While Apple was happily ruling the roost with its 10in iPad, Samsung was doing something different with its 7in tablets, starting off with the Samsung Galaxy Tab at the end of 2010. With a few models released since then and a proper tablet version of Android available, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 really should be Samsung's chance to shine. Unfortunately for Samsung, Google has come along with its own competitor, the super-cheap and very powerful Google Nexus 7.

In terms of looks, there's not much to tell the two apart. Both tablets are roughly the same size and weight. However, the Nexus 7 has a darker screen, so when it's turned off it's hard to tell where the screen ends and the bezel starts. Due to the Galaxy Tab 2's lighter screen, the bezel stands out more, making the display look a little smaller. There are, however, both silver and white versions of the Tab 2, so you've got a bit more choice on looks.

Samsung has fitted the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 with a 1,024x600 Plane Line Switching (PLS) screen, which is the company's alternative to the IPS technology in the Nexus 7's 1,280x800 screen. We found the Galaxy Tab 2 display to be brighter, with purer whites and better contrast, but both tablets have excellent viewing angles. In contrast, we found that the Nexus 7's screen is slightly less reflective, making it easier to read in most conditions.

In terms of resolution, the Nexus 7 wins hands down. The higher resolution packed into the smaller screen makes text and images look a lot sharper. Once you're used to the Nexus 7, text on the Tab 2's screen looks vaguely hazy.

PROCESSOR AND PERFORMANCE

Samsung has fitted a 1GHz TI OMAP 4430 dual-core processor, which compares poorly with the 1.2GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor in the Nexus 7. There's no doubt the Nexus 7 is the faster tablet. Google's tablet completed the the SunSpider JavaScript test in 1,676ms, while the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 took 2,278ms.

We also tried the graphically-intense Dead Trigger game on both tablets. While the Nexus 7 would let us play smoothly at Ultra High Detail levels, the Galaxy Tab 2 would only let us select High Detail and was a little jerkier, particularly when up-close and personal with a zombie.

Part of this difference can be explained by the tablets' different operating systems. The Nexus 7 runs Android 4.1 with the Project Butter update for a smoother interface, while the Galaxy Tab 2 has Android 4.0.

The Nexus definitely feels significantly smoother, particularly when scrolling through complicated web pages or a Google Play page full of apps. In the same situation the Galaxy Tab 2 feels rather jerky. It's by no means a slow tablet and we'll be interested to see what difference an update to Android 4.1 could offer, but for now the Nexus 7 is the faster tablet.

SAMSUNG'S ANDROID

We're pleased to see that Samsung hasn't changed Android much. It has added a screenshot button to the soft buttons bar, as well as a Mini Apps bar. Mini Apps are utilities that you can bring up in front of the main Android interface and include a calculator, music player and calendar, among others. They work quite well, but for us they don’t add anything over widgets or standard applications.

Samsung has also made minor changes to the mail and calendar apps. They're mostly cosmetic, but S Planner, the calendar replacement, also lets you pinch-to-zoom to switch between day, week and month views. It's a useful feature, even if the actual operation is a little jerky.

HARDWARE

The tablet has a 4,000mAh battery, which is only slightly less than the 4,325mAh battery of the Nexus 7. It lasted a respectable 8h 45m in our video playback test, although the Nexus 7 is clearly more efficient as it lasted 10h and 20m. Realistically both tablets will last you a day's use, but the Nexus 7's extra 90 minutes is useful.

Both Samsung and Google's tablets are available in 8GB and 16GB Wi-Fi versions. There's less need to buy the 16GB version of Samsung's tablet, as a microSD card slot means you can add up to 32GB more storage; the Nexus 7 is not upgradeable.

While Google doesn't have a 3G version of its tablet, Samsung does, which is brilliant news if you want data wherever you go and don't want to mess around with personal Wi-Fi hotspots. Expect to pay around an extra £80 for the 3G versions over the equivalent Wi-Fi model.

The Tab 2 has a rear video camera for video and stills capture. It only has a 3-megapixel sensor and shots are adequate but far from inspiring. We found that fine detail was lost, while highlight clipping meant we lost all the detail in the sky in our tests shots. Video is recorded at 720p at 30fps. It's smooth, but the picture is very noisy and there's not a lot of detail in the picture.

Annoyingly, the default setting for the tablet is to connect over USB in MTP mode, which hid all the images and videos taken using the camera from Windows Explorer. Changing to PTP mode let us access everything, but a standard mass storage mode would have been better.

There's no denying that this is a well-made tablet with a great screen. If this was a few months ago we may even have said the Tab 2 7.0 was the best 7in tablet you could buy. Unfortunately for Samsung, the Google Nexus 7 has a higher-resolution screen, a faster processor and a lower price, as well as a newer version of Android. Unless you really need the option of built-in 3G, the Nexus 7 is the better buy. 

Basic Specifications
Part Code	GT-P3110TSABTU
Review Date	17 Aug 2012
Rating
Processor	TI OMAP4430
Processor clock speed	1GHz
Memory	1.00GB
Maximum memory	N/A
Size	194x122x11mm
Weight	345g
Pointing device	touchscreen

Display
Viewable size	7 in
Native resolution	1024x600
Graphics/video ports	none

Storage
Total storage capacity	8GB
Optical drive type	none

Ports and Expansion
Bluetooth
Wired network ports	0
Wireless networking support	802.11n
PC Card slots	0
Supported memory cards	micro SDXC
Other ports	Proprietary USB and power connection

Miscellaneous
Carrying case
Operating system	Android 4.0
Operating system restore option	restore partition
Software included	N/A
Optional extras	N/A