Microsoft Surface: Top 5 Rivals Ready to Challenge the New Windows 8 Tablet

Potential Rivals

Surface tablet will be the first product to be released into the consumer market with the Windows 8 OS followed by several others including Lenovo, Dell, Samsung, HP, Asus, Acer, Sony and more.

Can the software giant become the tech consumer giant as well with the release of the Surface tablets?

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2

Lenovo has unveiled ThinkPad 2 a 10 inch tablet with 1366 x 768 resolutions is aimed purely at the business as well as executive markets. The rear-facing camera of 8MP and the front camera of 2MP would enrich the multimedia experience.

The company claims a battery life of 10 hours with this new model. Though the processor is not confirmed yet but it is most likely to feature the Intel Clover Trail running at 1.8GHz. Options like LTE, NFC, USB connectivity and stylus are part of the basic tablet package.

The ThinkPad Tablet 2 will be available starting in November for a starting price of $649 (approx. Rs. 34,000).

Samsung Ativ Smart PC

Ativ Smart PC 500T sports a 11.6 inch LCD display with 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, runs on Atom Z2760 processor, 3G, 4G LTE and Wi-Fi, 2GB RAM and 64GB internal memory.

When it comes to pricing, ATIV Smart PC 500T will be priced at $750 (approx. Rs 39,500 with keyboard) and $650 (approx. Rs 34,500 without keyboard).

Asus Vivo Tab

VivoTab will sport a 11.6 inch 10 point multi-touch supporting Super IPS+ display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The tablet will be powered by intel’s low power Atom processor. It will be equipped with a stylus, which provides easy navigation through the Windows 8 interface.

Measuring 8.6 mm in thickness and weighing 675 grams, VivoTab has an 8MP rear camera with LED flash, 2MP front camera, 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD and NFC.

Similar to the keyboard dock of the Transformer Pad, the one in Vivo Tab will sport a trackpad, an extra battery and dual USB ports.

HP Envy x2

HP Envy x2 is a powerful and ultra-thin hybrid PC, which combines the benefits of two devices (notebook cum tablet) in one. X2 is an 11 inch tablet, which has a keyboard dock and many high-end features like NFC, pen support, aluminum body, IPS display with 1366 x 768 pixel resolution and Beats Audio. Atom based Clover Trail processor, HDMI out port, full size SD slot, 64GB internal storage and 8MP rear camera.

Dell XPS 10

XPS 10 will be a Windows RT tablet with a 10.1 inch HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and detachable keyboard, resembling the design of the Microsoft Surface. Interestingly, this tablet is will be backlit for a better user experience.

The Windows tablet will have Microsoft Office, a standard feature of RT based devices, a micro SD card slot and a micro USB port.

Further, the company claims that XPS 10will have 20 hours battery life, which will beat the major tablets in the market such as the new iPad with 10hours backup.

The XPS 10 is a tablet and laptop hybrid with a keyboard dock, which also doubles the battery life. ; a popular feature it seems.