Conclusion Get the lowdown
Features How they compare
Performance Real world benchmarks
Differences Technical showdown
Reviews Word on the street
Competition Others to consider
Discussion Answers and opinions

Compare with...

Google Nexus 10
Google Nexus 7
Apple iPad 1
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

Motorola Xoom 2

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Acer Iconia Tab A500

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10.1"
32 GB
WiFi 3G
Android 3.2 Honeycomb

Announced November, 2011

In fact, the Xoom 2's 8.8mm (0.35 inches) thickness and 600g (1.32 pounds) weight are both direct matches for the measurements of the iPad 2 Wi-Fi model, a congruence in specs which I doubt was accidental.

Rated 62% by by The Verge (Dec, 2011)

10.1"
32 GB
WiFi
Android 3.0 Honeycomb

older Released October, 2011

At least capturing HD video is easy thanks to its 5-megapixel (720p) camera.

Rated 70% by by TrustedReviews (Mar, 2012)

Conclusion Which is better for you?

Motorola Xoom 2

Acer Iconia Tab A500

84%

89%

FeaturesView Details

20%

27%

Popularity

87%

81%

PerformanceView Details

69%

73%

ReviewsView Details

Winner

AcerIconia Tab A500

Overall Score

Features Key features of the Motorola Xoom 2 compared to the Acer Iconia Tab A500

“10.1

Android 3.2 Honeycomb

I can't be sure that the Xoom had the most reflective screen ever, but Motorola did itself no favors by combining a very glossy front with a dim and unimpressive LCD.

Rated 62% by by The Verge (Dec, 2011)

10.1”

Android 3.0 Honeycomb

The front-facing 2 megapixel camera is comparable to most of the others I've seen on other Honeycomb tablets.

Rated 65% by by The Verge (Apr, 2011)

screen size

Xoom 210.1"

Iconia Tab A50010.1"

However, within the next 12 months we're likely to see tablet screens take a big leap forward, with much higher pixel density top of the wish list.

Xoom 2 by TrustedReviews (Mar, 2012)

It has a large clear screen that makes it great for watching movies or viewing the internet.

Iconia Tab A500 by Carolyn-Work (Oct, 2011)

screen resolution

Motorola Xoom 2

1280 x 800 resolution screen

Xoom 2 1280 x 800 resolution screen

Acer Iconia Tab A500

1280 x 800 resolution screen

Iconia Tab A500 1280 x 800 resolution screen

In natural light, it can produce stunningly clear photos and Motorola's noise reduction is subtle enough not to blur any of the detail out.

Xoom 2 by The Verge (Dec, 2011)

+ The display and resolution are amazing!

Iconia Tab A500 by Daryl-W. (Oct, 2011)

memory

0 GB

Iconia Tab A5001 GB

Xoom 21 GB

1 GB

camera resolution

0 MP

Iconia Tab A5002 MP

Xoom 21.3 MP

2 MP

Its new IPS display is a triumph and the improved 5-megapixel camera brings tablet photography a great deal closer in quality to its smartphone brethren.

Xoom 2 by The Verge (Dec, 2011)

Front camera is half size since the camera is to the left instead of the middle so if you chat with someone they will see your side instead of your face you either have to turn your tablet in protrait mode or try to move to a specific area so you can be in the middle of the camera otherwise you will be to the side.

Iconia Tab A500 by Elizandra-Cruz--US.ARMY-VETERAN (Aug, 2011)

processor

Motorola Xoom 2

Dual core

Xoom 2 Dual core

Acer Iconia Tab A500

Dual core

Iconia Tab A500 Dual core

For many, quad-core power will be useful for playing high bit-rate 1080p video (the experiential benefits of which will become much clearer when higher res tablet screens arrive) and games designed with the Kal-el chip in mind.

Xoom 2 by TrustedReviews (Mar, 2012)

But it is dual core and fast.

Iconia Tab A500 by Bruce-P.-Markowitz (Aug, 2012)

Performance Real world tests of Motorola Xoom 2 vs Acer Iconia Tab A500

cpu speed

Xoom 21.2 GHz

Iconia Tab A5001 GHz

The arrival of the quad-core brigade represents the first serious fragmentation at the top end of the tablet market, and it's not clear yet how game developers will react to this.

