Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 P3100 review the best low cost branded tab for under Rs. 20000

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 also known as P3100 with 3G and Wi-Fi is now available in India for just under Rs. 20,000. Well the official price is about Rs. 23,000 but Flipkart and Infibeam are selling it well under Rs. 20,000. So is it a good buy, let’s find out.

Though the new P3100 is still far away from competing with the low cost Chinese tablets that have already started flooding the Indian markets, but the price band is really too good, the Galaxy tab 2 with 16GB internal storage is priced at 19,990 and Samsung is also planning to launch the same tab with 8 GB and 32 GB versions. No doubt 8 GB will be even cheaper.

Hardware
Samsung needs no introduction, the P3100 tablet comes loaded with a 1 GHz dual core processor (Chipset TI OMAP 4430) coupled with PowerVR SGX540 GPU.  Powerful enough to run the most demanding applications, yeah including games.

At 334 grams weight and a 10.5 mm thin body, it shouldn’t be a problem carrying around, your personal buddy on the move.

Display
A 7 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels (170 ppi) with 16 M colours with PLS will surely impress you. First of all the resolution is perfect for viewing PDF magazines and websites, and even comfortable if you love reading ebooks. The PLS (Plane to Line Switching) technology improves the screen brightness, take any ordinary tablet or tablet with IPS and compare it with the PLS display, you can clearly see the difference.

The touch screen is response and does support multi touch. Once the OS is loaded the TouchWiz UX user interface takes over.

Memory and OS
The P3100 comes with optional 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB internal storage. 16 GB is currently available in India. The RAM is 1 GB and micro SD slot is also present for unlimited storage. You can use a single microSD card of up to 64 GB. The Tab 2 runs on ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) Android 4.0.3.

Data Connectivity
This tab comes with built in SIM slot which supports 3G (HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps) and  2G networks (GPRS / EDGE).  There is built in Wi-Fi which you can use for connecting to a router or hotspot or even create your own Wi-Fi hotspot for sharing the 3G or 2G connection. You can use this tab for making and receiving calls, just like a phone, a Bluetooth headset is recommended. There is Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP and HS which you can pair with other Bluetooth enabled devices. A microUSB 2.0 port is also available for charging and for connecting with a PC or laptop.

Audio / Video
The Android stock media player supports MP4, MP3, WMA, WMV, Xvid, DivX, WAV and many other audio and video formats. You can watch HD videos and experience 3D sound. The output from the built in speaker is quite high and good, sound quality is even better when you use the 3.5 mm jack.

Camera
There are 2 cameras, a front facing VGA (0.3 MP) camera and a rear facing 3 megapixel, without flash. Camera functions are normal shot, self shot, sepia, negative, geo-tagging, smile detection to name a few. HD Videos at 1280 x 720 pixel resolution is supported at 30 fps.

Additional Features
This tab comes loaded with Accelerometer, proximity, gyro and compass sensors; TV out, image video editor, quickoffice app, java support and built in GPS. There is no built in FM radio.

Battery
If the Tab 2 has already impressed you, the battery performance will bring more smiles. The 4000 mAh battery gives a usage time of up to 20 hours on 3G and up to 30 hours on 2G networks. If you use this tab moderately it will last easily for a day.

Galaxy Tab 2 (P3100) Price
32 GB : Unknown
16 GB  under Rs. 19,999  (Buy now from FlipKart)
8 GB :  Unknown

Review
For the price this really is a good branded tablet. The 8 GB version will be a bit cheaper. The P3100 does compete with the 10 inch Chinese tabs that are priced at around Rs. 14,000 and even the reliance 3G tab which is still priced at Rs. 12,999 (I wonder who is buying it!). Spend a few bucks more and you can own the Samsung brand.

What I like about the tablet, sincerely, the price and then the dual core processor, Wi-Fi and 3G built in capabilities. The screen size particularly the resolution is impressive. Not to forget the ICS OS. Now when I look at this tab and the BlackBerry Playbook, the Samsung P3100 clearly is the winner.