With more and more tablets being announced these days, the latest trending topic seems to be the comparison of tablet devices among the tech enthusiasts. Already there's a big screen boy, such as the iPad, and then there are the small more portable devices, such as the Dell Streak and the Samsung Galaxy Tab in the market.

So, if you're in the market for a smaller, more portable, tablet then both the 5-inch Dell Streak and the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab are equally attractive possibilities – but should you snap up the Dell Streak or the Samsung Galaxy Tab?

It's a tough call, but before you make a decision make sure you read our analysis of the two tablet devices.

First Impression

Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but when you have a look at the two devices in question one thing becomes immediately apparent: the Galaxy Tab looks like a tablet and the Streak looks, well, more like a big smartphone.

And the Dell Streak has taken quite a bit of flack since its release with many claiming that it's just a massive smartphone – which, if we're honest, it kind of is. That said, having a phone facility is very handy, even if it is a bit bizarre talking into something that size. Nevertheless, during testing we got very attached to the Streak – we even began using it as our regular phone.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab, which also has a phone function as well, is quite a bit larger than the Streak  at 7-inches, but it is still a lot more portable than the 9-inch iPad. However, the Galaxy Tab is very much a tablet device, borrowing heavily from the iPad, and is on the whole a very sleek looking, carefully designed device – basically, it's probably the iPad's nearest rival in terms of overall build quality and sex appeal.

Unfortunately, the Dell Streak lacks the "wow factor" of the Galaxy Tab and, while opinion may differ on this contentious subject, we're pretty much adamant that the Galaxy Tab kicks the Dell Streak's proverbial ass in the looks department every time.

Verdict – Samsung Galaxy Tab

Operating Systems

Both of the tablets in question are powered by Google's mobile Android OS. However, both run different versions of the infinitely popular mobile OS – Android 1.6 on the Streak (soon to be 2.1) and Android 2.2 on the Galaxy Tab. So in the present context, the Galaxy Tab is clearly the front-runner in this department having a superior version of Android onboard.

That said, the Dell Streak is eventually getting upgraded to Android 2.2, which is apparently happening before the end of the year, so in this respect it'll be on a par – at least in terms of operating systems – with the Galaxy Tab.

Verdict – Draw

Imaging & Video

While the Samsung Galaxy Tab maybe a significantly more expensive device than the Dell Streak, you certainly wouldn't know it by looking at the two device's respective imaging specs.

The Streak has a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash, as well as point and shoot capability and a front facing VGA web cam. But that's not all as there are so many features and options within the Dell Streak’s camera application that you’re absolutely spoilt for choice. Put short, the Dell Streak has a brilliant camera with reams of cool and very high quality built in features – so much so, in fact, that it's probably one of the best Android cameras we've ever used.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab, on the other hand, features a rather lack-lustre 3-megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash. There's also a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and the device will apparently shoot video in a resolution of 720 x 480 at 30fps, which, unfortunately, gives the Streak's VGA quality video recorder and absolute kicking.

So, overall, it is quite a tough call. On the one hand, you’ve got the Streak with a brilliant camera and average video recording capabilities. On the other, you’ve got the Galaxy Tab with brilliant video recording capabilities and a rather average camera.

Verdict – It's a tie, as both the device's positives and negatives cancel one another out: one has a good camera and rubbish video, the other has rubbish video and a good camera. Stale mate.

Screens

The Dell Streak's 5-inch TFT 480 x 800 pixel display is better than adequate in every respect. Web pages look good, videos render well and it’s a pleasure to open up well put together apps on it. In short, we don't really have any complaints about the Streak's display.

That said, in a head-to-head, being good sometimes isn't good enough, and in this instance the Galaxy Tab is well in front of the Streak. Not only does it have a significantly larger 7-inch display, but it also has a lot more pixels packed into it – 1024 x 600, to be precise.

Verdict – Samsung Galaxy Tab

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