Xoom 2 by TrustedReviews (Mar, 2012)

The Nvidia Tegra2 processor is lightening fast and even though I am not a big tablet/phone gamer (I'm an Xbox guy on that front) I have been blown away by the graphics and game play on the HD games (a couple of which come free on the tablet).

Iconia Tab A500 by R.-Hebshie---BRANDhesive (Jan, 2012)

sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark

Motorola Xoom 2

2,229 ms

Xoom 2 2,229 ms

Acer Iconia Tab A500

1,988 ms

Iconia Tab A500 1,988 ms

The built-in browser is quick, supports Flash 11 following a quick trip to the Android Market app store, and text rescaling is super-fast.

Xoom 2 by TrustedReviews (Mar, 2012)

Web browsing is incredibly fast.

Iconia Tab A500 by H.-Drallmeyer--Hal (May, 2011)

battery life

0 hour9 hour

Xoom 2 9 hour

Iconia Tab A500 6.92 hour

Given the battery's size, it still makes most sense to charge it with the provided charger, but for those times when you haven't got it nearby or you just need a burst of quick energy, this is a nice bit of added flexibility.

Xoom 2 by The Verge (Dec, 2011)

The advantage to the not-usb charge thing is that it has a better battery life, and charges a little faster than you'd expect.

Iconia Tab A500 by M.-Senecal--the-wrathful (Jun, 2012)

Differences What are the advantages of each

Full specs comparison

Motorola Xoom 2

Read review

Advantages compared to the Acer Iconia Tab A500

Much more HDMI bandwidth	1,020 MB/s (HDMI 1.4)	vs	495 MB/s (HDMI 1.0)
More than 2x more HDMI bandwidth

Longer battery life	9 hour	vs	6.92 hour
More than 30% longer battery life; surf the web longer without having to plug in

Supports 3G	Yes	vs	No
Somewhat common; be online anywhere that has cell coverage

Faster processor	1.2 GHz	vs	1 GHz
Around 20% faster processor; run computation-intensive applications, such as photo editing, faster

Slightly lighter	599 g	vs	730 g
Around 20% lighter

Smaller	254 x 174 x 9 mm	vs	259 x 178 x 13 mm
More than 30% smaller

Slightly thinner	9 mm	vs	13 mm
More than 30% thinner

Acer Iconia Tab A500

Read review

Advantages compared to the Motorola Xoom 2

Higher resolution front camera	2 MP	vs	1.3 MP
More than 50% higher resolution front camera; Video chat with other people

Reviews Word on the street

	Motorola Xoom 2		Acer Iconia Tab A500
	Rated 70% Read the review (Mar, 2012) The standard camera app also lets you capture 720p video using the 5-megapixel sensor.		Rated 70% Read the review (Mar, 2012) We've already mentioned that 3G doesn't feature in this model, but Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth 2.1 are all here.

	Rated 62% Read the review (Dec, 2011) If you're going to put a 5-megapixel autofocus camera on the spec sheet, you might as well make it a good one, and that's exactly what Moto has done with the Xoom 2.		Rated 65% Read the review (Apr, 2011) It's a fierce tablet size war out there, and while the Iconia Tab A500 stacks up rather well against its Honeycomb rivals, the iPad 2 wins by quite a bit on both thickness and weight.

	Rated 76% by 2 users at amazon.com		Rated 83% by 609 users at amazon.com Yes it is a bit heavier than the rest but frankly I prefer the value and the additional features over thin and less weight. Rated 100% by by Real-Iron-Man--Tech-Savvy-Bargain-Shopper (Jul, 2011) When I started doing my research, I had my mind set on the iPad 2 because I thought, "Well, I have tons of iTunes music and apps...might as well. Rated 100% by by SteveO (Dec, 2011) Screen is beautiful, crisp and clear for watching, responsiveness is great. Rated 100% by by S.-deBeaubien--Scotty (Feb, 2012)