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| The Galaxy Tab comes in at just 8.6mm — thin enough for Samsung to tag it “the world’s thinnest tablet”. Compared to the iPad, it is 0.2mm thinner and 36g lighter, weighing in at just 565g. Reuters |
When Apple released the iPad in 2010, it made us question our need to lug around our heavy (yes, heavy!) laptops everywhere. Was the iPad a replacement for the notebooks and/or netbooks? Of course not, but it was definitely a valuable extension to our connected lives. A year later, after having enjoyed laughing at the competition (or lack thereof), Apple released its upgrade to their original piece of art, the iPad 2. However, this time, it wasn’t the only kid on the block — it had competition, tough competition.
In June 2011, Samsung released their sleek slab — the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (called the Galaxy Tab 750 in India which released in August 2011) — and guess what, the new kid on the block trumps the old in more than a couple of aspects. Here’s a look at where and why.
Design:
The Galaxy Tab comes in at just 8.6mm — thin enough for Samsung to tag it “the world’s thinnest tablet”. Compared to the iPad, it is 0.2mm thinner and 36g lighter, weighing in at just 565g. The plastic construction of the Galaxy Tab feels comfortable, yet stylish and is extremely well built — from the glossy black bezel garnishing the display to the soft plastic that surrounds the back of the tablet to its smooth curved edges — and one can see that its makers have not skimped on either its quality or presentation. Comparatively, the iPad2 has an aluminum outlay similar to what was used for the original iPad. This aluminium casing, while looking good, translates into the heavy feel of the iPad2.
Internal makeup and Screen:
The processor in the Galaxy Tab doesn’t take a back seat to the iPad2 which has a 1GHz dual-core Apple A5 chip with 512MB of RAM. In fact the Galaxy tab trumps the iPad2 when it comes to space capabilities. The Tab is powered by a 1GHz Dual-Core NVIDIA TEGRA 2 processor and 1GB of RAM, the worth of which is realised while multi-tasking. Samsung’s bluetooth capabilities come with a 3.0 version which ensures the faster transfer of files, compared to the iPad2 which has Bluetooth 2.1. The Galaxy Tab is a winner even with its display. It has a slightly larger display at 10.1 inch compared to the iPad’s 9.7 inch screen and a vibrant TFT LCD display with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels, giving the tab an edge over the iPad’s resolution of 1024×768 pixels.
Camera and Sound:
The Tab has a significantly better camera compared to its rival, the iPad 2. It packs a 3.2MP autofocus camera accompanied by an LED flash, which can make snapping pictures in low light conditions very useful. Additionally, the camera doubles up as a 720p HD video recorder. And while the iPad2 also captures HD quality video at 720p and has a 5X digital zoom its primary camera captures images at a measly 0.7MP.
The Tab has a significantly better camera compared to its rival, the iPad 2. It packs a 3.2MP autofocus camera accompanied by an LED flash, which can make snapping pictures in low light conditions very useful. Additionally, the camera doubles up as a 720p HD video recorder. And while the iPad2 also captures HD quality video at 720p and has a 5X digital zoom its primary camera captures images at a measly 0.7MP.
The Tab’s front (or secondary) camera also beats the iPad 2. Its 2MP front facing camera can be used for video conferencing with friends and family via Google Talk which is not limited to one single platform —unlike the iPad 2 which uses Face Time (Apple’s proprietary video conferencing software) on its VGA camera up front.
On the sound front, the iPad 2 has a single speaker located on the back of the tablet, while the Galaxy Tab 10.1 offers stereo support with its dual speakers, one on each side of the tablet when held in landscape mode.
Software:
Now this is where the Galaxy Tab shines the most. It runs the Honeycomb version of Android (3.2). Samsung said in a blog post that the Ice-Cream Sandwich a.k.a. 4.0 update will be pushed out to the Tab early this year. This update will keep the tablet fresh, especially considering the heap of new tablets scheduled to release this year. The Tab’s Honeycomb version is dressed with Samsung’s proprietary TouchWiz User Interface that brings a number of new features to the Galaxy Tab 10.1. The browser is faster and the availability of Adobe Flash allows the user to conveniently view millions of websites. The iPad 2 on the other hand lacks the Flash support and thus makes the browsing experience a little starved.
Android’s unique selling point as the platform of choice is due to its ability to let individuals customise their phone and/or tablet. Unlike the iPad 2, the Galaxy Tab can be customised to one’s heart’s content — from live wallpapers to third party launchers to various browsers — ultimately transforming the Tab into a “you” device.
Battery and Pricing:
Here’s an aspect that both, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and the Apple iPad are on par. The Galaxy Tab is powered by a 7000mAh battery which according to Samsung, can clock up to 9 hours of video and 72 hours of music — similar to what Apple’s iPad2 offers. The 16 GB Wi-Fi only versions for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (or the Galaxy Tab 750 in India) and the Apple iPad2 are being sold for Rs 33,000 and Rs 29,500 respectively at retail stores.
Here’s an aspect that both, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and the Apple iPad are on par. The Galaxy Tab is powered by a 7000mAh battery which according to Samsung, can clock up to 9 hours of video and 72 hours of music — similar to what Apple’s iPad2 offers. The 16 GB Wi-Fi only versions for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (or the Galaxy Tab 750 in India) and the Apple iPad2 are being sold for Rs 33,000 and Rs 29,500 respectively at retail stores.
Conclusion:
So, if you are in the market to buy a tablet, ask yourself who you are. If you are the do it yourself tech type who is both meticulous and choosy and want a “YOU” device, then look no further than the Galaxy Tab. For those that like others making choices for them and leaving it to the exclusive club of the “experts” – the iPad 2 may be the safest bet.
So, if you are in the market to buy a tablet, ask yourself who you are. If you are the do it yourself tech type who is both meticulous and choosy and want a “YOU” device, then look no further than the Galaxy Tab. For those that like others making choices for them and leaving it to the exclusive club of the “experts” – the iPad 2 may be the safest bet.
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