Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus vs Amazon Kindle-Fire: Tablet Shootout

Kindle-Fire has been a hit so far for Amazon, but an unexpected contender showed up on shelves a bit earlier than announced, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. It was supposed to debut in the U.S. Nov. 13, but is now available on Amazon. Both devices are nearly the same size, so naturally, we thought you'd like to see how they match up.

First, both devices are Wi-Fi only, but are great at what they do, despite that limitation. Also, Kindle-Fire doesn't have a camera and the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus costs $400.

But if you are looking for a top flight tablet, Samsung is hard to beat, and the Tab 7.0 Plus is still cheaper than the iPad. So if you want the go anywhere, do it all experience on an Android-powered device, the Tab 7.0 Plus is a good choice. On the other hand, if you don't mind the lack of a camera Kindle-Fire won't disappoint. Kindle-Fire also runs on the Android system, but it's tweaked just for Amazon's tablet, so it won't get the new Android 4.0 update.

There's no word on if the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus will get the update, but Android 4.0 is was built to work on tablets and smartphones, so it wouldn't be surprising to see it here. It might take a few months to get 4.0, but since Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is so new, it should be included in Samsung's update calendar. This is what the tech specs look like side-by-side.

It turns out they are very similar by the specs. Kindle-Fire has less storage because Amazon lets you store much of the content you buy from them on their servers. On the Android front, because Kindle-Fire's version of it is customized, it doesn't run many of the Android apps currently available. They both weigh less than a pound, so that makes holding them for long periods pretty easy. That's mostly what the Kindle-Fire is for, but it's in full color and has the full Web experience.

It is much cheaper, though, and that's why it wins this shootout. Samsung has had a very good year, so perhaps they are gambling that people will be willing to spend $400 on a tablet computer. But if it were even $100 less, it would be a much better competitor to Kindle-Fire.

Tell us in the comments if you have a tablet computer or if you're considering getting one.

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