Hands-on With The Galaxy Tab 8.9
by Jason Inofuentes on September 27, 2011 1:14 AM EST- Posted in
- Samsung
- News
- Galaxy Tab 8.9
- Android 3.1
- TouchWiz
- Laptops
- Galaxy Player
Samsung’s been moving PMP’s in one guise or another for some time. With the Galaxy Player line they claim to have the OS that can bring their media players to the next level, serving a user's media, gaming, internet and communications needs in one device. So what are these iPod Touch competitors like? Each is driven by 1GHz Hummingbird processors (single-core ARM Cortex A8, of course) and include 8 GB of on board NAND, expandable by microSD. Both models have 3.2 MP rear-facing and VGA front-facing cameras. The Galaxy Player sports Android 2.3 and the usual assortment of DLNA and Google Apps. If it sounds like these are Galaxy S phones without the phone part, it’s because they are.
They’re distinguished by their screen size, however users accustomed to Samsung’s brilliant Super AMOLED displays might want to hold off from these particular models. The 5.0 comes with a 5” TFT-LCD at just WVGA (800x480). Contrast is less than stellar and the black notification bar was a murky grey. The 4.0 receives a 4” Super Clear LCD, analogous to S-LCD, which drastically improves viewing angles, and contrast. As a test for how the WVGA resolution works on larger screens, the 5.0 doesn’t bode well. If nothing else, when you open a website on such a larger device, you really expect to see more content than on a 4” screen.
Form factor is vanilla slate; more vanilla than chocolate certainly, with the only case color an attractive white. The edges are slightly rounded, but the thickness of the devices lend a very blocky character to them. These are not thin, sleek devices like the iPod Touch. Why so thick? Batteries. The 4.0 packs in a 1200 mAh battery while the 5.0 uses a rather large 2500 mAh battery. The software is only lightly infused with TouchWiz, these ROMs sporting less than the full gamut of recent TouchWiz updates.
| Samsung 2011 Galaxy Player Lineup | ||||||
| Samsung Galaxy Player 4.0 | Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 | |||||
| Network | 802.11 b/g/n | 802.11 b/g/n | ||||
| OS | Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) | Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) | ||||
| Display | 4-inch S-LCD WVGA (800 x 480) | 5-inch LCD WVGA (800 x 480) | ||||
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 3.0, Mini USB | Bluetooth 3.0, Mini USB | ||||
| NAND | 8GB, microSD slot (up to 32GB) | 8GB, microSD slot (up to 32GB) | ||||
| Battery | 1200 mAh | 2500 mAh | ||||
| Dimensions | 2.53 x 4.87 x 0.39" | 3.07 x 5.56 x 0.46" | ||||
| Weight | 4.27 | 6.42 oz | ||||
| Price | $229 |
$269 |
||||
Pricing places these in direct competition with the iPod Touch; the 4.0 matches Apple’s wares at $229, while the 5.0 merits a $40 premium for its extra inch of screen real estate. Availability starts October 16th.
Gallery: Galaxy Player 4.0 And 5.0 Hands On
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itpawn - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Do the 4.0 or 5.0 have HDMI output?quiksilvr - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Nowadays they are fusing micro USB with micro HDMI and call it the MHL (mobile HD link)velis - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
I must say I got used to a certain standard here. While there is a spec table for players, there is no such thing for the tab.The article lacks any intro, any analysis and any data.
Can't say that's what I expected when I clicked on to read about the tab 8.9.
sprockkets - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Did you read the second page?Anyhow, I'm waiting for the 7.7 model, or perhaps the next Asus model :)
ph0masta - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Maybe because its a "hands on" rather than a review.nagi603 - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
The article title is Hands on with the 8.9, yet I only see the player 4/5 models...nagi603 - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Oh wait, I knew I should actually be awake while commenting... :DLinkpl4y - Saturday, October 15, 2011 - link
I wonder if you can apply Samsung's Galaxy aesthetics to the following article?http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/richard_seymour_...
jalexoid - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Both displays are TFT displays. One is TN(the classic one) the other is MVA(SC LCD).Rick83 - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
For the same price, 2 years later, nothing new really - and probably worse Video playback capabilities. Disappointing. Guess I'll have to keep the old guy kicking a little longer.