Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) Pro Reviews

The Tab 2 is well made and has an impressive screen - but unless you want 3G, the Nexus is a better buy

Overall, we enjoyed our time with both of the Galaxy Tab 2 tablets. Although neither tablet topped the charts in our performance benchmark tests, both still offered good performance and a smooth user experience. In addition, the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 offers excellent battery life, which is a major bonus for any tablet. Both tablets also look good and are comfortable to hold and use. Finally, both of these tablets ship with the latest version of Android (Ice Cream Sandwich) rather than requiring users to upgrade the tablet at a later time. There's nothing earth-shattering going on with either the 10-inch or 7-inch versions of Galaxy Tab 2 but with their on-board IR blasters for TV remote capability and powered by Android 4.0, these are relatively well-equipped lower cost tablets.

More participants in the segment of entry-level tablets are bound to enter in the coming months - most manufacturers have realized that trying to beat Apple's iPad in the $500 price range is not as easy as it might have seemed. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 2 is not exactly the most powerful option around, but thanks to it overall polished nature, is surely bound to appeal to many.

It took Samsung a while, but the company seems to have finally figured out the secret to a successful tablet: don't compete with the iPad. The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 competes instead with the Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet, and unless you're a heavy reader or love the particular interfaces of those two tablets, the Tab 2 is probably a better buy right now. Ice Cream Sandwich is an excellent tablet operating system, and though it hasn't solved the app problem — though the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet are in the same boat — phone apps do look a little better on a 7-inch display than blown up to 10 inches. The Tab 2 is more powerful than either the Kindle Fire or the Nook Tablet, and because it runs a fuller version of Android it's a more capable device if you're interested in more than just reading. If Samsung would add the Galaxy Tab 7.7's Super AMOLED Plus display, this would be an absolutely killer tablet, but even as is it's as good a slate as you'll find for $250.

The Kindle Fire seems to have started a good trend. Now that other tablet makers are attempting to compete with it, we end up with solid devices that have excellent value, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2. At $249.99 MSRP, the Galaxy Tab 2 is a steal. Not only do you get a true Android experience (as opposed to the heavily skinned, virtually unrecognizable version found on the Fire), you get the most up-to-date version of the OS with Ice Cream Sandwich. And while it has certain drawbacks like a sub-par display, a small amount of onboard storage, and mediocre cameras, they are far from being dealbreakers. If anything, the Galaxy Tab 2 still triumphs over its budget tablet competition in spite of those weaknesses, especially thanks to its superb battery life and microSD expandable storage. If you want a quality tablet on the cheap and don't want to have to settle for Amazon's version of Android, shell out the extra $50 for the Galaxy Tab 2, because it's worth it.

Not the most luxurious of tablets, but strikes a good balance between performance, price and usability

If you’re in the market for a simple tablet that you’ll use primarily to access music, movies, books, and other content from Amazon, it’s hard to beat the Kindle Fire — especially since you can sometimes find refurbished models for $139 to $169. But if you’re looking for a more full-featured tablet with support for the full Android software experience, the ability to snap photos, add storage with a microSDHC card, or remote control your television, the $249 Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) is currently the tablet to beat. A handful of companies I haven’t mentioned yet in this review also offer 7 inch Android tablets for $300 or less. Acer and Archos spring to mind. And Asus is expected to launch a budget Android 4.0 tablet soon. But I haven’t found another tablet that has the speed, display quality, and looks of the Galaxy Tab 2 all in one package. If I was in the market for a budget tablet today, this is probably the one I would buy — although I suspect I’d also install CyanogenMod or another custom ROM to get rid of TouchWiz as soon as the first custom ROM with full hardware support is released.

At almost half the price of the similar-looking Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, the Tab 2 performs gracefully, comes with ample storage space to harbor your vast trove of media, and generally makes Google's latest software more accessible. Still, despite its reliable performance, it seems to us that Samsung didn't do enough to effectively overpower the allure of the Kindle Fire's tidy ecosystem. Without access to a well-curated content library, the Tab 2 (7.0) doesn't really stand out amid an ever deepening line of Android 4.0 devices, and it will have to work that much harder to win the hearts of consumers looking for a 7-inch tablet (or just a really inexpensive one). All that said, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better ICS tablet at this price. So if that newly minted OS is what your wallet's angling for, go ahead: take the plunge and call this media-minded slate your own. Had Samsung chopped off an extra $50 and put this on even ground with the Kindle Fire, though, it might have had an even clearer winner on its hands.

Above all, there’s no escaping the love surrounding the $249.99 pricing of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 – it’s just super affordable on any budget! Indeed, it’s $50 more expensive than the Amazon Kindle Fire, but the advantages are seen with its arsenal of cameras and full access to Android’s ecosystem. However, we’re still puzzled to find its performance a little bit on the sluggish side – but at least it’s never the point stagnant. Frankly, it might not obtain the same mass appeal that we find with other big name tablets on the market that are more comprehensive, but heck, for the price, it’s really hard not to like this pint-sized bundle of joy.

This device is one of Samsung’s undeniably vast number of tablets they’ve got on the market right this second. Compared to the Galaxy Tab 7.7, it’s not nearly as impressive, but also not nearly as costly. This tablet is made to be inexpensive enough for anyone to afford while it keeps many of the features and elements that make a Samsung tablet experience one to look forward to. And best of all, the price on this beast is one to look forward to: $249.99 with no contracts for data to speak of! All that on the 22nd of April – that’s coming up quick, get your wallets out! This, like all of our reviews, is not the end of our review process – it’s only the beginning! If there’s anything else you’d like to know about the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments section below.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) may not be a big step forward on the hardware front, but it's a simple, elegant small-screen tablet that really shows off the polish and power of Google's latest mobile operating system?for just $250.

In short, anyone in immediate need of a low-cost 7-in. tablet would do well with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0). But with tomorrow's technology almost upon us at budget-level prices, it's hard to recommend dropping that cash on yesterday's technology today.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 offers an excellent value and a full Android 4.0 experience that no other tablet can currently match for the price.

Amazon, beware. The big boys are going to show you how to make an affordable Android tablet! This new Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is an absolute steal for $249.99 - and I say that as a Kindle Fire owner. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich might not be as simple to use as Amazon's own user interface, but it also doesn't restrict you in any way, shape, or form. If you want a do-everything tablet for under $300, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is it.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) does not really offer anything extraordinary in terms of hardware, but with a dual-core processor in tow and Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, it should be good enough to satisfy the needs of an average consumer. Besides, the device is quite an improvement over the very first Galaxy Tab model, and when you put it next to the rest of 7-inch offerings that are available on the market today, it is shaping up like a pretty decent tablet. However, now would be a good time to remind you that Samsung already released the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, which is nearly identical to the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0). That begs the question whether having the former device makes sense or not. Fortunately, that leads us to believe that the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) will bear a pretty competitive price tag, which might very well make it one of the preferred tablets of this caliber.