Feedback on the Samsung P3100 tablet.
good model
Experience using the tablet: more than a year
Tablet advantages:
Convenient size and weight. You can carry it with you everywhere, it will fit in almost any bag, or even in the back pocket of your jeans.
- Good support, updated to the latest. (latest firmware 4.2.2)
- Workmanship. I have been using it for 2 years every day, the plastic has not been worn anywhere (I mostly use it in a case, but my friend has the same one without a case for a year and a half, there are no wear marks).
- Movies pulls perfectly.
- Full phone functionality. You can call from a SIM card without problems.
- Volume. Excellent. There is even nothing to add here, the volume margin surpasses many analogues.
Tablet cons:
Screen. In general, it is good, but tft technology makes itself felt. At medium brightness, it fades quite well in the sun. I always glued the film on the screen, the surface feels very soft.
- No flash. On the first tab, the camera was better.
- Original charging connector. You always need to carry a cable with you for recharging.
- Actually the charging process itself. It is very reluctant to charge from a computer, the full charge time is increased by 2.5 times (compared to charging from a wall outlet). It is difficult to pick up a charger in the car, many either do not charge at all, or provide just enough charge so that the tablet does not run out of power. (There is a point here. I use it as a navigator in the car, so these indicators are typical with fairly strong use.)
Tablet comment:
I use the tablet every day, there are no thoughts to change to something else. I download movies into it, I make calls (using a headset), navigation in the car, various games. Everything works without failures or any problems. The size is perfect for me.
I owned the first galaxy tab, I can say that here the power was cut a little. Some games don't want to start.
I watched the updated version of galaxy tab 3 7.0, the tablets were on the same level, so there is no point in changing.
The thing is not the most modern, but satisfies my requests more than completely.
Review #2 about the Samsung P3100 tablet.
Excellent model
Tablet experience: several months
Tablet advantages:
The price is definitely a plus.
Size is comfortable.
screen, sensor - I was satisfied.
Battery - in short - good. For more details, see comments.
Case - see comments. I don’t rate it, because I immediately put it in a “book”.
The hardware stuffing is generally good, see the comments.
The native interface - not counting the native launcher - is very convenient. Satisfied.
Internet - Wi-Fi, if it is, then it's pretty decent. 3g be healthy too - from sim card mts to 4 Mbps.
GPS is generally good. Haven't tried it on a third party browser.
Tablet cons:
I'll start with the classics of the genre - after a month of use, the device began to lose the presence of a SIM card. That is, he writes that he is not registered on the network, there is no Internet (often I use Internet through a SIM card). It is treated by rebooting the device. This problem arose literally 2 times, but unpleasant.
Built-in memory. Only 4.5 GB available for use. A little. It is absolutely clear that you need to put micro sd, but more. I don’t know about the impossibility of installing applications on the card, I haven’t tried it myself.
Camera. It's for taste and color. I don’t use it in practice, but it’s absolutely clear that the manufacturer saved money on this part of the device.
The wire that came with the kit. It's convenient that the cord for connecting to a computer turns into a charger, but why couldn't a standard usb input be made on the reverse end? Uncomfortable. But if you always have this cord with you, everything is quite convenient. However, the versatility of the device from this falls. Not everywhere there is an option to find such a lace.
performance. The native launcher looks good, but slows down. I put a third-party and I'm not worried. Nothing is buggy.
Speakers. The playback quality is acceptable, but why the heck to place the Stereo speakers next to each other ... well, not very smart somehow.
connectors for flash drive and sim card. Everything is convenient, but if there is a need to change cards often, it will fall off soon. Although you can go from the opposite: do not touch often - it will last forever.
In general, that's all)
In the event that mobile Internet access is not required, it is better to opt for a simpler and, accordingly, cheaper version. We have visited a variant with a modem, which may well become an alternative to a smartphone. After all, the gadget can not only provide fast access to the Internet, but also make calls, receive messages, playing the role of a familiar means of communication, only of a non-standard size.
