Samsung Galaxy View Review: A Big Tablet With Big Problems
Samsung's humongous tablet is best used as an alternative to small TVs, but even then it's a dubious purchase. Here is a hands-on review of the device.
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The Galaxy View is an oversized tablet intended to serve as a central hub for media, entertainment, and information. The awkward hardware, mediocre screen, and questionable performance, however, cloud the Galaxy View's outlook.
Samsung claims the Galaxy View is optimized for watching video. Where most tablets have shifted to screens with 4:3 or similar aspect ratios, the Galaxy View opts for the movie- and TV-friendly 16:9 aspect ratio. The makes for an extra-wide tablet that can really only be used in one orientation. The resolution is capped at 1080p. It works with most of today's HD content, but feels a bit anemic when viewed up-close.
The built-in kickstand allows it to rest at two different angles: mostly upright, or mostly flat. The kickstand doubles as a carrying handle to make the Galaxy View easier to transport around your office or home. It sits on flat surfaces, like your conference room table or kitchen counter, quite well. The View runs on batteries, so you can move it most anywhere. However, it is not intended for surfing the Web when sitting on the couch. The goofy kickstand and huge size more or less prevent you from holding it comfortably. This thing is strictly meant to stand on its own.
[See iPad Pro Review: Bigger Isn't Always Better.]
Samsung's TouchWiz user interface rests atop the Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system. Anyone familiar with Samsung's smartphones will feel right at home using the Galaxy View. Samsung customized the View's homescreen and included a dedicated panel for third-party video services such as CNN, Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. The View is crammed full of bloatware from Samsung and AT&T.
The tablet relies on the Samsung Exynos 7580 1.6-GHz octa-core 64-bit processor. The chip is accompanied by just 2GB of RAM, and the tablet comes in 32-GB and 64-GB variants. The tablet supports microSD memory cards, so you can sideload photos, videos, or music if you wish. Connectivity runs the norm thanks to WiFi, Bluetooth, and optional LTE. Keeping the Galaxy Tab connected is a breeze and it paired well with various networks and accessories. It is sometimes buggy and sometimes slow.
The View goes for $600, but is available now for the discounted price of $500. It's not clear how long the lower price will be in effect.
In the following pages we review the Galaxy View and attempt to answer the burning question, "Is this the oversized tablet for me?"
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The Galaxy View is absolutely gigantic. It measures 17.8 by 10.85 inches and weighs in at 5.84 pounds. The handle lets you carry it around easily, but the curved shape of the kickstand prevents the Galaxy View from ever lying flat. It cannot be stuffed into a briefcase, backpack, or even a suitcase. The View can be transported around your office or home, but is clearly not meant to leave the building. In short, the View is a largely immobile mobile device.
The Galaxy View's 18.4-inch screen is sufficiently large and bright, but the resolution is mismatched badly. The display has 1,920 by 1,080 pixels. This is in line with most of the HDTVs sold today and the content that appears on those TVs. I found the View's screen was adequate when watching movies, TV shows, or YouTube content because I was generally five or more feet removed from the tablet when doing so. It's something else entirely to view the View up close. Pixels are visible everywhere and on-screen elements, such as text and icons, have jagged, unattractive edges. The View doesn't have a remote control, which means you have to view it up-close constantly.
The View's 1.6-GHz processor and 2GB of RAM don't measure up. The tablet often felt sluggish. The tablet was slow to recognize input; it stuttered through screen transitions; and its apps rarely ever sprang open. Video apps, in particular, felt janky. It's hard to quantify what's plaguing the processor, but the Galaxy View is obviously underpowered.
Samsung gave the Galaxy View a 5,700mAh battery that delivers about 8 hours of video viewing. In my tests, I found Samsung's battery life estimates to be accurate. I was able to use the tablet with the screen set at about 60% brightness for the better part of a day and still have enough juice left to watch a movie that evening. When used solely for working (email, browsing, Google Docs) it easily pushed through 10 hours. That's a competitive number. The tablet uses a proprietary cable for charging. If you're going to leave it in the boardroom or on the kitchen counter there's no real reason to unplug it.
