Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S is positioned as a premium powerhouse player in the Android tablet space, but just how good is it? Well, here’s everything you need to know about Samsung’s middle child Android tablet.
Design and Build Quality
Premium Look and Feel
So the feel of the package here, I think, is really hard to hate. As soon as you get it out of the box, I think over the past decade, Samsung has really started to flex its muscles when it comes to this high-end hardware space. The Galaxy Tab S Plus is easily one of the best tablets out there physically, and actually, visually, the bezels are beautifully uniform. The screen is about as good as it gets, and the frame, the edges, and every facet definitely feel incredible despite being so thin and light. Thanks to that IP rating, it’s at home anywhere too, which is something you want from your tablet.
IP Rating and Durability
That said, I’m not going to use my tablet while soaking in the tub, but at least I know I can if I want to, and it’ll be safe, even getting a light dunk in clean water. Even the S Pen is IP-rated, so you can draw on a wet screen if you really, really wanted to.
S Pen: A Handy Addition
S Pen Placement and Design
The magnetic S Pen strip at the back of the tablet is still one of the strangest constant design choices that Samsung continues to run with. I’m almost constantly knocking the S Pen off the back of the frame of this thing. It’s nice as a short sort of kickstand, but this orientation begs to be used as a digital easel for sketching and taking notes, so it isn’t really all that useful. That said, the S Pen is a really great, free additional extra, but I wish it was magnetically attached somewhere else on this device. Maybe this super thin frame edge actually prevents placement like it does on the iPad, so in some ways, I can actually admit that it is a little bit forgivable.
Display Quality
Stunning OLED Panel
Samsung just knows how to make a class-leading OLED panel at this rate in time as well, and this is absolutely no different this time around. It gets fairly bright— I think it’s around about nits, which, although isn’t the brightest on the market, is still pretty good for a tablet. It has rich colors and deep contrast, and realistically, it’s just a joy to use for practically everything you’d want to do with a modern Android tablet, or even a phone.
Size and Fingerprint Issues
For instance, my biggest gripe is actually the size of this thing. It’s an absolute beast to maneuver, and that means I’m leaving fingerprints all over that beautiful panel. It’s like a super-thin laptop, so I can understand the attraction to this device.
Gorilla Armor Display Tech
I would have also loved to have seen the Gorilla Armor display tech from the S Ultra used here, as it would have actually elevated the display way above the competition, and it means that brightness probably wouldn’t have been as much of a problem in direct sunlight. I actually feel like I’m complaining for the sake of complaining, but it just would be the icing on top of the cake, because the Hz QHD+ screen really can’t be lauded enough— at least in my opinion.
Audio and Sound Quality
Four Speaker System
Four speakers also flank the display around the edges of the frame itself. Despite how thin the chassis is, these really do offer a sound that rivals some of the best laptop speakers out there. The sound is incredible, and actually, dare I say it, better than the Pixel tablet speaker dock right out of the Tab S Plus itself. Everything sounds crystal clear without audio distortion or cracking, even at those highest volume settings, which is really important if you’re going to use this as an entertainment or media device.
Camera System
Dual-Camera Setup
One thing I don’t understand, but I actually think might be useful in a pinch, is that dual-camera system at the back. I think it is actually pretty solid for doing things like scanning or taking photos of documents, but a higher quality single camera setup might have been a better choice than the dual-lens system that’s used here.
Performance and Power
MediaTek vs Snapdragon Debate
I’ve read and heard a lot of complaints from Samsung fans about the switch to a MediaTek chip on the Galaxy Tab S Plus this year, and maybe this actually did affect my own initial perception of the tablet. The reality is that I, at least personally, would barely touch the limits of this Dimensity Plus chipset anyway, and I’m convinced that most people will never be able to tell the difference between this and a Snapdragon chip. But if it does bother you, I think you probably might want to look for something else.
Power vs Real-World Use
My frustrations are actually less power-related. The biggest problem I’ve noticed with the Tab S Plus is that it’s perfectly poised to offer you an alternative to something like a Chromebook, without the killer apps that you would need unless you’re happy to tinker or play around and have workarounds. It’s a double-edged sword, as you can run lots of Android apps in a desktop-like experience. I find that this is fine for all the basics, like editing documents or some very basic image altering, and even some light video editing in apps like LumaFusion, which is a really good addition to the Android ecosystem. Would it be enough to replace a laptop though? Well, I think we’re still a long way off, unless you solely work in things like Chrome tabs, which I’m sure a lot of you do anyway.
