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There’s no easy way to say this without insulting one of the most important pieces of Android tech of the year, so we’ll go out and say it:
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the one that Android 3.0 Honeycomb should be launched on.
There. We said it. But it’s true. As important as the Motorola Xoom was (and is) for Android tablets and Honeycomb as platforms, it left something to be desired in the design department. And so it’s almost fitting that Samsung, the company that brought us the 7-inch Galaxy Tab last fall – basically a large Froyo smartphone – is about to throw a little slice of sexy into the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
But the story isn’t that simple, is it? Join us after the break as we peruse the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Special Edition released at Google IO.
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A long and strange journey to 10.1
Galaxy Tab 10.1 at the Mobile World Congress in February 2011
We’re not too proud to admit that we had a slightly confusing period prior to the current iteration of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Back in mid-February 2011, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, when Samsung first announced the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Thinner and lighter than the Motorola Xoom, which was the only other Honeycomb tablet at the time, we had no trouble stating that “this Galaxy Tab brings Sammy to the next generation of Android tablets.” Because he did it. (Check out our handy with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 at MWC.)
But then something happened, just a couple of weeks later. The iPad 2 has been announced. Not that we didn’t all know it was coming, but it made the Xoom look pretty beastly and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 look, well, a little boring. And stories began to come out that Samsung was probably already looking to revamp the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
The new Galaxy Tab 10.1 at CTIA in March 2011
Enter CTIA 2011, in Orlando, just a couple of weeks after the announcement of the iPad 2. Samsung not only announced an 8.9-inch tablet, but that the Galaxy 10.1 “is back on the drawing board … for create the industry’s thinnest and lightest large-screen tablet. ” Timing is intriguing. There’s no way the refurbished Galaxy Tab went from start to prototype in just a couple of weeks – Samsung had to have it already in the works.
And we took a quick look at the new Galaxy Tab 10.1 – behind the glass.
This brings us to the Google IO developer conference in mid-May. On the first day of the event, after announcing Android 3.1, Google rolled out the Galaxy Tab 10.1 special edition to everyone at Moscone West. And that’s what we present to you now.
The hardware
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 released on Google IO – GT-P7510 – is truly a special edition device. The box displays the Google IO logo and there is a large “NOT FOR SALE” notice at the bottom. You will not get one in stores. But you’ll get the same form factor and courage when it goes on sale June 8.
It’s thin. It is 8.6mm thin. It is light. 595 grams light. And compared to the Motorola Xoom, it’s night and day.
The Galaxy Tab is actually a few millimeters wider and taller than the Xoom. But as is the case these days, that larger size is mitigated by the Tab’s thinness. (We saw the same thing in the Samsung Infuse 4G smartphone. Big, but thin.)
The front of the Galaxy Tab is completely smooth. As with the Honeycomb tablets, there are no visible buttons. The back search buttons in the main menu have all been moved to the software. So all you have is the 10.1 inch screen (with 1280×800 resolution) and a tiny speck of a 1.3MP front camera. There is no notification light, which is normal for Samsung devices now.
The screen itself is decent enough, but we’re quickly starting to want a higher resolution. First world problems, we know, but apparently individual pixels are readily. It’s no headache, and it really doesn’t detract from an otherwise good experience with the Galaxy Tab. But to otherwise have the form factor nailed, that would be a feature that would really give it a boost.
The Galaxy Tab has well rounded corners, like the Xoom. There are no sharp edges to find. But the feeling is very different. While the Xoom has a metal, soft-touch back, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is all plastic. (This is also another change from the version we first saw at Mobile World Congress.) The back of our special edition Tab is done in an Android robotic pattern, with a silver sliver protruding over it. That’s where you’ll find the 3.2MP camera and flash.
The top bezel houses the 3.5mm headphone jack, power button and volume control. We like to have the power button on the side (although most Samsung smartphones now have it on the right bezel). But the volume control can take some getting used to. On the Xoom, it is vertical, on the left frame. Then press up to increase the volume and down to decrease the volume. But when you hold the Galaxy Tab horizontally, as you probably will most of the time, the volume rocker is horizontal on the top bezel. So left is volume down and right is volume up. It actually coincides with the on-screen volume indicator, which is also horizontal. But after we don’t know how many smartphones and tablets we’ve used with a vertical volume rocker on the side of the device, we need to retrain our brains a bit.
The bottom bezel has the proprietary connector, which you’ll use to charge the Galaxy Tab or connect it to a computer (or possibly accessories). The good news is that you don’t need a separate cable for charging. The bad news is you need Samsung’s rather large plug to charge the thing. Compromises.
There’s a small pinhole microphone down there, as well as a couple of plastic hoops that cover the screws that hold everything together. Place the single speaker on each side bezel – and the speakers are good enough, but not as good as on the Xoom – and that’s it for the industrial design.
Samsung hasn’t necessarily done anything out of the ordinary here – it’s your basic tablet design, right? It has the same basic shape as every other Honeycomb tablet we’ve used. But it’s the little things – namely the simple, clean lines and subtlety – that stand out in the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
What’s under the hood
There isn’t much to say here that we haven’t already said. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 uses the same architecture as the other Honeycomb tablets we’ve used so far: the NVIDIA Tegra 2 1GHz system on a chip. And it’s faster than ever. Samsung has undoubtedly made some changes, but we don’t really see much speed difference compared to the Xoom, at least not in everyday use.
Our unit here is a 32GB version – there will also be 16GB versions. There are no replaceable microSD cards, which may bother you. Or not. We have 725MB of usable RAM, which works quite well, thank you very much, and we have 1GB of program memory. The apps, of course, can be moved to internal storage if we were to use them.
As for battery life, it has a 7,000mAh power source crammed into that slim form factor, and we easily use it one day. It will obviously vary if you are watching the video. But for basic browsing, Twitter and email use – and some Angry Birds – you should have an easy day.
The software
There isn’t much to say here that hasn’t already been said. The Google IO Special Edition Galaxy Tab 10.1 runs Android 3.0.1 and will receive an update to Android 3.1, with its suite of new APIs and, most importantly, the ability to stream Google movies.
Otherwise, you have a stock Honeycomb experience. No skinning and just a couple of apps loaded by default, including Samsung’s Music Hub and Samsung Apps, Pulse and Quickoffice.
While we have your attention, though, allow us this brief rant: Netflix needs to open up to the devil and get on this tablet, ASAP. Without ifs and buts. It’s the perfect form factor and the perfect size.
We won’t worry too much about any bugs on this version of the Galaxy Tab. It’s a special edition and is clearly labeled as a development unit. That’s the price you pay for a free pre-release tablet and we’re sure most of you would happily pay.
The cameras
Funny story about the Google IO Galaxy Tab edition as a camera. It was distributed on the afternoon of the first day of the conference. That evening, Google threw its big party, with the execution of Jane’s Addiction. And while we’re pretty used to seeing cell phones in the air at a concert, we’re seeing a couple of hundred 10-inch tablets held aloft (with two hands, of course) during the best parts of “Ritual de lo Habitual” it was a of the most gloriously brilliant things we have experienced.
But we are digressing. …
Testing tablet cameras is a bit like eating fast food – we wonder why we did it when it was said and done. In all likelihood, you won’t be shooting a lot with the rear camera on a 10-inch device. Here’s a new idea: lose the rear camera and increase the quality of the front camera. Do you want us to start doing more video chats on a tablet? Give us slightly better quality with the front camera. It doesn’t even need to be 8MP or anything. Just a little better.
But we are digressing. …
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