The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) will be arriving on T-Mobile for June, but is the device worth getting?
At this time, T-Mobile is only offering the tablet for pre-order on its website, at an asking price of $550. In contrast, the Galaxy Note 10.1 is available on Verizon for $600 with a 2-year contract, and $700 without contract. Still, T-Mobile is offering the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 contract-free - an offer that falls in line with its uncarrier mantra. For users who just want the tablet, Amazon is selling the tablet new at roughly $522.
Besides finding the right carrier, it is equally important to choose a device whose performance justifies the selling price. Indeed, the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) is not going to come cheap, and is primarily targeted at buyers asking for higher performance.
Under the hood, the tablet is impressive in performance. The device has a quad core 1.9 GHz cortex A15, and quad core 1.3 GHz cortex A7 processor. And, the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset with 3 GB of RAM. Storage capacity varies between two versions of the tablet - the first variant having 16 GB of space, while the second being capable of 32 GB. Both the 16 GB and 32 GB versions have access slots for a microSD card of up to 64 GB.
All these capabilities are far from overkill considering that the tablet has a large 10.1-inch HD display that runs at 2560x1600 pixels. Even with this amount of hardware, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 weighs in at just 540 grams.
Out of the box, the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) comes with the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS. However, carriers have already begun rolling out the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the tablet. Just two weeks ago, Verizon rolled out the Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade to the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition). Other carriers will soon follow.
Although the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) has been one of the more expensive tablets on the market, its performance capabilities more than justifies the price tag. Budget-minded users, however, may consider getting refurbished or used versions of the tablet, which are significantly cheaper but limited in availability.
Amazon offers used Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) tablets at just $445.92. As this time, Newegg is offering the refurbished 32GB version at just $410, but the 16 GB version is already sold out. Another place to consider buying a used Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) is on the online auction site Ebay, where prices can fall as low as $400, but the risk of purchasing broken devices or even knock-off copies from unscrupulous sellers is something to consider.
