The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 Review
by Brandon Chester on October 15, 2015 8:00 AM ESTSystem Performance: GPU
While CPU performance characterizes one part of an SoC, GPU performance characterizes another. Tablets have long been a form factor where GPU performance can be pushed much further than in a phone due to the larger chassis of a tablet having far fewer size and thermal limitations. While some tablets elect to use specialized SoCs with more powerful GPU hardware than smartphones, the Tab S2 uses the same ARM Mali T760 GPU used in the Galaxy Note 4 Exynos.
To characterize the Tab S2's GPU performance I've run it through our standard GPU benchmarks. First up is 3DMark which actually has both a CPU and GPU component, followed by BaseMark X and GFXBench which focus more strongly on the GPU alone.
In 3DMark all of the Tab S2's scores are roughly equivalent to the Galaxy Note 4 Exynos which is not unexpected. Unfortunately, it's clear that Mali T760 can't keep up with NVIDIA's mobile Kepler implementation or Apple's custom 8 core PowerVR 6XT part. While the Nexus 9 and iPad Air 2 both fall short in the physics sub test their scores in the graphics sub test are in a completely different league than the Tab S2.
In BaseMark X we again see the Tab S2 sitting fairly far behind the iPad Air 2 and Nexus 9. If I was considering the Tab S2 8.0 which retails for $399 these results would be perfectly fine, as the major competition at that price point is the iPad Mini 4 which has Apple A8 SoC. At $499 the GPU performance simply isn't competitive, and it outlines the issues with trying to make one SoC fit many different devices.
In GFXBench the Tab S2 is in the same situation as the previous tests. GPU performance is right around where the Galaxy Note 4 and iPhone 6 are, and it's just not good enough to justify the $499 price tag of the Tab S2.
Like I said on the last page, the fact that most Android tablet OEMs aren't providing CPU and GPU performance that is anywhere near competitive with the iPad Air 2 is a very bad thing for the entire tablet industry. Apple decided to not even update the iPad Air 2 despite it being a year old, and it's hard to blame them when nobody is close to them as far as performance is concerned. Having various manufacturers pushing each other to constantly improve is one of the primary drivers behind the advancements made in the mobile space, and I'm concerned that this no longer exists in the tablet market as the only tablets that come close are ones with NVIDIA's SoCs which also happen to be tablets that don't ship in very great volume.
System Performance: NAND
While it's still not advertised in specifications like on laptops, a mobile device's internal storage is now being recognized as a highly relevant part of overall system performance. Internal eMMC NAND solutions have traditionally had very poor storage performance, and different vendors have done different things to address the problem.
Both sets of read and write results are right around what you'd expect. Random writes in particular are very fast, and all the other results are fairly similar to those of the Galaxy Note 5. I don't expect internal NAND speeds will be a bottleneck on the Galaxy Tab S2, which is expected and fitting of a flagship tablet.
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BoneAT - Friday, October 16, 2015 - link
Just a little note on my observations, Brandon.I measured a peak brightness level of 505 nits @100% white screen with auto mode on, under sunlight (actually phone flash over the light sensor). When white image was under 10% of the screen size, I measured a monumental 812 nits. The Tab S2 9.7 can get very bright under circumstances.
GreyFox7 - Friday, October 16, 2015 - link
Lackluster performance from a middling SoC. Why they heck would they put a Exynos 5433 in a tablet and try to compete head to head with iPad Air? They have better SoCs, this is just silly cost reduction but it wont sell so the result will be a complete wasted effort. More wood on the fire of declining tablet sales. Samsung, get your head examined.R. Hunt - Friday, October 16, 2015 - link
I very much doubt a more powerful SOC would make any difference in the big scheme of things, given the disparity in brand and ecosytems at this point. They're not going to sell as well as the iPad no matter what, so yeah, it's about cutting costs. There's a reason Samsung are pretty much, along with Sony, the only OEMs left still trying with high-end Android tablets.StrangerGuy - Friday, October 16, 2015 - link
It's called throwing mediocre stuff on the wall and hope something sticks.Frankly, there is so many Samsung tablets sharing the same Galaxy Tab branding from the low to the high end, coupled with not so stellar track record of providing updates for their devices that I get a complete apathy just by seeing the brand.
