Tablet face-off: Galaxy Tab vs iPad

Thinking of buying a tablet? The Express Tribune reviews the two most popular tablets available in the local market.

Screen real estate: The Galaxy Tab is much smaller than the iPad with a seven inch 16:9 aspect widescreen. The iPad has a 9.7 inch 4:3 standard aspect ratio. The galaxy tab’s screen is almost as long as the iPad’s screen but it is almost half as wide. You need two hands to hold the iPad while you can hold the Tab with one hand. The screen size consideration is a very subjective matter, but it worth noting that movies generally are in 16:9 widescreen format. Steve Jobs contends that the iPad screen is better for newspapers and websites; we cannot support the claim, however, you should try to read a newspaper or a website on both screens. Conclusion: Subjective.

Screen quality: Though the Galaxy Tab’s LCD screen is very good and has almost the same resolution as the iPad’s screen, Apple’s LPS screen is much more vibrant and has better colour representations; deeper blacks and better contrast. The touch screen on both devices is equally good. Pinch to zoom works perfectly on both and text resizing is no trouble on either tablet. Conclusion: Apple wins by a little because the screen is prettier.

Connectivity: The iPad’s only means of connectivity other than Wifi is 3G, a type of connection not available in Pakistan. This should not make much of a difference if you plan to use this within the confines of areas with Wifi hotspots all around. Go out of Wifi range and the iPad is limited to just the things that you preloaded on it. The galaxy Tab is also a phone. It has space for a SIM inside. This means that other than Wifi, it also has rudimentary connectivity in the form of EDGE. Though this is no big deal, you will always be connected to the internet and can make searches and look at your news feeds whenever you want. Conclusion: Galaxy Tab wins out by doubling as a phone.

Hard drive space and price: The Galaxy Tab sold with Mobilink comes with eight gigabytes of internal memory for Rs59,000 but it can be expanded with a Micro SD card which goes up to 32 gigabytes. You can also get 16gb versions of the Galaxy Tab in the market worth around Rs72,000. SD card memory is comparatively cheap and you can get 8gb in the market for almost Rs2,000. The cheapest iPad (we are considering Wifi only) is priced at around Rs49,000 and comes with 16gb of onboard memory. This makes it cheaper than the Tab with half the memory. The 32gb version sells for Rs65,000 and the 64gb version sells for Rs75,000. Conclusion: Surprisingly, the iPad is cheaper than the Galaxy Tab. Given that the iPad is just as versatile in terms of memory, Apple wins.

Conclusion: Apple’s device is twice as heavy. The Galaxy Tab is an awkward bulge in your pocket but it does fit into your jeans pocket. Both are excellent devices, however, since the Galaxy Tab is being offered by Mobilink, there is a slight chance that there might be after sales service and guarantees. Nothing of the sort exists for the iPad. The best advice would be to pick both products in your hands and try their onscreen keyboards and the form factors to see which one suits you best.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2011.