Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 w/ Verizon 4G LTE Tablet Review

Galaxy Tab 10.1 External Thoughts

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM. The official model number for the NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip is ‘Tegra 250 T20’ which uses a 40nm design process and is based on the ARMv7 CPU instruction set. It features a 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU combined with the GeForce ULP (Ultra Low Power). The 1GB of system memory is a single-channel LPDDR2 DDR2 667MHz memory module. This is pretty much identical to what the Motorola Xoom, ASUS Transformer and some of the other notebooks on the market run, so it’s a tried and true platform.

For network support the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has Wireless LAN 802.11b/g/n dual-band support (2.4GHz, 5GHz) connectivity and Verizon 4G LTE wireless network access. Samsung went with VIA Telecom CBP 7.1 EVDO and CMC220 LTE baseband processors in case you are curious what they are exactly using for connectivity. There’s also Bluetooth 3.0 support for those that want to use Bluetooth mice or keyboards without needing to use a USB dongle. The Galaxy Tab features a number of sensors internally such as an ambient light sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, compass and GPS. Let’s take a look around the Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE Verizon tablet and see what the external features are.

In terms of screen size the Galaxy Tab 10.1 boasts a 10.1-inch display (measured diagonally) with 1280×800 (WXGA TFT LCD) screen resolution. This means that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 uses a proper 16:10 aspect ratio for widescreen video viewing rather than the slightly awkward 1024×768 size that Apple uses on the iPad 2. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is ridiculously thin with a thickness of just 8.6mm, which is thinner than the Apple iPad 2. The full dimensions of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 are are 256.7 x 175.3 x 8.6 mm and it weighs in at 565g. The front bezel is very narrow and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 does have a 2.0 MP front facing camera.

To put the size into better perspective, take a look at the picture above where we placed the Motorola Xoom on top of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 that is above the ASUS
Transformer TF101. The Motorola Xoom is a little smaller, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is lighter and thinner. The ASUS transformer measures in at 271 x 176 x 12.98 mm and it weighs in at 680g, which makes it look and feel huge!

Most tablets feature a flat surface on the back and are finished with just one color, but Samsung went with two color tones and a brushed look on the back panel that also helps grip. Along the top edge of the backside is the 3.0 megapixel rear facing camera that should be used when taking pictures and 720p video clips. There is a built-in flash for this camera, which is a nice touch as not all tablets offer a flash. Samsung rates the battery life on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 at up to 9 hours on a single battery charge for video watching or up to 72 hours for music. Samsung specifies that it uses a 7000mAh Li-Polymer battery.

Along the top edge of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 you’ll find the microSIM slot (4G LTE + 3G/EVDO RevA) and the 3.5mm earjack for listening to your music.

As we mentioned already there is no SD slot on the Galaxy Tab 10.1, but since we are using the 4G LTE version, there is a spring loaded microSIM slot located along the top edge.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has stereo surround sound by Qualcomm and the speakers are located along the top edge of each side panel. The left side of the tablet has both the power button and volume control located along the upper half of. This is an ideal location as it leaves the bottom half of the tablet safe to hold with your hands and you don’t have to worry about covering the speakers. The ASUS Transformer TF101 has the speakers on the lower half of the tablet and we found that they often got covered up.

Here is a closer look at the upper left hand corner, so you can see the small speaker that is recessed into the metal housing and finished off with a nice metal mesh cover plate.

On the right side of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 you have just the right speaker.

The proprietary 30-pin power and data connector is located dead center along the bottom edge of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and just to the side of that is a pin hole that contains a microphone. The 30-pin connector on the bottom of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 serves several functions. With the included proprietary cable provided by Samsung, you can charge the tablet or sync the tablet to a computer. If you purchase an optional docking station this connector servers pass-through connector that lets the Galaxy Tab 10.1 function as a notebook. You might have noticed that an HDMI slot is not present, but you can buy an HDMI adapter that connects to this 30-pin connector and then converts it over to an HDMI output for $31.99. You can also buy another adapter that allows you to use an SD card through the 30-pin connector if you’d like to expand your system memory for around $20.95.