Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus | Speed, Performance and Features Reviewed | Full Specs Compared
 

The two 7 inches tablets, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) and Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, we are going to compare today are very much alike, if not the same. Samsung is a well-established vendor in the sector we are talking about today. Apple obviously has the lead in the tablet market, but Samsung has been able to follow the competition and keep it tight for Apple. To be honest; neither Apple nor Samsung has the current record for the tablet with best technical specs in the market. Letting that aside for a while, we can compare a new product they have announced at the MWC against an existing product of theirs, to identify how similar they are. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) edition is expected to be released in the month of March and has a close resemblance to Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, and we will explore them individually before comparing the differences. The strange thing is, there is a six months’ time gap between these two, yet the predecessor is better than the successor.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0)

This sleek slate seems to be the second generation of the 7.0 inch tablet range which has created a unique market for itself with the introduction of Galaxy Tab 7.0. It has 7.0 inch PLS LCD capacitive touchscreen featuring a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels at a pixel density of 170ppi. The slate comes in either Black or White and has a pleasing touch. It is powered by 1GHz dual core processor and 1GB of RAM and runs on Android OS v4.0 ICS. The processor seems somewhat mediocre now; nonetheless, it would serve well for this slate. It has three variants with 8GB, 16GB and 32GB of internal storage with the option to expand using a microSD card up to 64GB.

Galaxy Tab 2 stays connected with HSDPA reaching a maximum speed of 21Mbps. The Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n ensures the constant connectivity, and it can also act as a wi-fi hotspot enabling you to share your fast internet connection generously. The built-in DLNA functions as a wireless streaming bridge that enables you to stream rich media content to your Smart TV. Samsung has been miser with the camera they include for the tablets, and Galaxy Tab 2 is no exception. It has 3.15MP camera with Geo Tagging and fortunately it can capture 1080p HD videos @ 30 frames per second. The front facing camera is VGA quality, but that suffices for the purpose of video conferencing. Unlike Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, Tab 2 comes with attractive TouchWiz UX UI and additional components from the ICS operating system. Samsung also boasts smooth web browsing and full compatibility with HTML 5 and flash rich contents. Another addition in Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) is the support for GLONASS as well as GPS. In layman’s terms, GLONASS is GLObal Navigation Satellite System; it is another navigation system with worldwide coverage and the only current alternative for USA’s GPS. The battery life on this slate, we assume, will work well for 7-8 hours with the 4000mAh standard battery.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

A year back, Samsung released the original Galaxy Tab 7 that resembles the Galaxy Tab 7 Plus in many ways. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that much of a success due to certain reasons like the weight, the OS and the price tag it carried. Samsung has made sure that it has compensated these key fallbacks in Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus. It’s been offered for a price of $400 and has the tablet friendly OS Android v3.2 Honeycomb. It has also made it lighter and smaller. Galaxy Tab 7 Plus comes with a Metallic Gray color and is intended to be used in the portrait orientation. It has a pleasing look, and you can hold the tablet in one hand and comfortably use it. Galaxy Tab 7 Plus scores 193.7 x 122.4 mm and a thickness of 9.9mm, which is quite good. It only weighs 345g and beats the rest of the tablets in the range.

Galaxy Tab 7 Plus features a 7.0 inch PLS LCD Capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors. It has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels and a pixel density of 170ppi. While the resolution could have been better, the screen is actually a pleasant combination by Samsung which tolerates even extreme viewing angles. It comes with a 1.2GHz Samsung Exynos dual core processor paired with a 1GB RAM that gives quite the turbulent performance to the tablet. The tablet friendlier Android v3.2 Honeycomb binds the hardware together to yield a great user experience. It comes in two storage capacities of 16 and 32GB. The option to expand the memory by using a microSD card slot is also an important factor. Rather surprisingly, Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus only comes with a 3.15MP camera that has LED flash and autofocus. It has Geo-tagging with Assisted GPS as well as 720p HD video capturing, which are acceptable. To the delight of the video call fans, it comes with a 2MP camera in the front, as well. The fallback is that, this is really not a mobile phone and the version we are discussing doesn’t feature GSM connectivity. So in order to use that, we need the use of Skype or such kind of software over Wi-Fi connectivity 802.11 b/g/n. It can also act as a Wi-Fi hotspot which can come in handy. The Bluetooth v3.0 connectivity is a state of the art and is much appreciated.

Been an Android device, it comes with all the generic Android applications and some modification is added to the user interface by Samsung featuring their TouchWiz Ux UI. It has accelerometer sensor, Gyro sensor, proximity sensor as well as a digital compass. Galaxy Tab 7 Plus has a 4000mAh battery which promises a life of 8 hours on moderate usage. While 8 hours seems a bit less, comparing to the similar tablets, rather it’s a good score.

Conclusion

In the light of this comparison, you may have made up your mind already, but let me wrap it up for you before you make the purchasing decision. Frankly, in our opinion Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is better than Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0). This is because; it has a better processor and can be considered as a well-established tablet in the market, whereas Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) can be seen as a rookie entering the market. Other than the difference in the processor, there are virtually no differences between them. They even look alike and have the same size. Although this is the case, we can assume Samsung to price Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) in a higher scheme than the latter, as it’s a newcomer. So it really comes down to two things; the price you are willing to pay and the OS you want to work with. If you are willing to pay a higher price for the ICS, then Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is going to be your choice. Otherwise, Samsung Galaxy 7.0 Plus would serve you well.

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