New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-fi Review was ready to release the Galaxy Tab 10.1 much earlier this year, but after seeing the Apple iPad 2, Samsung execs announced that they were going back to the drawing board. You don’t often see that in the mobile marketplace, as that will mean extra money spent with no assurance that the product will get any better. But it was the right thing to do, as it turned out, and we are once again hearing the dreaded “iPad Killer” mantra being attached to any discussion of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Does this tablet pc review that appears to be full of great features actually perform to a level where such a nickname applies? Let’s take a closer objective look.
Hardware and Display New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-fi Review
Billed as the most powerful Android tablet to date by none other than its manufacturer, it is hard to argue against that moniker on paper. Starting with the Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core 1 GHz processor that is becoming increasingly popular in tablets and smartphones everywhere as a foundation is a good start to back up those boasts. This processor continues to perform better or as well as any in the tablet arena, and allows for multitasking to a level you likely will never attain. It really is either the strongest and fastest processor out there, or it’s not far behind in the #2 spot.
Lay the Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS on top and you have a seemingly nice combo. The 3.0 has not performed up to par lately however, but a free over the air 3.1 upgrade has been announced, available by the end of June.
And visually, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 actually outdoes the Apple iPad 2 in two areas; size and resolution. The Tab has a 10.1 inch screen as opposed to the 9.7 inches on the iPad, and the resolution is a crystal clear and sharp 1280 x 800 resolution. Both of those numbers are marginal improvements over the iPad 2, and that is an achievement in and of itself. No other tablet has been able to match Apple’s iPad 2 brilliance and clarity til now, so hats off to Samsung’s developers the second time around. Visually, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 looks a lot like the iPad 2, but is actually thinner and lighter, at 8.6 mm vs. 8.8 mm, and 1.24 lbs vs. 1.33 lbs.
Software Set New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-fi Review
I was lucky enough to use the Android 3.0 Honeycomb software sparingly on different occasions, but had never really leaned on it and given it a full workout until this Galaxy Tab 10.1 review. All I can say is the 3.0 version that helped the Motorola Xoom win Best of CES 2011 evidently got misplaced. The 3.0 version needs work, so the 3.1 update is perfectly timed. I personally do not like the navigation buttons being relegated to the bottom left of the screen, but this may not concern every user. It is totally different than the familiar 4 button system at the bottom of the display centered however.
Another downfall lies in the small number of Honeycomb-specific apps. Yes, this OS is backwards compatible with the 2.3 and 2.2 software, and all 200,000 Android apps and games will work, but with the features and cutting edge OS here, it would have been nicer to see more than the couple of dozen Honeycomb apps available.
The default Honeycomb keyboard is passable, but there are so many keyboard downloads available, this is not a concern positively or negatively. The customization of 5 home screens with widgets is a very nice feature, and the TouchWix user interface Honeycomb overlay does deliver nice social network and email widgets.
Camera and Video chat New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-fi Review
At 3 mp, the rear facing cam is among the average range in resolution of all tablets, but still shots were slightly worse than average. The video clips I shot outside were very nice, inside not quite as nice, and the still shots were unfortunately grainy. Not the Galaxy Tab’s best feature. But when you get right down to it, how many people are going to hold up a 10 inch tablet to take video and pics when most all phones have much more capable, more portable cameras?
The 1.3 mp video chat camera worked admirably though, and if you compare any camera set to the iPad 2′s 0.7 mp and 0.3 mp duo, it shines. The ability to record in 720p HD is nice, but you must hold the tablet very still. Audio quality on the video record feature was more than acceptable.
Battery Life New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-fi Review
Using the Samsung Galaxy Tablet pc 10.1 for surfing the web, gaming, chatting, checking email and heavy apps access, I was able to squeeze two full days use out of the battery. A lot of other tablets offer 3G access to the web, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is Wi-fi-only, so make sure you pack your power adapter cord. Wi-fi access drains much faster than 3G. But still, I was going at the Tab hard for two days of non-stop use that any sane consumer would never attempt. The Galaxy Tab is more than sufficient in the battery dept.
Wrap-up New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-fi Review
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is lighter than the iPad 2, thinner than the iPad 2, has better resolution and a bigger screen, both marginally, than the iPad 2, and is priced to match the Apple tablet at $499 for 16 GB and $599 for 32 GB. Flash player support can not be matched by Apple’s tablet, and this is definitely one good-looking, overall sound tablet. (You can almost hear the “But” coming, can’t you?)
