Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet review

iPad Air

You want a slim and stylish tablet for around $500? Then you can't do any better than the iPad Air.

Apple's latest full-sized tablet gets mentioned a whole lot on these comparison sections, and for very good reason. It's the best 10-inch (or thereabouts) tablet on the market.

Though the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is both slimmer and lighter than the iPad Air, its display is significantly less sharp, and it lacks the premium metal composition.

At the same price, there really is only one choice - unless you're heavily invested in the Android ecosystem or much prefer the Android operating system.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1

Samsung's pro-level 10-inch tablet is about the same thickness and weight as the iPad Air, which is to say that it's a heftier device than the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet. While it adopts similar plastic materials to the Sony, though, Samsung's effort doesn't look or feel as nice.

Performance is roughly on a par, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 uses a sharper (if less vibrant) LCD display.

While Samsung has improved its custom UI over previous versions, it's still not as clean or attractive as Sony's well though-out effort. While the MSRP is more expensive than the Sony, already you can pick the Samsung up for cheaper if you shop around online.

Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9

The Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 isn't as big as the Sony Xperia Tablet, and it costs a lot less. Yet it is competitive in a couple of ways.

For one thing, its 2560 x 1600 display is significantly sharper. For another, it's even easier to wield thanks to its lighter 13.2-ounce chassis.

Of course, the big drawback with any Amazon tablet is its tie to the Amazon ecosystem and its inability to function as a full Android tablet with access to the Google Play Store.