When we reviewed the Wi-Fi?only version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, we found it a good, thin Android tablet?relegated to a class below the Apple iPad only because of its operating system?s lack of tablet-friendly apps. We have mostly the same feelings about the new Galaxy Tab 10.1 for Verizon Wireless, which adds LTE coverage and speeds, subtracts (for now) the TouchWiz interface, and polishes the hardware a bit. It?s a good device, but its small software selection remains a big problem.
Design Differences
From the front, only the most discerning of eyes will notice the differences between the two Galaxy Tab 10.1 models: The Verizon device?s chassis is a slightly darker gray color, and the Power and Volume buttons have been moved from the top to the left side. I like the left-side buttons, as they?re closer to where your hands naturally rest when you hold the tablet in landscape mode, but it?s purely personal preference. The Verizon model also has a SIM card slot on the top of the device. Otherwise, the two are virtually identical: They are the same size and almost the same weight (1.23 pounds for the LTE model and 1.22 for the Wi-Fi model, leading me to believe that the SIM card makes the difference).
The one striking change, and a huge improvement, is the redesign of the back of the Galaxy Tab. The Wi-Fi model has a slick, plasticky back that can be hard to grip; the Verizon model is still plastic, but it has a brushed-metal look and a textured feel that is both nicer to look at and easier to hold.
Software
When the Galaxy Tab was originally released, it shipped without TouchWiz, Samsung?s skin for Android. Samsung changed that in August, shipping TouchWiz as a software update. If you don?t want TouchWiz, your best bet is to buy the Verizon version, which Samsung hasn?t skinned yet.
This is pure Honeycomb, with virtually nothing in the way of extra applications; Quickoffice and Media Hub are here, and that?s it. Samsung did customize the keyboard, but generally what you?re getting for now is Honeycomb as it was intended to be. Samsung didn't respond to our questions regarding this Tab 10.1 and Touchwiz.
Performance and LTE
In our tests, the Tegra 2?powered Galaxy Tab 10.1 performed just like the Wi-Fi version, which is to say it?s very fast. From the browser performance to its graphical abilities, it?s as fast as any Android tablet out there.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 for Verizon certainly earns its ?4G? credentials. We tested the LTE signal in Midtown Manhattan and noticed impressive results: between 16 and 19Mbps down, and 4 to 5Mbps up. Those rates are both high for an LTE device, and mean you won?t be hurting for speed. The Tab 10.1 can also be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot, so you can tether your other devices to it. Typically there?s a sizable speed loss when you tether, and that was the case here too, but we still saw between 14 and 15Mbps down and 2 to 3Mbps up.?
To make use of these blazing speeds you?ll need a Verizon LTE broadband plan. These run from $30 per month for 2GB of data (which you?ll use up quickly) to $80 per month for 10GB. The mobile hotspot features will cost you an extra $20 per month, and also give you 2GB of extra monthly data.
Samsung rates the battery life of the LTE Galaxy Tab 10.1 at 12 hours of use. Our test results will be posted here shortly.
Like its Wi-Fi predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 on Verizon is an excellent tablet, with superlative LTE speeds and hardware. But factor in the data plan necessary to get those LTE speeds and the Galaxy Tab is an expensive venture; factor in Android?s lack of apps and it?s an inconvenient and frustrating one as well. But if a fast, always-connected tablet is what you want, you?ll find it here.
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