Galaxy Tab 2 or Note 10.1

Simian · 17 Oct 2012 at 21:49

I'm currently looking to get myself a 10" tablet and I've settled on a couple of makes and models...

But I have a little question that you guys might be able to clear up for me...

Ive looked at the Galaxy Tab 2 and the 10.1" Note. I can get the Tab for about £300 and the Note for about £70 more... Both 16gb WiFi models.

Looking at the specs, I honestly can't see why anyone would buy the Tab 2!, with its dual core 1ghz cpu and 1Gb RAM, and the Note with a Quad core 1.4Ghz cpu and 2Gb RAM, all for an extra 70quid!

Am I wrong?!? or does the Tab 2 warrant my interest? as I'm leaning toward the Note!!

Or could you guys spec me anything else (non fruit based!

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(weird formatting caused by posting from my phone)

powelly · 17 Oct 2012 at 23:12

trust me get the note 10.1, we use galaxy tab 2's at college, they are slow and laggy.
as you have already said the specs of the note 10.1 are much better plus it has a wacom digitizer(s-pen) tbh even for an extra £150 it would still be a no brainier for me as the note has so many more features

krooton · 18 Oct 2012 at 11:21

7.7, totally worth the price over the Tab 2, but only if you want portability.

7.7 is perfect for commuting, don't think a 10" tab would be comfortable, but if the main place of use will be home, then a 10" is a must.

Simian · 18 Oct 2012 at 12:16

Don't do commuting (I drive the 75 miles to work, so playing on a Tablet would be dangerous!!

)

I just want a decent 10" Tablet (7" is a bit small for my mahoosive meathooks!! I've played with both 7" and 10") with enough space for some big Games, Music and Movies (looking at sticking a 64Gb card in it!!).

Don't want a Netbook or Laptop, not really interested in an MS Surface and definitely don't want anything to do with Apple!

Orcvader · 18 Oct 2012 at 12:24

The 10.1 is the one to go, it has much better specs compared to the Tab 2. Plus that pen is extra useful depending on your needs, my friend uses it to view lecture notes on one side and writing his notes on the other for University.

DAnDan · 18 Oct 2012 at 14:26

I've got the Note 10.1 and would 100% recommend it.

In regards of a standard android tablet, it's as good as they get. The only downside is the screen resolution (1280*800, rather than the 1080p of some other tablets now), however apart from that it's near enough unbeatable in performance and general use. Then there's the bonus features of the pen and the multitasking. The pen really is quite useful! I've always slated tablets as being absolutely useless as note taking devices, which they are. Apart from this one, the digitizer and pen make it amazing for taking notes on, and something that I have actually been able to use at university and meetings to make notes on.

Overall, go for it! Definitely 100% worth it over the Tab2, and I can't say there's any other android based tablet I would choose over it.

Lord_Kokain · 19 Oct 2012 at 02:09

I got the Note 10.1 and would recommend it too! Its still brand new to me so Im discovering stuff within it each day but its worth the money for sure.

Cosimo · 19 Oct 2012 at 08:11

There is only one choice here and that is the 10.1 Note.

Simian · 19 Oct 2012 at 09:05

That's what I thought!1

Just thought I'd check before shelling out £375quid

Still dunno why Samsung have the Tab2 still available with the Note 10.1" on the market!!

Mekrel · 19 Oct 2012 at 09:13

Neither, have you not read the Note 10.1 reviews? Most places slated it, included pro-Android sites.

I paid £500 for my TF201 and that's made out of aluminium and comes with a very functional aluminium keyboard dock, the Note 10.1 @ £400 is just too much for what's basically an inferior product apart from the SoC, RAM and S-Pen features.

I have no idea what all these Android manufacturers are smoking when it comes to premium tablets, none of them are doing it right and are releasing products that are generations behind the iPad. I absolutely hate myself for spending £500 on the TF201, it's slow, laggy and full of hardware defects (slow storage memory, crap WiFi due to full metal back and the inability to use WiFi and Bluetooth together).

1200*800 resolution on your flagship tablet is simply laughable when your main competitior is pumping 2048*1536.

