Samsung Galaxy Tab Review

One of the first things you're likely to notice when you pick up the Galaxy Tab is its size – it's not much larger than a paperback novel. Also, unlike the iPad, it's easy to hold the Galaxy Tab in one hand. The device itself feels pretty sturdy. The glossy plastic rear battery cover doesn't feel as high-end as the brush aluminum rear of the iPad, but at the same time, it doesn't feel overly cheap, either. On the back of the Galaxy Tab, you'll also notice the 3 megapixel Auto Focus camera and flash. As you can see from pictures, Sprint's Galaxy Tab has a white cover whereas the Verizon Wireless version has a black cover.

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The Galaxy Tab weighs 13.58 ounces, or approximately 0.85 pounds. The weight is spread pretty evenly over the entire device. To put the weight in perspective, the Galaxy Tab weighs almost half what the iPad weighs. Although the iPad is still a mere 1.5 pounds, when held side-by-side, you'll definitely notice the Galaxy Tab is the lighter of the two tablets.

On the top edge of the Galaxy Tab, you'll find a 3.5mm headset jack. Moving around to the left side, you'll see a microphone. The base of the Galaxy Tab contains two openings for the external speakers as well as the charger/accessory jack. On the right edge of the Galaxy Tab, you'll find the power button, volume rocker, and microSD card slot. Both of our review units came preloaded with a 16GB microSD card.

The front of the Galaxy Tab is largely consumed by the 7-inch WSVGA display which supports a resolution of 600 x 1024. There is a small black bezel around the edge of the display which comes in handy for holding the device between your thumb and palm without accidentally pressing an on-screen button or blocking your view of the screen. The bezel measures about a half inch on the sides and approximately 5/8-inches on the top and bottom of the screen. Overall, it provides just enough space for your thumbs without any wasted space.

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Above the display, you'll find a light sensor and front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera. Similar to other Android devices, there are four touch-sensitive backlit keys (Menu, Home, Back, and Search) located below the display which provide haptic feedback when pressed. At the base of each home screen, you'll also find three application buttons for quick access to the browser, applications, and email.

We were very pleased with the clarity of the display found on the Galaxy Tab. Although the screen is considerably smaller than the iPad's screen, it's still very usable for browsing the web, watching videos, playing games, and other everyday activities. Viewing angles are superb as well, which is especially important considering you're likely to use a tablet to show a neighbor a video clip or gather a few friends to show off some photos. We also had no problem viewing the screen outside in daylight settings, especially when we cranked the brightness. The internal speaker found on the Galaxy Tab is also excellent with solid tonal quality for a device this size.

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Click to enlarge