Last Updated on March 29, 2020
Sony announces a new version in its unique line of tablet products. The new Sony Xperia Tablet S brings a much-needed upgrade to the Tablet S line while still keeping the things that many people enjoyed about the previous Tablet S.
About the Sony Xperia Tablet S
Physically, the Xperia Tablet S is 9.45×6.9-inches. Because of its unique folded-over magazine-like design, the thickness of this tablet goes from .35-inches to about .47-inches. The tablet weighs about 1.26-pounds. It has a black finish on the front and silver aluminum on the back with a black textured area for gripping to adhere to the folded-over magazine aesthetic. On the right side is the volume rocker and a combination power and lock button. There is also a full-size SD slot, headphone jack and multiport for charging. The front sports the 1-megapixel front-facing camera and the back has the 8-megapixel one. The stereo speaker grills on the bottom of the back of the tablet have small nubs to help prevent sound muffling when laid on a flat surface. One thing that remains from the previous Tablet S is the IR port that allows you to use the tablet as a universal remote. The 9.4-inch IPS LCD uses a resolution of 1280×800. The screen occupies a middle ground between the 7 and 10.1-inch tablets that are widespread in the market now. The battery life is rated for between 10 and 12 hours depending on use.
A 1.3 GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 with 1 GB of RAM and 16GB of storage keeps this tablet running smoothly. Out of the box, it comes with Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. There is a good chance the tablet will get a 4.1 Jelly Bean update in the future. Sony uses a proprietary interface on top of its Android build with many features designed for usability and accessibility. One addition is the capability of creating individual profiles on the tablet. Built in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi round out this particular tablet’s specifications.
Compared to Sony Tablet S
The Xperia Tablet S is the direct successor to the older Sony Tablet S, so it makes sense to compare the two. The original Tablet S shares many of the characteristics of the Xperia branded one. The folded magazine look and feel is there, as well as the 9.4-inch screen. The main differences are in the hardware. The Tablet S features a dual-core Nvidia running at 1.0 GHz compared to the Xperia Tablet’s quad at 1.3 GHz. Out of the box, the Tablet S came with Android 3.2, Honeycomb, but has since received a 4.0.3, Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade. The camera is only 5-megapixels on the Tablet S, but the display is the same resolution as the Xperia Tablet at 1280×800. The differences between the two are not that big, but the Xperia Tablet S definitely shows itself to be the upgraded model that it is.
Despite a lot of uniformity of characteristics happening in the tablet market, Sony manages to put out something that is a little familiar, but a little different from other offerings. With the use of a full-sized SD slot allowing the ability to expand the storage capabilities, this tablet is ready for whatever you might need it for.