iPad vs Samsung Galaxy Tab
Unless you've been in hiding in recent months you'll be well aware of the introduction of new super-powered tablet PC's, which are currently in the process of conquering the world. With a slim form factor, day-long battery life and apps-a-plenty, it's easy to understand why people are trading their netbook's in for something a little different. The two biggest hitters on the market are Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy Tab, so we thought it would be fun (and informative!) to pit them against each other and see which one sits atop the Tablet tree.
Interface
Apple's iPad comes packed with the company's iOS4.2, which will be familiar to any of you out there who've used an iPhone or iPod Touch. It's snappy, intuitive and easy to pick-up and has all the bells and whistles of the iPhone, and then some for good measure. The Galaxy Tab, on the other hand, comes packing Google's Android OS, which is enjoying huge popularity. Like iOS, there are myriad applications available for virtually every task you can think of, and a few you can't, but Android has the added bonus of being open, meaning that if you're so inclined you can get to what makes the OS tick and change it to your liking, for this reason alone we'd choose the Android.
Winner - Galaxy Tab
Display
The iPad raises the bar when it comes to display quality. It comes packing a beautiful 9.7-inch IPS screen which is both oleophobic and scratch resistant and operates at a resolution of 768 x 1024. The picture quality is astounding and you'll be blown away watching movies or TV on the move. The Galaxy Tab comes with a 7-inch LCD screen which, while it is undoubtedly high quality, just can't measure up to the iPad. The Tab's display operates at 600x1024 and certainly doesn't let the device down, but in this round it's been pipped by something just a little bit special.
Winner - iPad
Internals
Apple's iPad comes with the company's own A4 CPU, clocked at 1GHz while the Galaxy Tab comes with an ARM A8 1Ghz processor but pushes out a bit more oomph courtesy of the PowerVR SGX540 graphics acceleration. Neither of these devices is slow off the mark, and you'll find that they will both keep up with your expectation, with no lag or noticeable slow-down.
The iPad is a few strides ahead of the Samsung in terms of battery life though, with optimal use it should give you up to 10 hours of playtime, whereas the Galaxy Tab falls short at around 7 hours. The Galaxy Tab adds that little bit extra when it comes to connectivity (you can actually make and receive calls with the Samsung) and storage, as it includes a micro SD expansion slot, which hands it the victory in this round.
Winner - Galaxy Tab
Conclusion
We've used fairly broad strokes to compare these two great devices but the result is still conclusively in favour of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. While its display pales in comparison to the Apple iPad, it noses ahead in every other criteria, offering users more flexibility, more communication options and of course, it comes with a camera, which the iPad does not.
If you're a fan of Apple's wonderful minimalist creations there will likely be nothing that could put you off the iPad, but if you're after getting as much bang for your buck as you can, you should look no further than the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
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