When Apple announced the iPad 2, there was a lot of speculation regarding what Samsung would do with their Galaxy Tab 10.1V. The company publicly announced they were going back to the drawing board, and to the drawing board they went. What they came back with was the world’s slimmest tablet, one that packs with a dual-core processor along with Android 3.1 Honeycomb on Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Design & Specifications
Reading through the spec sheet of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is interesting to say the least. The tablet does not pack anything majorly different from most other Android tablets, what’s amazing is the fact that they were able to stick all of this in a design that is only 8.6mm thick.
At the heart of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a 1.0GHz dual-core processor Tegra 2 sourced from NVIDIA. 1GB of RAM is along for the ride and the tablet comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants. Moving onto the screen, there is a 10.1 inch TFT LCD model that carries 149 ppi as well as an overall 1280×800 WXGA resolution.
There are two cameras, a front facing camera that is equipped with a 2MP sensor as well as a rear facing shooter that has an additional megapixel, LED flash and will record 720p video content.
Other features include Android 3.1 Honeycomb, Flash support, proprietary 30 pin dock connector, volume and power buttons, 3.5mm headphone jack, accelerometer as well as A-GPS and SIM/microSD slot on the 3G enabled versions. The 7000mAh battery is good for 9 hours of video watching or 72 hours of music, that is according to Samsung.
Performance
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is not only the thinnest but the lightest tablet beating out the iPad by a slight margin. Don’t let its minimal profile fool you; this is one exceptional performing laptop. Using the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is much like scrolling a Galaxy S II smartphone. Scrolling is silky smooth, Flash performs well in the browser and Samsung’s Touchwiz UX overlay ads a couple nice features over the standard Honeycomb skin such as resizable widgets and the likes.
The battery is great as well. Samsung claims 9 hours of video watching on the Galaxy Tab 10.1, we recorded 9 hours and 30 minutes of video watching, web browsing on WiFi as well as music listening. Those numbers are great and put it within the ranks of the Xoom and iPad 2.
The screen is exceptionally bright and we noticed it was brighter than our iPad 2. Thankfully, you can turn down the screen brightness from the notifications area. The rear facing camera is decent for 720p video, however, when it came to picture taking, performance was not as great as we would have liked. The same thing goes for the front facing camera. Video conferencing is great, however, picture taking is subpar.
Pros
There is a lot we can put under pros, but the features that stood out to us most is the slimness and lightness of the device, screen brightness and color intensity as well as battery life.
Cons
Our major objections to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 included the proprietary 30-pin connector. Samsung decided to go the Apple route and as such, your unused USB cables will serve you no use with connecting this device.
Our only other issue involves Android Honeycomb. While not Samsung’s fault, Honeycomb is lacking apps. We know that this will change in the coming months, but after using the apps on the iPad, we are wishing more app developers would target Android’s tablet division.
Review Conclusion
With a price point of the iPad 2, it is clear that Samsung has Apple in its sights, and if the recent legal battles between both companies are any indication, Apple is none too fund of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. We on the other hand are and when it comes to it, this is the best damn Android tablet we have tested. The only tablets we would suggest for consideration over the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is of course the iPad 2 and for those who don’t mind a slightly larger tablet, the ASUS Eee Transformer.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 costs $499, $599 and $699 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB Wi-Fi only versions respectively.
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I own an iPad, but if I was to own an Android tablet, it would be the Galaxy Tab 10.1. It looks stunning, and I can see why Apple are nervously dragging Samsung through the courts. It’s a better spec than the iPad 2!
You’re right Dave, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 is one competitive Android tablet that comes close to iPad 2. Thanks for dropping by.
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