Samsung Galaxy Tab Review
We’ve got the Samsung Galaxy Tab on our desks for a comprehensive run through. Here, we jot down our entire journey with this gorgeous tablet in our exclusive review. We’ve been hearing about the blitz of Android tablets for some time now with the likes of Samsung Galaxy Tab, Viewsonic G-Slate, Olive Pad and so on. The Samsung Galaxy Tab was perhaps the first high-end Android tablet to hit the market and apparently the first real challenger to the Apple iPad. Since people embraced tablets as a radical transition in the world of computing, Samsung expedited the ardent demand by devising its ingenious Galaxy Tab with dual cameras and other features that Apple missed out. This device fortified the Android platform and opened doors for other Android-powered tablets.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab knocked our doors in an enticing white box which bundled together a power adapter, pair of earphones, warranty card and quick start guide. Samsung could have included a protective case too for additional safety while travelling. The tablet feels great and makes it onerous to take your hands off it. It is light on the hands at 380 grams and sturdy to hold with 190.09mm x 120.45mm x 11.98mm dimensions. It is beautiful and has been cleaved with immense diligence. The 7-inch screen is furbished with the attractive black hue and the back side is completely spruced up with a white shade.
The right edge is loaded with a wide array of essential elements such as a dedicated power button, volume rocker, microSD card slot and SIM card slot while the left edge comes with a microphone. The screen feels sturdy and does not seem to tarnish with continuous usage, all credit to the Corning Gorilla Glass screen. The front-facing camera and ambient light sensor are positioned on the extreme top right side of the screen. The touch-sensitive capacitive controls for menu, home, back and search are located on the bottom of the screen. The top edge sports a 3.5mm headphone jack while the lower edge provides adequate space for a connector and speaker grills. Unlike the iPad, the Galaxy Tab can be conveniently grasped in one hand.
The screen orientation changed quickly when we switched from landscape to portrait mode or vice versa, thanks to the integrated accelerometer sensor. On the flip side, you will spot a 3 megapixel camera and single LED flash. Samsung could have set new standards by integrating a 5 megapixel camera. Nevertheless, the built-in camera functioned efficiently but failed to entice us as the images lacked crispness. Moreover, modifying our pictures with different effects such as normal, black and white, negative and sepia was easy.
We could tweak the resolution, ISO and image quality to further enhance captured images. You can also choose from diverse white balance options like auto, daylight, cloudy, incandescent and fluorescent to further polish your skills. Besides, the interface is neat and on clicking the last captured image, we were presented with necessary options like delete, set as and share. Other options include shooting modes, scene modes, exposure, white balance, effects, flash and ISO.
The homescreen highlights features like e-mail, video, maps, YouTube, Android Market, Application and browser along with a Google search bar. The Android 2.2 user interface was easy-to-use and did not irk us during our whole journey. The 4000mAh battery is neatly confined within the chassis. The web browsing experience with pinch-to-zoom capabilities and Adobe Flash 10.1 support was marvelous and you will surely admire the swift process. The internet experience was smooth as the web pages opened quickly without wasting any time.
Watching movies and videos on the Samsung Galaxy Tab was remarkable, but we wish the company had incorporated a kickstand to further optimize the experience. Nevertheless, the capacitive screen is extremely responsive and scrolling across the homescreen was truly refined just like the iPad display screen. The pre-loaded eBook reader comes with a free copy of The Marvelous land of Oz’. The text is clear and certainly legible, offering a book-like reading experience.
Moving on, the audio quality through the two speakers which are fitted on the lower edge was perceptibly loud and clear. In case you want to arrange a party and enjoy great music we would suggest you to connect good external speakers using the built-in 3.5mm jack. The audio quality through the earphones is good and it was handy while watching movies. The Calendar application is perfectly designed and provides a clutter-free interface. We could easily manage our activities by adding necessary details such as upcoming events and more. The downloading experience was seamless as we easily downloaded one of our most liked games ‘Angry Birds Rio’. The game looks amazing on the screen which competently responded to our taps without any delay.
The screen wasn’t slow and was highly responsive to our finger swipes and taps. The responsiveness was remarkable without any excessive lag even during prolonged movements. The ambient light sensor precisely adjusts the screen’s brightness. The tablet screen capably offers a balanced experience but gathers a few negative points for allowing us to leave our fingerprints all over. The typing experience on the virtual keypad was smooth. The keys were accurately positioned and not at all cramped up. The incoming and outgoing call clarity was satisfactory but we feel Samsung should have slaughtered the dimensions a little more for a better communication experience.
It lacked audibility as we could not clearly listen to calls while in a crowded place. Users can easily make a call using the Contacts application. Our contacts were neatly displayed on the screen along with options like information and communication history. You can also access other functions such as dialer, logs, groups and favorites. Flipping through the menus and web pages, typing messages, reading documents and watching videos was just so convenient. Our text messages were offered in an expedient threaded style. Transferring our files via Bluetooth was dexterous and quick. The screen was sensitive enough and did not lose potency easily. The enclosed non-detachable 4000mAh battery certainly did not make the tablet look bulky. It can last for a day on a single charge with moderate usage and internet browsing.
To round it up, the Galaxy Tab is sleek and compact and surely a worthy competitor to the Apple iPad. As Pat Riley rightly said, ‘Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better’, Samsung has sustained its steadfast efforts to embed paramount details and beautify the overall user experience. The crisp display, sturdy form factor and dual cameras will undoubtedly delight users who are looking for a feature-rich Android tablet. Tagged at around Rs. 26,149, the Galaxy Tab exceeded our expectations and will competently combat the rising competition with a handful of unique features. Leaving aside a few flaws, the Samsung Galaxy Tab manages to get a good rating of 9 out of 10 from us.
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