Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1)

“This Galaxy Tab 2 is a sensible package for a reasonable price. Alright, it may be short on thrills - but what matters here is it's good at the essentials. And not just good enough - it's a great portable video player and the browsing experience is top notch too. Ice Cream Sandwich, full telephony support and memory expansion are the immediate benefits over the original Galaxy Tab.Are they enough to justify an upgrade? Most likely not - if you have the original 10 Samsung tablet, the Note 10.1 is the device to look at. Or, you can simply wait for the ICS update, which shouldn't be too long now.Alternatively, if you're about to get your first tablet, or planning an upgrade to a bigger screen, the Tab 2 10.1 looks like a reasonable choice. And one that won't put a big dent in your budget either. With the launch of the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Samsung are ready to match the price and beat the specs of the iPad 2.The screen resolution is nominally higher - but the aspect ratio is the bigger advantage. The expandable memory and voice calls are also points in Samsung tablet's favor. The wide video codec support and Flash in the browser count too. Essentially, an Android tablet is the natural choice for users who won't put up with the confines of a closed ecosystem. Of course, others will appreciate the better stocked app store and the slightly smoother experience.The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 inhabits a niche that's hardly too crowded - affordable 10 slates are not easy to come by, so it should have plenty of market potential at launch. The problem is, the niche itself might seize to exist in a few months' time as quad-core slates' prices start to drop. But hey, there's always something newer and better just around the corner and if you don't feel like waiting another 6 months before getting your tablet, going for the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is a move you are unlikely to regret.”

“Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1) costs too much for the mediocre performance it delivers. The Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) is a good deal at $250, offering a host of useful features for its budget price. But with the Asus Transformer Pad TF300 and Apple iPad 2 both in the 10-inch mix, the Galaxy Tab 2 loses out falling short in both performance and app selection. If you have to have a Samsung tablet, go for the 7-inch Tab 2, or hold out for the Galaxy Note 10.1, which is expected later this year. If you need integrated LTE, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 ($699.99, 3.5 stars) is one of the most elegantly designed tablets around, but it's also one of the priciest.”

“A year ago we liked the Tab 10.1, and for the second generation the hardware specs remain broadly the same, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 has a much better operating system. All for £100 cheaper than it was. We love the bright screen, and adding SD support and 1080p video capture are both improvements. The problem is the competition: the Nexus 7 in particular has changed the game for Android tablets, and is a little more than half the price of the Tab.”

“The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is not a bad tablet, but it’s also almost identical, and in some ways inferior, to last year’s Galaxy Tab 10.1. At $400 it’s not overly expensive, but it’s also not a deal. You can likely find the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 for less money by now. Also, for $400, you can still afford an iPad 2 and a number of other good, if not superior tablets. We were really hoping for a price between $250 and $300, but Samsung seems determined to keep its prices high.”