Motorola Xoom 2 review

The original Xoom didn’t quite deliver on the promise of an Android tablet capable of competing with the iPad, but has Motorola got it right second time around with the retooled Xoom 2? Kevin Pocock puts it through its paces.

IT Pro Verdict

The Motorola Xoom 2 is one of the best Android tablets currently available — it’s stylish, well made and packs a performance punch. It’s not without its foibles and the specification changes from the previous model don’t make much sense, but it’s still one of the more viable alternatives to the Apple iPad.

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Despite being its second take on an Android tablet, Motorola has made little improvement to the Xoom 2's internal specifications and the only noticeable update is the slightly faster 1.2GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor.

Otherwise, it has the same 1GB RAM as the Xoom, the same 800 x 1280 display and the same reasonable-quality 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash.

Motorola Xoom 2

For some reason, Motorola has actually downgraded the front-facing camera to 1.2-megapixels and removed the microSD card slot (or at least blocked access to it), leaving no way to expand the 16GB of user storage.

Wireless connectivity has taken a hit too. The only Xoom 2 currently available is Wi-Fi only and Motorola has yet to confirm if the HSPDA-equipped model will be sold in the UK at some point.

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