Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7 inch Tablet - White (8GB, WiFi, Android 4.0)

A little history:
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This is my first Android Tablet, but it isn't the first time I've used an Android Tablet. I've been used to iOS devices these past 5 years or so, from iPhone to iPads, but I've also owned an Xperia Play, had some time with a Galaxy SII and a play with a Nexus 7.

But now, for my first proper Android Tablet, I've settled on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 because it was the tablet I feel most comfortable with.

The device is one of the new bunch of 7" tablets at the sub £200 mark, including the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7. I admit to being sceptical about smaller tablets, already owning an iPad, but needed an Android device for testing software and it seems like a much easier size to carry around.

The Hardware
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The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 currently runs Ice Cream Sandwich, which isn't the latest OS (which is Jellybean) but the previous one. It should, after Samsung tinkers around a little, run Jelly Bean, hopefully in the next few months, but until then this is one area where the Nexus has the edge.

Edit Jan 2013: as of last month, Samsung have updated the software and now it runs Jelly Bean. It's not a huge change, but does mean that it now has the latest OS.

Out of the box, the device has:
A USB lead with a proprietary connector very similar to the old iOS connector, but not quite the same. (my recommendation would be to get a spare on Amazon for a couple of quid).
A power adaptor with a US and UK connector in 2 parts. Annoyingly big and bulky, but it can be charged via USB or one of those little USB chargers.
A voucher for cashback and an 8GB card from Samsung (for a limited time).

The device has a connector on the bottom under the Samsung logo and is designed to be held in portrait, but automatically rotates the screen if you hold it in landscape. It has an SD Card slot on the side which can take cards up to 32GB 9or 64GB if formatted a certain way), and a power and volume buttons on the opposite side and a standard headphone jack at the top.

The screen isn't as high a resolution as some other tablets (1280 x 800), but makes up for it by producing bright and vibrant colours that are perfect for media. With the SD card and decent screen, this makes for a great multimedia device and is just the right size for movies on the go. It also has the ability to auto-dim in brighter light and lighten in dark surroundings.

The 1GHZ Dual Core processor isn't as fast as the Nexus either, but the powerful GPU does help out here.

There is a 3MP camera on the front and a VGA camera for voice calling.

Software-wise, the OS is overlaid with Samsung's own front end which makes widgets easy to move around and place on the screen, plus a bunch of stores unique to Samsung devices and some nifty media players which do a good job of playing movies, music and showing off pictures. It has Chrome browser built in as well.

One annoying feature with Samsung devices seems to be their reluctance to run apps off the SD card. If you're in to some of the larger games. It might be something to think about. There are ways around it, but not for the layman.

Battery life isn't fantastic, but should last a day or two with average use (movies, email, music and internet) on a full charge.

Opinion
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The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 has some nifty features which made me pick it over other devices. The screen quality is one of these features, it's beautiful to look at. It also manages to play all the current crop of Android games available from the Google Play store, including titles like GTA3 and Dead Trigger, thanks to the powerful GPU.

Storage is another feature I like, as being able to use SD cards means I can swap out cards should I need to and share media.

The weight of the device is pretty light, too, but the plastic back doesn't seem all that strong. I do like the surround for the screen with the white and silver contrasting nicely with the black screen.

I would recommend a case and protective cover for the device to prevent scratches and knocks.

Overall, the Tab 2 is a great tablet that I'd recommend to anyone with a lower budget after a small device. It isn't the most powerful or best spec device, but it does a good job of keeping up when you add everything together and the screen and storage options vastly improve it.

Have just bought one of these tablets and I am very impressed.

I started off with a Tabtronics 7 inch tablet, bought from Amazon that I hasten to add was good value at the time and has served me well. However I found Web Browsing was virtually impossible on the single core processor, even with out apps running it was painful. In effect I had a 32 gb media centre and e book reader.

So then I was back on the Market for another tablet. I did plenty of research prior to making this second purchase.

My criteria were simple really. I wanted an open source Tablet that had to have the capability to have the storage on board enlarged by Micro SD Card. It also had to have the capability to play most popular AVI Files. I was not particularly bothered about camera quality having an HTC One X, I also had to be able to browse the Internet and tether to my HTC One X for WIFI.

I know manufacturers read reviews, so here are my reasons for dismissing out of hand some quality tablets on the Market.(And apologies for going on a bit)

I Pad /I Pad Mini. Dismissed out off hand, yes the tablet is nice and has the best retina display on the market, but it is closed source, meaning it will be virtually impossible to transfer your private collection of media to this device with out purchasing additional software. In fact pretty much everything you ever do with this device after buying will be through Apple, no thanks.

Kindle Fire HD. I like this device, but again you buy it and it is subsidised and the sole intention is to make money back from their products, there is also no S/D card slot. However they do sell a 32 gb model for storing those movies that you buy from Amazon. That will suite some people. No Access to Google Play either (Android Market), although if you are a bit Techy I believe it can be done.

Nexus 7 I like this device too, but unbelievably no Micro SD slot, although it does have USB connectivity. But Who wants to be faffing about with USB sticks though in this day and age?.Big error on the part off Google/Asus in my opinion. Quality tablets like this that i dismissed out of hand because off the lack of an SD port.

Nook HD Just a nice looking eBook reader doesn't have access to Google Play, pretty restrictive for an Android device.

