Test you Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
MSRP
$399.99
Score details
Advantages
Runs Android 4.0
Front speakers
Solid build
microSD card slot
The inconvenients
The price of $400 is a bit high
Bad front and rear cameras
Bigger than last year's Galaxy Tab 10.1
Last year, Samsung released more tablets
that you can shake a stick at
.So much, in fact, that there's no longer any sensible way to name them all, leaving us with the new "Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1". won't even be Samsung's only 10.1-inch Android tablet this year. Soon we'll have the
Galaxy Note 10.1
to contend with too. Weird name aside, is the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 worth your time? Find out below.
Presentation of the video
Look and feel
Samsung is not used to delivering horribly uncomfortable and ugly products (
although it certainly does from time to time
), and the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is another notable improvement in the design and usability of the larger tablets from the Korean manufacturer. Compared to the original
Galaxy Tab 10.1
It's about 1mm thicker and weighs an extra ounce, but it definitely looks and feels like a better, more unique tablet. It's still wrapped in plastic, but its shell now has a darker slate color.
More importantly, it's one of the first tablets to put its speakers up front so they, you know, are facing you when you're watching something. The difference in sound volume is deep enough, giving the Tab 2 at least a small head start on
Apple's iPad
.Speakers complement the new styling and add a small bezel to the left and right sides of the screen (when held in landscape orientation).We normally complain about adding a bezel, but Samsung also reduced the size of the black glass surrounding the screen.
While not unique to Samsung, our only issue with the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is that 10 inches is just not a good size for widescreen Android tablets. Apple found a large size in 9.7 inches, but the secret to its convenience is its 3:4 aspect ratio, similar to that of an old non-HD TV. use in portrait mode and a little too wide when held in landscape mode. We preferred the Samsung one
Galaxy Tab 7.7
and
Galaxy Tab 8.9
better than its 10-inch models, including this one.
Filter
If you haven't seen the third iPad's "Resolutionary" screen, you better not try it unless you buy it. of time with Apple's 2048 x 1536 pixel Retina display is a definite challenge There's nothing technically wrong with that - it's usable - but it's a definite step back from newer Full HD tablets entering the market. Like most components of the new Tab 2 10.1, the display is last year's model, putting it in more direct competition with the
ipad 2
.
We noticed that the Tab 2 doesn't seem to have as good of a screen (in color) as its predecessor. This was probably done to save money. The difference isn't huge, but it seems to be there. Unfortunately , we don't have the original device to compare side by side to this one.
Operating system
Samsung has taken the plunge
Android 4.0
.The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 runs the latest operating system from Google and, as usual, it has been modified with TouchWiz, to make it look and work more consistent with other Samsung devices.
Everything pretty much looks the same, but Samsung has increased the size of app icons on the home page and notification bar and simplified the overall design to be much closer to Google's standard Android 4.0. This is the newest version of Android, however, buyers will be a little future-proof since most new apps are written to take advantage of new features in the operating system. For the first time, Android 4.0 is an operating system that works on both tablets and smartphones, such as the
Galactic Nexus
.
Pre-installed apps
As usual, Samsung has loaded its tablet with a bunch of useful and useless apps. One cool feature: This tablet comes with one year of free 50GB Dropbox support. Not bad. That should help you sync files between PC and tablet. The Peel Universal TV Remote is also pretty cool and we learned how to control our TV instantly. Unfortunately it won't control an Xbox or other devices so if you don't have a cable , You are unlucky.
Other pre-installed apps include Amazon Kindle, AllShare, ChatON (we couldn't get this to work), Netflix, Next Issue (digital magazines), Zinio, Polaris Office and a bunch of Samsung Gaming and Media 'hubs'. who are trying to sell you content.
Keyboard
We don't usually make a big deal out of keyboards, but Samsung's new default keyboard has a row of numbers for the first time, ending the annoying way you'd have to switch to another keyboard screen just to type in a few numbers. .That's fine. However, the handwriting recognition isn't that great. No matter how accurately we tried to write letters, Samsung's software never picked them up properly. So far, we haven't been able to get it to recognize the letter “g”. Not once. But the regular keyboard: well done.
Specifications
This tablet runs with nearly identical specifications to the first Tab 10.1. The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 runs on a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage (11.5 GB accessible), a camera 3-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front camera. There's also a microSD slot, a Samsung proprietary charging port (no USB or HDMI), an audio jack, two nice front speakers and an infrared sensor. Common features such as Bluetooth 3.0, accelerometer, gyroscope and GPS are also included. It is also a Wi-Fi tablet, so Wi-Fi b/g/n is the main way to connect to the web.
In the Quadrant benchmark test, we got an average score of 2300-2400, which is a little lower than the Galaxy Tab 8.9 (2450), Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE (2500-3400 ), or the nearly 5,000 we saw on the
HTC OneX
and S. Still, the Tab 2 10.1 is ahead of its official predecessor.
Original Galaxy Tab 10.1
only got around 1,900 in our tests.
Camera
Only Apple seems willing to invest in tablet cameras. The third generation iPad has a fantastic rear camera, but even it has a terrible front camera. With the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Samsung seems to have decided that cameras are not would need to exist only on its tablets; they don't need to take good photos. The rear camera is still as bad, lacking adjustable autofocus and taking lackluster photos in all circumstances. heavily downgraded from last year. Instead of a 2 megapixel front camera, the Tab 2 now has a VGA (0.3 megapixel) camera. Not cool for those of you who like to chat video.
Still, as much as we hate to admit it, taking photos isn't something we do a lot on our tablets - the iPad included. If you're looking for a decent camera experience, aim for the new iPad, but this are slim picks for camera fans at all levels.
(Disclaimer: The Tab 2 is unable to play 1080p video. If your collection of Full HD content is extensive, consider another tablet.)
Battery life
We don't do traditional battery drain tests, but we did one this time. We fully charged the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and its 7000 mAh battery (overnight) and let it rest with the screen set not to turn off. Under these conditions (with fairly minor use), the battery lasted between 8 and 9 hours before turning off. This is not a recording setting, and it does not isn't particularly bad. It's about as good as you might expect.
Globally
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 isn't a bad tablet, but it's also nearly identical to, and in some ways inferior to, last year's Galaxy Tab 10.1. At $400, it's not too expensive, but it's not a bargain either. You can probably find the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 for less money now. Plus, for $400 you can still afford an iPad 2 and a number of iPads. other tablets good, if not superior. We were really hoping for a price between $250 and $300, but Samsung seems determined to keep its prices high. And, as always, we don't prefer the 10-inch form factor for Android tablets. Apple got it working, but for Android, smaller sized tablets like the Galaxy Tab 8.9,
Motorola Xyboard 8.2
, or Galaxy Tab 7.7 are preferred as they are easier to hold, more portable, but retain basic tablet functionality.
tops
Runs Android 4.0
Front speakers
Solid build
microSD card slot
Low
The price of $400 is a bit high
Bad front and rear cameras
Bigger than last year's Galaxy Tab 10.1
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