Motorola XYBOARD 8.2 Pro Reviews

My affinity for the Xoom aside, Motorola did the right thing by ditching the Xoom moniker in favor of the familiar Droid branding, and the Droid Xyboard 8.2 is still a big improvement over the underrated original Honeycomb tablet. The overall design and build quality are top notch, and I'm a big fan of the 8.2-inch screen, both because of its size and image quality. The speakers, while still far from excellent, are among the best I've heard on tablets, which is faint praise considering tablet speakers are universally lousy. The Droid Xyboard falls short in a few areas, however. The battery life is among the worst I've seen on a current-generation tablet, and the poorly-placed buttons are irksome at best. There is also an issue that plagued the Xoom at launch: its current availability through a carrier. The 16GB Xyboard 8.2 costs $430 with a two-year agreement at the time of this review, and Verizon 4G data plans start at $30 per month for a paltry 2GB of data (or approximately 3 to 5 hours of Netflix). Off contract, the Xyboard costs $600 at launch, making it more expensive than the iPad 2 and many other Honeycomb tablets, including the excellent Galaxy Tabs. While the Motorola Droid Xyboard 8.2 has its strengths -- and it serves as a nice launching pad for future Motorola Droid tablets -- they aren't enough to recommend it over the competition with its launch price, especially considering more powerful quad-core tablets are already on the market, and many more are poised for launch in early 2012.

We've been having a hard time figuring out why anybody would choose the Xoom 2 / Xyboard 10.1 over the Transformer Prime -- a device that's the same price or cheaper and considerably faster -- but the 8.2-inch version makes a little bit more sense. A 10.1-inch tablet simply isn't the right size for everybody and, among those slates that slot in somewhere below, the 8.2 hits a lot of marks. It's light, comfortable to carry and to use, and reasonably quick. And, the integrated wireless connectivity makes it rather more useful for those who are frequently on the go. Just prepare to pay dearly for that extra usability. The $430 or $530 up-front costs for the 16 and 32GB versions aren't bad, but add on two years of data service and things suddenly look rather less practical -- especially since you're paying that much for a tablet that's already slower than the competition. Go off-contract and prices are $600 and $700 for the two capacities, which is even harder to swallow. This, then, is a good choice exclusively for someone wanting a sub-10-inch tablet with a data contract and a goofy name. If you can live with only WiFi, save a little money and go with the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus or 8.9 -- or maybe hold out a little longer for that mythical 7.7.

If you want a 10.1-inch tablet, there aren't really many compelling reasons to buy this over the Transformer Prime, unless you really want the freedom of having 4G radios or an IR blaster. For about the same price the Transformer is just faster, more future-proofed, and has better battery life. The 8.2 makes a decent case for itself, however. It's got the 4G radio and IR blaster, but it's super portable, and it packs the same resolution into a smaller display which gives it a higher pixel density. If you're intrigued by these puppies, that's the one to get. All that said, you should hold off until we see A) what is announced at CES, B) when that Ice Cream Sandwich update is coming, and C) how said update affects performance. Even at the subsidized price you get with a new Verizon contract, these aren't cheap, and the monthly data cost is something to factor in as well. Hold off for now.

In its own 8” category, the Motorola Droid Xyboard is a great competitor to the Galaxy Tab 8.9. Both share a comparable footprint, and both can differentiate themselves: the Droid Xyboard feels more solid and is a bit more compact and fast. The Tab 8.9 feels lighter and thinner but also feels a bit “plastic”. Now, if you omit the size, it is clear that the Asus Transformer Prime is much faster, but unfortunately, it does not have a 4G LTE option despite customers clamoring for at least a 3G option. If you ask me, this comes down to the form factor. If you really care about compactness, then Droid Xyboard 8.2 is a very good option. If a 10.1” tablet works for you, it becomes a matter of needing mobile broadband or not. If you need fast broadband, a Droid Xyboard 10.1 or a Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE will get the job done. If 3G/4G is not needed, getting a Transformer Prime is a no-brainer. Some would say that WiFi can be a good alternative to mobile broadband but I disagree: in my experience, there’s almost never a hotspot when I *really* need one.

And that is ultimately why the Xyboards are not worth the cash — their pricing is just as out there as their names. The 8.2 and the 10.1 aren’t bad tablets; in fact, they are solid pieces of hardware (despite the button and expandable storage issues) with software that’s decent, but still held back by an ecosystem. But half a grand and $720 over the next two years seems like an outrageous combo for a piece of hardware that isn’t even the latest and greatest on the market today. Next week the first quad-core tablet hits — the Transformer Prime — and it has double the performance, a better display, and camera for just $499. It doesn’t have built-in LTE, but you can get a $50 LTE Novatel MiFi 4510L from Verizon (with a two-year contract) and it would cost the same amount as the 10.1. Yes, the Xyboards are some of the fastest LTE tablets around and they even have some neat features, but ultimately, Verizon needs to rethink its tablet pricing strategy, or at least throw a skateboarding robot in the box.

People that read my reviews frequently will probably already know of my preference for smaller tablets over larger ones. I just find a 10.1-inch tablet unwieldy, even if it is relatively light. As such, I greatly prefer the cheaper 8.2-inch DROID XYBOARD over the 10.1-inch model. Both are very nice, or at least as much so as Android Honeycomb allows, and they offer blazing LTE data speeds. In the end, though, price and required monthly data contracts will be their undoing. In a world where Apple's iPad 2 is available for the same basic price at the XYBOARD 10.1, and Amazon is offering a solid 7-inch Android tablet for less than half the cost of the 8.2, they'll be fighting uphill battles. Even if they are pretty nice machines.

After getting comfy using the Motorola DROID XYBOARD 8.2 (XOOM 2 Media Edition), we have to admit, it’s clearly a valiant offering with plenty of lovable characteristics – like 4G LTE connectivity, its exceptional build quality, and gorgeous display. Additionally, it’s able to stand out even further than its contemporaries with its inclusion of an IR blaster and 2.1 virtual surround sound. In all honesty, there’s a lot to like about this beauty, but we can’t overlook the fact that it’s sporting a backbreaking on-contract price of $429.99 for the base model – or $599.99 outright! Just like the XOOM, its pricing might be its biggest handicap, which ultimately might limit its popularity with the masses. Well, if Motorola ends up bringing to market a Wi-Fi only version, it’ll undoubtedly be an admirable contender – that’s as long as the price is right of course.

This tablet is nice, and if you rule out the facts that it’ll cost you an arm and a leg to first purchase it then pay each month for 4G LTE connectivity, you’ve got a nice tablet on your hands. I find myself very skeptical that there’s a real need for data-connected tablets on today’s market outside those people who’ve got specific use-cases in mind, so if you’re just an average lady or man out there thinking of picking up a tablet for fun, I still suggest you look into a wifi-only tablet instead. That said, if you do have a need for mobile data on a tablet, this is certainly one of your better choices. I’d rate this tablet slightly higher than the Samsung choice on LTE simply because I like to have HDMI connectivity right out of the box, but lower than the iPad 2 also available on Verizon simply because the iPad 2 STILL seems like a more complete package. For those of you looking for the best Android tablet overall, go for the ASUS Transformer Prime. For those of you looking for an Android tablet specifically on the Verizon LTE network, don’t rule the XYBOARD 8.2 out.

There are plenty of choices for tablet shoppers today. The lower-end 7-inchers like the Kindle Fire and Nook tablet offer pretty controlled Android experiences but top out at $250. The iPad 2 and Transformer Prime offer a premium tablet experience that starts at $500. Verizon offers the Xyboard 8.2 starting at $430, but that's only if you sign up for a two-year contract. Off contract, expect prices to start at $600, and that's for the 16GB version. It's extremely difficult for us to recommend such a deal when better choices exist. The Transformer Prime for $500 gets you 32GB of storage and a faster, quad-core CPU, in a much more thoughtfully designed package. However, if you're willing to pay for 4G speeds on a tablet, they are definitely fast here. Still, with technology advancing as quickly as it is, do you really want to get roped into a two-year contract in a still-nascent market? The Motorola Droid Xyboard 8.2 isn't a bad product in itself, but the pricing structure makes it impossible for us to recommend. There are better options out there, with more coming soon.

Once again Motorola proves that it can not only make a pleasing device, but make it sleek, fast, and perfectly suited for it’s intended use. And what use is that? Couch surfing. In my mind the Xyboard is the perfect living room companion, seated beside the TV remote so your phone can stay in the pocket and you can check the latest news, look up sports scores, or stream a quick YouTube video while the commercials play in the background. From that perspective, the Xyboard is a perfect fit. The 8.2 is a bit on the light side for battery life, but it’s smaller design means it’s easier to hide and tuck away, and the extended power cable may make its way to the living room too. After all, we need to charge our phones constantly (unless you have a Maxx). I see the Xyboard working out and about in the world, and having tested it in the great outdoors I see plenty of merits, but unless you live away from home it seems excessive to pile on LTE for such a tablet. Like the Sony Tablet S, it’s really great for what it is, and needs nothing else to make it more.