Apple iPad 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Introduction:

Now that the iPad 2 has made way for its successor in the new iPad, it’s only fitting to pit Apple’s latest baby against the horde of competition that are already littered across the tablet landscape. Rising above most  other things, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE comes to mind as a dubious competitor since it’s regarded as the best of the best from Samsung’s camp. On the surface, both are very similar with their options, which is hardly a surprise, but as we’ve come to expect, there can only be one that will ultimately prove itself to be the sole standout hit. Before diving in, it’s worth noting that the Apple iPad 4G LTE’s price starts at $629.99 for both AT&T and Verizon variants, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE is a bit more at $699.99 through Verizon only.

Design:

From a distance, the two look similar to one another, but once we’re able to grasp both in our hands, the new iPad is able to deliver the impactful wow factor thanks to its premium feel. Well, it’s not to say that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 isn’t a bad looker, especially when it’s the lighter and slightly thinner tablet, but its all-plastic body doesn’t have the allure to match the impeccable industrial design of the iPad. Indeed, the new iPad’s appearance might not bring anything fresh to the table, especially when its design is a recycled one, but nonetheless, its iconic look combined with its premium construction still hits the high marks in our books.


No doubt we dig the responsiveness exhibited by the physical buttons available on both tablets, but the ones on the iPad are raised higher to offer better distinguishability with our fingers. As for charging and data connectivity, both resort to using proprietary 30-pin connection ports, which is also the way they’re able to gain video-out functionality with the aid of optional accessories. For all of you audio buffs, the iPad has a single speaker located of the bottom left corner of its rear, while the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 boasts stereo sound thanks to its two speakers.

In terms of cameras, there’s plenty to like since the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is outfitted with a 3.2-megapixel snapper with LED flash. Conversely, there might not be a flash on the new iPad, but rather, it’s impressiveness is found with its 5-megapixel iSight camera, which features an F2.8 aperture lens and sensor with backside illumination. On the other hand, front-facing cameras are naturally available with both, as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 packs a higher count 2-megapixel camera, versus the paltry VGA snapper on the iPad.


Display:

Absolutely, if there’s one reason why the new iPad is such a feared competitor, it has to be none other than the crisp and super detail Retina display it’s bringing to the tablet. Comparing the two, the numbers seemingly do all the talk as the iPad boasts a mind-bending resolution of 2048 x 1536, which blows away the 1280 x 800 resolution of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Although it’s hardly noticeable to visually see the superiority of the iPad’s Retina display from a far distance, it’s evident once we take a peek at our web site at a full zoomed out view. At times, the iPad’s display is simply surreal with its stunning visuals. Details aside, both offer wide-viewing angles, high contrasts, and natural looking colors – though, the iPad’s display tends to come off warmer looking. When it comes down to it, however, the iPad has the eye candy to pique anyone’s interest from afar.

Interface and Functionality:

Fancying over visual appeal is one thing, but when you’re in the market to buy a tablet, the platform experience is undoubtedly an aspect that a lot of people should consider more often than none. As we’ve seen in countless iOS versus Android comparisons, it essentially breaks down to simplicity versus personalization. Honestly, there isn’t a clear winner since each tablet has its own unique experience to appease most needs. On one hand, if you prefer a simplistic experience that’s not cumbersome to comprehend, then the iPad is for you. Oppositely, if you want something with a bit more personalization and complexity, then the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be your thing.



Using either tablets to type messages, there isn’t much of a problem thanks to their responsiveness and spacious layouts – so yeah, both are more than adequate. Furthermore, if the process of typing with your fingers is too fatiguing, you’ll be glad to find each one offering its own voice dictation service.

At their core, the interface of their respective email applications may look different, but they’re very similar as they utilize a familiar 2-panel layout that’s practical to work with. However, if you’re into the whole Gmail thing, there’s no question that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the hands-down choice as it features all of the wonderful aspects of Google’s email service on a desktop,  but in tablet form obviously.