Simian · 19 Oct 2012 at 09:37

Sorry... but Yes I have read quite a few reviews, and 'actual' user opinions! and it's coming out to about 75/80% positive reviews!! I have looked at the Asus Transformer range, and their reviews were about 40/50% positive! (mainly build quality problems), though the Padfone2 does interest me!!. I even looked at the Sony Xperia Tablet (the new Quad core one) but it's been pulled due to build problems with the 'Water Proofing' and 'Creaking' from the case.

I don't really care about having a 'Full HD' display 1280x800 is enough for me and the wife, it's not like it's gonna be taken out on the train etc.. too often, so having a metal body isn't too important either!

Plus I'm a confirmed 'Apple Hater' and 'android Fanboy' among my friends so the iPood is not on my list.

Mekrel · 19 Oct 2012 at 09:46

Don't get me wrong, I'm a massive fan of Android but the great Android experience that you get on a phone doesn't translate to a great experience on a tablet in my opinion.

The Note 10.1 reviews were so bad at first that a couple of review sites were questioning if their review units were faulty; I believe the Verge actually receieved a second unit and ran another review but it didn't change their opinion.

Simian · 19 Oct 2012 at 09:49

Think I need to get out and about and have a play with the various 'units' available in shops... (still gonna avoid the 'Genius's' at the Apple Store though!!

)

Cosimo · 19 Oct 2012 at 10:48

Simian said:
Think I need to get out and about and have a play with the various 'units' available in shops... (still gonna avoid the 'Genius's' at the Apple Store though!! )

You may also want to wait a week or so because a Nexus 10 tablet is on the cards.

Orcvader · 19 Oct 2012 at 11:55

simulatorman said:
You may also want to wait a week or so because a Nexus 10 tablet is on the cards.

This. Google is holding an event on the 29th, you never know, the Nexus 10 may be announced...

On the other hand, comparing my friend's 10.1 vs my cousin's retina iPad in terms of resolution... for daily use, I don't see a difference. Even my cousin who swapped his iPad 2 for it says it didn't improve his use of the iPad much (he only just got it because everyone on my mum's side has an apple product).

DAnDan · 19 Oct 2012 at 19:27

Mekrel said:
Neither, have you not read the Note 10.1 reviews? Most places slated it, included pro-Android sites.

I paid £500 for my TF201 and that's made out of aluminium and comes with a very functional aluminium keyboard dock, the Note 10.1 @ £400 is just too much for what's basically an inferior product apart from the SoC, RAM and S-Pen features.

I have no idea what all these Android manufacturers are smoking when it comes to premium tablets, none of them are doing it right and are releasing products that are generations behind the iPad. I absolutely hate myself for spending £500 on the TF201, it's slow, laggy and full of hardware defects (slow storage memory, crap WiFi due to full metal back and the inability to use WiFi and Bluetooth together).

1200*800 resolution on your flagship tablet is simply laughable when your main competitior is pumping 2048*1536.

The reviews for the Note 10.1 baffled me for many reasons. Firstly, what they claim simply isn't what the people who have bought the tablets (myself included) have experienced. Several reviews have apparently decided the tablet is very laggy in overall use, which it simply isn't, it's as fast, if not faster than my S3. That makes sense though, as it's the same SoC, just with double the RAM.

The second point, which really makes me laugh, is the way they've reviewed the new features on the Note, which aren't on any other major tablet. It seems that because the reviewer found some flaws in the multitasking, or the pen, or they couldn't see the use for it for themselves personally, they've taken points away from the tablet. That just makes no sense! They should be judging the comparable features of the tablet against the competition, and then adding on points for the extra features (less a bit for any flaws they may find).

Last point, but I don't understand how you can claim the Note to be inferior to the TF201? The ONLY feature about the Note that is worse than the Asus is that it's plastic, but that's subjective anyway, and doesn't impact on the actual use of the tablet in any way (well, maybe it has worse WiFi reception?). Other than that, the Note beats it in every standard feature, and then has the SPen and multitasking on top of that. Obviously the dock is a bonus, but I'm talking about the tablet itself here alone. If the dock is a necessity, then the TF201 will be the better choice obviously, but in that situation it would never even be compared to the Note in the first place.