The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) Reviewed

The smartphone and tablet markets are always changing with the top names in the industry bringing out new and innovative developments for their latest models on what seems like a weekly basis, forcing their competitors to raise their game.

A bit like a football club being bought by a billionaire owner and finding themselves top of the table, it is a market where you don’t necessarily have to have a proven background to produce a global success.

Fortunately for Samsung, they have that reputation in abundance. Built up over decades now, the tech giants have been producing televisions and other electrical products that have become essentials in our everyday lives, and they’re causing a storm in the tablet market.

Producing products that rival the likes of Apple and Blackberry isn’t easy, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) is the latest off the production line and sales have shown that they’re producing the right stuff.

While it isn’t going to blow the Amazon Kindle Fire out of the water, it certainly provides customers with a perfectly adequate alternative, meaning that they don’t get the perks and don’t have to pay the hefty price associated with the Kindle Fire. Instead, it has a consumer-friendly price tag and does little more than what it says on the tin.

So what does it look like? Well, it’s had a bit of makeover since it debuted on the market as the Galaxy Tab, and now features a steel finish as opposed to a Matt black look, making it much more stylish than before.

While other tabs have gone for the slim and sexy look, the Galaxy Tab 2.0 is actually slightly thicker than its predecessor, but that doesn’t mean it’s heavier – in fact, it weighs exactly the same, give or take a few grams.

While it may not jump off the shelves at customers with it’s new design, you can be assured that it is well constructed and built to last, so you will get away with dropping it a couple of times. (Not that you should test it though!)

Just like the first version, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 has a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, translating to 170ppi which, while being nothing outstanding, is perfectly good for what is a relatively cheap tablet.

Brightness is good meaning no more squinting to make out small words, but direct sunlight does create viewing issues - something the majority of tablets and smartphones suffer from – so this won’t put customers off.

The battery life is good. For someone who uses their tablet on a regular basis, you will get around 1 ½ days of use before it dies on you, or around 4 days of light use, so you don’t get the problems associated with the likes of Apple whereby you use it on a two-hour train journey and you’re about out of juice.

For what is a budget tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) is very good. As mentioned previously, it won’t beat the Kindle Fire, but it will certainly prove to be a worthy competitor and with the $250 price tag, it might encourage more customers to leave the Kindle on the shelf.

This article was written by Chris White, an experienced technology blogger currently working with uShip, the experts in delivering the latest tech by courier, as well as providing assistance with house removal.