Sony Tablet S Review

Do you want to win a Sony Tablet S of your own? We're giving away two of these tablets along, with a Jambox and $25 gift card for our first-place winner. Special thanks to the TegraZone team for providing the prizes!

Read through our review and, on the last page, follow the link to fill out our entry form on SurveyGizmo. Good luck, Tom's Hardware readers!
Airfoil. That was the first thought that popped into my head when I saw the Tablet S.
For good reason, Sony's first expedition into the tablet market defies the conventional wisdom that dictates "thinner is better." Instead, the company opted to design a tablet with more of a wedge shape. As a result, the Tablet S looks a lot like an aircraft's wing. But then I saw this commercial:

At least according to whichever marketing firm created that minute-long ad, the Tablet S' inspiration comes from a folded piece of paper. Though that's not necessarily any sexier than Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 or Apple's iPad 2, it doesn't need to be. In an increasingly expansive sea of tablet choices, Sony isn't trying to impress us based on good looks. Instead, the company is trying to uniquely cater to entertainment mavens. Zoom
Based on a cursory glance at a feature checklist, the Tablet S doesn't really seem well-suited to address that market. It's closely comparable to the Galaxy Tab 10.1, but it cannot output to HDMI. Reading data from USB-based drives is possible. But, like the solution from Samsung, you need an adapter.

Once you read beyond the most common tablet-oriented features, though, you see the Tablet S is DLNA-certified, which means it should interact very naturally with other DNLA-enabled devices like TVs, PCs, and speaker systems. The fact that this product is born into an existing ecosystem, rather than forced to co-exist with dissimilar devices, could give it a marked advantage in the tablet space. As an added bonus, the Tablet S is able to operate as a universal IR remote control, giving it functionality much like a Logitech Harmony remote in a tablet form factor.

Native Feature Checklist	Acer Iconia A500	Asus Eee Pad Transformer	Motorola Xoom	Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1	Sony Tablet S	Toshiba Thrive
Full-Sized USB Port	X	-	-	-	-	X
Front Camera	X	X	X	X	X	X
Rear Camera	X	X	X	X	X	X
SD Card Reader	-	-	-	-	X	X
HDMI Output	X	X	X	-	-	X
microSD Card Reader	X	X	X	-	-	-

Both of those differentiators certainly help make Sony's Tablet S the most unique tablet offering we've seen. However, they're not going to be must-haves for every potential tablet buyer. Again, this product is distinctly aimed at media enthusiasts.

The asymmetric thickness of the Tablet S makes it difficult to size up next to the competition. Somewhat deceptively, Sony selectively specifies a single thickness, which of course is the thinnest 0.3" measurement at the lip of the tablet. At the other end of the wedge, you're looking at a 7/8" (0.875") measurement.

As a result of Sony's design decisions, the Tablet S obviously isn't as thin or as attractive as some of the products competing against it. However, it turns out to be incredibly functional. The tablet's wider end is very natural to hold in portrait mode, almost like a real book. Other solutions we've tested are either too thin or afflicted with a sharp edge. Consequently, you end up with a hand cramp after a while. This isn't the case with the Tablet S.
Ergonomics also explain a limitation of three possible orientation modes. Looking at it in a landscape arrangement forces you to have the thin lip facing toward you. Holding the tablet the other way (thin end facing away) is more awkward, like holding a paperweight with your fingertips. Thus, we're completely fine with three, rather than four, orientation options.

	Length	Width	Height	Screen Size	Aspect Ratio	Weight
iPad 2 (3G)	9.5"	7.31"	.34"	9.7"	4:3	1.33 lb.
Acer Iconia A500	9.8"	6.6"	.5"	10.1"	16:10	1.5 lb.
Asus Eee Pad Transformer	10.2"	7"	.5"	10.1"	16:10	1.65 lb.
Motorola Xoom	10.7"	7"	.5"	10.1"	16:10	1.5 lb.
Motorola Xoom Family Edition	9.8"	6.6"	.5"	10.1"	16:10	1.4 lb.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1	10.1"	6.9"	0.38"	10.1"	16:10	1.3 lb.
Sony Tablet S	9.5"	6.8"	0.3"	9.4"	16:10	1.3 lb.
Toshiba Thrive	10.8"	7"	0.6"	10.1"	16:10	1.6 lb.

The iPad/iPad 2's 4:3 screen is deliberately sized to mimic a pad of paper. Conversely, we have yet to see an Android-based tablet with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Google and its hardware partners all seem focused on video content, as you can see from the 16:10 displays on all of the other tablets in the chart above.

Unlike the competition, however, the Tablet S employs a 9.4" LCD. This makes it more comparable to the iPad 2's 9.7" 4:3 display in that you getting roughly the same horizontal space, but less vertical room to work.

Due to its placement of the Wi-Fi and GPS antennas, Sony is forced to issue recommendations on holding the Tablet S. We have our own thoughts on them, naturally.

1. In landscape mode, hold the tablet so its front camera lens is at the top. This should be obvious, considering turning the tablet upside-down won't re-orient the screen anyway.
2. In portrait orientation, hold the tablet so its front camera lens is on the left side. Be careful not to block the ambient light sensor (to the right of the front-facing camera). This sounds like another orientation limitation to us. But hey, whatever it takes not to block the antenna, right?
3. Be careful not to hold or cover the antenna shown in the figure above while using the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or GPS functions. Because this is something we all want to have to think about as we're using our mobile devices.

The entire tablet is covered in ABS plastic, but the back features a glossy finish with a slight, dotted texture to help with grip. Otherwise, the silver surfaces are completely smooth.