Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 Vs Sony Xperia Tablet Z

Samsung recently unveiled the Galaxy Tab 3 series tablets featuring an 8in and a 10.1in variants which are expected to be available globally in June.

We put together Samsung's newly introduced Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 side-by-side with Sony's second Xperia branding 10.1in tablet known as Xperia Tablet Z, which reportedly has the highest levels of water resistance (IP55 & IP57), to help readers decide which one to buy.

Here is how the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 and Sony Xperia Tablet Z stacks up against each other

Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 vs Xperia Tablet Z: Display

The Galaxy Tab 3 as well as Sony's new Xperia Tablet Z have 10.1in display. The 10in variant of Galaxy Tab 3 features a WXGA (Wide Extended Graphics Array) TFT display with screen resolution at 800 x 1280 pixels, giving it a pixel density of 149 pixels per inch (ppi).

Sony's Xperia tablet, on the contrary, features a full HD Reality Display powered by second generation Mobile BRAVIA Engine. As Sony claims, the BRAVIA Engine 2 delivers an even better viewing by combining real-time contrast optimisation to the sharpness, high-quality colour management and noise reduction. Additionally, with the widest spectrum of colours the Xperia Tablet Z offers vivid and clear viewing.

The Xperia Tablet Z beats Samsung's 10in Galaxy Tab with higher screen resolution, at 1920 x 1200 pixels and also carries more number of pixels featuring a pixel density of 224 ppi.

Although, the pixel density of Xperia Tablet Z does not match to that of the iPad 4 featuring a Retina Display (264 ppi) but it is close enough and difficult to make out the difference, suggests a review by IBTimes UK. The Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 also displays decent colours and offers a better viewing angle.

Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 vs Xperia Tablet Z: Dimensions

The Xperia Tablet Z and the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 are almost identical in terms of footprints. But Sony's tablet is quite larger and thinner than the Galaxy tablet, featuring a thickness of 6.9mm only. Additionally, Sony boasts that its Xperia tablet is world's slimmest 10.1in Android powered tablet.

In terms of weight, the Xperia Tablet Z is approximately 15g lighter than the Tab 3 10.1, weighing just 495g.

Galaxy Tab 3 10.1: 243.1 x 176.1 x 7.95mm

Xperia Tablet Z: 266 x 172 x 6.9mm

Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 vs Xperia Tablet Z: Operating System

The Xperia Tablet Z was first shipped with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean but Sony promised that the device will be upgraded to the latest Jelly Bean software, Android 4.2, sometime after the market launch.

The Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, unlike the Xperia tablet, will run on Android 4.2 once it comes out of the box.

The Android 4.2, combining several new features, marks a significant improvement over the Android 4.1 version. Some of the key features of Android 4.2 includes the camera app called Photo Sphere, Gesture Typing (allows users to glide fingers over the letters they want to type on the keyboard while increasing the typing speed), Daydream, enhanced Google Now, Google Search and Android Beam. The Android 4.2 software also adds support for wireless display allowing users to share movies, YouTube videos and other video and images on their TVs.

Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 vs Xperia Tablet Z: Processor and RAM

The Xperia Tablet Z runs with Snapdragon S4 Pro chip featuring a quad-core krait processor with each core running at clock speeds up to 1.5GHz, paired with Adreno 320 graphics unit.

This is the similar processor used inside company's flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z featuring a 5in HD Reality Display. As Sony claims, the Xperia Tablet Z is the first tablet to run on Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor which has been benchmarked to be a powerful processor. It was first introduced in the Mobile Development Platform for Android tablet (MDP/T); the device which is exclusively designed for developers and manufacturers.

The Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 is equipped with Intel Atom Z2560 Clover Trail+ processor, confirms Intel Corporation. The tablet will feature either Intel's XMM 6262 3G model solution or Intel XMM 7160 4G LTE solution.

This dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 Clover Trail+ processor is said to provide double the compute performance and three times graphics capabilities along with competitive battery life when compared to the previous Intel Atom line ups.

The Xperia Tablet Z has 2GB of RAM as opposed to the Tab 3 10.1 which comes with 1GB of RAM.

Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 vs Xperia Tablet Z: Camera

The Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 has a three megapixels rear-facing camera which can capture 720p video at 30 frames per second (fps). The tablet also features a 1.3 megapixel front camera.

The Xperia Tablet Z features a high resolution primary camera of 8.1 megapixels with Exmor R for mobile image sensor which is claimed to be the first image sensor with HDR (High Dynamic Range) video for smartphones. The HDR imaging technology is used to capture clear photo against strong backlight.

The Xperia tablet also has a 2.2 megapixel for video calls. Both cameras can record 1080p video in 30 fps. The other camera technologies include Burst Mode, Scene recognition, Sweep Panorama, Smile detection, Face detection, Touch focus and Superior Auto.

Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 vs Xperia Tablet Z: Connectivity

The Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 also offers Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi channel bonding, Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP. The Xperia Tablet Z also offers Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual band, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP and the device is NFC enabled.

Both the tablets support LTE network speeds.

Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 vs Xperia Tablet Z: Storage

The Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 as well as the Xperia Tablet Z come in two storage variants: 16GB and 32GB and both devices support microSD card for additional storage up to 64GB.

Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 vs Xperia Tablet Z: Battery

The Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 runs with a 6800mAh powered battery whereas the Xperia Tablet Z uses a battery of 6000mAh.

However, the Xperia Tablet Z also includes Battery STAMINA mode, Sony's unique battery management technology which improve standby time by four times by closing power hungry apps whenever the screen is off and starting then up again when the screen turns on.

Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 vs Xperia Tablet Z: Price

Samsung is yet to provide the pricing details of the Galaxy Tab 3 but one of the online retailers have revealed the retail price of the device. Dutch retailer, Tablet Center is now taking pre-order for the 16GB variant of Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 (Wi-Fi) which is priced at € 379, approximately £323.

Considering the retail price, the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 is approximately £76 cheaper than the 16GB Xperia Tablet Z Wi-Fi variant which is available for purchase at £399.