Battle of the Budget Tablets - Nook Color vs. Galaxy Tab
by Vivek Gowri on May 25, 2011 12:52 AM ESTRound 3 - Display
And here, the Nook starts winning back points. There’s no way around it, the Nook screen is gorgeous, almost worth the $250 on it’s own. It’s an IPS panel, so the viewing angles are great, and the 909:1 contrast ratio is actually better than the iPad 2. Both in terms of numbers and in daily usage, this is a screen that is in the same conversation as the iPad and Asus Eee Slate as far as best screen on a tablet.
This isn’t to say that the Galaxy Tab has a bad screen; with a 733:1 contrast ratio and generous viewing angles, it’s a very good display, just not on the same level as the Nook. I really appreciated Samsung putting in a solid panel in the Galaxy Tab when I first reviewed it, because on a hardware level, the display is probably the most important part of a tablet. Both contrast ratio and viewing angles are huge factors in how usable any given tablet is, and it looks like B&N recognized that and pushed for the best 7” panel they could get, whereas Samsung used the same tried and true LCD panel they had previously. All indications are that Samsung will be moving to AMOLED for their next 7” tablet, so it’ll only get better, but for now, B&N wins the screen conversation.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
89 Comments
View All Comments
MonkeyPaw - Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - link
Sorry for the typo, it is early for me. :oLukemcd - Thursday, May 26, 2011 - link
It's off in size. That's the primary reason they did not make a direct comparison. It really is an apples-oranges thing, too, since two-handed typing is perfect with a vertical Nook but really isn't once you get much beyond that.jconan - Saturday, May 28, 2011 - link
Dido, got the Transformer from Fry's even though amazon sells it for 443. It is quite worth it with splashtop pc access and portability even though it is a bit more for the portability. It does pale to iPad in terms of quality apps but for the freedom from iTunes it's liveable.ViperV990 - Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - link
Is it feasible for a regular joe to put Honeycomb on either tablets?Also, is either of them capable of acting as a Google Voice/Talk client?
zvadim - Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - link
Nook doesn't have a microphone, so unless you try for some kind of Bluetooth headset solution....ForeverStudent - Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - link
I realize this is kind of irrelevant to the article, and I apologize, but are the dimensions of the devices on the first page switched? They seem to show that the nook is significantly smaller than the Tab, about 30% shorter and narrower. But then throughout the article you talk about how much more compact the Tab is. I could be confused, I'm just checking.VivekGowri - Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - link
Ah crap, I think those are the dimensions for the EVO 4G...Fixing that now :) Thanks for catching that.cosmotic - Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - link
Just as this was published Woot.com has the Refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" 16GB Android Tablet - Wi-Fi + 3G for $259.VivekGowri - Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - link
That, my friend, is a good buy. Not sure if I like the idea of a refurb, but if you're dead set on a Galaxy Tab, that'd be tough to pass up.phendric - Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - link
Ditto to that. This isn't the wi-fi only version of the Galaxy Tab, but the full 3G version (with the Hummingbird SoC, and other better hardware). I'll only add that it runs on Sprint's network.I wonder if activation of a data plan is required? Anyone know?
I signed up to two different websites just now - Woot, to order the Tab, and Anandtech, to leave this comment. I've been a silent reader of the site for several years now, but just as I was wondering why there wasn't a good review comparison between the two tablets on a high-traffic site, this showed up.
Great site, good writing, active community.