Samsung has released a new edition to their line of 7″ tablets, the Galaxy Tab 2. It is somewhat of a downgrade from the earlier model hardware-wise, but is still one of the better mid-range tablets for the price, especially since it comes with Android 4.0 and has full access to the Google Play Store for apps and content.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 will be released on April 22nd. Right now it is up for pre-order on Amazon for $249. That’s a good price for the features it offers, but it’s too bad Samsung couldn’t shave an extra $50 off to make it the same price as the Kindle Fire and 8GB Nook Tablet—it would be the obvious winner at that price.
Even at $249, it is a better deal than the 16GB Nook Tablet and a number of off-brand tablets. But in a couple of months there might be an even better deal for Google’s and/or Asus’s rumored 7″ Ice Cream Sandwich tablets. It’s going to be an interesting summer for tablets.
Here’s a rundown on the Galaxy Tab 2’s specs:
- 7-inch TFT multitouch 720p HD screen (1024 x 600)
- Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
- 1GHz Dual-Core TI OMAP Processor
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB Internal Memory
- MicroSD card slot for expansion up to 32GB
- Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
- Bluetooth 3.0
- 3 megapixel rear-facing camera
- VGA front-facing camera for video chat
- Samsung’s Media Hub
- Ports: 1 USB 2.0 (host); 3.5mm headphone and microphone jack
- Sensors: Accelerometer, digital compass, light, proximity
- Battery Life: 7-8 hours
- Dimensions: 4.8 inches x 0.41 inches x 7.6 inches
- Weight: 12.16 ounces
In addition to the usual Google apps, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 comes with a number of apps pre-installed, including Kindle, Netflix, Polaris Office, Dropbox (plus you get 50GB free storage space for a year), and Samsung’s apps and TouchWiz widgets.
So what do you think? A Galaxy Tab 2 for $249, or a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet for $199? The battle of the 7-inch tablets is starting to heat up.
I will be picking up a 7″ tablet before the end of August, so I’ll be keeping a very close eye on developments in this area. I was keeping an eye on the Asus MeMo 370T, but I don’t know if that got pushed aside up by the supposed Google/Asus collaboration. But I have until the end of august, so it will certainly be an interesting summer…
This might force the prices on Nook tablets down a bit, since Nooks don’t have cameras and otherwise the specs are more or less comparable.
It depends on how responsive the touch screens are but, the Tab 2’s specs are a lot more attractive then the comparable Nook for the same money.
I like my Kindle Fire but would like to find a 7″ tablet more like my iPad in response and ease of use. Sometimes, nothing I do will get a web page link to respond on my Fire.
I was waiting on the Asus MeMO 370T as well but I’m going to look further into this one now.
The Asus MeMO 370T may have been scrapped. They have a Memo 171 coming, but no Amazon listing yet.
Woot has the HP TouchPad 32GB with SlipCase for the same price.
Have waited with pre orders in for google nexus & memo 370T for what seems like a year now,so I can’t give up on it.While driving home from work last night I noticed the license plate of the car in front of me was 370TE, serendipitous?
Compare this tablet to the 7″Acer A100 sporting dual core Tegra 2 with similar features plus front and rear cameras (LED light), GPS, micro HDMI and superior sound. Same price ($10 more). Screen has narrower viewing angles and straight on equivalent. Android ICS.
I bought it 2 days ago, loving it – very quick, responds to touch quickly, hooked up to internet right away, nice size on screen keyboard…only 2 problems , and why i found this page, i can’t figure out how to get it to read my ebooks, and it doesn’t acknowledge my micro SD Card…but i’ll get it all figured out! I have the nook color too which i thought was the best, until the tab 2
It should recognize your memory card automatically when you put it in. If not, the card probably needs to be formatted. For ebooks, you just have to find an app that supports the formats you are trying to use.
I pre-ordered the 7″ Galaxy Tab 2 from Amazon after comparing many other tablets. It had the most features for its price: Android ICS, dual-core processor, 1024×600 screen, Bluetooth, plus Samsung’s own Media Hub and Touchwiz. It came a week ago, and I am ashamed to say I can’t do much with it. The Wifi won’t connect to my wireless router, and what is a Media Hub without a connection? And the Tab 2’s surface is so shiny it’s like looking in a mirror. I’m tempted to return it and swap it for an Archos 80 G9 Turbo.
I did get it to recognize the memory card, and I just figured out how to do the ebooks with UB Reader (downloaded from Samsung Apps) – there is now a “digital editions” folder – just have to drag and drop the books into that folder.
I got in on the HP Touchpad fire sale a while back. It’s rooted with Android 4.0.4 on it. I can’t really complain about paying $100 for it, but a new Galaxy Tab 2 my be replacing it soon. This thing is a monster for $250. /nerd
I have had this for about 2 weeks now. I love it! There are a couple of problems I have encountered though. 1. You can NOT move apps to the SD card and run them. You can only move files. 2. Minor thing, I can’t seem to find a barcode scanner that will work.
Same issue here…I think the camera is fixed focus, so it is not able get a good focus for the barcode. That means doesn’t matter what app you download, it will not work.