Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad not only dominates tablet sales in the U.S. and other developed countries, but it also earned the top ranking in tablet ratings by Consumer Reports, which this week posted its ratings of tablets currently on the market.

CR says that the iPad’s high-resolution screen, 5-megapixel camera, and overall performance — including its download capabilities and reliable connectivity on Verizon‘s (NYSE:VZ) 4G LTE network — pushed it into first place on CR’s tablet-rating list, whose current edition adds 10 tablets that use Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system.

Toshiba’s (PINK:TOSBF) 10.1-inch Excite 10LE, for example, was the lightest tablet tested, and, at 0.31 inches thick, one of the thinnest. (Its screen resolution and construction quality have been called so-so by some reviewers.)  The 8-inch Element from Pantech Curiel, South Korea’s third-largest mobile-device maker, is billed as both water resistant and capable of 10-plus hours of operation between battery recharges, though CR notes that the screen can be difficult to read in bright light.

And even though its dual-screen format seemed awkward for other gadget reviewers, the Sony (NYSE:SNE) Tablet P earned praise from CR for its clamshell design, which worked well when using the device as an e-reader and photo previewer, less well for Web browsing. The magazine also was impressed with the image detail provided by the OLED screen on Samsung‘s (PINK:SSNLF) Galaxy Tab 7.7.

Overall, however, the iPad reigned supreme. Shortly after its release, some customers expressed concern that the iPad ran too hot when performing certain power-intensive operations, but CR says that while the device does get warmer in some spots than the iPad 2, the temperature increase isn’t a cause for concern.