It seems like forever that we've been talking about the HP TouchPad and Android Honeycomb tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Motorola Xoom. In fact, we have. For months, well before the iPad 2 made its debut, the press, analysts, and consumers have asked: Which tablet will reign supreme on performance and speed? Which will offer the best apps? And most importantly, which will have the best user experience?
Until recently, all we had were vendor hardware spec sheets to compare the top iPad contenders, and we could only guess how well they might perform. But now that the HP TouchPad has finally hit the scene, we can pit the top tablets against one another on speed, apps, and general usability. We've tested the iPad 2, the HP TouchPad, the Xoom and Galaxy Tab 10.1, along with every other Android Honeycomb tablet that's been released so far. Plus, we've spent quality time comparing elements in Apple's iOS with Google's tablet-specific Honeycomb OS and HP's innovative social-centric, card-based webOS.
The biggest question of all still remains: In the long run, does any tablet competitor have the chops to topple the market-dominating iPad 2?
It's been four long months since Apple's second tablet debuted, and it's still not clear. The TouchPad comes the closest to offering a user experience that surpasses that of Honeycomb tablets, but doesn't quite match the iPad. Plus a lack of a critical mass of high-quality apps, a problem that plagues all non-Apple tablets, holds the TouchPad back from being a true iPad competitor. But that could change. HP could entice developers to make more compelling apps for the TouchPad, and the same could go for Google and Honeycomb tablets. But will it ever be enough to compete with the iPad's massive App Store? Only time will tell if the tablet landscape turns out like the MP3 space with a single dominant brand that pushes out pretty much all of the competition. Still, even though the iPad is the best tablet we've tested overall, it's not perfect, and it's not for everyone. Read the full reviews for the TouchPad, iPad 2, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Motorola Xoom, and other Honeycomb tablets linked below, and compare key specs in the table.
Still not sure? Read our buying guide for more tablet tips and shopping advice.
Apple iPad 2
$499-$829
HP TouchPad
$499-$599
Acer Iconia Tab A500
$449
Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101
$399-$499
Motorola Xoom
$599.99-$799.99
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
$499.99-$599.99
T-Mobile G-Slate with Google (by LG)
$529.99-$749.99
