New Samsung Galaxy Tab a 101 Wi-fi Tablet 128gb Review

Our Verdict

Samsung'due south super slim and low-cal Milky way Tab 10.i is a beautifully designed tablet that does justice to the Honeycomb experience.

For

• Lighter than the iPad 2
• Bright and crisp display
• Good battery life
• Powerful speakers
• Good touch keyboard

Against

• No microSD carte du jour slot
• Sub-par cameras
• App option still skimpy

Laptop Mag Verdict

Samsung's super slim and light Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a beautifully designed tablet that does justice to the Honeycomb experience.

Pros

• +

  Lighter than the iPad two

• +

  Bright and crisp brandish

• +

  Good battery life

• +

  Powerful speakers

• +

  Skillful touch keyboard

Cons

• -

  No microSD card slot

• -

  Sub-par cameras

• -

  App choice still skimpy

The iPad 2 raised the bar for tablet blueprint, and now Samsung has responded with the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which is even lighter and merely every bit thin as Apple'southward sequel. In fact, it makes every other Android Honeycomb tablet on the market look bloated. Priced at $499 for the 16GB version, the Tab 10.1 as well features the latest Android 3.ane software, which promises swifter--and more than stable--performance, along with other welcome enhancements. Does this slate have what it takes to take down the champ?

Editors' Note: Portions of this review were taken from our review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.i Limited Edition.

Design

This is as svelte as Android tablets become. At 9.7 x 6.7 x 0.34 inches, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a piddling wider than the iPad 2 (9.5 x vii.iii inches), simply it has the same thickness. In the weight department, the Tab is a pilus lighter, coming in at ane.24 pounds to the iPad 2's 1.35 pounds. The Tab 10.ane has a black bezel effectually the screen, and there's a strip of aluminum that goes along the top, lesser, and sides. However, the back is a glossy white plastic that, while solid, feels less premium than the aluminum back on the iPad two.

Nevertheless, the Tab 10.1's light weight makes a huge deviation, particularly when compared to other Honeycomb tablets such as the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer or the Motorola Xoom (1.4 and 1.6 pounds, respectively). Our wrists didn't get as tired holding the Galaxy Tab for long reading sessions, and the rounded edges made it more than comfy to hold.

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Along the edges of the Tab 10.i you'll but find two buttons (power and volume toggle on top) and only one port (the ten-pin proprietary connector) on the bottom. Two small oval speakers sit on the left and right. Different most other Android tablets, there's no user-accessible microSD carte slot or the full-size USB constitute on the Acer Iconia Tab A500. Non being able to add extra memory means owners are stuck with the 16GB or 32GB that comes with the unit.

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A iii-megapixel camera and flash sit down on the back in the center. The ii-MP front-facing photographic camera is the only thing that interrupts the glass-covered display bezel on the front.

Display and Sound

Click to enlargeThe Tab's ten.ane-inch, 1280 ten 800 WXGA display offered bright, popping colors and great dissimilarity, plus wide viewing angles. Next to the iPad ii'due south smaller 9.7-inch screen, the Galaxy Tab's looks slightly less brilliant due to the subtle blue tinge to the display. Still, while watching episodes of Criminal Minds, we held the Tab 10.ane at very extreme angles yet didn't encounter any colour distortion. While the Tab 10.1'south glossy display had an unfortunate habit of picking up fingerprints easily, it responded instantly to taps and swipes.

Given the small speakers, we plant audio quality on the Tab 10.i meliorate than expected. While listening to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," Emperor Norton'due south Stationary Marching Band's "Those Grimy Little Stars," and Tricky Pixie'southward "Tam Lin," we noted that layers of sound weren't equally separate equally we'd like, but the audio did accept some depth to it. Bass and treble were distinct, though the former wasn't very strong. We had to turn volume up to 100 percent in a medium-sized room with minimal groundwork dissonance. In quieter situations, l- to lxx-percentage volume filled the room.

Software and Interface

At launch, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 shipped with Android 3.1 "Honeycomb," but lacked the TouchWix UX interface Samsung showed off at earlier events. The company says that it will exist available via an over-the-air update, though no time frame for that has been announced.

Nosotros similar Android iii.1 on the Tab 10.1 simply as much equally on the Motorola Xoom and found the organization more than stable than the Limited Edition, which had Android 3.0. Even with more than than a dozen apps open up simultaneously, nosotros were able to switch betwixt them speedily (thanks to the app tray, which now holds upward to 16 of your nearly contempo apps) without delays and without crashing. Nosotros also similar the ability to resize widgets on the Dwelling house screens, allowing us to better take advantage of the bachelor real estate.

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Equally with other Honeycomb tablets, the system bar at the bottom of the screen is persistent. That's where you'll find the Back, Habitation, and Contempo Application buttons (which wait similar space-historic period line drawings) on the left side. The bottom correct houses the notification area, where you can do everything from glance at incoming email alerts and skipping to the next song to adjusting settings such every bit brightness. When you open an app, the Action Bar will appear, which presents contextual menu items at the height of the screen.

The Milky way Tab'due south keyboard is not the standard layout constitute on the Motorola Xoom. It looks like an enlarged version of the keyboard found on the 7-inch Galaxy Tab. Overall, nosotros adopt this layout, which has larger, easier-to-read keys. Yous'll likewise find alternate punctuation characters available via tap and hold. And because the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is narrower than the iPad 2, we establish pollex typing to be faster on this tablet.

