Samsung Galaxy Tab S Review (10.5 & 8.4-inch)
by Anand Lal Shimpi on June 24, 2014 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Tablets
- Samsung
- Mobile
- Galaxy Tab S
WiFi
Both Galaxy Tab S devices support 2-stream 802.11ac and can negotiate up to an 866Mbps link speed with a similarly capable router. Peak performance in practice is pretty shy of what we saw with the Galaxy S5 however. While the GS5 was capable of around 430Mbps under best conditions, the Tab S averages around 240Mbps. Compared to the immediate competition it’s not bad, but against everything else we’ve seen it’s less impressive.
Camera
Samsung only gave us a few days with the review samples so I didn’t spend a ton of time focusing on camera performance. The rear facing camera is a 8MP design with F2.4 lens. The front facing camera shoots at 1080p and also has an F2.4 lens. In general the Tab S seems to be a decent shooter in well lit conditions. Low light performance isn’t the worst I’ve seen but it’s not a strong point for sure. Both tablets appear to use the same rear and front camera (Samsung S5K6B2) modules.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Rear Camera Sample
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darwinosx - Friday, June 27, 2014 - link
More derivative cheap junk from Samsung. Ugh. I can't stand their products.bigboxes - Saturday, June 28, 2014 - link
Based on your screen name you couldn't be biased. Nah. You can keep your overpriced, underspeced Apple crap. I don't think you read the review at all. You saw Android and Samsung and copy/pasted your reply. You fanbois get old. Grow up.zodiacfml - Friday, June 27, 2014 - link
sigh, if only I have money to burn for that great screen.dusk007 - Sunday, June 29, 2014 - link
The display analysis here makes no mention as to what AMOLED Photo is supposed to be. It is calibrated to AdobeRGB but the article makes it out like it is only some other kind of oversaturated eye catching AMOLED setting.Anybody that wants to read more about the main interesting feature of this tablet which sets it apart should check out the display review on displaymate.com .
http://www.displaymate.com/OLED_Tablet_ShootOut_1....
It is an astounding display and especially stands out in metrics that the human sight apparatus values far more than color accuracy. Color accuracy is useful for content producers but also the one thing that our brain automatically corrects for and one of the last that a normal unbiased person would pick as the primary quality indication (unless it is really significantly off). Still it is one of the most accurate displays out there. I feel Anandtech is a bit too obsessed with color accuracy. It isn't unimportant but anybody coming from the eye related medical profession would say there is more to a display and its subjective impact.
marytattoo - Sunday, June 29, 2014 - link
i'd hoped to see a review of this tablet vs the 8.4 pro. besides the screen, i'm not sure of the difference. is it huge?DiHydro - Wednesday, September 3, 2014 - link
"Both tablets feature IR transceivers and stereo speakers." Are these really transceivers, or are they just transmitters? If they are transceivers, that opens up a lot more possibility using IR to learn remote codes, and to talk to other tablets and IrDA devices.jh20001 - Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - link
I have been looking for a tablet to kick around the house that not only let me read all my favorite books on my downtime, but also controlled things around the house like light switches and the TVs. I have been in this home automation kick as of late, so that of course was a must have feature. I was reading around and almost bought a Nexus until I read in one mag that the new Samsung destroyed it in performance. After reading a few more online (ie, here on anandtech, or http://pocinc.net/blog/product-reviews/review-sams... or the one at Cnet), I wound up getting sold on it. Let me tell you…..yeah baby! This thing rocks my world. I even take it to work with me when possible. It’s like my new best friend }:) Also good with games and Netflix....oh I needs me my Netflix!Bpositive - Sunday, March 22, 2015 - link
I just bought the tab s 10.5 and generally very happy with it, however I am quite disappointed that the screen shows quite a lot chromatic aberration (color fringing). Have others the same problem or do I have a faulty unit?