New iPad vs. Top Android Tablets: Specs Compared

This time around, the Apple iPad rumor mill was mostly right on. With the Apple's third-generation tablet, we got a super-high-res 2,048-by-1,536-pixel Retina Display powered by a beefed-up A5X CPU, a better camera, and fast 4G LTE on AT&T or Verizon. This all brings up the eternal tablet question again: iPad or Android?

Though the battle might seem a bit lopsided, we felt it was important to compare Apple's latest tablet with the best Android tablets available right now. A slew of promising quad-core Android slates like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and the Toshiba AT270 were announced at Mobile World Congress, but specs and release dates aren't solid. Of what we've seen coming down the pike, the forthcoming Asus Transformer Infinity matches the new iPad closest on specs, but with no release date announced, who knows when we'll see it? If you're considering the new iPad when it's released next Friday, the tablets in the chart below are some of the best large-screen Androids we've tested—and they're available

now.

Apple Unveils New iPad With 4G LTE, Retina Display

Apple on Wednesday unveiled a new iPad complete with a Retina Display, quad-core GPU, 4G LTE, and an improved camera.

The updated iPad will hit stores on March 16.

Apple did not provide a specific name for its new tablet, calling it simply "iPad" instead of the rumored iPad 3 or iPad HD.

With 4G LTE, the new tablet will provide up to 73 Mbps download speeds, Apple said. Partners include Verizon and AT&T here in the U.S. and Rogers, Bell, and Telus abroad. Optional software can turn your tablet into a personal hotspot for up to five devices.

The iSight camera includes a 5-megapixel camera, advanced optics with an IR filter, autofocus and white balance, and face detection. It has the optic system included in the iPhone 4S and will support 1080p video recording.

Hands On With the New iPad

Apple didn't actually need to release an iPad to stay on top of the tablet game. The company dominates the tablet market; its top competitor, Google, has been doing a notoriously poor job of cultivating third-party apps for its tablets, and Microsoft doesn't have a tablet product on the market quite yet.

But that said, the tablet Apple did release is gorgeous. Competing tablets don't have apps, but at least they're looking to have great hardware. Apple just slapped down industry-leading hardware along with an app ecosystem far better than anyone else can offer. I spent about half an hour with various new iPads after the announcement.