I've been using a Galaxy Tab 10.1 since June of 2011. It's a little long in the tooth in speed and version of Android. And, it has no SD card slot.
So, I went over to my Best Buy and bought a Note 12.2. There's a lot to love about the Note but there are some things I'm disappointed in.
Things I like...
- It's bigger. Nice to have a larger screen for some of the apps it's a godsend, for others it just more awkward white space.
- Battery life is better than the Tab 10.1 even though it has to drive more pixels.
- Micro-usb. The Tab had a 30 pin connector which was a pain in the butt.
- Camera is a lot better but who takes photos with a tablet? Only iPad nerds do that.
- Speed. It's very, very snappy compared to the Tab but with 8 cores, all of which are faster than the Tab's 2 cores, that's to be expected.
Things I don't like...
- The launcher. (not the Magazine UX part). It's no different than the Tab. In fact, there are no more icons on the screen, they're just larger. With all those pixels I was hoping to have icons at least as small as the Tab. And more of them on the screen. It looks like an interface built for the elderly. Kinda like those telephones with huge buttons. I know, I know, I can use another launcher but then I will lose the Magazine UX.
- Magazine UX. I was really looking forward to this. But, alas, it has so very few apps and widgets available that I find I never use it.
- The weight. It's only 4 ounces more than my Tab but it turns out that is a lot. I find my left thumb aching after a while while holding it. It's not really convenient.
- The Zagg case. I bought the Zagg case as I have a similar full keyboard case by Logitech for the Tab. It's nowhere near as nice as the Logitech case. It's hard to remove and feels very cheap and flimsy compared to the metal keyboard by Logitech. They key placement for special keys isn't very well designed either.
All in all I'd say I'm disappointed in the Note 12.2. I'm still within the 15 day return period for Best Buy and am on the fence about returning it. The problem is that the one I would replace it with is the Tab Pro 10.1 with 32 gig of memory. But, I can't find that anywhere. 16 gig yes, but 32 gig is no where to be found.
Help me out here. Are there features that are compelling that I haven't found? If so, push me into keeping this tablet.
So, I went over to my Best Buy and bought a Note 12.2. There's a lot to love about the Note but there are some things I'm disappointed in.
Things I like...
- It's bigger. Nice to have a larger screen for some of the apps it's a godsend, for others it just more awkward white space.
- Battery life is better than the Tab 10.1 even though it has to drive more pixels.
- Micro-usb. The Tab had a 30 pin connector which was a pain in the butt.
- Camera is a lot better but who takes photos with a tablet? Only iPad nerds do that.
- Speed. It's very, very snappy compared to the Tab but with 8 cores, all of which are faster than the Tab's 2 cores, that's to be expected.
Things I don't like...
- The launcher. (not the Magazine UX part). It's no different than the Tab. In fact, there are no more icons on the screen, they're just larger. With all those pixels I was hoping to have icons at least as small as the Tab. And more of them on the screen. It looks like an interface built for the elderly. Kinda like those telephones with huge buttons. I know, I know, I can use another launcher but then I will lose the Magazine UX.
- Magazine UX. I was really looking forward to this. But, alas, it has so very few apps and widgets available that I find I never use it.
- The weight. It's only 4 ounces more than my Tab but it turns out that is a lot. I find my left thumb aching after a while while holding it. It's not really convenient.
- The Zagg case. I bought the Zagg case as I have a similar full keyboard case by Logitech for the Tab. It's nowhere near as nice as the Logitech case. It's hard to remove and feels very cheap and flimsy compared to the metal keyboard by Logitech. They key placement for special keys isn't very well designed either.
All in all I'd say I'm disappointed in the Note 12.2. I'm still within the 15 day return period for Best Buy and am on the fence about returning it. The problem is that the one I would replace it with is the Tab Pro 10.1 with 32 gig of memory. But, I can't find that anywhere. 16 gig yes, but 32 gig is no where to be found.
Help me out here. Are there features that are compelling that I haven't found? If so, push me into keeping this tablet.