Although not a big fan of huge smartphones, I must say I enjoyed playing with the Dell Streak 5 back when it was launched. That’s why I was eagerly expecting a true tablet from Dell and the first one is the 7 inch version, the Dell Streak 7. It was rumored for a while but now we finally have some reviews and details about it, so we can really say if this is indeed a tablet we should die to see in stores or not?
Now, you must know from starters that the Streak 7 is going to be quite affordable, Dell planning to sell it for only $199 on contract and around $450 for the unsubsidized version. But should this mean we should not have high expectation from it? Well, actually, yes. See the rows bellow to find out why, as quite a few of the big sites out there got their hands on the 7 inch Dell and posted their reviews today.
But first, a quick look at the specs:
- 1 GHz Dual COrtex A9 Nvidia Tegra2 processor and Nvidia ULP GeForce graphics
- 512 MB of RAM
- 16 GB storage space + SD card slot
- 7 inch 800 x 480 px display
- Wi-Fi N, Bluetooth and T-Mobile’s “4G” HSPA+
- 2 cameras – 5MPx on the back and 1.3 MPx on the front
- Android 2.2 OS
- measures 7.9 x 4.7 x .5 inches and weighs around 1 pound
De.ll Streak 7 is here, with powerful hardware, nice shape but also a lot of screw ups
I’m not going to get to deep into details, you will find links towards the reviews of the Streak towards the bottom of this post.
All in all, most reviewers appreciated the shape and overall construction of this tablet, feeling pretty solid and rough. Also, the hardware inside is quite powerful. Tegra2 is quite snappy and can play all kind of video content and games. Unfortunately there’s no type of video output on this one, so it feels that some of that multimedia power goes unused (Dell offers a docking station with HDMI though, but that one costs extra).
Still, that’s not really an issue. The poor screen however is. There’s a 7 inch display on this one but comes with the same resolution as the smaller 5 inch version had: 800 x 480 px. So don’t expect smooth images, which is a bummer. Besides that, the screen is pretty dark and offers poor viewing angles, especially when compared to its main rival, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, as you can see in this clip below from Joanna at Engadget.
Everything runs on Android 2.2 Froyo, with a customizable Stage UI on top. that’s OK for now, especially since Dell announced they are going to offer Android 3.0 HoneyComb upgrade in the future. There are a bunch of preloaded applications but you really can’t say there’s too much to choose from on this tablet. Luckily you can easily install more.
All in all, the Dell Streak 7 would seem like an overall decent portable touchscreen tablet. Yes, that display is poor and perhaps the screen is the most important part of such a device, but we’ve seen worst anyway. And it does come with that Tegra 2 hardware and great pricing. However, there’s one last details nailing the coffin, and that’s battery life, only rated at around 3-4 hours on a single charge in daily tasks, with a top of up to 6 hours if used lightly. And that’s half of what the Galaxy Tab can offer and a third of what the iPad boosts.
Now, it’s true the battery on the Streak 7 is smaller than the one of the Galaxy and the hardware is more powerful (thus eats more juice), but still, that’s not our problem. You can’t really sell a portable tablet with such poor battery life and expect people to buy it. Not even if you offer it with a good price tag.
Runs Android 2.2 Froyo, with a future HoneyComb update to come
See what reviews each had to say about the slate via the link below:
- CrunchGear considers it a decent model
- Gizmodo finds it good also, although are disappointed in the poor display resolution and the fact that you can’t use it for taking any calls
- Engadget offers the Streak 7 a 4 out of 10 mark, mainly because of that poor display and battery life
- SlashGear appreciate the powerful hardware, despite the loss in autonomy
- Laptop Magazine gave the Streak 7 only 2 out of 5 stars, also because of that display and battery life
Bottoms up, the Dell Streak 7 is not what we were expecting for. Seems like a oversized Streak 5 with more powerful guts. But they do no good, since you don’t get the screen to profit from those multimedia abilities or the autonomy to use them on the road. So all in all, Dell actually managed to screw up the most important parts on a tablet: the screen and the battery. So no wonder it scored such low marks in reviews.
For the time being, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is still the best choice in the 7 inch size class, although you probably won’t be able to get Honeycomb on that one. And if you’re looking for a cheaper option, that Nook Color can be a good option, especially since it can run Android as well.
Streak 7 really a no match for the Galaxy Tab in the 7 inch class
If you were expecting for this 7 incher like I was, well, tough luck. It was not meant to be, so carry on now, more devices will soon hit the market and hopefully they’ll leave a better taste in our mouths.
