The release of the Dell Streak 7 on T-Mobile is now official. You can pick up your very own tablet for just $200 with a 2 year contract after a $200 instant discount, and a $50 mail-in rebate. Or if you just wanna spend some money, you can pick it up minus contract for an overpriced $450, but as always the price for freedom may be more appealing than being on carrier lockdown.With its release comes a 4G-capable tablet, powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 dual core processor, and sporting a 7-inch touchscreen made of nearly indestructible Gorilla Glass.
Before you go and spend all your hard-earned cash, you might wanna check out what the web has to say. The reviews have poured in from some of our fellow Android news sources, with mostly positive comments. You can check the early verdicts below and judge for yourself if the Dell Streak 7 is worth your money. Be sure to check out the gallery at the bottom of the page, courtesy of Slashgear’s review.
Engadget Review
We’re actually not even sure why the guys in Austin decided to bring the Streak 7 to market in its current form. There’s no doubt that at $199.99 on contract / $450 off contract the tablet is one of the more decently priced Android slates out there, and its HSPA+ speeds make it incredibly fast, but when you combine its low-resolution screen, poor battery life, and soon-to-be outdated OS, we simply can’t recommend it, even if it doesn’t break the bank.
Crunchgear Review
The Dell Streak 7, like the original Dell Streak, is a smartphone masquerading as a tablet. That is not, on the whole, a bad thing: you get some of the best features of Android in a form-factor that is more conducive to media consumption. However, the Streak 7 is worrying because it launches on the cusp of another Android version, 3.0, that promises a more unified tablet UI. Provided this device will keep up with the times over the next few iterations of Android, I’m all for recommending it as a sturdy and slight Galaxy Tab or iPad alternative for the media enthusiast.
Slashgear Review
Having used the Tab for over a month and now after using the Streak for five days, the performance advantages of the Streak 7 give it the edge in my opinion. The Streak 7 will perform and in some cases outperform other tablets in the 7′ inch range with its capabilities as a rich multimedia device largely thanks to NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 super chip. The battery life is my biggest complaint with the Streak 7 and in terms of battery life the Tab is a better option.
GigaOM Review
Folks looking for a low-cost, fairly basic Android tablet that can overlook the screen resolution could be happy with the Streak 7. It all depends on if the 4G radio is worth the purchase, because the Galaxy Tab for $50 more offers many better features. Regardless of the fast data connection, the screen is a deal-breaker for me personally, simply because it’s the function most used.
ZDNet Review
The Dell Streak 7 has one fatal flaw and that is the resolution of the display. The thing is, the display quality is vital to the usage of a tablet and I personally would never buy one because of the display resolution. Another issue I have with it is the apparent limited battery life and again I want a tablet where I do not have to think about battery life for at least a full, busy day of usage.
Gizmodo Review
If you absolutely must pick up a 7-inch Android tablet immediately, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is better at this very moment. The pickle is that the Streak has better guts and will one day be updated to Android 3.0, which will likely obliterate the software problems, while we’ve heard that the Galaxy Tab may not ever be updated to 3.0. (That said, Honeycomb won’t do anything to fix the Streak 7′s mediocre screen, which is totally inferior to the Tab, and we hate the idea of purchasing anything predicated on the hopes or promises of a software update, which is only slightly less risky than purchasing a lottery ticket.)
Take from it what you wish. The screen resolution issue seems to be a common theme throughout. The Streak 7 has some major competition to face, so we’ll just have to wait and see how well it does once it’s released. Before you wonder, yes there is a goat in the gallery courtesy of the Streak 7′s camera, just thought you should know.
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