Walk into pretty much any store that sells accessories for electronics, and you’ll find a vast assortment of items for the iPAD – try to find something for another tablet though, and you’ll have a rough time of it. Some companies like Acer do make their own things, but Samsung apparently doesn’t feel they need to make cases for the Galaxy Tab. Because of that, we’ve been left to get sub-par cases, or modify another to suit our needs – but now that ZAGG has made their ZAAGfolio compatible with the Galaxy Tab 10.1, will Galaxy owners like myself finally have someplace safe to store their tab?
One thing I found out doing this review, is that there are slight differences in the WiFi only version of the 10.1 Galaxy Tab, and the Verizon LTE model. I mention this because I have the Verizon model, and the ZAGGfolio is meant for the plain WiFi model. I’m not taking any points off because of any modifications I had to make, because really that’s not their fault. I will let you know though exactly what you’ll need to do in order to make it work should you also have the Verizon model.
The first thing you’ll notice on picking up the ZAGGfolio is that it feels very solid. The hard shell will definitely be able to protect your Galaxy Tab from everyday bumps without any issues. The Bluetooth keyboard is small and sleek, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable to use at all – rather I find myself using it almost exclusively anymore, even when my Tab isn’t in the case. A charge on the keyboard lasts about a week with normal use, and it only takes about an hour of being plugged in to build that charge right back up.
On the keyboard is your standard set of keys, but then there are a lot of Galaxy control keys. Things such as volume up and down, screen brightness, and media keys are right at your fingertips – and in the case of the volume controls that’s super important, as you won’t be able to change the volume any other way on the Verizon model. I don’t know where the volume buttons are on the WiFi version – they could very well be in one of the holes that don’t line up with anything on my model, but when you put the Verizon version in the case your volume buttons are completely covered up.
Speaking of things being covered up, if you DO have a Verizon version like myself, I hope you have a Dremel, because you need to lengthen the hole for the power button about a quarter of an inch, or you’ll never be able to turn your Tab on. Again, this isn’t a design flaw on the ZAGGfolio, but merely Samsung being strange and changing little things between models. Hopefully there will be a design revision though to take into account these differences between the models.
One thing that is both good and bad on the ZAGGfolio, is how tight of a fit it is. I don’t believe there’s any size difference in the Verizon and WiFi models (though if anyone knows they can feel free to correct me), so this will happen on either model. Trying to get your Tab actually in the ZAGGfolio is a chore and a half – saying it fits like a glove isn’t really right, more like it fits like a glove one size too small. I understand that you want a tight fit to keep the tab from slipping out, but the same thing could have been accomplished with two tabs at the bottom to clip it in place. As it it, I was afraid I would end up breaking my Tab by repeatedly putting it in and taking it out. If you don’t plan on ever taking your Tab out though (or rarely), then that won’t be so much of an issue for you to have to deal with.
Something that’s really great about the ZAGGfolio is how you can rest your Tab in it at an angle, making it act much like a laptop screen. This is perfect for watching videos and movies on the go when you don’t feel like holding your Tab for everything. While the viewing angle isn’t really adjustable, it’s set up for the average person to have a good view for it being seated either on your lap or a desk.
The Bottom Line: The ZAGGfolio is a good first attempt at a case for the Samsung Galaxy Tab – while it’s not perfect yet, it works and with a few simple hardware changes it could easily become the go-to case for Galaxy Tab owners.
Pros:
- Nice and solid case will protect the Tab a lot better than having nothing
- The Bluetooth keyboard is a really nice feature, and a Godsend for people like me who like to feel the keys
- The screen sits at pretty much the perfect level when it’s in the holder
Cons:
- Incredibly tight fit makes you dread having to take the Tab out of the case
- The case doesn’t like to stay snapped shut unless you really force it together
- It’s not set up to be universal across different Galaxy Tab models
You can grab a ZAGGfolio for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 from Amazon for $89.99
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