Processor and Memory:

Even before uttering a word in regards to their respective processors, it doesn’t make much of a difference, because again, the iPad easily shows why it’s the fastest and most responsive tablet on the market. Barely exhibiting any strenuous movements, the new iPad moves swimmingly in all of its functions thanks to its Apple A5x SoC, which breaks down to a 1GHz dual-core processor combined with a quad-core graphics processing unit. Despite boasting a still respectable 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 exhibits the choppiness that we tend to see prevalent amongst Honeycomb tablets in general. Well, it’s mainly seen with graphically intensive live wallpapers, or when navigating across its homescreen in portrait.

By now, we’re quite familiar in knowing that the iPad is available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities – with no way of expanding it. Lucky for the Galaxy Tab 10.1, it’s offered in 16GB and 32GB versions, but it can be expanded thanks to its available microSD card slot.

Internet and Connectivity:

No kidding that we truly adore that these two top-notch tablets offer 4G LTE connectivity, which enables them to load complex web site in no time at all, but looking beyond speeds, they offer an astounding web browsing experience. Right away, we take notice of the iPad’s tighter responses with things like kinetic scrolling and pinch zooming. Usable in many ways still, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 displays some minor evidence of choppiness with its movement, though, we’re given that desktop-like experience thanks to its support of Adobe Flash. In any event, we take a liking to both tablets since they’re so phenomenal in this department.



Since it’s newer, the iPad features Bluetooth 4.0, while the Galaxy Tab 10.1 simply has Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR. Aside from that one difference, they both feature other connectivity items such as aGPS, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, and mobile hotspot functionality – albeit, AT&T’s version of the iPad lacks the latter function.

Camera:

If you must snap a photo, you’ll take a liking more to the iPad’s improved 5-megapixel iSight camera since it produces the better overall results – and it’s the faster snapper between the two as well. Although they both excel with macro and outdoor scenery shots, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn’t handle dynamic range as well as the iPad. On top of that, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 strains under the pressure with low lighting conditions, as it’s marred by washed out colors and grainy visuals, but its LED flash is there to the rescue. Thanks to its backside illumination sensor, the iPad does a better job to draw out details with its exposure, but some hints of noise are evident – though, it’s still tolerable.

At the same time, the iPad is the preferred choice for recording videos – especially when it shoots it at 1080p, as opposed to 720p with the Galaxy Tab 10.1. After looking over both recordings, it’s undeniably clear that the iPad has the distinct advantage with its crisp visuals. Even though both share the same natural looking color production and 29 frames per second capture rate, the iPad’s results are filled with plenty of sharp details – while the Galaxy Tab 10.1’s production is muddy looking.

Apple iPad (3) Sample Video:



Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Sample Video:



Multimedia:

We’ve grumbled about it in our review of the new iPad, so it doesn’t surprise us that we prefer the music player of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Obviously, the two embody the same exact functionality when it comes to playing music, but Galaxy Tab 10.1 is accompanied with a spiffier looking 3D carousel when browsing through songs. Besides the visual look of their respective players, we find audio quality to be nearly identical to one another. Specifically, their speakers pump out punchy tones that are pleasant to the ear – without exhibiting any strain at the loudest volume.



Let’s be serious here. Both are wonderful for watching videos, even more for the new iPad thanks to its Retina display, but unless you have videos that are scaled to its resolution or above, you’re not going to notice the difference. However, due to its warmer color production, our eyes  take fancy over the iPad more so than the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Performance:

Fortunately, battery life isn’t much of a concern for these two tablets, seeing that they’re able to provide us with at least one single day of normal usage on a full charge – and to us, they’re above average. However, in our time using both, we find the iPad giving us a tad bit more juice. Well, that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise considering it’s packing an unbelievable 11,560 mAh battery – versus the 6,800 mAh one inside of the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Conclusion:

Sammy went through a lot in redesigning the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to beat the iPad 2 in terms of thinness, but with the new iPad, they’re now in and over their head. Being the new kid on the block, the iPad has the advantage in many aspects because of its superior hardware, but even beyond that, it offers a lot of bang for the buck. Staring down at their starting prices, the LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is too bloated at $700 outright through Verizon, and honestly, it makes the $630 starting cost of the LTE enabled iPad so much more valuable. Frankly, the iPad’s lower price point is enough to warrant a buy over its rival – especially when it’s a premium tablet that’s price super competitively. Also, the visual allure of the iPad’s Retina display is more than enough justification to pick it up as well.