The View has the same selection of apps and services that might accompany any Samsung/AT&T smartphone. The one standout is Family Square. Family Square helps multiple users coordinate calendars, notes, and photos. Samsung calls it a virtual home command center. It's a little bit of a hassle to set up, as it requires a Samsung handset with an active cellular account before it can be activated on the tablet. Once you jump through the hoops, it's not bad for keeping a handle on your weekly activities.
The View has two 4-watt speakers that kick out enough sound for most any small room. Set all the way up, the View easily filled my kitchen and living room with music, dialog, explosions, and other sounds as I streamed YouTube Music and YouTube Red content. Mobile pros looking to make presentations in the board room shouldn't worry about volume. The clarity of sound is of middling quality; it's rather thin and lacked depth to my ears. The view includes a standard 3.5mm headset jack and stereo Bluetooth if you want to listen privately.
The keyboard surprised me. Samsung did a bang-up job creating a large and functional software keyboard for the Galaxy View. It is best used with the tablet in its horizontal orientation. The on-screen keyboard is nearly full-sized, and includes a number pad to the right for numeric input. The arrow keys help when editing, and the word completion/prediction software is very good. I was able to type quickly and accurately on the View's keyboard. If you want to use a Bluetooth keyboard, you may do so. The View doesn't include a USB port for a standard tablet/mouse.
The Video app is accessible from any screen thanks to an always-present shortcut, and this is where you'll find all the third-party video apps collected in one spot. Maddeningly, the Video screen cannot be customized or rearranged, and of course you have to subscribe to the services (HBO Now, Roku) in order to use them. As noted earlier, the Galaxy View is great when used as a spare video screen in the kitchen. I enjoyed having the evening news on while preparing dinner or cleaning up. High-def movies look okay as long as you're not too close to the View when watching.
The Galaxy View is compatible with most Android apps, which includes Google Docs, Microsoft Office, and alternatives. When used in the mostly flat orientation, I was able to type comfortably enough to send emails. The Chrome Web browser is powerful enough to handle all your business's intranet and other Web-based needs. The tablet includes a 2.1-megapixel user-facing camera that is best relegated to Group Hangouts in the conference room. The View faces limits thanks to the awkward design. I would not recommend anyone attempt to use the View as a PC replacement.
As mentioned earlier, the View goes for $600, but is available now for the discounted price of $500. However, it's not clear how long the lower price will be in effect. Either price is a lot of money for a kitchen companion. The View doesn't fall into any easily definable product segment. Sometimes that's a benefit, but in the View's case, it's a detriment. I genuinely like the idea of an Internet-connected tablet/TV appliance in the kitchen or other room, but the View isn't that device. The screen is just not good enough, the kickstand is too limiting, and there's no way to mount it on a wall. More to the point, the sluggish performance makes the $600, and even the $500 price point feel way too high. The Galaxy View might find a home somewhere, but not mine. If your company's conference room already has an HDTV and/or video chatting setup, there's no need to spend extra cash on the Galaxy View.
As mentioned earlier, the View goes for $600, but is available now for the discounted price of $500. However, it's not clear how long the lower price will be in effect. Either price is a lot of money for a kitchen companion. The View doesn't fall into any easily definable product segment. Sometimes that's a benefit, but in the View's case, it's a detriment. I genuinely like the idea of an Internet-connected tablet/TV appliance in the kitchen or other room, but the View isn't that device. The screen is just not good enough, the kickstand is too limiting, and there's no way to mount it on a wall. More to the point, the sluggish performance makes the $600, and even the $500 price point feel way too high. The Galaxy View might find a home somewhere, but not mine. If your company's conference room already has an HDTV and/or video chatting setup, there's no need to spend extra cash on the Galaxy View.
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