Well, we considered that we picked a good tablet last time, so let’s see how we fare with the Samsung Galaxy GT P1000N 16GB Next G and Wi Fi.
Once again, not Ice Cream Sandwich, but this one is a bit more suited to the “fairer sex” for hand span size. We deliberately went for the 7” because it is slightly narrower against the 7.7”and we believe that these two tablets will cater nicely for male or female alike.
Among the huge number of tablets (all brands and types) available at the online store of www.electronicbazaar.com.au, we found this one. We did really want the Galaxy Tab 2, 7” (with Ice Cream Sandwich operating system) or the Samsung Galaxy 7” Plus, but they were unable to supply either.
Incidentally, we have now tried 34 different on-line stores and only four had a telephone number to call and this company was one who answered promptly. (Something to remember when outlaying the $ and taking the risk with online ordering.) If something goes wrong, at least you can call them. Coming back to the Samsung Galaxy P1000 7”, it is cheaper than the 7.7 and incorporating Next G as well is certainly a great bonus. It has the dimensions we want for this comparative review so let’s go.
What’s in the box?
Included as well as the Samsung Galaxy P1000 7” tablet unit we also received:
- An LCD screen protector
- A set of earphones
- A charger plus adaptors
Specifications
Manufacturer Samsung
Model P1000 16GB
Condition New
Stock Status
What’s in the box? Battery, Original charger, Adaptor plug, USB cable
Expected Release No
Network Band GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, 3G 850 (NextG/Vodafone 850), 3G 2100
Recommended Networks Optus 2G, Optus 3G 900, Telstra 2G, Telstra 3G 2100 (Metro Only, ends 2012), Vodafone 3G 2100, Optus 3G 2100, Telstra NextG, Vodafone 3G 850, Three, Vodafone 2G, Vodafone 3G 900
Sim Size Standard SIM
Handset branding No
3G Yes (2100 MHz)
Next G Compatible Yes
Form Factor Touchscreen, Tablet
Height 190mm
Width 120mm
Thickness 12mm
Weight 380g
Screen Size (Diagonal) 7.0 inches
Screen Resolution 1024 x 600 pixels
Screen Technology No
Touchscreen Type Capacitive
Input Type No
Ringtone Type Polyphonic, MP3
CPU ARM Cortex A8 processor, 1 GHz processor; PowerVR SGX540 graphics
Internal Memory 16GB storage, 512 MB RAM
Expandable Memory Up to 16GB
Included Memory Card No
Camera 3MP
Camera Flash Yes
Secondary Camera Yes
Operating System Android 2.2 or above
Messaging SMS, MMS, Instant Messaging, Email
Bluetooth Yes
NFC No
Radio No
Speakerphone Yes
Wi-Fi Yes
GPS Hardware Yes
Standby Time No
Battery Capacity (mAh) Li-Ion 4000 mAh
Talk Time Up to 28 h (2G) / Up to 25 h 30 min (3G)
Generic Charger Type No
Operation
Having previously utilised the 7.7” tablet with the faster CPU and more RAM, we must not make any presumptuous predictions either way and do some objective tests to see whether these slightly slower speeds and memory make a difference in the type of functions you would use constantly. It’s all about “fit for purpose”. At the end of the day, it could be a bit like a car with 2000 HP – it won’t necessarily drive the 100 metres to church any better than if it had a far smaller engine in it.
As the specifications show, it has less RAM and a slower CPU. We must admit though, we did not notice any slowdown in performance. We noted that the P1000N had Android version VFJP6 which is a Gingerbread Operating system, although we suspect that it came out with 2.2 Android (Froyo) originally. It was noticeably different in the operation of menu systems compared to the 3.2 Honeycomb 7.7”. Not dissimilar in its approach to accomplish operations, but a little more disjointed than the 7.7” Honeycomb in getting the end result. We found the Honeycomb operating system to be an improvement and to be more logical in its functionality. (Although this could be the result of us learning the Honeycomb operating system first and not the other way around). The weight of the GT P1000N comes in at 385 grams whereas the 7.7” was 335 grams.
What we especially liked:
- My wife liked the narrower size but this was negated by the increase in weight over the 7.7” Samsung Galaxy tablet.
- The ability to remove icons from the unit by “press, hold and drag to a bin – and it’s gone.
- If you have “Google mail“, then you can choose to be audibly notified that you have mail waiting to be read even when the unit is sleeping.
- Screen can be set to automatically dim for existing light conditions.
- The use of a voice input to browse and dictate emails in Gmail and by using the settings you can stipulate USA, English or any other language and yes, even Australian to enhance recognition ability.
- Tap in “search field” and you get similar to above.
Indeed pretty much all of the features we remarked on as “must haves” were there although you had to tread different paths to get them.
What we did not like:
- We found the Samsung P1000 to feel more bulky because of the additional weight, and thickness – some 50 grams, and this really defeated our objective in finding an ideal tablet for the average female’s hand and support strength.
- We found the screen not to be as lively in colours as the 7.7” tablets understandable as the 7.7”s are Super AMOLED Plus (a far more recent technology).
- We found that the battery does not last as long as the 7.7” when working under similar conditions.
Conclusion
In terms of finding what we believe to be the best His and Her tablets, we believe that this is not the product we were hoping for and still expect the Samsung Galaxy Plus 7” or 7” Tab 2 to be the winner for the ladies but, at the time of going to print the P1000 was priced considerably less than the P6810 Samsung Galaxy Tablet 7.7” and so this fact must be borne in mind. As it is all about get what you pay for, I don’t mean poor in terms of quality as the Samsung Galaxy P1000N is still of good standard. It is simply that it is older in terms of screen technology, power and operating system enhancements. What is there works satisfactorily, but can you upgrade the operating system any higher?
At retail value of $449 at Electronic Bazaar online, the Samsung Galaxy P1000N appears to be a reasonable purchase when being compared to the higher cost of the 7.7” tablet. But if you are comparing to the Samsung Galaxy 7” Plus which we wish to review next, it may well be a different story as both are about the same price.
Not yet reviewed but on “we would like to do list” the P6200 Samsung Galaxy Tablet 7” Plus, appears to be far more capable and technologically advanced (according to its specifications as some are the same as the 7.7” P6810) so we are pretty sure that it may prove to be the better valued product, so stay tuned!
