Performance
It’s hard to judge performance of a tablet without real benchmarks that can be shared across platform to platform, but what we can see so far is that both work well.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1v turns out to be a nice piece of kit, with little to no speed lost between applications, browsing web pages, and playing media. Even the battery held strong, as we managed to get a little under two days as we used 3G, WiFi, and watched the occasional video.
As you can expect, the iPad 2 has been tuned to Apple’s high expectations, and it performs admirably. The screen is very responsive, applications and games appear to run faster, and the battery life sits at between one and two days of usage.
Winner: Tie
Value
When it comes to purchasing an iPad 2, you’ve got a little bit more choice than what Samsung has with the Galaxy Tab 10.1v.
Currently, Apple has 6 options spread out between $579 and $949.
On the other hand, if you want the Galaxy Tab 10.1v, you’ve just got a 16GB model with 3G, WiFi, and no memory expansion. Much like the 16GB 3G/WiFi iPad 2, this can be found for $729 or $259 upfront payment plus $39 per month over 12 months.
More options is better in our books, so Apple wins this round.
Winner: Apple iPad 2
Accessories
The first thing you’ll probably get for your new tablet – regardless of who makes it – is some form of protection, and we’re betting that Apple will win here hands down.
While we’ve yet to confirm exactly what Samsung has in store for accessories, we have been told there will be an assortment of covers available, we just doubt it will come in the same numbers as the iPad 2.
Let’s face it, the iPad has this area numbered. You’ll find screen covers, skins, covers, cases, extra ports (such as Apple’s HDMI connector), and probably even some iPad docks similar to the one Bang & Olufsen released last year supporting both the iPhone and iPad.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1v has gone with the proprietary connector we found on the 7 inch Galaxy Tab last year, but we’ve yet to see any released accessories in stores for that connection.
Winner: Apple iPad 2
