Apple iPad 2 vs Acer Iconia Tab A200: And the Winner is?

Apple's iPad 2 and Acer's Iconia Tab A200 are both 10-inch tablets, but the Iconia Tab is $150 less than than the iPad. The A200 lacks a rear-facing camera and has no HDMI port for plugging into an HDTV, but that may not equal a $150 difference. It's a bit thicker than iPad, and some users have complained about poor sound quality, so add those up, and the A200 comes off as a discount tablet, but a decent one for sure. It's even scheduled to get the Android 4.0 update.

For comparison, the iPad 2 also doesn't have an HDMI port, but there is an AV Digital Adaptor that connects to the iPad's 30-pin dock connector port for the same function. iPad 2 has a 9.7-inch display with 1024x768p resolution, 16 gigabytes of storage, 512 megabytes of memory, 3G connectivity (AT&T or Verizon), front and rear-facing cameras and 10 hours of battery life over Wi-Fi. Of course, you also get access to the Apple App Store, and its full of super nice apps specifically designed for the iPad. It's $500, but the iPad 3 is rumored to be coming out within a couple months, so the price could drop slightly.

Which one is better is highly dependent on how you plan to use it (and the price, obviously). The Iconia A200 has a 10.1-inch display with 1280x800p resolution, 16 gigabytes of storage, full gigabyte of memory, microSD card reader (expandable by up to 16GB) and two full-size USB ports. Those full-size ports are part of the reason it's a bit thicker than many tablets. It's an all plastic build, too, so some people might not like the way it feels in the hand. It's $350 from Best Buy, so it's a good choice if you don't mind the no camera or HDMI port. Be sure to check it out in person at the store to make sure you like the look and feel. It's hard to pass up at this price, so the Acer Iconia A200 gets the recommendation. Tell us in the comments if you're ready to jump into the tablet world or if you are holding out for the next thinner, faster, more powerful device.

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