Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 reboot is great, but doesn’t quite match the original
Samsung is one of the few manufactures who is actually able to challenge Apple at the top of the tablet market, however its latest effort doesn’t quite hit the heights of its predecessor, although at less than $400 the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is priced accordingly, And, its Samsung’s top tab at the moment.
You’d be right to think that the Galaxy Tab 2 would build on the specs of its 10.1-inch brother, but you’ll still find a dual-core CPU, a 3.15-megapxiel rear camera and a 7,000 mAh battery under the hood.
The Galaxy Tab 2 is a slightly more budget-friendly slate, and Samsung has saved itself money with the uninspiring grey plastic case, VGA quality front facing camera and added weight – which defiantly makes the tablet feel cheaper in the hand and less pleasing on the eye.
The dual-core Cortex A9 chip runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich without too much fuss, although the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 lacks the fluidity of similarly priced Android slates boasting more impressive processors. We found widgets could take a few seconds to load and the lock screen wasn’t always overly responsive when it came to unlocking the tablet. Applications opened within a couple of seconds on most occasions, however. Samsung hasn’t tinkered with the Android OS too much, leaving you with a relatively pure and easy to learn user experience, just like Google intended.
Unfortunately there’s no 3G version of the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, which means on-the-go browsing is out of the question, unless you can find a Wi-Fi hotspot to hook yourself up to.
Web surfing is not too bad, as long as you’ve got a strong Wi-Fi connection, and the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is able to load up desktop and mobile sites with relative ease. However, the 1GHz processor is left wanting on some of the more media heavy sites.
While the speakers either side of the screen may not look the part, they provide a much better audio experience to the ones found on the rear of tablets.
Battery life is always a concern with large screened tablets, but Samsung has managed to make this device last most of the day, with our HD video streaming playback test notching up over six hours of viewing.
It may lack the prestige of previous Samsung Tab efforts but the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is a commendable tablet, offering little outside the normal boundaries of an Android slate, but enough to provide a decent experience.
There are better tablets out there for the money, but if you’re looking for a straight-forward tablet experience from a brand you can trust then the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is certainly worth considering.
Recently folks at techtapps.com make a list of best galaxy tab 2 10.1 apps. You can also find list of best apps and games for other tablets there.
