The release date of the Samsung Galaxy tab is coming close and holiday season is around the corner. Compared to the Apple iPad, which is currently the top selling tablet, Samsung Galaxy tab is an impressive seven-inch machine but it has some serious shortcomings as well. Let us look at the specs:
Dimension: 190.09mmx120.45mmx11.98mm
Weight: 385g
Network: HSUPA 5.76/HSDPA7.2Mbps 900/1900/2100
EDGE/GPRS850/900/1800/1900Wi-Fia/b/g/n, BT3.0,DLNA
Screen: 7.0 inch WSVGA screen with a resolution of 1024x600 169ppi TFT
OS: Android 2.2 Froyo
Processor: 1GHZ Hummingbird processor with PowerVR SGX540
Memory: 16GB or 32GB in-built memory which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD card.
Camera: 3.0MP camera with LED flash on the back that can record HD(720p) video @30 fps. On the front there is another 1.3MP camera for video conferencing.
Battery: 4000 mAh (7hour movie play)
Other features: It has 3.5mm ear jack and speaker and supports Flash player 10.1 and RSS reader.
Here is a review video clip done by CNET Senior Editor, Donald Bell:
This second review is done by Mobile Tech Review:
Apps not using full screen:
One of the major problems of the Galaxy tab is that many of its applications do not use the entire screen of the device. The Galaxy has a small seven-inch screen and applications that do not use the entire screen make users more uncomfortable. Here is a video clip which shows how you can solve this problem:
Teardown analysis:
The iSuppli teardown analysis of Samsung Galaxy tab revealed that it has a $205 Bill of Materials with $9.35 manufacturing cost and the total production costs of the device amounts to $214.57. Compared to the $264.27 BOM of 16GB, 3G iPad, the Galaxy tab is cheaper. iSuppli.com says:
With its new Galaxy Tab GT-P1000, Samsung Electronics has developed a product with features and component costs that position it as a large-scale smart phone, rather than as a true competitor to Apple Inc.’s iPad, according to iSuppli Corp.
The main reason behind this low cost is that the Galaxy tab has a cheaper low resolution display. According to Andrew Rassweiler, director, principal analyst and teardown services manager, iSuppli, the “design approach” of the Galaxy tab brings down the production cost but it also limits the product’s usability. Galaxy tab, compared to iPad, has a smaller screen and this makes a lot of difference because screen plays a very important role for tablet PCs. Both iPad and Galaxy tab has TFT display but iPad also has In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology and has more resolution (1024x768) compared to that of the Galaxy tab (1024X 600).
Samsung Galaxy S phones have Super AMOLED display but it did not provide AMOLED screen with the Galaxy tab for it is very expensive and would further drive up the cost but Samsung has future plans to introduce Galaxy tabs with AMOLED display. News reports said that the company is going to unveil Galaxy tab with 7-inch WXVGA (1200x600) resolution OLED screen at the FPD International Exhibition 2010 that would take place in Japan next week. Samsung will start producing the display in June 2011 and would also sell to other companies as well.
However, the iPad lacks Adobe flash support, camera (the 2nd gen is believed to have a front-facing camera for video chat), USB and memory expansion. Most importantly, it is exclusive to AT&T where as the Galaxy tab would be available on all major carriers.
The Galaxy tab on the plus side has built-in support for Adobe flash which means you would have better web-browsing experience. It also has memory expansion slot that can support up to 32GB and USB port. There is one 1.3 mega pixel front-facing camera and 3 megapixel back-mounted camera with autofocus. The Galaxy tab has Microelectromechanical sensor that gives the device a big edge in gaming. Here is a picture of the Galaxy tab teardown analysis by iSuppli.
The Galaxy tab has a 1GHz ARM Hummingbird processor. There is also an Infenion Technologies baseband processor that takes care of the device’s communications system.
iSuppli's teardown analysis on tablet PCs and smartphones reveal that the display and touchscreen is the most expensive component of the system. In case of iPad, the display/touchscreen component costs $98. For the Galaxy tab the display costs $57 accounting for 27.8 percent of the total BOM. The display is produced by Samsung Mobile Display.
The Memory is the next most expensive component in the Galaxy tab with a price of $51 accounting for 24.9 percent of the total BOM.
Various mechanical and electromechanical components make up the third most expensive subsystem in the Galaxy tab. At a cost of $15.22 they account for 7.4 percent of the BOM.
The 4000 mAh battery is the heaviest component in the tablet accounting for one third of the device’s weight.
Here is a teardown video of the Galaxy tab provided by jkkmobile.
Samsung Galaxy tab launch:
The Galaxy tab will be launched on all the four major mobile network carriers- T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint in the U.S which is a big advantage for the Galaxy tab compared to the iPad. T-Mobile will launch the Galaxy tab on November 10, 2010 and Sprint will launch the device on November 14, 2010. Both the carriers would sell the device for $399 with a two-year data plan. Sprint would also sell the unlocked version for $600.
Verizon would launch the phone on November 11, 2010. It would sell the unlocked version for $600. Though it would be an unlocked version you would not be able to run the device on other network because it might be a CDMA version. AT&T has not yet revealed the release date.
The European version of the Galaxy tab offer calling facilities while the U.S version do not have that but the American version Galaxy tab would support VoIP apps.
Samsung is dreaming big with its Galaxy tab:
Samsung has plans to release the device through some 160 mobile carriers around the world and aims to sell more than one million units by the end of this year.
Samsung is expecting the device to sell more than one million units by the end of 2010. The main reason behind such expectation is the success of Samsung’s Galaxy S series phones. Samsung sold one millions of Galaxy S series phones in South Korea within two months after the launch of Galaxy S series phones and 7 million units around the world. The Galaxy tablet is very much similar to the smartphone in terms of function.
Despite the tablet’s hefty price tag Samsung believe that it would be well accepted among people and since it is holiday season there is a chance that Samsung Galaxy tab would even cross one million sales margin.
Related articles:
Softpedia
Tom’s Hardware
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