Now that Samsung Galaxy Tab is launched in India and will be available from Nov 10, it is time to compare it with its nearest competitor, Olivepad. Olivepad is the first 3G tablet to be launched in India. Dell Streak was launched after Olivepad but Streak’s 5-inch screen puts it in no man’s land. Samsung Galaxy Tab is a perfect 7-inch tablet and probably the second 3G tablet to be launched in India.
Olivepad and Galaxy Tab are comparable on every spec. There aren’t any notable missing features on either of them. Let’s start off with the foremost comparison – the price. Samsung Galaxy Tab comes with an exorbitant Rs. 38000. This is more than the retail price of Galaxy Tab in the US which is sold for $600 without contract. On pure dollar terms, that comes to less than 30K in India. Olivepad comes with a price of Rs. 25000. That is a price difference of 13K. Significant difference to start with. Let’s check out other features as well before we make a decision.
What’s common between Olivepad and Samsung Galaxy Tab
Touch screen
Both has a capacitive touch screen with 7-inch screen. By now the trend is clear. The price point to get a capacitive touch screen tablet is 25K+.
Operating system
Both run the latest Android operating system Froyo or Android 2.2. This might not look much of a deal but if you think about, Android has made hardware manufacturers job much easier. If Android didn’t exist then think of all the proprietary softwares that has to go on-board and the frustration that would have followed.
RAM
512 MB RAM is on-board for both Galaxy Tab and Olivepad. A 512 MB RAM has become the de-facto standard on the tablets. I am yet to see a tablet which has more than 512 MB RAM.
Connectivity
Galaxy Tab and Olivepad come with in-built 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS. 3G+Bluetooth+Wi-Fi is a must on a tablet as the selling point for tablet is mobility. Only Wi-Fi is just not good enough for a tablet.
Weight
Olivepad weighs 380 grams and Galaxy Tab weighs 375 grams. A difference of 5 grams can be easily ignored. Of the tablets we have reviewed so far, Infibeam Phi is the lightest with 332 gms. Olivepad and Galaxy Tab could end up being one of the lighter tablets in the Indian market.
USB
Galaxy Tab and Olivepad come with USB connectivity. This is a feature which is missing on iPad and yet no one is complaining. For Olivepad and Galaxy Tab you don’t have to complain about USB, because not everyone is Steve Jobs.
Video conferencing
A notable miss on iPad, Olivepad and Galaxy Tab has made amends to include this important feature. There is a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera and 3 megapixel rear facing camera with LED flash for both Olivepad and Galaxy Tab. These are quintessential for video conferencing. If a device doesn’t have a front-facing camera then it’s not ready for video conferencing. Period.
Dimensions
Looking at the specs, Olivepad is thinner than Galaxy Tab. Not sure if you get the same feeling after holding them. Galaxy Tab has a 11.98mm thickness and Olivepad has 11.5 mm thickness. Galaxy Tab has a width of 120.45 mm and Olivepad has a width of 110 mm. The height of Olivepad is less too. Olivepad has a 179.4 mm height, Galaxy Tab has a 190.09 mm height. Though Olivepad weighs 5 grams more than Galaxy Tab, Olivepad could actually feel much lighter. The pictures do not necessarily reflect that. Olivepad somehow feels bulkier than its specs.
What’s different between Olivepad and Galaxy Tab?
Resolution
Galaxy Tab comes with a screen resolution of 1024×600 and Olivepad comes with a screen resolution of 800×400. The videos on Galaxy Tab would play much better.
Storage
This beats me. Olivepad has an on-board flash memory of 512 MB. This is probably the lowest on-board memory I have seen in the tablets. The minimum storage capacity has been 2GB. Olivepad has a microSD slot which can be expandable up to 32 GB. Galaxy Tab has an on-board memory of 16GB and can be expandable up to 32 GB. Even if you add a 16 GB microSD card for Rs. 3000, the net price of Olivepad will be Rs. 28000.That would still be a price difference of Rs. 10000 rupees which is equivalent to buying Binatone Home Surf or Accord @Pad and getting some change back.
