Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus 16GB - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Conclusion:

The Samsung Galaxy Tablet is a solid product that feels well built when you pick it up and handle it.  Dropping it is probably not the best idea, but if you did so accidentally I’m sure it could survive a few bumps and bruises.  If you decide to sit on it - well, I have no guarantees (Zeus).  I haven't played with or tested too many tablets but I am familiar with Android as I have the Nexus S.  When it comes to Android, the platform is similar in many ways but Honeycomb is a bit of a different experience.  The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus has a nice AMOLED screen.  It's not quite as bright and vibrant as the Galaxy Note with it's Super AMOLED HD screen, but the larger screen size makes up for it in my mind.

As it was my first and only tablet I played around with for a long period of time, for a tablet it’s not bad other than sliding between app pages are a bit laggy but loading things up runs well and speakers are in a great spot instead of on the backside of the tablet.

I didn't have many expectations on performance, but the Galaxy Tab did pretty good in application loading, multitasking and video and audio playback.  I like the fact the speaker is on the end of the tablet instead of the back.  This makes the volume much louder when using it on your lap.

The camera works good - but it won't replace a traditional point-and-shoot.  The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus has both front and back cameras.  Placing apps on the main pages is awesome as the pages are shown in the app library for easy management.  When you want to move and place an app, a grid is shown during the move and this helps you get an idea of where you can drop it.  The calendar can take a while to sync, but once you get all of your appointments on the tablet, changing a few is pretty speedy.  Scrolling through the home-screens wasn't as smooth as I would have hoped, but web pages load quickly and run smoothly.  App launching is responsive and social networks load and run quickly.

There wasn’t a ton of accessories that came with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.  Samsung kept it basic with a wall plug and a USB cord to plug into your PC or the wall adapter.  They were generous enough to include some earbuds and an owner's manual.  I guess the amount of things that came with it makes sense, what more could you have for a tablet?  If it came with a case and screen protectors, that would go a long way to impress me.  A 16GB microSD card would be awesome to help keep your movie collection all in one place.

There is nothing to install when you get the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.  If you're using a current operating system, it will automatically detect and install drivers for a USB Storage device so you can copy stuff over to and from the tablet.  App installation is painless - just as with any Android product.  Although the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is currently running Honeycomb 3.2 - Samsung has stated that it will be getting Ice Cream Sandwich in the first half of 2012 - and time is ticking!

When purchasing a product for yourself or someone else, it's always great to know what you're looking for and what is in your budget. Of course you want something that you're not gonna regret buying and return with "buyers remorse".  With everything we've written and read about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, it looks and work pretty good.  A lot of people that saw me using the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus said they would like a tablet about that size as some 10" tablets (and the iPad) are a little large for every situation.  MSRP is $349.99 - not a bad price for a dual-core AMOLED WiFi tablet.  At $300 for this version, I think they'd sell a lot more of them as an "impulse" buy.  I would be willing to spend $349 if it came with ICS and the Super AMOLED HD screen that is on the Galaxy Note. Still, it's a decent tablet with a decent price.  A 3G tablet will require a data plan in order to get the most out of the hardware, but this WiFi version won't cost you a monthly fee - that is a bonus in my book.

I'd like to thank Samsung for sending us the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus to review.  This is a great tablet that fits a lot of people's budgets and offers a lot of functionality.

Please feel free to post your thoughts, comments and questions in the forum at the "Comments" link below.