The 7-inch Showdown: Galaxy Tab vs. ViewPad 7

Over the holidays, friends and family assaulted the Maximum Tech editors with tablet questions. We mostly fielded softballs:

“Is the iPad really deserving of all its hype?”

Yes. We originally gave it an 8 verdict, but now with its new multitasking support, it would warrant a 9. The iPad is the perfect digital device for some very particular situations.

“Can any Android tablet compete with Apple’s platform?”

No. But we haven’t yet seen an Android device with more than 7 inches of screen real estate, and Apple’s App Store offerings still make the Android Market look like a shanty town bazaar.

“So, is there any Android tablet worth buying yet?”

That was the one question that gave us pause. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and ViewSonic’s ViewPad 7 had just arrived in the Maximum Lab, and impressed us with a level of fit and finish that was missing from earlier Android tablets. Neither of these new 7-inchers offers the screen real estate, UI simplicity, or kick-ass apps library of the iPad. Nor do they come with Android 2.3—though this latest OS version was only just announced, and not yet available, at press time. Nonetheless, the Tab and ViewPad 7 hint at greater Android riches to come.

Samsung Galaxy Tab

The Galaxy Tab is the most refined Android tablet we’ve tested, in large part thanks to its “Super TFT” screen. At 1024×600, this 7-inch display exceeds Android 2.2’s maximum screen resolution of 854×480. While Android apps built to that standard spec will be “upscaled” on the Tab’s screen, we didn’t notice any ugly pixel interpolation during testing. The Galaxy Tab’s screen is sharp, bright and categorically brilliant. True, we didn’t test for color accuracy, but skintones looked natural in HD movies (the Tab handles 1080p), and no one is doing Photoshop editing on a 7-inch screen.

The Galaxy Tab scored well in our Android performance benchmarks, easily besting the ViewPad 7 (see chart). The speed and responsiveness of the UI also trumped what we experienced with the ViewPad 7. This comes as no surprise, given the Galaxy Tab’s superior processing engine (its greater screen-resolution demands notwithstanding). The Tab is armed with Samsung’s own 1GHz “Hummingbird” processor, as well as a PowerVR graphics unit. This is essentially the same processing duo you’ll find in an iPad, but the Galaxy Tab’s UI doesn’t match the quick scrolling and screen redraws of the iPad (which has an even higher resolution of 1024×768).

Samsung’s screen in a spec-busting 1024×600. Various custom apps make use of that larger resolution quite well.

Does the iPad have a leaner OS? Better optimized application code? These are questions for the forensics team. We just know that even the Galaxy Tab—the world’s current-best Android tablet—has a markedly less fluid interface.

But we do like what Samsung has done with the Tab’s graphical iterations of the basic Android UI. In particular, the Calendar and Email apps have a more polished, friendly information design. You’ll find tabbed panes for Day/Week/Month/List immediately exposed in Calendar, as well as a very iPad-like Email app—especially in landscape view, with message headers in a left-hand column, and full message bodies on the right.

The Tab’s industrial design is snoozy. The front face is entirely glass with a 5/8-inch black border skirting the perimeter. The remaining fascia is hard plastic in either black or white. The look is unremarkable if inoffensive. A proprietary (doh!) 30-pin dock connector handles USB, HDMI and power-charging duties. The front glass is host to a 1.3MP chat camera, and a 3MP camera graces the back.

Guess what? We didn’t even test the rear camera. We figure a tech enthusiast’s smartphone—armed with either a 5MP or 8MP camera—is always at the ready as a superior image-collecting device.   

Samsung makes only one Galaxy Tab model, and 3G data support is baked right in, thus explaining the company’s decision to sell the tablet directly through phone carriers. The device costs $400 if you buy a data contract, and $600 if you decide to go commando—which we recommend because 3G isn’t necessary in a tablet. We’re already getting reamed for 3G smartphone fees, so we’ll use our phones for Internet duties when WiFi isn’t available.

This leaves us with a $600 tablet that, when compared to the $630 iPad, offers less screen real estate, and a much less robust apps ecosystem. The Tab is a solid piece of hardware, yes, but do you really hate Apple so much that you won’t buy an iPad?

Samsung Galaxy Tab Verdict

COCA-COLA

Awesome screen. Zippiest Android tablet we’ve tested. Nice UI tweaks.

TAB

Screen real estate, UI fluidity and apps support trumped by iPad.

$600 (off contract), www.samsung.com

 

ViewSonic ViewPad 7

At first glance, the ViewPad 7 looks like an iPad 4 that’s been taking injections of gadget growth hormone. Like the latest iPhone, ViewSonic’s tablet has rounded-off edges, a handsome metal band skirting its circumference, and a glossy black backing plate. From an industrial design perspective, it’s the slickest Android tablet we’ve tested. And, while the ViewPad 7 easily bests the Dell Streak and lesser Android tablets from a real-world use perspective, it falls short of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, and lags far behind the iPad.

ViewSonic’s industrial design is sophisticated, but its screen quality doesn’t warrant much hub-bub or accolades.

The ViewPad comes up short in two crucial, high-profile areas: screen quality and UI performance. The 7-inch, 800×480 screen simply lacks brightness and color saturation compared to the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Apple iPad. What’s more, text rendering—be it in the Android UI, a browser page, or a note-taking app—looks a wee bit fuzzy on the ViewPad 7. It’s not awful, per se, but compared to other tablets, the difference is noticeable. As for the fluidity of the UI, it too is noticeably laggy compared to what you’ll find in the more elite tablets. Quick scrolls through home screen windows and object-rich browser pages just don’t have that effortless, “Whee! Away we go!” responsiveness that you’ll experience with the iPad.

Compared to either the iPad or Galaxy Tab, the ViewPad 7 is hobbled in the processing department, which might help explain its graphical lethargy. Samsung opted for a 600MHz Qualcomm SoC, and in both benchmark results and real-world use, we found the processor lacking. Now, granted, this ViewPad 7 is still well ahead of other Android tablets in its ability to deliver a satisfying user experience in browsing, tweeting, emailing and other tablet-appropriate activities. It just isn’t top dog in the greater tablet universe.

What the ViewPad 7 does offer, however, is a friendly price and a completely telecom-free purchasing experience. The tablet does include 3G support, but ViewSonic isn’t launching it with any subsidized pricing schemes, or obligations for data contracts. The MSRP is $479, and street pricing should drop as low as $429. That represents a significant savings over the iPad and contract-free Galaxy Tab, and might be just appealing enough for wannabe tabletistas to pull the trigger—especially those odd ducks who find the iPad “too heavy.”

 

ViewSonic ViewPad 7 Verdict

MNEMONICS

Slick design. Good value. No telecom tethers.

COLONICS

Blah screen. Logy performance.

$479, www.viewsonic.com

 

 

Best scores are bolded. Our battery rundown test entail fully charging each device, turning on WiFi, setting brightness to 50 percent, and then running the animated start-up screen of Angry Birds until the tablets’ screens die.

Related posts:

1. Viewsonic announces 7, 10-inch ViewPad Tablets
2. Viewsonic Officially Outs ViewPad Tablet
3. ViewSonic Officially Joins the Tablet Fracas with the ViewPad 7 and ViewPad 10
4. Viewsonic announces 7, 10-inch ViewPad Tablets
5. iSuppli: Galaxy Tab Cheaper to Produce than the iPad

Tags: android 2.3, Google, hardware, maximum tech, reviews, samsung, tablets, viewsonic

This entry was posted on December 14, 2010 at 4:30 pm and is filed under Tablets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.