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Camera and Camcorder

The idea that consumers don't actually care about the cameras on tablets must be pervasive, because Samsung isn't giving them whatsoever reason to love taking pictures and videos with the Galaxy Tab. The 3-MP rear-facing camera captured slightly washed-out images. Video recorded indoors at 720p had a lot of noise and graininess. Information technology was less grainy when we adjusted the white balance ourselves instead of leaving information technology on auto, only we've seen better from high-cease smartphones.

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The camera app does offer some overnice features. Users can cull from viii different options in scene mode and employ three effects/filters as they shoot. We'd like to come across more than filters, specially since adding them can salvage an otherwise lackluster image. We like the more avant-garde photography features included as well, such as the power to switch from car-focus to Macro mode for more than control over shut-up shots and the three Metering options. There'due south no digital zoom, though. There are four shooting modes; we peculiarly similar the panorama mode as it makes it easy to line up shots. Too bad all of this software is wasted on such low-quality cameras.

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Despite the lack of a flash, the 2-MP front-facing camera took self-portraits that weren't also night and showed a decent level of item. During video chats using the Google Talk app, our prototype lacked sharpness and colors done out. However, over Wi-Fi the video and sound stayed in sync and nosotros didn't blur as well much when the device was jostled around.

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Operation

Like all the other Honeycomb tablets thus far, the Samsung Galaxy Tab x.1 rocks a ane-GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor backed by 1GB of RAM. Notwithstanding, thanks to the upgrade to Android iii.i, the Tab 10.1 is snappier and more stable performer than Android 3.0 slates. The device had no trouble handling robust games such as Plants vs. Zombies, as well every bit multiple tabs in the browser. We as well didn't experience whatever crashes or force-closes during our testing.

On the CPU portion of the Benchmark test, the Tab 10.1 scored iii,158.vii, higher than the Motorola Xoom (2,996) and the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer (3,126), simply slightly below the Acer Iconia Tab A500 (iii,214). The Limited Edition Tab 10.1 posted a nearly identical 3,196.nine. On AN3DBench, the Tab ten.1's score of 7526 was about the same as the Limited Edition (7,593), and it bests the category average (6,754) and the Iconia Tab (vi,938), only not the Eee Pad Transformer (8,579).

While playing Angry Birds Rio, Fruit Ninja, and more complex 3D games such as Jet Car Stunts, we saw smooth frame rates, great responsiveness, and well-rendered backgrounds. The accelerometer hands kept upward with the twisting, turning tracks in Jet Car Stunts.

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Over Wi-Fi, the Tab 10.1 loaded total, image-heavy websites apace: Flickr's Interestingness folio in 3 seconds, Laptopmag in 5 seconds, and Lightspeed Magazine in 7 seconds. On average, they were about 1.5 seconds faster than the Special Edition. Unfortunately, scrolling wasn't as smooth or every bit fast as nosotros would similar.

Battery Life

The Galaxy Tab 10.one's 6,860 mAh lithium-polymer bombardment lasted a pretty solid eight hours and 23 mintues (eight:23). That's about 20 mintues longer than the Motorola Xoom, only well below the iPad 2'due south runtime (xi:11).

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Apps and Media

Aside from some of the typical Google apps that come up with Android--Gmail, Latitude, Movie Studio, Music (beta), and Talk--the Tab is pre-loaded with few apps. At that place's QuickOffice HD free for documents, Pulse news reader, plus Samsung's Music Hub and Apps. Samsung's app store has few titles right at present (six every bit of press time).

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When compared to the more than than 90,000 iPad apps available, the Android ecosystem has some catching up to do. Currently there are only 60 apps listed in the Android Market specifically designed for tablets. The residual of the more 200,000 apps ordinarily expand to fill the screen without problem, though there are exceptions. In addition, there are currently 15 games available from the Nvidia Tegra Zone, including Fruit Ninja, Pinball Hd, and Riptide GP.

Currently, Google Movies doesn't work with the Tab 10.ane fifty-fifty though it's running Android three.ane. Google said it would bring that service to all 3.1 tablets, and as the Tab is very new, nosotros promise that an update to the Market is forthcoming presently. Since Samsung'southward MediaHub is likewise MIA, there aren't many options for Tab owners to scout premium video content at this time.

Pricing and Value

Click to enlargeThe Wi-Fi version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 costs $499 for 16GB and $599 for 32GB. This is the aforementioned pricing for the Apple iPad two with similar storage. Acer's Iconia Tab A500 starts at $fifty less for 16GB and includes a microSD slot for retention expansion, only it isn't as light as the Galaxy Tab. The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer starts at $100 less (without the dock) and as well has a memory menu slot.

Verdict

For those who like the idea of owning an Android-powered tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is one sexy slice of hardware. It's only equally thin and even weighs less than the iPad ii, and the latest Android 3.one OS makes using Honeycomb a much better experience. If you don't heed the extra weight, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer offers like performance to the Tab x.1 for $100 less and works well with an optional keyboard. Overall, though, the Tab 10.1'southward sleeker design, great brandish, loud speakers, and stiff endurance make it among our favorite Honeycomb tablets.

Samsung Milky way Tab 10.ane (Wi-Fit Specs

Make	Samsung
CPU	1-GHz Nvidia Tegra ii Dual-Core
Camera Resolution	3MP
Company Website	http://www.samsung.com/united states
Display Resolution	1280 x 800
Brandish Size	10.ane
Front end-Facing Camera Resolution	two.0MP
Has Bluetooth	Yes
OS	Android three.1
Ports	Headphone, Proprietary
Size	9.vii ten vi.seven x 0.34 inches
Storage Drive Size	16GB
Storage Bulldoze Type	Flash Retention
Weight	1.2 pounds
Wi-Fi	802.11a/b/g/n

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Source: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/tablets/samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-wi-fi