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*OFFICIAL* Xoom vs iPad 2 Discussions

Roze

Hiding behind a mystery
Jan 20, 2010
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Where the Sakura grows
Hi Everyone :)

To keep the Xoom Forum cleaned and organized, all threads that are pertaining or comparing both the Xoom to the iPad 2 will be merged into this *Official* thread. We are working hard to make this forum one that is functional and easy to navigate. If you see your thread merged into this one, you now know the reason.

If you feel that your thread shouldn't have been merged, please use the
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button at the bottom left of your post. Please give an explanation as to why it shouldn't stay merged. We will look into it and decide whether it should be stay or moved to its own thread.

Just a reminder of keeping the discussion on topic, to attack the issue and NOT your fellow members.

Many thanks for your co-operation :)

Cheers,
Roze
Your friendly neighbourhood moderator
 
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
 
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i loaded a windows 7 interface on my xoom...i have samurai II, fruit ninja, gun bros, phonemypc to remote into my home automation system. a super sleek, futuristic looking device that is super fast...to me. its rooted with an unlocked bootloader i could use to load ubuntu. a super camera and video recorder. sorry, its no way the ipad wins.
 
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So the benchmarked IPAD 2 graphics performance demolished the XOOM's Tegra 2. Big F@#%ing deal!

What matters most is what you need a tablet for, how you are going to interact with it, and use it as well as how far you can push it down the upgrade path into the future. The fact that the XOOM is WIDE OPEN guarantees that GOOGLE and the Android developer community will squeeze as much performance out of it to satisfy most serious folks.

What the XOOM lacks in graphics chip horsepower compared to the IPAD 2, it more than delivers in spades in flexibility, openness, connectivity, upgrade ability. I will take all those things over the chip performance or how beautiful the IPAD 2 design is.

The XOOM is an awesome tablet and I would gladly part with the $800.00 right now for it if the full 4G tablet is available just because of its unlockable/relockable boot loader and stock honeycomb OS.

For now, I am Patiently waiting for the full 4G tablet to arrive.
 
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Definitely underwhelmed by the xoom.

Main gripes being that its heavy, and hard to hold due to its thin bezel. Of course this is all relative depending on the person.

Screen is mediocre compared to the iPad.

Tegra 2 can't play 720p that well

Barely any codec support.

Battery life not up to par with its main competitor (ipad)

Honestly I'd like to see a non tegra2 honeycomb tablet soon. Very disappointed in tegra2 capabilities. Lets see what OMAP or the orion processor has to over in terms of performance.
 
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I have said many times benchmarks are no where as important as user experience. Use the device that gives you the best user experience period. I like the fact that all my contacts, calendar, etc sync seamlessly ota between my 3 devices, includes my desktop pc. Applications I have paid for can be used on all my devices. The excite of updates and new apps. I can watch any videos I want using a simple encoding process, for free I might add. I could go on but for me the flexibilty and user experience of the device that after all I do own is what's most important to me.
 
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No one has yet mentioned the big difference here? Seriously?? Yes, of course the iPad2 crushed the Xoom in raw performance! That's because it's running at a far lower resolution. 1280x800 on the Xoom vs 1024x768 on the iPad2. When comparing graphics cards, do people honestly compare an AMD card running at 1024 with an nVidia card running at 1280? I'm guessing the benchmarks would be a LOT closer if they were running at the same res. I'm not suggesting the Xoom would win in that case. I honestly don't know or care. But, I get a little nauseated when I see big headlines like "ipad2 has double the graphics performance of the xoom!" Give me a break.
 
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No one has yet mentioned the big difference here? Seriously?? Yes, of course the iPad2 crushed the Xoom in raw performance! That's because it's running at a far lower resolution. 1280x800 on the Xoom vs 1024x768 on the iPad2. When comparing graphics cards, do people honestly compare an AMD card running at 1024 with an nVidia card running at 1280? I'm guessing the benchmarks would be a LOT closer if they were running at the same res. I'm not suggesting the Xoom would win in that case. I honestly don't know or care. But, I get a little nauseated when I see big headlines like "ipad2 has double the graphics performance of the xoom!" Give me a break.

adjust 25% to make up for resolution difference, IPAD 2 still wins by a big margin
 
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Definitely underwhelmed by the xoom.

1. Main gripes being that its heavy, and hard to hold due to its thin bezel. Of course this is all relative depending on the person.

2. Screen is mediocre compared to the iPad.

3. Tegra 2 can't play 720p that well

4. Barely any codec support.

5. Battery life not up to par with its main competitor (ipad)

Honestly I'd like to see a non tegra2 honeycomb tablet soon. Very disappointed in tegra2 capabilities. Lets see what OMAP or the orion processor has to over in terms of performance.

1. Heavy? It feels the exact same weight as the Ipad 1.
2. Screen is def. nicer than the ipads.
3. Tegra 2 plays 720p perfectly for me. i use playon.
4. Apple has horrible codec support also. However, this is all dependent on what codec you use.
5. My battery life is almost the same as my ipad 1. I get a solid 9-10 hours.
 
