Sony Xperia Tablet S, in-depth analysis

The new Sony Xperia Tablet S was one of the most interesting novelties that the Japanese giant presented at the last IFA show in Berlin. This new Sony tablet picks up the baton from the previous Tablet S , conveniently catching up on design and performance. Among the novelties of the new Xperia Tablet S we find the complete universal remote control function, or the new guest mode.

To compete you to you with the ubiquitous iPad of Apple , Sony has integrated its new tablet within the family mobile Xperia , and has provided you with a very attractive and stylish. It is also resistant to splashes and can be obtained from 400 euros , in its 16 GB version with WiFi .

Design

The design of the new Sony Xperia Tablet S has solved an aspect of the previous model that many did not quite convince. We refer to the kind of fold in the back that although it was very practical when operating the tablet from a table, it was perhaps too bulky, making it impossible for the equipment to convey the sensation of lightness and sophistication common to tablets.

In the case of the new Xperia Tablet S , the fold is still there, but now it is much smaller and discreet, and continues to fulfill the function of raising the angle of view when we leave it on a surface. In addition, it is also very practical to hold the tablet with your hand as a book or magazine.

As for the rest of the design, the Sony Xperia Tablet S is built in aluminum, and has a 9.4-inch screen surrounded by a black frame. The rear fold is also black, while the rear, where the speakers and connections are located, is finished in a metallic tone. Its exact dimensions are 239.8 x 174.4 x 8.8 millimeters in height (at its narrowest part), and its weight ranges from 570 to 585 grams , depending on the model we select.

Splash proof

Yes, for example, those who like to take the tablet to the kitchen to follow a recipe while they are red-handed, or to the pool or the garden, will be able to touch the screen or turn the equipment without fear of the drops. damage. And is that the Sony Xperia Tablet S is built splash-proof. This does not mean that we can get us into the tub with the tablet, but only to not have to worry about if we drop water, coffee or any liquid on the Xperia Tablet S .

characteristics

Well, as we have already mentioned above, the new Sony Xperia Tablet S is equipped with a 9.4-inch screen , which is 23.8 cm diagonally . It is a LCD backlit LED technology and IPS OptiContrast of Sony to provide good viewing angle. The resolution is WXGA (1280 x 800 pixels) and its surface has a treatment to avoid the annoying fingerprints caused by the use of the touch screen.

The Xperia Tablet S equips a 1.3 GigaHerz Nvidia Tegra 3 quad- core processor with 1 GB of memory. Regarding the storage capacity, we can choose between 16, 32 or 64 GB of internal disk, and it is also possible to use an SD memory card as support for our files. Of course, to detect its orientation and adapt the screen content to the way we hold it, the Xperia Tablet S has an accelerometer and gyroscopic system, also including the electronic compass and an ambient light sensor.

In the photographic section, the new Sony Xperia Tablet S incorporates an eight - megapixel camera capable of taking pictures with a size of 3264 x 2448 pixels . Functions for videoconferencing through Skype or similar programs, the webcam front has a resolution of 1 megapixel and can capture photos of 1296 x 808 pixels .

And in the chapter on sound, the Sony Xperia Tablet S has a built-in microphone and stereo speaker system. The audio processor the Xperia Tablet S incorporates technology Clear Audio + of Sony to achieve a high and undistorted sound.

Moving on to connectivity, our Xperia Tablet S incorporates the memory card slot compatible with SD, SDHC, SDHC UHS-I , plus a headphone jack . It includes of course wireless network connection via WiFi , Bluetooth port and GPS function . Moving on to autonomy, the 6,000 mAh lithium-ion battery allows us up to 12 hours of video playback or 10 hours of Internet browsing , requiring 5.5 hours to fully recharge it.

software

The Sony Xperia Tablet S runs on the Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system , and Sony has included some interesting applications to make its offering more attractive. One of them is the Universal Remote Control function that, as its name suggests, allows us to control practically any equipment with a remote control, such as TV, DVD or Blu-ray player or Home Cinema equipment . We can even record macros with our most common combinations or sequences of commands, such as turning on the Blu-Ray , plus the Home Cinema and then going to the entranceCorresponding AV on the TV.

Another interesting function is the Guest Mode , through which we can create users with restricted access to the tablet . This mode is very interesting for children, since we can leave them the tablet with web browsing or access to content playback disabled, so that they can only run games or any other application that interests us. The complete content of the tablet is protected by a password that we will have defined before, and that we will have to enter to return to normal mode.

Multimedia

For playing multimedia files, the Xperia Tablet S has specific applications for each type of file. For example, for music, the Walkman app allows us to organize our songs, create our own or automatic playlists by selecting the songs that we like the most or that our friends listen to on Facebook , or suggesting listens related to our music library. The Album application takes care of managing our photos and videos, being able to also access the images that we have on social networks, or directly upload the photos that we have in the memory of the tablet. Finally, the Movies function takes care of playing the movies on theXperia Tablet S taking full advantage of its image and sound characteristics.

Social life

Designed to organize all the information on our social networks, the new Sony Social Life application allows us to group Facebook and Twitter accounts to be able to consult them from a single window with an elegant and functional mosaic-shaped design. We can also select YouTube videos or news feeds, share them on Facebook or Twitter , and bookmark any content for later viewing if we don't have time at the time. The Sony Social Life app is available as a free download from the Google Play store .

Small Apps

Another Sony novelty that accompanies the Xperia Tablet S are the Small Apps . It is a collection of applications quickly accessible from the same port or shuttle. These little apps or widgets take care of practical functions such as the calculator or the infrared remote control. We can select the apps or widgets that interest us most to have them quickly accessible from Small Apps mode .

Competitors

When looking for competitors to the Sony Xperia Tablet S in the field of tablets with Android 4.0 operating system, you must necessarily look at the 10-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 . This model offers more memory for the same price as the Sony, and is one of the best-selling Android 4.0 tablets . Nor should it lose sight of the Asus Transformer Prime , other tablet Android Ice Cream Sandwich of 10 inches also incorporates a removable physical keyboard and is available with 32 GB of memory for about $ 500 .

conclusion

In short, the new Sony Xperia Tablet S is an Android tablet with an elegant and attractive design. It has improved the appearance and practicality of the previous Tablet S , and has incorporated very interesting applications such as the Remote Control mode or the Small Apps , in addition to features that can make more than one decide for it, such as construction proof a from splashing. In addition, its price, although it is not the cheapest, seems adequate if we consider its design and specifications. The new Sony Xperia Tablet S is available in versions WiFi of 16 and 32 or WiFi + 3G of16 and 64 GB , with a retail price of 400, 500, 520 and 720 euros respectively .

specs