If Samsung tablets were suits, they would have a size that’s bound to fit everyone. Since its foray into the Android tablet world, this iPad challenger has released tablets in different sizes and forms. And now, Samsung has reinvented its little upstart tablet of 2010 into the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.
The 7.0 Plus fits right in with the rest of Samsung’s never-ending parade of Honeycomb tablets. It’s extremely light, even compared to seven-inch competitors like the Amazon Kindle Fire. The 7.0 Plus weighs in at just 345 g to the Kindle’s 413 g.
Compared to most tablets, it feels so small and light that it takes a moment to realize just how thick it is. Not exactly a fatty at 9.96 mm, it tops the much larger Tab 10.1 by over 1 mm.
The 7.0 Plus maintains the solid build quality I’ve come to expect from premier Samsung devices. The light weight doesn’t leave the impression of cheap construction, just tiny size. And I do mean tiny. This is the only tablet I’ve ever used which I felt I could operate it one-handed (though admittedly this feat involved a bit of a balancing act).
External hardware
I was a bit surprised by the layout of much of the external hardware. The Tab 10.1 was clearly designed for landscape operation. In contrast, the 7.0 Plus feels like the designers couldn’t figure out which way you should hold it. The speakers are both on the bottom in portrait mode, and the device is small enough to be convenient for most uses while listening to music.
Video is far better in landscape mode, and that means your stereo sound is all coming from your right (assuming you aren’t covering them completely with your right hand).
TouchWiz once again makes an appearance in this section. I love that power widget, but combined with a screen brightness slider and a settings button taking up a full row (seriously, Samsung, you have to stop turning small buttons into notifications), you actually have to scroll to see more than one notification when holding the device in landscape.
More importantly, the rear camera was a big disappointment. While the front camera delivers fairly impressive video chat, the rear camera, at only 3 megapixels, is just not up to par with most smartphone cameras. That bothered me a lot less on the Tab 10.1, but the 7.0 Plus is small enough that I actually don’t feel stupid holding it up as a camera, and it would be nice if it were actually worth using as one.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus represents, more than anything else, a compromise solution. It doesn’t provide the HD quality entertainment of most 10-in tablets like the Tab 10.1, but you get quality that’s nearly as good and performance that’s actually a bit better. If you’re looking for a great balance between price, performance, and portability, you can’t go wrong with this one.
