Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 review: Take two

Introduction

It seems that Samsung have taken it upon themselves on literally making a tablet for everyone. With all of the Galaxy Tab variants out there, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 it seems like systematic attempt by Samsung to put a unique tablet variant in the hands of every living person on the planet.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 official photos

After just 6 months since the release of the original Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, the Tab 2 7.0 has hardware which is, frankly, not much of an upgrade in most cases. It features the same 7 inch (obviously) PLS LCD display, and the connectivity features are identical as well. The processor has been downgraded from a dual-core 1.2GHz to a dual-core 1GHz silicon.

From software standpoint we have a different story, as the Tab 2 runs an improved Android build compared to its predecessor. The Android ICS build 4.0.3 on the Tab 2 is much more responsive than Honeycomb and actually makes for a user-friendly experience. And of course, the Tab 2 7.0 is more affordable than the Tab 7.0 Plus as well.

For now, here are the features and downsides of the new Tab 2 at a glance:

Key features

• 7.0" 16M-color PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen of WSVGA resolution (1024 x 600 pixels)
• Weighs 344 g
• TI OMAP 4430 chipset: Dual-core 1GHz processor; 1GB of RAM; PowerVR SGX540 GPU
• Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich with TouchWiz UX UI
• Optional quad-band GPRS/EDGE and tri-band HSPA connectivity (HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps)
• Support for voice calls, texts and MMS for the 3G version
• 8/16/32 GB of built-in memory
• 3.2 MP camera, 2048x1536 pixels, geotagging
• Front-facing camera supports video calling
• 720p HD video recording @ 30 fps
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Stereo Bluetooth v3.0
• microSD card slot
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Adobe Flash 11 support
• GPS with A-GPS support; digital compass
• 1080p DivX/XviD/MKV video support with subtitles
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor; three-axis Gyroscope sensor
• Polaris office document editor preinstalled
• 4000 mAh Li-Po rechargeable battery

Main disadvantages

• Front-facing camera is only VGA resolution
• No LED flash for primary camera
• Has a non-replaceable battery
• Uses a proprietary 30-pin connector port for charging and connectivity
• One of the lowest-capacity batteries in the range
• No USB charging

For whoever's keeping track, it also doesn't have an infrared port, but we're not really sure if anyone even used the one on the original Tab 7.0, or its preloaded Smart Remote app, so it's not that great of a loss.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus live pictures

One thing to keep in mind is that in the 7" Android tablet market the name of the game is affordability rather than features. Coming up is our hardware examination of the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, where we see how much bang you get for your buck. The slate is essentially Samsung's answer to the hot-selling Amazon Kindle Fire. It offers an entry into the Android tablet realm at a highly affordable price (the 8GB Wi-Fi only version costs $249.99).