Toshiba AT300 tablet is quad-core, same price as iPad 2

Toshiba is bringing a new tablet to the UK. The snappily named AT300 is a 10.1-inch slate powered by a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, and running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The AT300 is a follow-up to the AT200 from earlier this year, a tablet that didn't particularly impress us. Can the AT300 fare better?

Toshiba promises a brushed aluminium finish, while the back will have a textured effect. There's an SD card slot on the side for easy file transfer, and the whole shebang measures a slender 8.95mm thick (slightly thinner than the new iPad).

The bezel looks a little chunky, and the metal band surrounding the tablet is reminiscent of the iPhone 4S, but the screen resolution is a healthy 1,280x800 pixels. That matches the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, and should keep on-screen action reasonably clear.

The good news is that Toshiba's given the AT300 a sensible price tag -- this slate costs £329 for the 16GB version and £379 for the 32GB model. That means it's cheaper than the 16GB Wi-Fi only new iPad by £70, and the same price as the now-reduced Wi-Fi only iPad 2.

The other blessing here is that the AT300 is powered by Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Google's mobile operating system.

Unless you're a keen tinkerer, there are few reasons to prefer an Android tablet to Apple's iPad, which is especially tempting in terms of app selection. The lower price tag could help Toshiba nab a few sales from those who are on the fence, though.

Toshiba must also compete with Android heavyweight Samsung, though as we're still waiting on new Samsung tablets such as the Galaxy Note 10.1, Toshiba could get a head start.

The AT300 should be out in June, available to buy initially from Carphone Warehouse and Dixons. What do you think? Would you take this over a more expensive iPad? Leave your tosh in the comments, or on our Facebook page.