Contents of delivery
- The tablet
- Power Supply
- Cable
- Instruction
- stereo bordering
Design
The tablet is qualitatively and reliably assembled, plastic prevails from the materials. The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 has a gray back that runs into the sides and even the front, where it matches the black bezel surrounding the screen.
If it were not for the name of the manufacturer below, then it would be difficult to identify the brand, the device does not differ in originality. Although, on the other hand, given the abundance of the same type of devices and the speed of their update, it will not be possible to criticize the manufacturer in this regard, because most often the emphasis is on the internal content.
The novelty has the following dimensions: 194x122x11 mm, weight 344 g. The tablet turned out to be compact enough to be taken with you regularly. It is not as small as a smartphone, but given the 7-inch diagonal of its screen, this is forgivable. In addition, if desired, it can be put in a jacket pocket or in jeans. Maybe inconvenient, but in any case, you can do without a bag, as opposed to using the bulkier 9-10-inch solutions.
If you look at the tablet in portrait orientation, you can see the light and proximity sensors and the front camera at the top. And also there is a conversational speaker.
On the left side is a pair of flip-up plastic plugs. Under one is a slot for a SIM card, the other closes the microSD compartment.
The control buttons are located on the right side. The top one blocks the screen, and the bottom one controls the volume. Both keys are very comfortable.
At the top you can see a 3.5 mm hole and a hole for the second microphone.
At the bottom there are a pair of speakers, a microphone and a proprietary connector. The charger cable is connected to it or synchronization with the computer is carried out.
You can see the camera lens on the back.
Everything is assembled tightly, no removable parts. There are no backlashes, no squeaks, or anything else that could make unpleasant sounds.
Display
The tablet has a 7-inch TFT screen with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels. The capacitive screen allows you to simultaneously carry out up to 10 touches. The light sensor works well, which independently adjusts the backlight level based on external conditions.
The screen has good viewing angles, although it's not AMOLED with all the consequences: blacks turn gray at an angle, and the viewing angles themselves are not as good as on more expensive models.
The display cover is durable, the protective glass acts as a guarantor. It resembles a similar material that is used in other Samsung models. On the street, the data on the screen is well read in the shade, but under the bright sun it can be a problem.
Platform
The tablet uses a dual-core processor TI OMAP4430 with a frequency of 1 GHz, 1 GB of RAM. The amount of built-in memory is 8 GB. There will also be a slot for a microSD memory card. It is located on the side, “hot-swap” is possible, volumes up to 32 GB are supported. The PowerVR SGX540 accelerator is responsible for the graphics. In general, the tablet works quickly, but still slight twitches when switching desktops are noticeable. The device is faster than the Galaxy Tab 7.7, but still I would like to see the perfect smoothness in the menu. The tablet runs Android 4.0.3 with TouchWiz 4.0 shell.
Interface
At the bottom of the main screen, the time is displayed, the level of reception of the Wi-Fi network. If you touch the lower right corner with your finger, a pop-up menu will open. Here, the user has access to information about the exact level of battery charge. You can also switch to the mode of searching for wireless networks. The date and time will be displayed, with the clock clearly visible thanks to the large characters. From this pop-up menu, you can go to the settings section with a single tap on the screen.
Various kinds of notifications also get here, here they are displayed in a separate list. For example, information about recently downloaded applications or new emails. To remove unnecessary data, you need to click on the "x" icon, which is visible in the upper right corner of each message. It hides notifications but does not delete the data itself.
There are five workspaces in total. Widgets, shortcuts to installed applications are displayed on the display. Each work area has enough space for a large number of different elements. Navigating between screens is easy, the usual scrolling works.
In order to make changes to any of the main screens, you can perform one of two actions of choice. You need to touch the screen with your finger or click on the “+” icon in the upper right corner. Either way, the result will be identical. The display will show a row with tabs. Here you can see widgets, application shortcuts, wallpapers, options, folders. All 5 work zones will be displayed above them. Thus, you can arrange the contents of the screens and design the device interface, based on your own preferences.
