Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Pro Reviews

A great, if pricey, compact tablet, with a top-quality screen, fast performance and superb battery life

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 really is a lovely tablet with a standout screen that beats both the iPad Mini Retina and the Google Nexus 7. It’s thin, light, has good battery life, stellar app and gaming performance and some nice tweaks to Android. At around £320 it’s going head-to-head with an Apple Mini with Retina Display which is still one of our favourite small tablets. The iPad still has the advantage when it comes to tablet-speccific content such as apps and games, however Android now feels like the more powerful and practical operating system. If you're looking for an Android tablet, then the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is certainly a fantastic, if rather expensive choice. The 8.4in display strikes a great middle ground between small 7in tablets and hulking 10in examples, both of which look to be falling slowly out of favour. If you don’t want to spend as much, the Google Nexus 7 is now available for around £150 which makes it excellent value.

After looking at their pricing, they obviously allude to the fact that they're targeting different users. On one hand, we have the Google Nexus 7's easy-to-swallow $230 super affordable price, which makes it a winner in our books for its minimal impact to our wallets. Sweetening the deal even more, it’s one of those tablets that’ll certainly to receive the latest and greatest Android updates as soon as they’re made available. You can’t beat that, right? In contrast, the $400 priced Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is a tougher sell for some people who are on a tight budget, but its higher price point is justified by its better hardware, sophisticated looks, and added functionality. Even though TouchWiz is lacking in the visuals department, especially in comparison to the clean look of stock Android, it benefits from having meaningful new functions that aren’t present in its rival. Individuals looking for a fun, compact sized tablet will relish what the Nexus 7 has to offer, but for those who have a productivity side to them, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 proves to be the ideal tablet. To tell you the truth folks, you really can't go wrong with either of them!

Variety is a good thing, right? We absolutely agree with that notion, as the consumer is the one to be greatly impacted by all of it in the end. However, it’s just that sometimes the focus gets mixed up and changed as a new product is introduced. Well people, that’s certainly the case here with Sammy’s latest tablet line in the Galaxy Tab S – one that attempts to redefine how we visually look at a display. True to its intention, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is a visual treat with its stunning and sharp looking Super AMOLED display. Frankly, we adore the return of the Super AMOLED to the tablet form factor, where it radiates with a potent amount of iridescence over rival tablets. Everything about the tablet screams premium, with the exception of its plastic chassis of course – though, to be fair, it contributes in giving it a thin and light construction. At the same time, we appreciate how Samsung has been more focused on having fewer, more relevant software features with the experience. Attached with a $400 cost for the base Wi-Fi model, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is a strong competitor to the iPad mini with Retina Display. On the flip side, some would question its worth over another recent similarly spec’d Samsung tablet – the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4. The deciding factor, naturally, is that if you’re more intent on consuming multimedia content, you’re best bet is to pick up the Galaxy Tab S 8.4, but if you’re more inclined to do some serious work while on the go, then stick with the Tab Pro 8.4.