Google Nexus 7 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Samsung and Google released two devices which are both great competitors in today’s very competitive gadget world. They are both tablets. And today we will compare them.

The first aspect we will touch upon is the products’ measurements. While Google’s Nexus 7 is a 198.5mm x 120mm x 10.5mm tablet with a weight of 340g, Samsung’s Galaxy Note measures 262mm x 180mm x 8.9mm and weighs 600g. Even so, the latter has much more pleasant looks. But that’s our point of view, others might disagree with us. The Nexus 7 is cheaper, though, and yet its build quality is solid.

Specifications

In the battle of touchscreens, each of the displays is superb. The one on the Galaxy Note 10.1 is a 10.1″ PLS TFT model. Its resolution is 800 x 1280 pixels. In its case, pixel density is 149PPI. Compared to it, the touchscreen sported by the Nexus 7 is a 7″ LED-backlit IPS LCD one. The amount of pixels is 800 x 1280; 216PPI is its pixel density. The greatest pros here are its excellent sharpness and brightness. Also, the feedback you get from it is great. The touchscreen on the Galaxy Note is equally superb; it distinguishes itself by its image quality and viewing angles.

The processors on each of these two gadgets are different; as are the memory and storage space. The CPU on Samsung’s tablet is a quad-core 1.4GHz with an Exynos 4412 chipset. The graphics processor that comes along is a Mali-400MP. The processor on the Nexus 7 is a quad-core 1.3GHz Nvidia Tegra 3. The GPU is an ULP GeForce. Both of these processors and GPUs deliver such speed that makes the user experience a very good one, no matter what he is doing with the gadgets.

Operating system

The operating system used by the Galaxy Note 10.1 is Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich. The Nexus 7 runs on the new 4.1 Jelly Bean OS. Which is great strategy from Google, because the 4.0 version is not as good as the latest one. Sure, the TouchWiz user interface may still be among the best out there. However, the 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system is much more evolved. The kind of features it sports are definitely more and better by comparison. And it also boasts new graphics, an upgraded notifications system and so on.

Memory and storage

Memory on the Note 10.1 and the one on the Nexus 7 differ from one another. For instance, the total of RAM on the Galaxy Note 10.1 is 2GB. The manufacturer said that this tablet is going to feature models with 16, 32 and 64GB in the near future. Samsung also announced that the device will come with ways to expand the default memory via a microSD slot. The Nexus 7 is a tablet that ships with 1GB of RAM. Storage space is 8 and 16GB. If we compare it to the Galaxy Note 10.1, we will notice that there is no microSD card to expand the existing memory. And that’s a bummer either way you look at it.

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Every gadget that respects itself has to come with cameras. These days the more cams, the better. Which is what Samsung know. And that’s why they put one 1.9MP one to make videocalls and a second 5MP one with 1080p video capture, LED flash and other offerings. Tests showed that both these cameras are great. The Nexus 7, on the other hand, did not follow the fashion: there is only one cam on it. A 1.2MP, to be more precise. You can only use it if you want to do a video call. But even if there is only one camera, it is not at all bad performance-wise. But it doesn’t compare to the Samsung ones.

Conclusion

Comparing two of the most highly viewed tablets these days is tricky. They are, after all, two different models with certain things in mind for the consumer. If you want a tablet that does not cost much (compared to the pricey Galaxy Note 10.1 one), then you should consider Google’s $323.91 Nexus 7. Because, besides being affordable, is capable of more than good performance. However, if you have enough money and you wish for a tablet model which has it all, then Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 is the way to go. Apart from looking extra swell, it has many features that you will enjoy and a performance to boot. But still, you will have to be very careful at the sky high price tag on this one: $500-$550.