To navigate through the menu, use the buttons located at the bottom of the screen. They appear in all menu items. Due to this technique, the device dispenses with conventional mechanical buttons. The first key takes you back a step, the second brings you to the desktop, and the last one brings up the menu of running applications. There is no longer a practically useless search key, like Android phones. But the user may be surprised at the lack of a function button. But it is present, it just moved to the upper right corner of the screen.
The tablet has a separate menu of small shortcuts, which is configured on the home screen. These icons duplicate the standard functions, you can collect several necessary applications in a row, and then call them if necessary. This solution is convenient because you do not need to place any icons or widgets on the screen. Kind of a compromise.
The tablet menu is formed by rows of 7x5 icons. To get here, you need to touch the "applications" item, which is located in the upper right corner of the screen. Icons are automatically ordered by name, you can not change their order. You can also display only downloaded applications in a separate list. If you hold your finger on any label, then the already mentioned 5 work zones will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. You can drag the application icon onto one of them, collecting the most necessary and useful ones at your fingertips.
If you click on the button below, a list of running programs will open. It scrolls, unnecessary tasks are closed.
Typing
The standard keyboard works in both portrait and landscape orientations. Implemented copying and pasting text. The device boasts several types of keyboards. The usual layout from Android and a more comfortable one developed by Samsung. Word autosubstitution also works.
Two applications are used to work with e-mails. This is Gmail, which works exclusively with Google, and another program that allows you to receive mail from other accounts.
It is convenient to view the data, the screen is divided into two parts. The first shows the folder structure, the second shows the contents of the selected category. The application perfectly understands various encodings, supports downloading attachments. When creating a letter, you can also attach various files from the device's memory to it. The function of copying text and automatic checking of the mailbox works. You can set the check interval yourself.
Calendar
The calendar is displayed as a month, a week, a single day, or a list of recorded events. The device can notify about an event both with a sound signal and a reminder in the service line. The notification time is configurable, it varies from 5 minutes to 1 week. There is a mode of displaying all recorded events in a single list. If you have a Google calendar, all data will be automatically synchronized between the server and devices. The function is very useful for business people who have several devices at the same time and need a schedule of meetings and urgent matters that are always at hand.
Here you can configure which events to display on the calendar and which not. There is a separation of information by storage location, each option has its own color label. In terms of the implementation of Internet services and synchronization protocols, the Android operating system occupies one of the leading places. When creating a new entry, its name, date, place, repeat (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) are specified.
Contacts
The list of names in the tablet is arranged in a column, to the right of which a large field opens, which is reserved for all the data assigned to the contact. When you create a new entry directly on your tablet, it will automatically be saved to your Google account. Or you can save it in the memory of the device itself, as is implemented in Android smartphones. Each contact is assigned a set of fields. This is the first and last name, phone numbers, mail addresses, accounts of instant messaging services and other useful information.
Calls
Telephone functions are carried out using a large on-screen keypad, which is equipped with an automatic selection of suitable numbers. The call log stores data by day of the week, dividing the history into small groups. To the right, a large field opens, where additional information is displayed. The blacklist works. Considering the size of the gadget, calling it while holding the tablet in your hand is tiring, but you can connect a headset if you wish. In any case, the presence of such a function has an extremely positive effect on the functionality of the model; the telephone service is not inferior to other smartphones of the company in terms of convenience.
Messages
Correspondence is fully consistent with the opportunities that are used to getting from a regular phone. On the left is a column with brief information about SMS. There you can see the number or username, the date of receipt and a summary of the message. On the right, in a large area, all the contents are revealed, there is a place for entering text. Among the settings, you can see a useful feature for changing font sizes, changing the background for letters, as well as coloring rectangles that highlight chat correspondence.
Browser
With its design, the application looks like a "full" version on computers, the same Google Chrome. At the top is the address bar, to the left and right of it are additional buttons. They allow you to refresh the page or return to the previous one. You can also see the statistics of visited sites, add your favorite resources to bookmarks. A little higher is the tab menu, which allows you to work with several sites at the same time. Moreover, they open more than enough - up to 16 windows are available.
Thanks to multi-touch pages are easily scaled. The browser is very fast, page loading speed is high. Pages load completely without problems. When scrolling through the pages, even despite the very high scrolling speed, the data is displayed instantly, without delay. Supports full-fledged Adobe Flash. The data is saved locally, later you can read the contents of sites offline, the page search works.
Camera
The tablet received a 3-megapixel camera. Unfortunately, it does not have autofocus, which inevitably affects the quality of shooting small objects or close-up texts. Setting the shooting mode is easy - the screen sizes allow you to try different settings. The viewfinder takes up almost the entire screen. On the sides are additional control keys.
You can use the front camera for self-portraits or video recording. Geotagging works.
Camera options:
Shooting mode: single shot, smile shot, panorama.
Timer: 2, 5, 10 seconds.
Exposure compensation.
White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy.
Effects: grayscale, sepia, negative.
Resolution: 3.2M (10248x1536), 2.4M (2048x1152), 0.3M (640x480 pixels).
Metering: matrix, center-weighted, spot metering.
Good quality pictures. The results obtained fully meet the standards for a 3-megapixel camera.
 Player Supported formats include MP3, AAC, AMR, WMA, WAV, FLAC, OGG. If a track is selected, it will be displayed on the right. The screen displays the name of the artist, the name of the album and the song being played. Tracks can be put on repeat (song, album, all songs) or listened to in shuffle mode. For navigation, virtual keys are used: forward, backward and pause.
Numerous equalizer settings are available to the user, there are also manual settings. A set of audio effects is also activated, there is a 5.1 function that enhances the experience of listening to music.
In terms of sound quality, the device proved to be excellent, it can be safely used as an alternative to the player, especially when paired with high-quality headphones. Media Gallery allows you to sort data into several categories: albums, time, place, tags. You can display pictures and videos together or only one type of data. Images and movies are displayed as large icons on the screen.
Touching the icon in the upper right corner activates the slideshow. If you hold your finger on the picture, you will be able to mark one or more files, and then send via Bluetooth, email or upload to Picasa. Directly from the gallery, you can switch to the photography mode. Pictures can be rotated, resized or used as wallpaper.
Video The tablet has support for DivX and XviD codecs, which allows you to view most of the unconverted movies. There are no problems with the video, the gadget normally shows high-resolution files without any failures.
The video library is displayed in the form of a list with a small preview picture of the movie, its name and duration are also indicated. During playback, the large screen can display controls, including the rewind and pause keys, as well as the scroll bar. It helps you quickly navigate through the movie being played.
From the player menu, you can send the video to someone or post it for public viewing on YouTube. The function of broadcasting audio to a Bluetooth headset is supported. Google Maps Maps allow you to use GPS-navigation, at the same time using GLONASS. It works exactly, everything depends only on the amount of data consumed, a “cold” start sometimes lasts quite a long time. Traffic jams are displayed, thus, the application has become full-featured and convenient not only for pedestrians, but also for car owners.
There is a function of determining the current location, calculating the route from the start to the end point. Moreover, you can set the mode of transportation: by car, on foot or by public transport. The route is laid on the map, while key places are indicated in the form of text messages that are displayed on the screen in the form of a column, you can switch between them: view the route in advance or vice versa, go back and lay a different path.
Applications The application, which is standard for most modern devices, allows you to view videos and search among them. The application runs in full screen mode. Image previews are displayed as a matrix of small previews. If you have your own channel with videos, you can watch its content. The gadget can display high quality video, there is such an option in the application menu. But this will cause increased traffic consumption.
Polaris Office This application works with Word, Excel, PDF, Power Point files. A clear structured menu comes to the aid of the user, where data from the internal memory is displayed. It looks like a normal file browser. Recently viewed files are displayed as a separate group.
It is possible to edit: it is convenient to view and make changes on the large screen of the device. Opens various gadget files quickly, without delay. It is possible to scale, change the font and a number of other functions that allow, if necessary, to create a full-fledged document using a mobile device. Conveniently, when you launch the application, it automatically searches among the files in the device's memory. And then the list displays the found documents. You do not need to manually give the path to the desired folder.
Google talk can be used as a convenient tool for correspondence and more: there is a video chat.
The calculator supports all the necessary functions.
The tablet allows you to store multiple alarms in memory. A repeated signal is set, you just need to select the days of the week.
Built-in video editor.
There is a similar application for making changes to photos.
Google Play works, offering a large set of software.
Separately rendered Game Hub - a section with games.
Text notes are created. If you wish, you can not only write the text, but also add graphics to it.
Applications for reading books, magazines and newspapers are available.
Displays time in different time zones.
The file browser will always help if necessary.
Built-in Google+.
Connections The tablet operates at frequencies of 850/900/1800/1900/2100 MHz. Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n is supported, there is Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, access point mode. Bluetooth 3.0 has all the necessary profiles. You can connect to a PC via a cable using a USB 2.0 port, but only via the original cable.
Battery The tablet has a lithium-polymer non-removable battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh. Declared up to 40 hours of talk time and up to 1000 hours of standby time. In the continuous video playback mode at maximum brightness with Wi-Fi on and synchronization, the tablet worked for 4 hours and 15 minutes. In normal mode, when mail arrives, twitter is updated, music is listened to, mobile Internet is used, it turns out about 1-2 days of work. The specific output is not very convenient, which will not allow you to use a regular USB cable. The tablet does not charge from the USB port, from the socket this process takes about 3.5 hours.
Conclusion Two speakers provide a loud call, the melody is heard perfectly. The speaker is good, it is loud. The vibration mode is configured on the tablet, you can choose from several types. Given the large weight of the device, it is unlikely that it will often be worn in clothing. But even in this case, you can feel the vibration. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 with index P3100 is available in two versions: with and without 3G. In the first case, the device will cost 13990 rubles, and the second modification will be cheaper, it is estimated at 9990 rubles. The device turned out to be more than successful, unless you find fault with the fact that the interface still does not work quite perfectly. Given that this is already Android version 4, I would like to see perfect smoothness and speed without complaining about the dampness of the firmware. However, against the backdrop of Tab 7.7, everything just flies here. The price corresponds to the qualities of the tablet, it turned out to be a convenient and universal solution for different tasks. Paired with a headset, it can replace a smartphone, offering better battery life and a larger screen for entertainment or office use. The tablet is useful for watching videos, playing games, reading, working with documents or talking on Skype - there are many possibilities. It all depends on what the user wants. I liked the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, a good device for the money.
© Alexander Pobyvanets, Test Lab |
samsung and no more
Bought in 2012. The tablet is still serviceable and performs its functions, it is now February 2019, which means it is 7 years old. Service life from the manufacturer 3 years. Now the firmware is Line Age OS Android 6.0.1 (13.0-20180211-NIGHTLY-espresso3g) - this is the most stable firmware with long autonomy, all devices work. The tablet works confidently, stably, at a speed corresponding to the hardware. Very loud speakers, the navigator shouts over any music in the car. The camera is 3MP, but in good light the pictures are not bad (if it happened that I had to take pictures on this tablet). The main thing is not to use non-standard launchers and dialers, they are often a source of brakes and blunts. Currently I use it as a clock, a radio on my desktop. In general - old, reliable
2 years ago
size, small, comfortable
3 years ago
Price!
3 years ago
in general, a good thing.
3 years ago
No bugs, nothing crashes, smart, the screen is not scratched.
3 years ago
4 years ago
Great device! Very reliable. Worked for almost 4 years with constant intensive use. Never disappointed. I purchased it mainly for navigating the Internet, reading books, as well as for a number of useful applications. As a phone, I practically did not use it, mainly with headphones. The battery lasted for a day. Fell several times, but not from a great height. The glass was not cracked, continued to work normally. The problems started after I got under the water. The battery began to discharge faster, after a complete discharge it was very difficult to turn it on. So now I'm looking for a replacement.
4 years ago
Not bad performance and functionality.
4 years ago
Been using for 3 years now, great to use
- Price/quality ratio
- Good performance in games and videos
- Support for a large number of audio and video formats
- Good build
- Slowdown in the TouchWiz shell.
- Weak camera.
the sound often disappears (it is treated by a reboot), it hangs for 10 minutes (it happened a couple of times), the power button and the sound are not convenient. The sensor does not work periodically, I could not figure out the reasons. In short, for this money, I expected more ... I am supplementing after 3 years of use. Does not work. It loads and that's it ... It's not possible to go anywhere ... It freezes completely ...
The standard firmware from Samsung in a certain period of time became very stupid. There is not enough space in the storage, but this is in the past) Now I don’t install anything superfluous on it, which means everything works fine.
2 years ago
dumb all the time
3 years ago
I wish it was more powerful..
3 years ago
unfinished interface, software manufacturer. with all the love for shovels, this one turned out to be too much)
3 years ago
not a standard charging cord.
3 years ago
A year later, it stopped charging. When connected to a power outlet, it immediately shows that the battery is 100% charged
4 years ago
Non-standard port, recharging the tablet even from a power bank becomes a problem. After an accidental upgrade to version 4.2, it began to work very slowly. Weak camera, but I knew about it when buying. Now I'll probably look to make the camera better.
4 years ago
Weak display resolution. Slowly uploads files from the computer.
4 years ago
The world of seven-inch tablets is not something that shuddered with the entry of Apple into this market, but most likely this event will soon change it. Analysts are trumpeting with might and main about the prospects of the segment, foreshadowing its rapid growth. The age-old rival of the apple company, Samsung, mastered the segment much earlier and released more than one seven-inch tablet into the world. Unlike last year's Galaxy Tab 7.7, the hero of today's review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is neither a flagship nor a prestigious model. Nevertheless, its characteristics are worthy of respect and force those who need an inexpensive tablet that is convenient to carry with them every day to take a closer look at it.
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.7.0 | |
|---|---|
| Display | 7 inch, PLS, 1024x600 dots, capacitive, 10 fingers multi-touch |
| Dimensions | 193.7x122.4x10.5mm |
| Weight | 342 grams |
| Operating system | Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich |
| CPU | Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 Dual Core Cortex-A9 1GHz |
| Graphics | PowerVR SGX540 |
| RAM | 1GB DDR3 |
| Persistent memory | 8 GB + micro SD card support up to 32 GB |
| Communications | IEEE 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Connectors | mini USB, 3.5 mm headphone jack, card reader |
| Camera | 3 MP, frontal 0.3 MP; |
| Battery | 4000 mAh |
| Additionally | orientation sensor |
Design and connectors
Describing the design of tablets is not easy at all, and the design of Samsung tablets is doubly so. They are too similar to each other. In the pictures, in principle, it is clear that this is a child of its eminent Korean parent, but, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, the body here is traditionally plastic, rather slippery to the touch. The back, fortunately, is not glossy. A few subtle scratches appeared on it even before my intervention in his life. True, I don’t know how long the sample that I got for testing spent in work.
From iPhone 4s
The thickness of 10 and a half millimeters does not allow the tablet to be considered very thin, but it still allows you to fit in the pockets of jackets or jeans (not any, really). Although a book-like device weighing 342 grams, in my opinion, it is more convenient to carry in a bag than in clothes. But such a weight allows you to hold the tablet with one hand for quite a long time.
The top end contains an audio jack, the bottom - a pair of speakers and a charging jack.
On the right are the power off and volume control buttons, but on the left side there is a place for a microSD card reader covered with a plug.
It will definitely be appreciated by those who are looking for an inexpensive tablet with a well-known name on the case and at the same time plan to transfer data frequently (the last phrase contains a warm hello to the Galaxy Nexus and its biggest drawback, the lack of expandable memory). The body plastic is quite simple, but durable: the tablet is assembled well, the parts are fitted to each other, squeaks are not heard when pressed.
Screen
1024x600 pixels is not God knows what resolution by today's standards, but it is much more important that the tablet has a PLS matrix, not a TN one. Let me remind you that PLS is a technology similar to IPS, only manufactured by Samsung. It looks like the viewing angles are good, whatever one may say, everything will be visible. However, in terms of clarity, brightness and contrast, it seemed to me that this screen is inferior to colleagues with IPS middle class. The colors are not calm in an oriental way, somewhat pale, which, for me personally, is preferable to the flashy colors of SuperAmoled.
On a sunny day, the screen is poorly visible, but you can distinguish the letters. Only here it is better to set the brightness to the maximum, and in general it is better to adjust it manually: auto-correction does not always work correctly. Reading or watching movies indoors from a tablet is convenient. Galaxy Tab 2.7.0 responds to touch quite sensitively, understands up to 10 fingers at the same time.
Comparison with iPhone 4S screen
Performance, functionality and software
The tablet has Android 4.0.4 with a proprietary TouchWiz shell, in a version similar to the Samsung Galaxy SIII. For details, we refer the reader to that review, but here we will briefly mention that this interface is quite close to pure Android, there is a convenient division into applications and widgets. There is a built-in file manager, a simple but convenient "tracking programs" widget that allows you to quickly deal with the eternal problem of Android - applications hanging in memory.
I also liked the cute clock widgets with an alarm clock, a note-taking program (though only through the keyboard, without the ability to draw), a rather convenient S Planner organizer and, as always, not the most convenient browser.
The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 also has a “Contacts” item that pulls up information from a Google account, and also, in the case of a 3G model, from the phone book.
The control keys here are on-screen, and a button for quick screenshots has been added to the three standards. This is convenient, but is it really necessary for the vast majority of users?
The multimedia capabilities of the tablet are not bad. First, as is always the case with Samsung devices, the Galaxy Tab 2.7.0 supports a variety of audio and video formats. So, you can listen to MP3, OGG, AAC, AMR-NB, WB, WMA, WAV, MID, IMY and, fortunately, FLAC. The sound from the speakers is of medium volume (at the maximum you can watch a movie in a quiet place) and the average level. Of course, not a music lover, but it will do for a tablet. In headphones, it immediately becomes softer and more pleasant, quite clear, at about 80% of the volume, then slightly creaks. True, the sound is flat, there are no special basses here.
A fairly advanced hardware platform - and the Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 chipset with the ARMv7 instruction set and the PowerVR SGX540 graphics accelerator - is installed here - it has an IVA3 multimedia accelerator that encodes and decodes 1080p video in hardware. I launched a FullHD movie in MKV, it played without problems in general, although the picture started to slow down a couple of times. In general, TouchWiz, although pleasant, is not the fastest shell. Sometimes the smoothness of the transition between pages was lost, although I did not observe any critical “brakes”. The tablet shows normal average results both in benchmarks and in games. Say, in Dead Trigger, it is quite possible to play. For toys and everything else, 400 MB of RAM out of a total of 1 GB are available in the device, and the storage capacity in our case was only 8 GB. However, there is an option with 16 GB, and the microSD slot is, fortunately, available.
The tablet found WiFi points quickly enough and did not lose it, but GPS is not always stable: without the Internet, when driving in a car, it sometimes tries to find a location for a very long time.
Camera
The main camera has a resolution of 3 MP, which, of course, is quite small. But her biggest problem is not the number of megapixels, but simple optics, lack of autofocus and flash. More or less decent pictures are obtained only in perfect lighting. However, tablets, even seven-inch ones, are not the most convenient tools for capturing the world around us. Nevertheless, if you really need it, you can take poor pictures, as well as videos in a resolution of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. The front camera works for video calls. Checked: it works, you can recognize a person, however, if you are not in the twilight of a rainy day.
autonomy
With a normal load (Internet, movies, music, reading - periodically during the day), with a variation in screen brightness from 70 to 100%, the tablet works for about 2.5-3 days without recharging. The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 played a FullHD video at maximum screen brightness and sound volume, and turned on WiFi for 4 hours and 23 minutes. Decent performance, although slightly behind the Nexus 7.
