Here's Sabesh's Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 review:
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is quite possibly the only serious contender to the market leading Apple iPad 2 in this screen-size. Hence, I was excited when Howard asked me if I wanted to review this beautiful Tablet! The Galaxy Tab looks sleek, is slightly thinner and noticeable lighter than the iPad 2. However, it's wider and shorter, making it somewhat awkward to hold in Landscape mode. I got used to holding it after a couple days of moderate usage.
Software:
This device ships with Android 3.1 Honeycomb, which throws in the ability to re-size widgets, scroll through a thumb-nailed open-Apps list and access to the Movies section of the App Market. There are not many Tablet applications in the market, but existing applications work wonderfully well. The on screen keyboard is great to use in portrait mode, but quite cumbersome in landscape mode, unless you have long fingers that can sprawl across 1/2 the width of the screen (same issue with iPad 2 and most other 10" tablets). I ended up using a split-screen keyboard made for tablets that made typing MUCH easier in Landscape ("Thumb Keyboard" via the Market).
Stock keyboard in Landscape:
3rd party keyboard in Landscape (“Thumb Keyboard”):
Stock keyboard in portrait orientation:
Web browsing is an enjoyable experience with the ability to play Flash quite smoothly. Quick Office is preloaded, so reading MS Office files is quite easy: It includes spreadsheet, presentation and word processing functionality. I prefer this to Polaris, which is included by some other manufacturers. Some other included S/W: Android Movie Studio (rudimentary video editing), Pulse (RSS newsreader with Google Reader integration). It should be noted that in addition to the Google Market, Samsung users also have access to their own app store via the application "Samsung Apps". There are many free Apps available, including "Angry Birds".
Hardware:
The Galaxy Tab has a nice feel to it, making it a pleasure to hold. It's light enough to hold in one hand without tiring out. There are no HDMI, microSIM or USB ports available. It has a proprietary dock connector, which looks remarkably similar to Apple and Asus connectors. However, these are NOT similar and can't be interchanged. The usual controls and ports are available within easy reach: dual speaker grills, headphone jack, lock/power switch & volume rocker. All these ports and buttons are tastefully designed that they blend into the Tab, making for a sleek look. This device oozes class and solid build quality. Speakers provide very good, crisp audio.
Camera:
The 3MP rear camera provides more details than the one in iPad 2, but takes a few seconds to save captured pictures. The camera app is quite simple to use, with easily adjustable controls for shot mode, resolution, exposure and white balance. There are some basic effects like conversion to Sepia or Black & White. The Galaxy tab also has a 2MP front camera. Switching between front and rear cameras is quick. GPS coordinates can be added to pictures. Video is on par with the best Android Tablets and is noticeably better than the video on iPad 2.
Display:
Now we come to the one thing that sets apart the Samsung Galaxy Tab from the rest of the pack: It's breathtaking, gorgeous display. This 1280x800 WXGA screen is remarkably clear and bright, with very good refresh rate and side-angle viewing capabilities. As a photographer, I'm impressed by the accurate blacks and almost perfect whites. Movies look quite good: Brightness is on par with watching movies on a big screen TV. It's simply the closest thing to perfection when it comes to Tablet displays.
Performance:
Battery life is on par with other Tablets. It can easily last for days with moderate usage and well over 10 hours with multimedia playback. The Galaxy Tab is quite snappy, thanks to the 1GHz Tegra CPU. WiFi performance is good and I noticed no issues with range or signal. 3G is quite good and I maintained a solid connection on trains going from location to location. Due to 4-way motion sensors, gaming is a pleasure on this device, especially those that make use of it, like Pinball HD.
Final analysis:
It's quite simply the best Android tablet in this screen size, beating out the likes of Motorola Xoom and the compelling Asus Eee Pad Transformer. If you are not tied into the Apple Eco-system, consider the Galaxy Tab, as it has the following advantages over the iPad 2: Galaxy Tab is thinner and lighter. It has a clearer screen with better colour & contrast rendition. It's screen rotates more accurately and faster. Better motion control for games. It's on par with the iPad 2 with regards to gaming speed and screen brightness.
Pros:
Excellent battery life.
Amazing display which is bright and clear with accurate colours.
Light and Thin.
Excellent for playing multimedia.
Makes a great eBook reader in Portrait mode.
Honeycomb 3.1
Cons:
Proprietary Dock connector.
The collects dust easily.
Somewhat awkward to hold in Landscape mode at first.
3MP rear camera. I'd like a 8MP camera like the one on the HTC Jetstream.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks