Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 Review

Our friends over at Samsung have sent us the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 for us to review. The second generation version of the 10.1 tab, brings aboard some new features and a cheaper price. They have cut the price down by $100, which means it will only cost you $399. They keep the same great design of Samsung’s past products, and it adds some new elements to the table. Now, let’s get started with the full review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1!

Design

Like the Tab 2 7.0 is has the same build-material, and the same “titanium silver” color. The build quality does seem durable, but I wouldn’t recommend dropping it. One thing to note is that the screen does not fill up the entire front of the device. In fact when holding the device in landscape form, the speakers are on either side of the screen. This makes the sound quality of this device even better. And this device’s speakers is great, it can get very loud and the quality is great. These are the main speakers on the unit, and while they might be small they pack a big punch with the sound. Under the screen you will have the Samsung logo and above you will find the front facing VGA camera. On the back of the device you will find the 3 megapixel camera, Samsung logo, and serial number information. On the top of the device you will find the power/sleep button, volume rocker, microSD card slot, inferred sensor, and a headphone jack. The microSD card slot can hold up to a 32GB microSD card. However, this guy already comes with 16GB of internal storage. On the bottom of the device you will find the proprietary dock connector. In the box you get the outlet port for charging the device and the charging cord. Now, they did add some thickness and some weight to this device. It comes in at .38 inches thick and 1.28 pounds. Overall, the design of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is great!

Display And Speakers

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 may not have a “plus” or “Super AMOLED” display, but that does not mean it is not an awesome display. The tab 2 10.1 has a 10.1 TFT (PLS) Display with a resolution of 1280 x 800. Keep in mind that is basically the same display found on the original 10.1 tab. However, the viewing angles on this device are very impressive. And it performs this way whether your brightness is all the way up or not that high. When you watch the pre-loaded “Samsung Moments Of Everyday Life” video you will be amazed by the quality of the image. Most likely this video was not shot with the camera on this device. The quality of watching video on the display is very nice and it will surprise you. Now, the speaker’s have a much different location on the Tab 2 than they did on the original device. This way your hand won’t cover up the speakers, when they used to be on the back of this device. The sound get very loud and the quality, for the most part, stays the same. And the quality is very good on this device. Thumbs up to Samsung for really working hard on the display and the speakers.

Rest Of The Hardware

Now, there is more to this device than just the display, a great design, and the speakers. This is WiFi only device and it is important that it has a good WiFi antenna on the device. Keep in mind that it does help to have a good WiFi connection in your house or where ever you are using the device. The software does run very swiftly on this device, it has a 1.0 GHz Dual-Core processor inside. I am suppressed that they didn’t upgrade this to a 1.2 or 1.5GHz dual-core processor. But the 1GHz processor does get the job done on this device. The VGA front facing camera does a nice job when your video chatting but, I wouldn’t use it to take your self-portrait. But “selfies” do come out very nicely on this device. The back 3 megapixel camera has really good focus, but the overall quality of the device could be improved. It is hit or miss like it was on the Tab 2 7.0, and if you are shooting outside in almost any type of weather the photo may be washed out. For space to store all of your data, you should be a-okay. Internally you get 16GB of storage and it can hold up to a 32GB microSD card. Overall, Samsung did a nice job on picking good hardware for this device.

Software: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich With Samsung TouchWiz

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface. And this version if almost identical to the version of TouchWiz on the Tab 2 7.0 . One neat feature of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, is that it has an inferred sensor. And this is one of the reason’s why Samsung is ahead of the competition in many of their markets, including mobile devices. Out of the box this device comes with “PEEL” pre-loaded, and this is a smart remote application. This is one of the best applications on this device. It is the perfect companion for watching TV and the 10.1 inch size feels right. It is super easy to hold in your hand and the application runs very quickly thanks to the 1.0GHz Dual-Core Processor. Setup is very easy, just follow the on-screen instructions and within minutes you are good to go. When you are on the home page of the application swipe to the left of the screen from the right side, and your virtual remote shows up. You can also view the TV’s listing, it hooks up with your cable provider for instance Verizon FiOS or Comcast XFINITY. You can also personalize the application to your personal favorites and it can recommend shows and or movies that you may like. Overall, by far PEEL is my favorite application on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1  . In terms of other pre-loaded applications you get AllShare, Amazon Kindle, Calculator, ChatON, DropBox, Game Hub, Google +, GMail, Media Hub, Memo, Messenger, Music Hub, Music Player. Photo Editor, Netflix, Play Store, S Suggest, Samsung Applications, Video Maker, and much more. Overall, Samsung has done a great job with perfecting the software to work and run swiftly and smoothly on the Tab 2 10.1  .

Bottom Line

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is a great tablet and offers many great features that push it ahead the similar offering’s from the competition. For instance coming at only $399 for a 10 inch tablet is awesome. It also features a great 10.1 inch display, a great design, 1.0GHz Dual-Core Processor, an InferRed sensor which let’s your tablet become a smart remote and much more! So, if you are on the market for a 10 inch tablet be sure to check out the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 from Samsung as you will most certainly enjoy it. For More Info On The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Please Click Here. We would like to thank Samsung for providing us with a copy of the “Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1”.