First impression and benchmark results: Sony Tablet S and Tablet P

Sony is escaping the tablet monotony of other manufacturers with two new devices that not only stand out from the competition visually. The Antutu benchmark confirms high performance for both devices.

Sony has designed its two new additions, the Tablet S and Tablet P, in a refreshingly different way. Both work with Android 3.2 and rely on Nvidia’s Tegra 2 platform, which drives a dual-core CPU with a clock frequency of one GHz. This connection is also confirmed by the Antutu benchmarks, in which both devices achieved almost exactly the same values. While the Tablet P had 4726 points, the Tablet S had 4723. Decent values ​​that clearly put the tested Toshiba AT200 in the shade, for example. In terms of CPU performance in particular, the Sony devices achieved almost twice as high values, even though the Toshiba tablet was powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU.

While the two Sonys are almost synchronous in terms of performance, they couldn’t be more different visually. The shape of the Tablet P is reminiscent of a glasses case, which has a display on both halves with a diagonal of 5.5 inches each. It consists of two separate displays, each with a resolution of 1024 x 480 pixels. Depending on the use, the lower part serves as a keyboard or game control, but also as a supplement to the upper display. For example, it displays websites across both panels.

The Tablet S also has an unusual V-shaped profile, which, according to Sony, should fit more ergonomically in the hand than “normal” tablets. The 9.4-inch display offers a resolution of 1200 x 800 pixels. As a special feature, the manufacturer equips the device with an infrared interface, which converts it into a multifunctional remote control. Sony provides thousands of profiles from various brands and devices for download. A learning mode is available for unknown brands.

The WLAN version of the Tablet S should be available at the end of September at a price of 479 euros for the 16 GB version and 579 euros for the 32 GB model. The 3G version will follow in November for 599 euros. Sony is also expected to launch the Tablet P in November at a price of 599 euros. Currently only a 16 GB version is planned. The product descriptions of the two devices can be found on the manufacturer’s website under Tablet S and Tablet P.