But until I review this tablet on the improved 3.1 Android OS update, I can only say that the 3.0 OS is poor. What is sad is that this is not the Galaxy Tab’s fault. Many of the issues I have with the performance are OS-related, and not because the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is deficient. Is it an above average tablet overall? No doubt. And for the thinnest, lightest full 10.1 inch display and Android access, it is definitely a keeper. We will just have to see if the 3.1 OS update takes this good-looking tablet from pretty good to great.
Hardware and Display New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-fi Review
Billed as the most powerful Android tablet to date by none other than its manufacturer, it is hard to argue against that moniker on paper. Starting with the Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core 1 GHz processor that is becoming increasingly popular in tablets and smartphones everywhere as a foundation is a good start to back up those boasts. This processor continues to perform better or as well as any in the tablet arena, and allows for multitasking to a level you likely will never attain. It really is either the strongest and fastest processor out there, or it’s not far behind in the #2 spot.
Lay the Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS on top and you have a seemingly nice combo. The 3.0 has not performed up to par lately however, but a free over the air 3.1 upgrade has been announced, available by the end of June.
And visually, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 actually outdoes the Apple iPad 2 in two areas; size and resolution. The Tab has a 10.1 inch screen as opposed to the 9.7 inches on the iPad, and the resolution is a crystal clear and sharp 1280 x 800 resolution. Both of those numbers are marginal improvements over the iPad 2, and that is an achievement in and of itself. No other tablet has been able to match Apple’s iPad 2 brilliance and clarity til now, so hats off to Samsung’s developers the second time around. Visually, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 looks a lot like the iPad 2, but is actually thinner and lighter, at 8.6 mm vs. 8.8 mm, and 1.24 lbs vs. 1.33 lbs.
Software Set New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-fi Review
I was lucky enough to use the Android 3.0 Honeycomb software sparingly on different occasions, but had never really leaned on it and given it a full workout until this Galaxy Tab 10.1 review. All I can say is the 3.0 version that helped the Motorola Xoom win Best of CES 2011 evidently got misplaced. The 3.0 version needs work, so the 3.1 update is perfectly timed. I personally do not like the navigation buttons being relegated to the bottom left of the screen, but this may not concern every user. It is totally different than the familiar 4 button system at the bottom of the display centered however.
Another downfall lies in the small number of Honeycomb-specific apps. Yes, this OS is backwards compatible with the 2.3 and 2.2 software, and all 200,000 Android apps and games will work, but with the features and cutting edge OS here, it would have been nicer to see more than the couple of dozen Honeycomb apps available.
The default Honeycomb keyboard is passable, but there are so many keyboard downloads available, this is not a concern positively or negatively. The customization of 5 home screens with widgets is a very nice feature, and the TouchWix user interface Honeycomb overlay does deliver nice social network and email widgets.
Camera and Video chat New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-fi Review
At 3 mp, the rear facing cam is among the average range in resolution of all tablets, but still shots were slightly worse than average. The video clips I shot outside were very nice, inside not quite as nice, and the still shots were unfortunately grainy. Not the Galaxy Tab’s best feature. But when you get right down to it, how many people are going to hold up a 10 inch tablet to take video and pics when most all phones have much more capable, more portable cameras?
The 1.3 mp video chat camera worked admirably though, and if you compare any camera set to the iPad 2′s 0.7 mp and 0.3 mp duo, it shines. The ability to record in 720p HD is nice, but you must hold the tablet very still. Audio quality on the video record feature was more than acceptable.
Battery Life New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-fi Review
Using the Samsung Galaxy Tablet pc 10.1 for surfing the web, gaming, chatting, checking email and heavy apps access, I was able to squeeze two full days use out of the battery. A lot of other tablets offer 3G access to the web, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is Wi-fi-only, so make sure you pack your power adapter cord. Wi-fi access drains much faster than 3G. But still, I was going at the Tab hard for two days of non-stop use that any sane consumer would never attempt. The Galaxy Tab is more than sufficient in the battery dept.
Wrap-up New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-fi Review
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is lighter than the iPad 2, thinner than the iPad 2, has better resolution and a bigger screen, both marginally, than the iPad 2, and is priced to match the Apple tablet at $499 for 16 GB and $599 for 32 GB. Flash player support can not be matched by Apple’s tablet, and this is definitely one good-looking, overall sound tablet. (You can almost hear the “But” coming, can’t you?)
But until I review this tablet on the improved 3.1 Android OS update, I can only say that the 3.0 OS is poor. What is sad is that this is not the Galaxy Tab’s fault. Many of the issues I have with the performance are OS-related, and not because the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is deficient. Is it an above average tablet overall? No doubt. And for the thinnest, lightest full 10.1 inch display and Android access, it is definitely a keeper. We will just have to see if the 3.1 OS update takes this good-looking tablet from pretty good to great.
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