Tablet Camera Tests: iPad 2 vs. Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab

Overall Image Quality Scores

1. Canon PowerShot S95 (85.6, Very Good)

2. Apple iPhone 4 (66.2, Fair)

3. Motorola Xoom (64.8, Fair)

4. Samsung Galaxy Tab (63.6, Fair)

5. Apple iPod Touch (58, Poor)

6. Apple iPad 2 (57.8, Poor)

The top-rated tablet in our image-quality testing was the Motorola Xoom, which boasts a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera that scored fairly well in the exposure quality and sharpness departments. That said, the Xoom trailed the Apple iPhone 4 when it came to overall image quality, and it trailed both of the other tablets in the color-accuracy department.

Just behind the Xoom is the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which offers a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera. The Galaxy Tab was neck-and-neck with the Xoom in many of our image-testing categories, but our judges found the Tab's camera most lacking in the exposure quality and distortion departments.

Heading up the rear of our testbed was the Apple iPad 2, which has a 0.69-megapixel camera that performs similarly to the camera in the latest iPod Touch. The iPad 2's camera snaps photos that look decent on its own display, but are noticeably grainy and muddy once you print them out. The iPad 2 was also one of two devices in our testbed without a flash (the other being the iPod Touch), so you'll get the best results in broad daylight.

Here are the sample images we shot with each device for our image-quality tests. You can find the break-down of each scoring category below the photos.

Motorola Xoom: Test Image A

Samsung Galaxy Tab: Test Image A

Apple iPad 2: Test Image A

Motorola Xoom: Test Image B

Samsung Galaxy Tab: Test Image B

Apple iPad 2: Test Image B

Exposure Quality Scores

1. Canon PowerShot S95 (87, Very Good)

2. Motorola Xoom (70, Good)

3. Apple iPhone 4 (69, Fair)

4. Samsung Galaxy Tab (64, Fair)

5. Apple iPod Touch (57, Fair)

6. Apple iPad 2 (56, Fair)

Color Accuracy Scores

1. Canon PowerShot S95 (85, Very Good)

2. (tie) Apple iPhone 4 (67, Fair)

2. (tie) Samsung Galaxy Tab (67, Fair)

4. Apple iPad 2 (63, Fair)

5. Motorola Xoom (62, Fair)

6. Apple iPod Touch (62, Fair)

Sharpness Scores

1. Canon PowerShot S95 (87, Very Good)

2. (tie) Apple iPhone 4 (64, Fair)

2. (tie) Motorola Xoom (64, Fair)

4. Samsung Galaxy Tab (62, Fair)

5. (tie) Apple iPad 2 (55, Poor)

6. (tie) Apple iPod Touch (55, Poor)

Distortion Scores

1. Canon PowerShot S95 (81, Good)

2. Apple iPhone 4 (64, Fair)

3. Motorola Xoom (63, Fair)

4. Samsung Galaxy Tab (59, Fair)

5. Apple iPod Touch (58, Poor)

6. Apple iPad 2 (56, Poor)