The
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7" is one of the popular tablet models in the market. It features Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS, 7" Multi-touch Screen with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels. It has 8GB Internal Memory, with microSD expansion slot up to 32GB. The Wi-Fi is 802.11b/g/n. Bluetooth 3.0 compatible. The processor is 1GHz Dual-Core with 1GB RAM. It's also economically priced, even though it's a brand name tablet. At Cautionista, we don't stop at just the glowing reviews, we went deeper to see if the tablet has any serious shortcomings that you need to be aware of. Here's what we found in our research -
- If you hold the Galaxy Tablet with your left hand and use the right hand to operate it, the WiFi connection is less reliable, especially if you hold the left bottom corner.
- Crashes a few times every day.
- Battery lasts only around 3 hours per charge.
- Dual-core CPU performance is not that great, slow response to many games and apps.
- Apps cannot be moved to external microSD. This seems to be an Ice Cream Sandwich limitation. So, there's only around 4GB to save Apps, which is a major disadvantage if you use lots of them.
- Touch screen is not precise like the iPad.
- Camera died within 2 months.
- Need a computer to move data between internal memory and external microSD card.
- Failed to turn on after just 3 weeks.
- Galaxy Tab 2 hangs or crashes when playing 1080p HD video.
- Peel Smart Remote app needs WiFi connection to work.
What we think, and some suggestions
- The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7" tablet is good for light use like browsing, youtube, email and social networking. If you are an avid gamer and app user, you should get the 10" version of this tablet instead. Due to limited memory on the Galaxy Tab, do get a SanDisk 32 GB Mobile microSDHC Flash Memory Card to save all your music, photos and videos.
- If you place the tablet on a Poetic Slimbook Leather Case, the WiFi connection is stable because you are not holding the tablet by hand. A case is always recommended for a tablet in order to protect it from bumps and scratches.
- Battery life can be improved if you turn off the GPS function and adjust Wi-Fi setting to off while at sleep. Note that GPS is on by default.
- Finally, there are more powerful tablets in the same price range, you may try one of these instead of the Galaxy Tab 2.
- Google Nexus 7 Tablet. 1280x800 HD display, Quad-core processor, 16GB internal storage, 8 hour battery life.
- Kindle Fire HD 7" Tablet. 1280x800 HD display with antiglare technology, dual-core CPU with 3D Graphics core, 16GB internal storage, 11 hour battery life.
As you can see, these specs are much better than the Galaxy Tab 2 specs of 1024x600 display, dual-core CPU, 8GB Internal Memory, 6 hour battery life.
