Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10-inch and 7-inch Review

Next, we'll take a look at how the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 and 10.1 compare to other tablets by running and examining a few benchmarks that are currently available in the Android Marketplace.

Although neither of the second-generation Galaxy Tab 2 tablets earned top scores in Linpack, both tablets did surpass previous generation Galaxy Tabs (namely, the Galaxy Tab 7 Plus and original Galaxy Tab 10.1) in the Linpack test.

The SunSpider browser-based benchmark is designed to test a device's JavaScript processing capabilities. In this test, both of the Galaxy Tab 2 tablets earned low scores in comparison to other tablets in our reference database. Note how the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus outscores all here except for Apple's iPad 2.  That's due to the Samsung Exynos processor on board that device versus the TI OMAP 4430 which just doesn't have quite the same horsepower.  We would have liked to see a Tegra 3 SoC on board for Samsung's new slates.

The Rightware BrowserMark test is designed to look at browser performance. In this test, the Galaxy Tab 2 tablets earned scores that were in the lower half compared to other systems in our reference database.

GLBenchmark is an OpenGL ES 2.0 benchmark with a number of performance metrics incorporated in it.  We specifically used the Fill Texture Fetch suite to measure raw texture fill rate of a graphics core and the Egypt Off Screen test to measure 3D performance in frames per second.  The Off Screen test renders workloads at 1280x720 for all devices, but off-screen, so Vsynch and screen refresh are not limiting performance.

In both of the GLBenchmark tests (Egypt Off Screen and Fill Texture Fetch), the Galaxy Tab 2s came in near the bottom of the scores, but never in last place. In both tests, the 7.0-inch model outscored the 10.1-inch model due to its slightly lower resolution display.

An3DBench XL is a benchmarking tool based on an Android port of the jPCT 3D engine. The app runs 7 tests in total that look at graphics processor fill rate and complex rendering workloads and scenes.

As with the other benchmarks, we see more of the same story in the An3DBench XL: The Galaxy Tab 2 models didn't earn last place, but they were near the bottom in comparison to other tablets. Keep in mind, however, that the variation between the top performer in this test and the worst performer in this test is still relatively small.