digitalgriffin - Friday, October 16, 2015 - link
With the poor battery performance,Poor CPU performance
Slow Graphics
Lower Resolution and smaller screen
Cheap Frame
And Expensive price
This has to be one of the WORST Tablets in it's price range.
nerd1 - Saturday, October 17, 2015 - link
I have used most tablets out there (apple one includes ipad 1, ipad air and ipad mini 3) and this one is the best for me. 8 inch one has good battery life BTW (14 hours video playback based on notebookcheck benchmark)Losttek - Saturday, October 17, 2015 - link
After my Nexus 7 died, I searched a long time for a 7-8" tablet replacement and eventually ended up with this. I tried the iPad Mini 4 and Zenpad Z580 (the $199 version since I couldn't find the $299 one in stock anywhere) but the Tab S2 was the superior option.The iPad Mini 4 is excellent hardware wise. It no longer uses a horrific screen with washed out colors and is easily comparable to the Air 2. Better than the Tab S2 even, with sharper text despite similar PPI (pentile screen at work again). Performance is quite snappy and tabs no longer had a reloading problem with 2GB of RAM. However, what killed it for me was iOS. I hate the locked down filesystem. I hate the vastly inferior notifications. I hate the crappy default keyboard, and 3rd party ones were even worse. And the list goes on and on. iOS was just to unbearable for me and I ended up returning it.
Zenpad. Oh ho, was this thing a piece of ****. Filled to the brim with ASUS bloatware that can’t be disabled, performance issues, intermittent WIFI, a bipolar screen that constantly adjusts brightness for no reason, and etc. Even at $199, it's not worth it. What's funny is the people calling this the Nexus 7 successor. Really, have you even tried using the device?
And the Tab S2. So-so battery life, but amazingly thin and light. Performance is good enough for me (I don't game) and the design feels great in the hand. The screen is good, but not superb. And unlike other Android tablets, it actually has built in multi-window support. This was the best Android tablet I could find, and I've been satisfied with it so far. But I didn't pay full price for it because I took advantage of a Best Buy promotion. Would I pay $399 for this thing? Eh, doubtful.
Android tablets are in a pitiful state right now, and the Tab S2 was the best I could find. If anyone knows of a better option, I'm all ears.
nerd1 - Saturday, October 17, 2015 - link
After trying the latest ipads and ipad minis I think tab s2 is better. Yes, the full price is silly but mine is from singapore. It is LTE version which I can use as a phone too.THEDKGUNNER - Saturday, October 17, 2015 - link
If beeing a power user means playing games, I'm not a power user, but I do have a few comments. I own a Nexus 9 and a tab s2 8.0, and seems the nexus more ore less obliterates the tab s2 in almost all those fine benchmarks. Funny thing is, my tab s2 blows the nexus out of the water in terms of fluidity, speed and feel. There's just no comparing the two.Same goes for screen. Maybe because I have the 8.0, but there is just no comparing the two. I couldn't care less about the comparison to the iPad. I just plain don't like iOS so not an issue. For an android tab though, I've tried nothing that comes close to the s2. All depends on your needs I guess, but the total bashing of this tab based on benchmarks and subjective feelings is kinda ridiculous.By the way, I love the plastic back. I can actually hold it without loosing grip. I hate that I need to have a cover on my s6 as well, just to keep it in my hands.
thedons1983 - Saturday, October 17, 2015 - link
I sure hope the software is better than it was on the first Tab S, because I hated that thing!! It was incredibly buggy and laggy, and overall was a complete disappointment. The reviews were great, but the actual experience was terrible. I hope that this review is more accurate.