Sony Tablet P Pro Reviews

The Sony Tablet P is an intriguing idea: putting a full-fledged Android tablet into a Nintendo DS-like clamshell form factor has some real potential upside. Its form factor — mostly the relatively large, high-resolution screens — should also be a sign to Nintendo (and even Sony's PlayStation division) of how to build a portable gaming device. But Sony doesn’t seem to have put its full weight into the device: it has an outdated (if still good) chipset, and outdated (and not that good) network connectivity and software. For the Tablet P to really work as more than just a console, Sony would also have to convince every developer in the Android Market to code a version of their app that makes sense on the dual-screened form factor — the apps that aren't optimized become a pretty poor experience thanks to the odd screen resolutions and the difficulty of accessing the top screen while holding the device. It would also need to drop the huge bezel and make the device easier to hold — it's nice and small when it's closed, but unwieldy when you flip it open. Add all that together, and the Sony Tablet P becomes a hard sell even for the biggest fans of the Nintendo DS form factor. If you want gaming, stick with the PlayStation Vita, which is also available on AT&T, and if you want a tablet that has good games you can’t beat the iPad 2.

So what can we say about the Sony Tablet P? Well, we still have to give credit to Sony for producing something that’s uniquely different – especially for a tablet. On paper, two displays sounds mightily tantalizing, but when it actually boils down to execution, it miserably fails because of the supremely annoying bezels that detract our attention from other things. Throw in that its hardware is seemingly dated now that we’re seeing more quad-core devices, it doesn’t get any better for this clutch bag like tablet. To make matters worse, its pricing is set to $400 with a 2-year contract or $550 outright, which still seems a tad bit steep for what it’s worth. Besides its cooling looking design, there’s nothing extraordinarily impressive about this one, and simply, it ends up being nothing short of forgettable.

The Sony Tablet P does not make good use of its interesting dual-screen design, offering up both a sub par gaming experience with no physical buttons and an awkward Android tablet experience.

I really like that Sony was trying to do something different with the tablet form factor, but instead of getting best of both worlds, they got worst of both. The screen isn't much bigger than a phone's but it's vastly less portable and it can't make phone calls. If you want something easy to carry around with you, just get a thin, 7-inch tablet (which will still fit in a lot of jacket pockets). We may live to see the day when this folding design works, but it won't be until flexible screens are commonplace so we still get our one big screen. Until then, walk away and don't look back.

The Tablet P is available for $400 if you sign up for a two-year contract with AT&T, giving you access to its HSPA+ network; however, I don't recommend getting roped into a two-year contract with any tablet. Off-contract, the P is available for $550. If you're looking for something a little different in an Android tablet, dual screens and a clamshell design do fit the bill. The removable battery is useful, and the 5-megapixel back camera takes some pretty detailed pictures. Also, the ability to fold a tablet in two and fit it into your pocket is indescribably convenient. I found it difficult to think about a portable Sony device, which technically plays PlayStation games, without my thoughts drifting toward the PS Vita. Unfortunately for the P, the PlayStation Store's limited (and not to mention old) games selection didn't exactly overwhelm me with excitement.

We were intrigued as to how Sony was going to pull off the two-screen setup. The quality of the build is a mixed bag, however, and while we like the black shiny look and feel of the tablet, the flimsy covers are pedestrian, at best. We've seen several phones attempt to break the general trend for a full-sized single panes and like we saw there, the problem remains that the Android OS hasn't been built for the anything different than the single screen. This means that, despite Sony's efforts to create a few dedicated apps, the lower screen generally goes unused and unloved. We're also baffled as to why there's not even a single-screen version for major apps like YouTube. Despite a premium price tag that pits it against the iPad, it doesn't follow up with a commensurate user experience. Screen transitions are sluggish, and that bezel (perhaps unsurprisingly) often hinders any interactions between the screens. Priced at £500 ($780), the portability of the device may find some fans, but your money would be better spent on either a smartphone with similar screen real estate, or sacrificing that portability for a more app-friendly tablet.

Sony has dared to be different, but this time the gamble hasn’t paid off

The Sony Tablet P is an odd beast, and certainly won’t be for everyone. In fact, it’s not yet clear just who the market is for something like this but hats off to Sony for giving something different a go.

The Sony Tablet P offers a mixed experience. The screen is beautiful, the build robust, the inclusion of 3G very welcome and performance above par. But we can't ignore the poor integration of the Sony Entertainment Network elements that people may choose this tablet for. There are also many occasions when having a black strip obscuring the central part of the combined screen is a real hindrance.

The Tablet P is the perfect illustration of why Sony has risen so high but also fallen so low. Its clamshell, dual screen design is daring, well made and has killer applications, but for many tasks the Tablet P is more hindrance than help. The combined aspect ratio works with standard apps but video playback is horribly boxed off and the dead area in the bezel makes gestures difficult. Meanwhile the bezel itself is too thick to ever let the eye view both screens as a single display. Throw in mediocre battery life and a high RRP and we while we'd love to recommend the Tablet P as a curiosity, we can't.

A compact and hard-wearing tablet for day-to-day tasks on the go, but there are drawbacks to its dual-screen design

If your current tablet has been scratched to ruins, you should definitely consider the Sony Tablet P. Its unique folding design makes it easy to carry and protects the dual screens, and the compact build makes it great for carrying around, getting online and social networking. However, movie fans will likely prefer a single-screen tablet such as the Sony Tablet S, and we reckon gamers will wait for the Playstation Vita instead.

After spending a week with the Sony P, the author of this review who doesn't own a tablet has come to the conclusion: If it's to be a tablet, then no other than this one! Other tablets also bid fast Android, in addition to a bright and viewing angle stable IPS screen and a useful battery life. But only the Tablet P has the concept of a foldable twin screen tablet. The foldable tablet fits perfectly into the routine of many people who want to stay in contact, do research, work or want to communicate. The reason is simple: When necessary, it makes itself very small and the screen is protected. Like a bigger smartphone, it even fits in the back pocket. It has a pleasantly big screen when required, and the browser, apps, games and movies have room due to the higher resolution. Drawbacks are found in the functionality and workmanship. The extremely long charge time of five hours for a completely drained battery equals the battery life of six hours (charge time in off state: 2:30 hours). The upper and lower cases are matt, but are coated with scratch sensitive paint. In our opinion, the upper shell isn't mounted tight enough and can slip off by itself when "playing around" with it. Moreover, some (few) games and possibly also a few office apps won't work with the split screen. In any case, it always works with the single screen (upper side). We think that the 3G version is a must-have because users who only use the tablet at home or in the office could buy a cheaper 10 or 7 inch device for half of the price. Examples are the Acer Iconia Tab A100 (299€) or the Prestigio MultiPad PMP5080B (199€).

The clamshell design makes it neat and portable, but creates too many compatibility issues for a tablet at this sky-high price