Processor
This is by far the most significant difference between Olivepad and Galaxy Tab. Galaxy Tab is fast. It comes with a Cortex A8 with 1 GHz speed. Olivepad comes with ARM11 600 MHz speed. A noticeable difference for gamers and video aficionados.
Battery
Galaxy Tab comes with a 7 hours of video playing time. Galaxy Tab didn’t mention how long would the battery last on videos alone but it gave a 9 hours for talk time.
Video out
Galaxy Tab comes with HDMI port, the accessory is sold separately. Olivepad has no such feature.
Finally
The stand out feature for Samsung Galaxy Tab is its 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor. The fastest processor available on current crop of tablets.
The is no stand out feature for Olivepad if we put it next to Galaxy Tab. If we don’t compare with Galaxy Tab, Olivepad is a fully packed Tablet PC.
A price tag of Rs.27000 – Rs. 30000 is an ideal price for Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Verdict
If you think you can pay Rs.10000 extra for an extra 400MHz speed then Galaxy Tab could be your tablet of choice. Other than that I really can’t find a reason to pay 38000 rupees for Galaxy Tab. I would rather buy an OlivePad.
16 Comments
Pradeep
Price is too much and it doe not make any sense.
Suyog Ketkar
Well I think my pick will be Olive Pad. A value for money purchase, and I believe a must have for a gadget fan! On the other side, Samsung Galaxy Tab is a put off for its price tag. Too much of an investment for just another 400 MHz of speed. Of course little things make big difference, and looking at the psychological impact that could have in the end, it sure is a pick for someone who isn't so "price-sensitive". I also have seen the review on gadget guru that claims Olive Pad to have been first such product form India. Well, that sure is another reason I can go for it. As far as the soft-platform is concerned, both devices offer the same. And for other features there is not much left to bargain. You've got sufficient speed with docs, now I must tell that having already positioned a product in the tab-PC category, I believe the company is all set to bounce back big time. All I can say is – Good or bad, Watch out!
Gaurav
I would say that if the CRN news article is to be believed the accessories that the Galaxy would come with will offset the pricea little bit more. I am looking to buy the Galaxy Tab as a whole some entertainment unit for my Car and quality Car mount is something I find hard to find. I may be totaly wrong in the assumption if the box doesn't contain the accessories. I'm on my way to US and was looking to buy one from their but even there I have to do a Preorder and no sureity of getting one.
Another important factor I looked at was that of service, which both Olive and Samsung Galaxy would fit here. A Galaxy from US would probably have charged service.
Thanks
Gaurav
Dr.Mohak Shah
i used both olive pad and galaxy tab…galaxy tab is far better…it is faster..most importantly screen is better and there is adobe flash player 10.1…u cant install adobe flash player 10.1 on olive pad due to some weird reason…also no support for front facing camera for video calling in fring and tango in olivepad which is done easily by galaxy tab…so galaxy tab is a winner all the way…
Babu
I like olive pad. Only lacking is flash player which may also be downloaded from android market.
rest is fine saving money and good battery. can anyone tell me from where i can buy this olive pad?
arun
You can buy Olive Pad from a Croma Outlet…
Sourav
buy online at olivepad.com or at TATA Croma stores.
Ahmednalladin
it is very intresting to note the comparission but as an indian we must support our country like americans say be american and buy american so like wise we must encourage our local industries then only would they buck up lastly i am for olive
roger
I have an OlivePad, and so far not impressed. I have had it for about 12 days now, but I still can't seem to find a video player that can play normal 360p avi video files correctly. There is ALWAYS a problem in audio and video syncing.
I am disappointed, and might sell it off cheap.
Syam
Hi Roger,
For what price you are planning to sell it. Does it supports Flash 10.1 ?
syam
Naveen kumar
If u wish. I like to buy ur olivepad immediately. ct me
ManishT
hi guys,
i am looking out to buy a tablet between 15k – 20k. can someone please suggest me which one should I go for- OlivePad VT100 Or Samsung galaxy P1000?
Vipin
Wanted a tab wid max features
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