Software and Apps
Android Apps in Desktop Mode
The only problem there is, though, the lack of add-ons for Chrome might make it hard to do so, and some apps default to just big versions of their smartphone counterparts, which makes them a little bit frustrating. I figured it would have improved by [year], but it is what it is at this stage.
Optimized Google Apps
One minor upside is that lots of first-party Google applications at least have those visual differences and improved sidebars to account for the larger screen real estate, so you can get some things done. You’re just going to have to play around and work out which is the best set of tools.
The S Pen: A Game-Changer
Handwriting Help and Use Cases
One saving grace is that the S Pen really does feel like the perfect companion as a pro tool for this device. I will say I’m not much of a note taker on my phone, save the odd recipe and shopping list. Even with that in mind, the S Pen has actually become super useful to me for jotting things down while in meetings or even during some of my external language studies outside of work time. Samsung has tacked on another feature called handwriting help as part of their AI suite for the Notes application, and this AI-powered feature does well at character recognition, but I don’t think it’s a killer feature as part of the S Pen’s obvious feature set. It does help clean up your notes though if you’re particularly messy, and that might be useful again if you’re a student looking for something to take notes on when you’re in classes, but too lazy to type. You can use apps like Sketch to image that might help you paper over some of the cracks of your inability to draw, like myself.
Storage and Expansion Options
Storage Options
Personally, the S Pen is definitely one of those hardware additions that might help sell a tablet, and it’s great that it is bundled in for free, even though it is something that would ordinarily cost you extra if you’re using another system. Kudos also to Samsung for making the base storage GB as well, although this is still technically UFS storage, and the company has also retained the microSD card expansion, because I don’t think you’re going to need to spend a fortune to choose those higher storage tiers if you want to keep lots of files on the Tab S Plus.
Gaming Performance
Gaming on the Galaxy Tab S Plus
For gamers in particular, this could be useful for keeping ROMs close by with the various emulators that are available on Android right out of the box, and this could be a good little emulation machine if you wanted it to be. With that in mind, the Galaxy Tab S Plus actually is no slouch as a gaming tablet in its own right, but it isn’t exactly a performance beast, as I noted in this review. If you want a marginally more powerful tablet, something using the Snapdragon gen chip, such as the OnePlus Pad, might actually be a better alternative for you.
Battery Life
Impressive Battery for Daily Use
When we start to look at the battery and the lifespan of this device, there’s a secondary piece of hardware. The Galaxy Tab S Plus has been a multi-day beast, at least in my testing. It can handle multiple days as my companion without a worry that it will run out of juice throughout the day. As a work tool though, it also helps that you will get through a day without actually breaking a sweat, with a little bit of headroom to spare. Frankly, the mAh battery is huge— it’s double that of my Pixel Pro fold, and it doesn’t let up.
Battery Drain in High-Intensity Use
That said, if you’re watching a movie at full brightness with those speakers at full blast, with HDR K, all of those things, and even streaming, for instance, you could potentially kill the battery in under hours if you really, really wanted to. If you’re on a long-haul flight, which I think is one of the best use cases for this, you should be able to make it to your final destination without too many compromises, which I think is expected of a tablet such as this.
Charging Speed and Limitations
Charging, though, is still capped at wats, which does seem slow by today’s standards. But you will also need to pick up a USB PD charger with your own money to actually get those charge speeds, because Samsung ditched the in-box charger quite a while back, which I think is a frustration, especially given the price point.
Pricing Considerations
When we start to summarize this entire package, I think one of the biggest downsides of the Galaxy Tab S Plus for most people is that it starts at $. That’s a big financial outlay for an Android tablet, or a tablet period. I don’t think it’s quite worth parting with that much just for this particular device. The thing is, it’s just impossible to ignore the iPad lineup when we start to factor in the costs.
My Opinion
But I don’t think Apple’s tablets are suitable for everyone, and it might not be to your liking, especially if you’re a fan of Android or just need something a bit more flexible with the potential to grow into different use cases.