Samsung has launched its cheapest tab yet in India, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7 inch), priced at Rs 19,900 — or about Rs 5,000 less than the outgoing Galaxy 620.
The big news here is not that it is a better model than the outgoing Galaxy 620, which it resembles in nearly every way, but that it is cheaper.
In other words, the Galaxy Tab 2’s are all about making the models cheaper, rather than faster or stronger or lighter.
Nearly everything is the same as the Tab 620 — including the display resolution (1024 x 600 pixels or 0.6 megapixels), the 345 gm weight, the 8-10 hour battery life, battery capacity (4000 mAh), RAM, 3G support etc..
There is a slight difference in the graphics department — the Tab 2 comes with a powerVR graphics process, instead of ARM’s Mali processor.
We are not sure whether that is an upgrade or a downgrade.
It may also be noted that the 10 inch version of Galaxy Tab 2 is also expected to launch soon, at around Rs 26,000.
The tablet will have a higher resolution display, at 1280 x 800 pixels (1 megapixel).
Notable mention: Milagrow has launched a 7 inch tablet which is probably the thinnest tablet in the 7-inch category priced at about Rs 11,000.
The mobile has strong specifications, including support for dual-HDMI and quad-HD (which we take to mean 2160p resolution on an external monitor.)
It has a dual core Mali graphics processor — the “world’s first dual core tablet graphics unit” — which is behind the strong graphics capabilities.
Most of the other specifications, including the battery, are similar to those of the Samsung Tab 2, but there are two areas where Milagrow falls well behind, besides the brand issue.
Milagrow has a 0.48 megapixel display (800*600) compared to 0.60 megapixel one on Tab 2, and has no built-in 3G modem or voice-call support. It also doesn’t seem to have a back-camera, while the Tab 2 has a 3 megapixel one.