Though the Samsung Galaxy Note does its best to innovate, unless you have a specific need for an advanced stylus on a tablet, you'll want to look at the iPad first.
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Anytime a major vendor releases a new tablet, I inevitably get asked the following question: can it take on the top dog? That "top dog" being the iPad, of course.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the latest such device to get the "How does it compare with the iPad?" treatment. Let me break it down for you.
Well, the technology behind the S Pen stylus is really cool, supporting things like pressure sensitivity and palm rejection. This will no doubt benefit figure artists and even those who want a bit more precision when putting one person's head on another's body in Photoshop Touch. Ahhh, wackiness.
Beyond that, however, this is a pretty par-for-the-course Samsung tablet, with the requisite IR blaster and expandable memory slot in tow. If you hated the TouchWiz UI before, you'll continue to hate it here.
I'm not speaking pejoratively here. Samsung makes good tablets. The Note 10.1 just isn't up there with the Asus Transformer Infinitys,Nexus 7s, and iPads of the world.
The iPad in particular still kills with its high-res screen, huge app support, and Apple's still-unmatched ecosystem. If you're looking to buy a new tablet, you'll want to look there first. If you're still looking, the Transformer Infinity should be next on your list. Then the Nexus 7 (or the Nexus 7 first, if you have a limited budget), and then the Note 10.1.
Here's a handy spec list comparing the Note 10.1's most important specs with the iPad's and Nexus 7's.
| Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 | Apple iPad (third-generation) | Google Nexus 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 10.1-inch, 1,280x800-pixel display | 9.7-inch, 2,048x1,536-pixel display | 7-inch, 1,280x800-pixel display |
| Processor | 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 | 1GHz dual-core A5X with quad-core graphics | 1.3GHz quad-core Tegra 3 |
| Capacity | 16GB, 32GB, accepts microSD cards of up to 64GB | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB | 8GB, 16GB |
| Cameras | 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, 720p HD video recording at 30fps; front-facing 1.9-megapixel camera | 5-megapixel camera, 1080p HD video recording at 30fps, front-facing VGA camera | 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera |
| Software | Android 4.0.4 | iOS 5 | Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) |
| Stylus support | Yes (included) | Yes (Separate; DIY) | No |
| Pressure sensitivity (stylus) | Yes (included) | No | No |
| Palm rejection (stylus) | Yes | No | No |
| Pricing | $499 for 16GB, $549.99 for 32GB | $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB | $199 for 8GB, $249.99 for 16GB |
There are quite a lot of features that would help me in school, like being able to take notes on the screen with the S Pen, as well as a fast processor to speed through my files. The only thing I don’t like is that it doesn’t come with a data plan, and that would help me a lot. After using my Dish coworker’s iPad, I found that a tablet with an internet plan just makes sense. It would be nice to watch TV on the Dish Remote Access app when and where I want. With the Sling Adapter connected to my receiver, I can stream live TV on my phone or in this case, my tablet. I may wait until a data enabled Note gets here, but the iPad isn’t off of my list either!
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