Sony Xperia Tablet S review: Sony's second-gen Android slate has a slimmer design, faster guts


### More Info

* [Sony Xperia Tablet S official](http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/29/sony-xperia-tablet-s-announced/)
* [Sony Xperia Tablet S hands-on](http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/29/sony-xperia-tablet-s-hands-on/)
* [Sony's Xperia Tablet S gets the full tear-down](http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/08/sony-xperia-tablet-s-gets-the-full-teardown/)

For [Sony](http://www.engadget.com/tag/Sony/), it's all about the presentation. To be sure, since the company put all of its mobile products under one roof, it's achieved more of a balance between style and substance than it did with the original [Tablet S](http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/31/sony-tablet-s-preview/) and [Tablet P](http://www.engadget.com/tag/TabletP/) -- two devices that had a lopsided emphasis on unique, proof-of-concept designs over user experience. It's fair to say those initial tablet efforts failed to resonate with consumers, leaving the company with little recourse other than an all-out do-over.

Which is why the new [Xperia Tablet S](http://www.engadget.com/tag/Sony+Xperia+Tablet+S/) has a lot to prove: it can't get by based on looks alone. Running skinned Ice Cream Sandwich and packing a quad-core Tegra 3 SoC, this 9.4-incher maintains the same 1,280 x 800 IPS LCD panel used on the first-gen S, and even assumes the same folded-over magazine shape -- albeit, in thinner form. Yes, that full SD slot remains, but you might not need to rely on it now that the tablet comes with up to 64GB of built-in storage. So, will an emphasis on OS, ecosystem (Video Unlimited, Music Unlimited, Crackle, Reader, etc.) and a slimmed-down build make up for the blunders of the first-gen Tablet S? Will a $399 starting price help this WiFi-only tab stand out amongst the Android competition? Stick around as we find out whether this S is more than initially meets the eye.

**Gallery: [Sony Xperia Tablet S review](http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-xperia-tablet-s-review/)**

[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-xperia-tablet-s-review/#5277295)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-xperia-tablet-s-review/#5277296)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-xperia-tablet-s-review/#5277293)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-xperia-tablet-s-review/#5277292)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-xperia-tablet-s-review/#5277294)

[Continue reading _Sony Xperia Tablet S review: Sony's second-gen Android slate has a slimmer design, faster guts_](http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/24/sony-xperia-tablet-s-review/)

Filed under: [Tablets](http://www.engadget.com/category/tablets/)

[Sony Xperia Tablet S review: Sony's second-gen Android slate has a slimmer design, faster guts](http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/24/sony-xperia-tablet-s-review/) originally appeared on [Engadget](http://www.engadget.com) on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our [terms for use of feeds](http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).

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