Under Review: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

The outstanding Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a major contender in the tablet market

So what sets it? For starters the device is a marvel of engineering and just feels right. Unlike the Acer Iconia A500 and the MotorolaXoom, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 finds that ideal balance between a pick-up-and go e-book reader such as the Amazon Kindle 3 and a 10-inch tablet that’s perfect for watching movies on a long car trip, but given the Android Marketplace provides access to thousands of business led apps.

You can resize widgets and scroll through open apps in the pop-up thumbnails for the “recent apps” list.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn’t have a USB port, so it doesn’t take advantage of the new Android 3.1 feature to support USB-connected peripherals which is a shame, but that’s not the direction Samsung is going with this tablet. This is all about pick-up-and-go functionality and portability.

Samsung actually downgraded the built-in camera on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 compared to the Galaxy Tab 10.1V, which had an 8MP rear camera. Still, the new model has a 3MP rear camera, which is three times higher than the Apple iPad 2’s camera. There’s also a front-facing 2MP camera.

There are quite a few interesting perks and additions on this tablet. Some may seem underwhelming at first, but as a whole they give Apple a good run for the prize.

One fact is that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a battery for all-day tablet use. In our tests, it lasted about nine hours for everyday tasks and marginally longer that you can expect from an iPad.

The 10.1 also has a four-way accelerometer and gyro and responded faster to quick turns and screen rotations, and generally worked better for controlling games. It also has great side speakers for playing music and movie audio, and plays smooth HD video.

And of course, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 matches the features of other Android tabs: built-in GPS, support for Adobe Flash in the browser, 1290 x 800 screen resolution, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor and Android tablet app.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a smart buy for anyone who wants a light and portable Android tablet. Google still has a ways to go on apps for Android and there are tens of thousands of worthy iOS apps.

If, unlike 75per cent of everyone who is reading this, you genuinely want a tablet and are not just going to automatically buy an iPad 2 or 3 then you really should look very seriously at the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Cost
£190.83 on 24 month pay monthly plans

Stockists:
www.vodafone.co.uk/business

Business Matters Rating
4.7 out of 5


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Paul Jones

Editor of Business Matters, the UKs largest business magazine, and head of Capital Business Media's automotive division working for clients such as Aston Martin and Infiniti.
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https://bmmagazine.co.uk/

Editor of Business Matters, the UKs largest business magazine, and head of Capital Business Media's automotive division working for clients such as Aston Martin and Infiniti.