Announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona back in February, the Galaxy Note 8.0 has recently started shipping in both the United States and Europe. When I heard that it was going to cost $399, I immediately dismissed the device as a complete waste of money, especially since you can get a 3G enabled Nexus 7 for less.
But I’m just one man. What do other people think? The talented Taylor Martin from Pocketnow produced a 10 minute video comparing Samsung’s new device against Apple’s iPad mini. He notes that both of them have displays that aren’t very impressive, but that the Note 8.0 is generally faster. You pay a price for that speed however. The battery life of Samsung’s tablet simply doesn’t compare to that of the iPad, plus there’s the whole iPad apps versus Android tablet apps debate.
Why am I even talking about the iPad this much on an Android website? Because I truly believe that Android tablets simply aren’t there yet. Android smartphones are great, and I can’t wait to see if the Note III will be awesome enough for me to consider selling my Note II, but would I ever tell someone today to buy an Android tablet?
No. Not at all.