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I actually picked up a Verizon iPad two days so I could do a good comparison for myself. I was dead set on not returning my Xoom. Now I'm not so sure. After having used the iPad for 48 hours my perspective has changed. While I am an android fan after weighing the differences between the two I'm not sure I can justify the Xoom at this price point. A few thing were bothering me about the Xoom - one primarily being it's lack of Cisco VPN support which would be convenient for my job. The second was the screen that just wasn't tweaked color and contrast wise. Yes I love my Netflix but apps weren't such a big deal to me. Until I experienced them on the iPad. I have had an apple tv for a few months now and was able to experience the convenience of AirPlay for myself. The things it does not do well - the cameras suck. Period. Videoconferencing however through FaceTime is fine and about what I was seeing with gtalk on the Xoom. Photos are another issue altogether. They're no good on the iPad. The Xooms were far superior. Multitasking - Xoom does the superior job. Although not bad on the iPad when I turned on developer mode that enabled more multitouch gestures. Made switching between apps pretty seamless. Speakers - Xoom wins on the fact it has stereo speakers, but even though ipad only has one mono speaker it wins on sound clarity and no distortion at max volume. Notifications - I hate them on the iPad love them on the Xoom. I ran some speed tests between both and in almost every case they were virtually tied with the ipad winning a few more than the Xoom. Verizon speeds were also virtually identical. So in the end I'm having to weigh price with what experience I want with my tablet. For a while I thought the iPad was just a toy. It's not. As far as the 3G/4G argument goes, thats definitely a consideration if you need that speed. I'm fortunate that my area has awesome Verizon 3G speed and I regularly see upwards of 2mbps so it's not a big deal right now. Sure I want a better interface and notification system but for now the iPad may offer me the best experience. What I'm hoping is that the Xoom comes down in price and come down quickly so maybe I can have both. But for now it looks like the iPad wins for me. But by no means is it a slam dunk. I can also post some videos comparing speed tests and images in case anyone is interested.
 
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I wonder if it's really about the hardware, or if it's about ios vs android.


It is both. iOS is more efficient and the A5 is a little better too. The main issue though is the OS efficiency. Android has a byte code layer to get through, so is less efficient. One of the very few advantages of being a closed system like iOS is no byte code layer to deal with- This is the price of being more open and cover more chipsets that Android has to.

I messed with the iPad 2 last night. Much better UI and efficiency IMO than the Xoom or gTablet, but prefer having Flash and the connectivity options of the gTablet. Not to mention nice having drag & drop and file downloads via browser.
 
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I think the performance difference is a bit of a non-issue. Unless you're planning on doing things that are really graphics intensive, these two tablets will likely play the same games, and look roughly the same while doing it. What you're really buying into is a platform (iOS or Android), and that is the choice I believe most people will base their decision on.

I actually went down and played with the iPad 2 at BB yesterday. And I'll tell you something, WOW! I'm still unimpressed by iOS in general, but damn did they absolutely nail the form factor. Anyone who says that the iPad 2's thinness and lightness is not that important needs to get one of these things in there hands. I walked around to the Xoom in the store after handling the iPad 2 and it was a night and day difference. Which is sad because the Xoom is far from big or bulky, but Apple really set the bar high on form factor this time. It's a good thing I don't like iOS and love Android, otherwise I might be tempted to buy an iPad 2.
 
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I think the performance difference is a bit of a non-issue. Unless you're planning on doing things that are really graphics intensive, these two tablets will likely play the same games, and look roughly the same while doing it.
Now that iPad-2 has raised the bar 3-4x what anyone else does, developers have a LOT more headroom to play with. There will be games ONLY for iPad-2 for the same reasons you can't play Crysis on a Pentium-4.
 
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One thing seems certain. The only thing that keeps iPad being the only main player except for a few geeks, is no Flash. (I would be one of the geeks).

If Jobs ever were to give in, It would make all Android options extreme niche players, sans for lower cost eReader focused devices.

Android/Google must be REALLY thankful for Job's hubris in regards to Flash ;)
 
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I think the deal in CaliforniaMan's links is that that was a GPU-only benchmark.

How about the same source, but with overall benchmarks?

Apple iPad 2 Preview - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

Suddenly, the Xoom suckage is greatly reduced.

And - as a chiphead, I'd caution against sweeping processor statements because of a few benchmarks in the tablet form factor.

The Xoom is running circles around its phone counterparts - at least according to the same tests done by the same source -

LG Optimus 3D Preliminary Performance - OMAP4 Tested - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

I'd suggest the takeaway is the same I've suggested on benchmarks for many decades now - don't take them at face value, do dig deeper, and never consider them in isolation.
 
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I really don't get the ipad2 hype. Something about that same iphone look on a 10 inch tablet just don't do it for me. The slight thinnest is not that big of a deal and if you have an original ipad, its just a waste of money to get an ipad2.(imo)

Who would a known that apple would make a product that is cheaper than its competitors.

Compared to its main competitor the xoom, the ipad2 is cheaper, lighter, thinner, and faster. There's no denying it. So if someone is in the market for a tablet, and does their research, the ipad2 is a logical choice.

Xoom was a letdown. I'm using it now and the user experience is of total frustration.

Prepared for the ensuing flame replies.

I'm going to sell the xoom and wait for a nontegra2 honeycomb tablet. Nvidia you let a lot of folks down. Love honeycomb, but hate the xooms hardware choices. Mainly the subpar screen.
 
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