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What's the basic difference between the Android 2.1 $169 tablets and the Galaxy at $600+.

I see inexpensive ($169-$199) Android 2.1 tablets here: http://www.lightinthebox.com/wholesale-Laptops--Notebooks_c1386?gclid=CPH4r42V8aUCFRtqgwodnhPNnQ

but at Sprint Store, the latest greatest Samsung Android Galaxy is $600 without contract.

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I haven't checked yet, but maybe the front/back camera/video is another difference. – NealWalters Dec 16 '10 at 18:06
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3 Answers

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Aside from the Galaxy Tab having superior specs in every way there are a couple MAJOR differences:

  1. All those use Resistive Screens while the Galaxy Tab (and most Android phones for that matter) has a Capacitive Screen. This is the biggest difference. A resistive screen really doesn't provide a pleasant touch screen experience.
  2. Galaxy Tab has 3G data capabilities those others do not.
  3. I'm guessing those are cheaply made although I can't say that from experience.

You can find some of these cheap models with Android 2.2 but they still won't hold a candle to the Galaxy Tab.

If you want a cheaper alternative to the Galaxy Tab I'd look at the Archos Gen8 line of tablets. I bought an Archos 70 IT for $250 and it is great. It doesn't have 3G data (only wifi). It runs Froyo but it doesn't support the Android Market (but I was able to load it anyway). It has a very responsive capacitive screen, a 1ghz processor, HDMI out, microSD expansion slot... it's not quite as good as the Galaxy but it's close and less than half the price.

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Thanks, I had never heard about the Resistive vs Capacitive screens. It's sad to go 3G when 4G will probably be the thing in a few months. – NealWalters Dec 16 '10 at 18:09
I'm considering using existing 3G/USB and hooking it to a Cradlepoint WiFi router. It's just more to carry but a cheap way to experiment with a tablet on the go (or in my office where they block GMail) - so I'll check out the Archos. Still checking if I can tether the Blackberry Pearl. – NealWalters Dec 16 '10 at 18:14
the galaxy tab also has phone functionality – NES Dec 16 '10 at 18:46
Some of them are definitely made cheaply. It's kind of like comparing a cheap Acer to an expensive Apple laptop. You get what you pay for. – Matthew Read♦ Dec 16 '10 at 21:07
Two more major feature the new Galaxy Tabs have that most cheaper/older tablets don't are GPS and Bluetooth. – Joshua Carmody Jul 7 '11 at 20:37
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up vote 7 down vote

Though I didn't look at every tablet on there, I took a peek at the most expensive ones. Based on a quick glance, in general most of those:

  • Have a slower processor than the Galaxy (which is clocked a 1 GHz)
  • Have less RAM than the Galaxy (which has 512 MB).
  • Don't support cellular data bands (3G/WiMax/LTE/etc), so they only have WiFi chips.
  • Have a fair bit less internal storage. The Galaxy is available with 16GB, and I believe there's a 32GB model as well; the largest I saw on your linked page was 4GB. Both the Galaxy and most (if not all) of those also support up to 32GB microSDHC cards, so a Galaxy could potentially support up to 64GB of total space.
  • Some of them don't appear to have cameras. The Galaxy has a back camera at 3.0 MP, and I believe it has a front one as well (not positive on that).

And of course they're running an older version of Android. Whether it's worth the price difference...well, that's an individual choice. That's a fairly broad overview of some technical differences, though.

Some Galaxy specs from Samsung here.

And specs on Wikipedia here.

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Thanks, and yes, Galaxy has the front and back camera. – NealWalters Dec 16 '10 at 18:10
3.0 MP AF camera with LED flash, 1.3 MP front facing (for video calls) – NealWalters Dec 16 '10 at 18:17
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up vote 1 down vote

Many of the cheap tablets are not GPL compliant. This isn't just a Linux nerd thing or a pedantically legalistic/moral question, but a practical litmus test of the quality of support the device will have.

To quote Matthew Garrett (who takes care of the linked-to list), this gives "Some idea of whether there's any realistic chance of you getting further updates once the vendor has decided that last year's devices are, well, last year", not to mention "Some idea of whether you're funding the theft of sweets from innocent children".

The Android tablet GPL compliance list is here: http://www.codon.org.uk/~mjg59/android_tablets/

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GPL = Gnu Public License – NealWalters Jan 13 '11 at 22:29
Oh, right, I forget that everyone doesn't just know that. :) Technically, it is the GNU General Public License, and the Linux kernel on top of which Android is built uses it. This means that Android device makers have certain obligations (just like they would have to Microsoft were they using Windows). – mattdm Jan 13 '11 at 22:43
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