Yesterday, I had the opportunity to play around with a Samsung Galaxy tablet.
It’s a nice device, but overally, it’s not nearly as impressive as the Apple (AAPL) iPad.
The Galaxy’s screen is very sharp and vibrant, but the iPad’s looks better. However, this could be a store-lighting issue. Apple does a great job of lighting its stores in a way that minimizes glare on its screens.
Apple still does the best touch screens in the business. The Galaxy’s virtual keyboard feels pretty good, but on the whole the screen isn’t as snappy and responsive as the iPad’s.
Web browsing is way, way better on the iPad, even without Flash. Scrolling down a web page is very smooth on the iPad – the Galaxy is much more sluggish in this respect.
The Galaxy’s camera actually works pretty well. The quality is WAY better than I would have expected. The iPad of course, has no camera. I did not try the Galaxy’s video-conferencing features.
Overall, the iPad is a more polished and fun device, with better battery life to boot. The Galaxy’s 7-inch screen makes it feel more like an overgrown Android phone rather than a sexy tablet.
The Samsung rep I spoked with informed me that the Galaxy Tablet will only be available from wireless carriers in the U.S. at launch – a major negative in my view.
The verdict: I’d pay $250-300 for the Galaxy.
Advantage, Apple.
disclosure: long AAPL
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