The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is officially out, but are you unsure to purchase the tablet? We've gathered some reviews that hopefully can influence you and your decision.
Selling at $499 for a 16GB model and up to $549 for the 32GB, the latest tablet is available in both white and dark gray. Still running on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the tablet runs on a 1.4GHz quad-core processor, a five-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, 2GBs of RAM, and a display of 10-inches.
The Galaxy Note 10.1 is definitely meant to compete against rival Apple's iPad franchise but critics have said there is no difference between the latest Samsung tablet and its predecessors.
But while the Galaxy Note 10.1 wears a different name that its Galaxy Tab predecessors, it's still essentially the same tablet, offering largely the same experience, as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 2 10.1," reviewed Wired's Nathan Olivarez-Giles.
Olivarez-Giles added that one of the main differences of the Galaxy Note 10.1 and its predecessors is the S Pen stylus and compatible apps. With the S Pen, it gives you the ability to "easily write and draw on the screen," and better interaction with websites and menus.
"Among the things holding the Note 10.1 back is its lower-resolution display," Olivarez-Giles noted.
The display of the Galaxy Note 10.1 is 1280x800, the same as the seven-inch Nexus 7. The number is definitely less compared to a third-generation iPad that has 2048x1536-pixel display.
"The Note 10.1 doesn't look nearly as good as its rivals, and the hardware feels about a year behind the times."
GottaBeMobile isn't too fond of the tablet either, stating while the tablet looking "promising on paper," it "ultimately falls flat."
Shawn Ingram shared the pros and cons of the Galaxy 10.1.
The pros: long battery life, built-in IR for Peel app, and just like Wired, credited the S Pen's ability for drawing.
The cons however also feature the S Pen, stating it feels cheap and overall doesn't work well. The multiscreen apps are slow and the resolution screen is low.
"The screen isn't terrible, the viewing angles are wide enough for two or more people to watch a video on it, but the low screen resolution is very distracting. Samsung also needs to work on the auto brightness. I had to turn it off after only a few hours because the brightness changed so often, and was often far too heavy-handed in its changes," reviewed Ingram.
Venture Beat (VB) reviewed the Galaxy Note 10.1 is a good example of "why cramming in too much hardware and features" could lead to disaster.
VB's Devindra Hardawar gives credit to Samsung for trying to do something different in a world that has seen an influx of tablets. He also noted the S Pen's ability to draw and write equations.
But then the bad rears his head again.
Hardawar says despite its "blazing fast hardware," the tablet feels "inexplicably" slow when it comes to what should be simple tasks.
"It's sometimes sluggish when moving between home screens or switching between apps, and it's particularly problematic when you try to run two apps side-by side," reviewed Hardawar.
The VB reviewer goes as far to say the Galaxy Note 10.1 is a big disappointment, but again, credits Samsung for trying to be innovative.
CNET however paints a different picture, stating the tablet is "the best Samsung tablet yet."
CNET's review has the tablet's design, features, S Pen stylus, and fast performance as the good. The only bad is the variety of the S Pen, stating only a "limited number of apps makes full use of the S Pen."
Quite contradictory from VB's review.
You have mixed results when it comes to the Galaxy Note 10.1, but most lean towards negative territory. A common review, however, is nothing Samsung's attempt to make themselves different compared to Apple's dominance in the tablet game.
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