Dell Streak 7 Review – A Mid-Range Device With A Major Flaw

Coming in with a 7” display, the Dell Streak 7 is one of the smallest tablet computers currently on the market. For some, this may something that is a put-off, but for those that want a small, portable device to carry with them – or those that want to read eBooks on a color display, the Dell Streak 7 is a sweet device. Our only real major draw-back, however, is the battery life.

With the use of 4G connectivity, a great processor, a chic lightweight design and a nice price – how does the Dell Streak 7 compare to the other tablets out there?

Key Specs For The Dell Streak 7

• Costs $298 – $450
• Released in 2011
• Runs on Google Android 2.2
• 7.87 x 4.72 x 0.49 inches in size
• Weighs 1 lb. / 0.45 kg
• 7 inch screen
• 800 x 480 resolution
• 16GB storage (up to 32GB additional)
• NVidia Tegra 2 Dual 1 GHz processor
• Wi-Fi/ 4G & Bluetooth connectivity
•  5 MP & 1 MP cameras
•  Battery life has not been publicized – tests suggest around 3.5 – 4 hours

[easyazon-image-link asin="B004QZASJ8" alt="Dell Streak 7 Wi-Fi Tablet (Foggy Night)" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41vb5LExEUL.jpg" align="left" width="250" height="156"]
What We Like About the Dell Streak 7

SD Card Slot: While the Dell Streak 7 has a standard option for 16GB memory, you are able to increase the storage space as there is a SD card slot on the device. What we like about the Dell Streak is that the SD card slot supports SD, SHDC and MMC formats.

Design: The 7-inch screen on the Dell Streak 7 is something that you’re either going to love or hate – different people have different needs and will be looking for different things from a tablet PC. What is true, however, is that the resolution on the Streak 7 is somewhat limited. That said, it appears that Dell have tried to make the most portable Tablet PC that they could make without having to sacrifice quality. The colors are sill bright and bold and with the use of Gorilla Glass, there should be significantly fewer scratches and markings that you get with some other tablets.

Connectivity: The connectivity aspects of the Del Streak are perhaps its most impressive feature. The Streak has the ability to connect to 4G networks! (as well as the usual 3G and Wi-Fi networks). Many other Tablet PCs of this range cannot even connect to 3G networks and so the fact that the Streak can connect to even more powerful networks is a major breakthrough. Not even the iPad 2 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab has the ability to connect to 4G networks and they are the market leaders. As we write this, only the Motorola Xoom is on Par with the Streak.

As it stands only around a third of Americans have access to 4G broadband but it is growing all the time. Soon, it has been proposed, that you will be able to download full movies over 4G networks!

Camera: The Streak’s packs an amazing 5 megapixel camera – putting it among the contenders of the market in terms of camera quality. It even comes with extra features that help you improve the picture and video quality and has complete LED flash, multi-shoot mode and auto focus. The front camera on the Dell Streak 7 has 1.3 megapixels that you will use for simple functions such a video calling.

USB Port: Because of the failure of the iPad 2 to include a simple USB connection, there is always an interest in tablets that offer a standard USB connection. The Dell Streak 7 offers a USB port that allows you to add on larger storage devices and backups as well as any external keyboards that you would like to use with the device.

Price: The 4G options for the Dell Streak come in at around $450 but there are plenty of amazing offers online. The standard version comes in at a more-affordable $300 for those that are not interested in the 4G aspect. Even the 4G version come in way cheaper than the iPad that doesn’t even allow for a 4G option. The Dell Streak manages to create a powerful device in to a small a space as possible and so the price is something that we’re impressed with.

What We Don’t Like About the Dell Streak 7

Operating System: If there’s something that don’t like about the Dell Streak, it’s that it doesn’t have the latest version of the Android operating system. The Streak 7 runs on the Android 2.2 operating system. Unlike some other devices that run on Android 2.2 (such as the Coby Kyros), the Streak 7 does, however, give you access to the Android App store and so you can still get all of the apps that you want. It is important to point out that some apps won’t work with the older 2.2 Android set up. All those that you could want for eReading however will work fine.

Battery Life: You may have a job finding an official Dell source that tells you how much the advertised batter life on the Streak 7 is. It’s an extremely poor 4 hours. This is even less than half of what you can expect from more expensive models, including the iPad 2, the Galaxy Tab ane the Xoom (which average at around 4 hours). We don’t like this one bit.

Ease Of Use: While the screen works in terms of overall touch control, the virtual keyboard on the device is a little disappointing. It’s somewhat cramped and this may be down to the fact that the screen is only 7-inches. If you stay with landscape mode for the majority of your typing that you should be fine – after all many of us manage to type on out smartphones with ease. It’s going to be one of those sacrifices that you will have to make if you’re looking for a small and compact tablet PC.

Conclusion

The Dell Streak 7 is a nicely compact device with a great price tag to go with it. Even the price tag in itself will be enough to grab a few of buyers away from the more expensive tablets such as the Galaxy Tab and the iPad 2. The batterylife however, is something that may turn a few people away and make you think twice about the purchase. While the Streak is no means a budget device, the battery life of around 4 hours is somewhat poor and even the budget tablets have better battery life than this.