is scheduled for release in the fall. And they're claiming 75% increase in performance over Tegra 2.

Tegra Roadmap Revealed: Next Chip to be World?s First Quad-Core Mobile Processor NVIDIA
 
Upvote 0
Good for Apple, they've upped the ante yet again. For that, I am greatful. However I really could care less about tablets. I'm just not interested in them.

What I am interested in is the new possibilities devices like the Atrix brings to the table. Man oh man am I ever hoping the competition starts copying this thing right away. I would love to see in the very near future, all the major players in the smartphone realm offering laptop docs (and who knows, maybe even tablet docs for those interested). Kill two birds with one stone? Why not!

And wow has this ever ramped up the interest for the iPhone 5 even more now (like it wasn't enough already). With the A5 chip powering it, graphics wise there isn't an Android device now, nor in the near future that will come anywhere close to what it'll be capable of. The Kal-El is scheduled for release in the fall? Well at 75% better performance, that means that even in the GLBenchmark 2.0 Pro test between the two, the Tegra 4 would only muster around a 47, to the iPad2's 57.6. So it's going to take more than that.

But that's only if the Xoom is truely optimized, which it may not be. Perhaps once the Tegra 4 comes out they'll have the technology to optimize it to meet or beat the A5. Who knows? It's all speculation at this point. All I'm saying is that this is truly good news for the celular world because once again, Apple is pushing Android to put up or shut up. And we all know that Google will put up, not shut up.

This is also very welcome news to me because hopefully this will bring all those annoying Android fanboys back down to earth a little. Nothing is better for a superstar than a slice of humble pie from time to time. I was honestly afraid that Android was advancing so rapidly as of late, that the iPhone 5 would be released already behind the stiff competition of Android. And that we'd never hear the end of it outa all the smug 'know it alls' running around here.

Hopefully this teaches them that Android isn't some untouchable, technological freak show that's light years ahead of anyone and everything else. I liked it sooo much better when Android was still proving itself as a worthy advisary, people seemed so much more laid back and modest. Now I find myself actually embarrassed to be a part of this juggernaught as everyone throws insults around carelessly, beating the Android drum and laughing ridiculously at all challengers.

That ain't what I call a fun community. I much prefer treating others with the same respect I'd like to recieve from others. So on that note, I'm very excited to see Apple upping the ante, and making us work to catch back up again. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: NatesMom
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones