Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Review: The Sleekest Honeycomb Tablet
by Anand Lal Shimpi on June 13, 2011 5:07 AM EST- Posted in
- Tablets
- Samsung
- Tegra 2
- Galaxy tab 10.1
- Android 3.1
- Mobile
- NVIDIA
The Cameras
Samsung put its own touches on the Galaxy Tab's camera app. For starters the camera app completely hides all Honeycomb UI elements, the only way to get back to the home screen is to hit the custom back button - there's no support for accessing recently used apps. The UI is pretty clean. You can quickly adjust exposure, resolution, white balance or shot mode. The preview frame rate is pretty low and captures take several seconds to complete after hitting the shutter release button.
Switching between front and rear facing cameras or still and videos is thankfully very quick, although expect a lot of missed moments since the actual capture process is so slow. Image quality is noticeably better than the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, take a look at the comparison shot below:
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer - Rear Facing Camera
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 - Rear Facing Camera
There's a lot more detail in the Samsung shot, although neither solution manages to capture the color of the yellow flower petals at the bottom of the scene.
Apple iPad 2 - Rear Facing Camera
The iPad by comparison delivers a more contrasty image but with less detail than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. I'm not entirely sure how important having good camera quality is here though - where do you all draw the cutoff line with tablet camera quality? Is the Eee Pad enough or are Samsung's efforts worthwhile here?
Video quality is also noticeably better than the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer. While the 3.1 update helped ASUS' video woes, the tablet still provides a less than ideal video capture experience. Dropped frames still happen during periods of fast panning, although the video is at least watchable now.
108 Comments
View All Comments
JasonInofuentes - Monday, June 13, 2011 - link
The tablet market is still behind about 3 years behind the notebook market, but it's catching up faster than the notebook caught up to PC. Five years ago many would ask, why would I pay $1500 for a laptop when I can get a desktop that runs circles around any laptop for just $500. Power advancements and easy access to wireless internet made us a mobile computing culture. Those same advancements will make the cost (in dollars and compromises) of a tablet negligible relative the notebook. Thanks for the comment, keep'em coming.ph00ny - Monday, June 13, 2011 - link
Anand,Have you tried the settings within the keyboard? It's surprising that you can't turn the predictive text on when every other device with samsung keyboard allows the user to turn it off
TEAMSWITCHER - Monday, June 13, 2011 - link
"I also encounter far too many crashes on a regular basis. "Please repost this review when the crashes are "few and far in between." With a kid in College and another on the way, I do not have the money to waste on a products such as this.
MadMan007 - Monday, June 13, 2011 - link
Seriously? If you're 'likely regret' a purchase in 4 months the answer is not to just buy the cheaper option, it's to buy nothing.
Pino - Monday, June 13, 2011 - link
No HDMI?!It's not for me, thank you!
vision33r - Monday, June 13, 2011 - link
"Hey the iPad 2 doesn't have HDMI, why don't you love me!" - Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.Belard - Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - link
LOL... good one.My Samsung Galaxy phone has the HDMI option on the menu... no HDMI port. But I can turn it ON and OFF.
iPads can transmit video wireless to TV, with an adapter.
mo.hasan - Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - link
You can buy a HDMI adapter for the Samsung 10.1. Personally I prefer slim and weight savings versus built in port. This is not a PC after all. This is 2011, time to put wireless DLNA to good use.Pjotr - Monday, June 13, 2011 - link
Page 2:"After prolonged usage I either orientation can be a problem, but..."
Say what?
jjj - Monday, June 13, 2011 - link
No microSD card, HDMI or USB should be dealbreakers for many (Samsung can go Apple themself).Ít's a shame that a nice tablet is limited to the onboard storage when even the dumbest dumbphone has a microSD slot nowdays.