Blackberry Playbook, Ironically these are quality made. And for Web Browsing alone they are excellent, fast and responsive. Bad points, no Google Play access, and pretty much everything you do like transferring files can be a real nightmare. There are plenty off AVI files that it won't play unless they are converted before hand. AC3 audio wont play at all.

I settled for the Samsung Tab 2 7 inch because i felt it met my requirements.I went for The 7 inch version because it seems more practical for its requirements as my personal travelling companion, 10 inch then I might as well just travel with a laptop.Obviously the SD port was also a very big reason i opted for this tablet

What can i say ? well I absolutely love it, I really do

Very easy to set up straight out off the box ( idiot proof)Took my 32 gig SD Card out of my old Tablet and popped it in. Recognised it straight away,i was not excpecting and all my video and audio files too play flawlessly. The screen is beautifully clear as Crystal,and the colour vibrant. It is very responsive to the slightest off touches. The dual core processor ensures a good web browsing experience with the Jelly Bean Operating System; the two go hand in hand. I know some preferred the ICS Operating System, but if like me you have the One X you will know how to really enjoy using this tablet with Jelly Bean it utilises the device perfectly you can skip between windows flawlessly and multi task with ease. And I must say the device handles it all very well. I also connected my Denon Headphones and was very impressed with the quality off the Audio. My biggest plus I will say once again though is the speed of web browsing I personally think the speed is pretty phenomenal, for a small 7 inch tablet it packs a punch, pages load with out error and Flash content appears to be bug free these days. It also has full access to Google Play (Android Market).Another surprise I had was downloading Sky Go and watching Sky Television.

I can also use this Tablet with My One X as a wifi Hotspot.

I paid £145.00 for this tablet, and it was worth every penny. I realise now there is no substitute for quality and Samsung are one off the Market Leaders for a reason.

I have also just purchased a 64 gig Class 10 Micro SD Card here on Amazon for just £15.00 that the Tab 2 will play once the said card has been formatted to FAT32 on Windows,and also a nice case/stand for under £12.00 here on Amazon.That is me sorted for my Holidays a quality 64 gig Tablet.!!!

This tablet was purchased at Tesco as a replacement for my partner's Amazon Kindle Fire HD, bought through Amazon. The Kindle HD was ok but had very restrictive software inextricably tied to Amazon-only content. So we passed it on as a gift for someone who did not mind this restriction and looked for an Android based tablet that was not restricted in any way.

The Galaxy Tab 2 7 inch was purchased for £158 but assuming Samsung honours its cash back offer, the final price including a free 8 gig SD card totals £128, an absolute bargain considering the very reasonable specs of this tablet. I also have the Samsung Galaxy note 10.1, and the Tab 7 inch, though having a slower processor than the Note, is nevertheless perfectly sound for web browing, emails, document writing, reading books and other tablet functions. If you remove the over-sized widgets which are not really necessary, any hint of sluggishness disappears and the tab is smooth and responsive. Some user reviews observe a slight hesitance in finger swiping but I did not see this problem.

Like the Samsung Galaxy Note, the Tab 2 has been subject to many luke warm website reviews together with low scores, and part of the reason for these might be based on the original price. But at the current price, this tablet represents stunningly good value and knocks the Kindle Fire HD for six. It also competes well with the Nexus 7 which is currently sold at prices far in excess of the Tab. Many reviews also refer to the Tab as having "flimsy" construction, but this is simply not true. The white version looks very smart, is light and a pleasure to hold, being a lot lighter than the Kindle HD and with a pleasing shape. The stereo speakers are good, and while not extremely loud, are a lot clearer and louder than many website reviews lead you to believe.

Despite reviews stating the contrary, the Tab can run flash and there is a large choice of alternative browsers, email clients and you have the whole of google's app store to browse, unlike the Kindle Fire which bars access to google, even if you sideload apps, unless you root (jailbreak) the Amazon device.

Readers might assume from this that I am some kind of Samsung "fan". I am no fan of any single manufacturer or operating system and my sole objective was to purchase a tablet for my partner which functions well and is good value. In all respects the Galaxy Tab meets that need and at the extraordinary price of £128 (with cashback offer) makes this 7 inch tablet easily the best in its class. While not as slick or fast as the Nexus 7 I think it is more attractive, more pleasant to hold, has expandable memory and is solidly built.

Here is a summary of the best features:

* Excellent screen which though not class leading is bright and clear
* Good stereo sound
* Has front and rear cameras of reasonable quality for a tablet
* O/s is smooth enough and the custom skins are attractive and functional
* Comes with a good quality power charger lacking in the Amazon Kindle Fire
* The price
* Total freedom to use content from Google, Amazon and other content providers
* You can tether your phone to the Tab, via wireless or bluetooth

One bad point:

* No USB or HDMI out, so you need an adapter for some functions

In conclusion, as with the Galaxy Note there is a complete disconnection between the ipad-centric website reviews and the reviews of actual users of these Samsung products. I can only guess that product snobbery is at the heart of the web reviews which concentrate in the main on superficial features. Considering the TAB 2 is, at the price I paid, a hundred pounds cheaper than the mini ipad, and cheaper than any comparable device, yet delivering a very good user experience in essence as good as the mini ipad, this little Tablet has a lot going for it. The mini ipad does have one advantage for web-browsing with its better aspect ratio in portrait mode. But the Tab is better than the Nexus in portrait mode, having a 16:10 ratio rather than the video-oriented 16:9 of the latter, and that also tips my preference in favour of the Tab. Highly recommended.