After the unveiling of the company’s flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5, Samsung decided not to waste anymore time in releasing additional products to further snare the market away from its competitors. These additional products come in the form of a tablet called the Samsung Galaxy Tab S. Currently; the Galaxy Tab S comes in two models that are different in terms of dimensions; a 10.5 inch one and an 8.4 inch one. The only visible difference between the two products is the screen size. However, if you look closely enough, there is also a difference in the total battery capacity which affects the overall pricing of both products. The details of our review will show to you why the Samsung Galaxy Tab S deserves to be your next tablet purchase.
1. The crisp high definition display
Samsung’s flagship smartphone; the Galaxy S5 was rumored to sport a ‘beyond HD’ resolution. With Galaxy smartphone fans left devastated, Samsung feels that the only way that the company could pay penance was to bring about a crisp display in its next product. Both models have been incorporated with a 2560 x 1600 resolution. In addition to the resolution, both tablets also come packed with several features that will augment the experience of the user. One of these features happens to be Samsung’s new Adaptive Display mode. This display mode adjusts the tint of the display according to the color of ambient light present in your surroundings. In this way, the user’s comfort level due to prolonged tablet usage will not be hampered and at the same time, it will conserve battery life.
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 | Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 | |
| Length | 247.3 mm | 212.8 mm |
| Width | 177.3 mm | 125.6 mm |
| Thickness | 6.6 mm | 6.6 mm |
| Weight | 465g | 294g |
2. The internal specifications are impressive
Both models of the Galaxy Tab S will come in the following chipset variants:
- Exynos 5 Octa (4 x Cortex A15 1.9 GHz + 4 x Cortex A7 1.3 GHz)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset with quad core Krait 400 processor with frequency of 2.3 GHz
Since the Galaxy S5 was released prior to the release of these two planets and since the Galaxy S5 possesses a SoC that is more advanced compared to the aforementioned chipsets (Snapdragon 801), lots of uses will be puzzled as to why the company incorporated an older chipset in to the two models. Irrespective of that fact; the important thing to know is that both chipsets and their respective processors are not short of mobile processing power and are to be considered as slobber knocker of mobile chipsets. So as far as heavy multitasking and mobile gaming is concerned, you will be taken care of by these tablets. Another perk of owning one of the Galaxy Tab S models is that both models possess Qualcomm’s MSM8974v3 integrated LTE modem.
The inclusion of the LTE modem will allow users to browser and stream the internet while they are mobile. To help supplement the multitasking processes, both tablets have been fed with 3 GB of RAM and since these days, nearly all consumers happen to be ‘storage-holics’, Samsung has included expandable storage capability through a microSD card slot in its tablets. While we are on the subject of features, Samsung has also decided to incorporate an 802.11 ac wireless standard adapter to help users browsers the internet smoothly. Just remember; the total internet speed will actually depend on your ISP’s speed, so make sure you have subscribed to a nice package, or else you won’t be able to enjoy fluid web browsing or streaming sessions on your tablet. Given below is a summary of the specifications that you will find in both models of the Galaxy Tab S. (both tablets are running the KitKat operating system version 4.4.2)
| Galaxy Tab S 10.5 | Galaxy Tab S 8.4 | |
| Chipset | Exynos 5 Octa (4 x Cortex A15 1.9 GHz + 4 x Cortex A7 1.3 GHz) or Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.3 GHz | Exynos 5 Octa (4 x Cortex A 15 1.9 GHz + 4 x Cortex A7 1.3 GHz) or Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.3 GHz |
| Memory | 3 GB | 3 GB |
| Connectivity | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 + BT 4.0, USB 2.0, GPS/GNSS/Beidou, WiFi Direct, Optional Cellular in Certain Markets | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 + BT 4.0, USB 2.0, GPS/GNSS/Beidou, WiFi Direct, Optional Cellular in Certain Markets |
| Storage | 16 GB/32 GB + microSD | 16 GB/32 GB + microSD |
3. The battery capacity and the price
One of the reasons why didn’t protest on the high resolution of both tablets is because we wanted to see the battery capacity that both tablets come shipped with. To our surprise, both tablets come with rather large capacity batteries, even though the 10.5 inch screen size model has a battery level that puts a difference of 3000 mAh between the 8.4 inch model. Some users might think that Samsung has played unfairly by creating a disparity in battery life between the two models. However, users should also realize that the price difference between the two products is $100 so that huge difference is warranted.
| Galaxy Tab S 10.5 | Galaxy Tab S 8.4 | |
| Battery | 7900 mAh | 4900 mAh |
| Price | $499 | $399 |
Should the Galaxy S Tab be your next tablet purchase?
Without a doubt, it should be. Perhaps the only complaint we could sprout up from this review was that Samsung used an older chip in its products. While its performance is legendary, it still begs the question as to why Samsung chose to take this approach. For users who are on a budget; they can opt to purchase the 8.4 inch screen size, which will set them back by $399. If users choose to display patience and with that patience, they are able to save up an additional $100, then what better way to spend it than to purchase the 10.5 inch model. Whatever your choice may be; know this; your purchase will not leave you disappointed.
