Dell Streak vs Samsung Galaxy Tab (design)

Design:

The Samsung Galaxy Tab finds itself being larger in stature than the sleeker looking Dell Streak. In fact, the Tab's screen size easily accommodates the entire body of the Dell Streak. With the Tab, its design doesn't particularly come out as striking since it resorts to following the expected looks of any other tablet. And when compared to the Dell Streak's slim profile and clean surface, the Tab is ofcourse not that pocketable. It's not to say that the Dell Streak is entirely better, but for this comparison, there's no denying that it tucks away a bit more inconspicuously. As for construction, the Streak's implementation of solid hard plastic and a metallic rear cover stands well versus the slick plastic body of the Tab – which has a tendency to scratch.


The Tab's screen size easily accommodates the entire body of the Dell Streak


The term bigger is better always manages to constantly come around with any comparison, but the Tab's sizable 7” TFT display is its most striking figure as it quickly envelops the smaller 5” display of the Streak. Despite packing WVGA (480 x 800) resolution on the Streak, the small text lacks enough sharpness to make it easily distinguishable. Conversely, the Tab's equipped resolution of 600 x 1024 is quite suitable as it exhibits proper sized text – while offering a superior level of quality. Luckily, both offer passable viewing angles and usage under outdoor conditions – plus, they're able to produce some distinctive looking colors.



Both offer passable viewing angles and usage under outdoor conditions and are able to produce some distinctive looking colors


The volume rocker and power buttons all cling on the right side of the devices, but the Tab's raised dedicated power button is easily felt over the recessed one with the Streak. However, the two-level shutter key on the Streak is appreciated in quickly launching the camera app – while the Tab requires you fumble through its menus. Some other commonalities between the two tablets are their front facing cameras, 3.5mm headset jacks, evenly spaced capacitive buttons, and proprietary charging ports.


Front facing cameras

The Dell Streak (top) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab (bottom)


In the rear, the Tab sports a fixed focused 3-megapixel camera with an LED flash while the Streak shows off its might with its 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with dual-LED flash. Thankfully, you can remove the rear cover of the Dell Streak to gain access to its SIM card slot, microSD slot, and more importantly, its removable battery. Regretfully, the Tab's battery is not something that you can replace willingly seeing that its casing completely shuns any prying fingers from exploring its innards.