Competitors
Obviously, in the budget segment of 7-inch tablets, the Nexus 7 is one of the main leaders, and it is he who is the main competitor of the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. For the same price, the Google/ASUS Nexus 7 has a higher resolution screen and is somewhat faster. However, the lack of support for external media for many becomes a reason not to buy the brainchild of Google and ASUS, as well as sometimes the lack of a 3G module. We got the non-3G version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 for about $200, while the 3G module adds another hundred to it. However, it has already come out with this same module, let's see how quickly and at what price it will be with us. Also worth mentioning is the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, which is somewhat heavier and larger than standard 7-inch tablets, but has a 16:10 aspect ratio screen, which may be more acceptable to some users than the generally accepted 16:9 standard.
In the dry matter
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 may be a good choice for those who are looking for a fairly productive inexpensive 7-inch tablet with a decent screen for surfing, reading and watching videos, for those who need GPS and memory cards, as well as a 3G module. 4 reasons to buy Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0:
2 reasons not to buy Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0:
And in this review, we will consider the youngest model of this family - Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), which has a 7-inch display, but the differences between the two tablets do not end there. So, first things first.
The Galaxy Tab 2 is very similar to its predecessor, the P1000 from the Galaxy Tab line of tablets. But it is worth noting that the thickness has decreased, now it is only 10.5 mm, and the surface has turned from a smooth gloss into a matte gray plastic. The height and width of the device is 193.7x122.4 mm, and the weight is only 344 grams. With the relative lightness of the device, it is very convenient to hold it in your hand.
On the front side is a touch screen, and on the back - the "peephole" of the camera.
The assembly is performed at the proper level - there are no backlashes and squeaks during operation.
Performance, operating system and applications
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), like the model with a 10.1-inch screen, is equipped with a 2-core TI OMAP 4430 processor, which has a clock speed of 1 GHz. The RAM is 1 GB, and the built-in flash memory is 8, 16 or 32 GB, depending on the modification. This parameter can be increased, as there is a special slot for memory cards with a maximum capacity of 32 GB. Together, these parameters provide a sufficiently high performance that can satisfy almost any, the most demanding user.
The tablet is running the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system with an integrated TouchWiz shell.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) has a standard set of applications: audio and video players, browser, e-mail client.
Of the communication capabilities, the gadget supports the operation of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth3.0, GPS modules, and, depending on the modification, it may or may not have a 3G module.
Screen
The tablet is equipped with a 7-inch PLS TFT capacitive touch screen with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels. This device differs for the worse from the model Galaxy Tab 2 with a 10.1-inch display, where the resolution is 1280x800 pixels.
The viewing angles of the gadget are excellent, fading in the sun is not very strong. It is worth noting that the image on the display is quite bright and high quality.
The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass.
Camera
The Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) has a 3.1-megapixel camera that allows you to shoot at a maximum resolution of 2948x1536 pixels, with autofocus. Video recording can be done in Full HD at 30 fps.
There is a front 0.3-megapixel camera for video telephony.
Battery
The LI-Ion battery in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), unlike the older 10.1-inch model, has a capacity of only 4000 mAh, so the device will last for a maximum of 5-7 hours with average intensive work.
Price
The cost of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) was not officially announced, but it became known that the price in European countries will be about 500 euros for a model with support for 3G networks and 400 euros for a model without support for 3G networks.
As of May 25, 2012, the cost of new items has become known. The price for modifying the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) with memory will be 9,990 rubles (with Wi-Fi support) and 13,990 rubles (with Wi-Fi + 3G support).
Tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) video review:
