The left
edge of the tablet holds the stylus - loop cutouts, a Kensington - style cable - lock slot, a SIM - card slot (disabled in our review unit), the volume rocker, and the power button.
The top
edge of the tablet holds a power button and dual microphones while Microsoft's proprietary magnetic accessory connector sits on the bottom.
Not exact matches
The S1
tablet is thicker at one
edge while tapering towards the other
edge, which resembles more like a folded magazine and actually aids in
holding the device for long periods
of time.
Its highly positional output gives a definite impression
of the sound coming from one
edge of the
tablet when it's
held on its side.
The flat sides
of the
tablet make it easy to
hold the device while watching videos or playing games, but the feeling
of sharp
edges could become irritating after a while
of holding it.
When
held in portrait mode, the top
edge of the
tablet houses two small speakers and a standard 3.5 - mm headphone jack.
The rear - facing 2 - megapixel camera will be covered if you
hold the
tablet in what we naturally felt to be landscape mode, with the volume buttons at the upper
edge and the case flipped around the top
of the
tablet.
The
tablet has two rear - ported speakers, each positioned in the center
of the
tablet's short
edges when
held in landscape.
The beveled side
edges seem unnecessarily thick, so it's a pretty wide
hold and a far reach for your thumbs to get to the middle
of the screen when you're
holding the
tablet horizontally.
The Tab 2 also has a larger infrared port, located at the top
edge of the
tablet when you're
holding the slate in landscape mode; the port now wraps around the back
of the device, presumably to improve communications between the
tablet and your entertainment components.
As you can hopefully see in this picture, the back has an angled
edge all the way around which I think adds to the sleek feel
of this
tablet, both visually as well as while
holding it.
On the bottom
edge of the
tablet, where the keyboard connects, a covered compartment in the right corner
holds MicroSD cards up to 128 GB, allowing you to expand the internal 128 GB
of storage (in our review model) to a maximum
of 256 GB combined.
A 3.5 mm headphone port is conveniently located at the bottom
edge of the
tablet when it's
held in landscape, which means your hands aren't bothered by the jack and cables hang down and way from the screen.
It sounds a heck
of a lot like the original Xoom on paper, but the biggest changes comes with form factor — the Xoom 2 measures just 8.8 mm and the Media Edition 8.9 mm, the
edges have been «designed to make the
tablet more comfortable to
hold,» and it's covered in a «splash - guard» coating to protect against spills and bumps.
The sleep / wake key resides at the top
of the
tablet (when
held in portrait), and next to it on the right
edge is the volume rocker.
It's fine when
held in landscape mode — the rear
edges can be used as a tactile guide — but it's annoying when I want to quickly wake the
tablet from sleep, but have to pick it up first to reach the back instead
of just tapping a button on its side.
Which is to say, it's usable, but like other
tablets topping 1.5 pounds, it's too heavy to
hold at length in one hand — even with the pleasing contours
of the
edges.
The sleep / wake key resides at the top
of the
tablet (when
held in portrait), and next to it on the right
edge is the volume rocker.
It's fine when
held in landscape mode — the rear
edges can be used as a tactile guide — but it's annoying when I want to quickly wake the
tablet from sleep, but have to pick it up first to reach the back instead
of just tapping a button on its side.
It has a set
of stereo speakers across the top
edge when
holding the
tablet in landscape view, along with a 5MP front - facing camera for video chat.
There is a brushed metallic finish throughout the back, bordered by a shiny metallic
edge that gives the
tablet a nice elegant look, but helping with the grip is a soft, leathery material that used along the bottom
of the
tablet when
holding it in the landscape orientation, which feels really nice, and prevents the
tablet from easily slipping from your hand.
The front piece which has an integrated screen protector to keep any damage off that beautiful display, is
held together by the plastic shell that clips to the
edges and around the backs
of the corners
of your
tablet.
The speakers run along the top and bottom
edges of the
tablet when
held in landscape orientation, but they thankfully don't get covered by your hands.
This has the effect
of making these
tablets very comfortable to
hold, eliminating any sharp
edges, and mating perfectly with the aluminum metal unibody.