Ane of the Better Choices on the Market place

I like the Galaxy Tab S2. It'south the showtime Android tablet I've picked up in a long time that I've really wanted to utilise for more than an hr, and that's thank you to software improvements and a pretty decent hardware offering.

Undoubtedly the nicest part of the Milky way Tab S2 is its slim, lightweight design. Property the "earth's slimmest tablet" in your easily feels smashing, and the sub-400 gram weight reduces arm fatigue when belongings the 9.vii-inch model in one paw. The utilise of higher up average materials around the body, including solid metal and a soft-touch plastic, gives the device that premium touch that previous Samsung tablets have lacked.

The switch from a xvi:ten attribute ratio display in previous models to iv:3 in the Galaxy Tab S2 is welcome, as information technology improves the experience while browsing the web and using apps. The AMOLED panel used on both the 9.7- and 8.0-inch models mimics the LCD used in Apple tree'south iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4 in resolution, while the excellent viewing angles and ultra-saturated qualities of this panel tin can brand images and videos expect great, fifty-fifty if information technology's not particularly accurate.

Although the operation of the Tab S2 is generally pretty expert, it's disappointing that Samsung didn't use their latest and greatest SoC within their flagship tablet. Equipped with the Exynos 5433, the Tab S2 matches the 2-year-old iPad Air, and falls significantly behind the iPad Air 2. I did appreciate the generous storage options, including microSD expansion, simply the performance should ideally be a lot better from a high-end device.

The Tab S2'due south software came equally a bit of a surprise this fourth dimension around. Previously I wasn't very impressed with Android on tablets, only the quality of third-party apps in particular makes the experience a hell of a lot better in 2022. Having high-quality software suites such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Lightroom, too as a great collection of games, makes devices like the Tab S2 a decent mix between productivity and entertainment.

Where I wasn't every bit impressed is with Samsung's software skin, which is lacklustre and largely only an upscaling of the aforementioned skin on the Galaxy S6. Multi-window features are peachy, but not as good as similar functionality on Windows, and many apps are very bones in their design. If Samsung wants their Tab S2 to exist a true iPad competitor, information technology needs to up its game in this department.

There's also a camera on the Galaxy Tab S2, which I haven't talked about in detail because it's not especially useful. It takes 8-megapixel images that can be okay, although indoor performance is generally pretty disappointing, and it'south clearly nowhere about the quality of Samsung'due south smartphone cameras.

Every bit for pricing, the Milky way Tab S2 currently retails for $499 and $399 for the 32GB nine.vii- and 8.0-inch variants respectively. This is the aforementioned price every bit the 16 GB iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini four, and to be honest, Apple's tablet offering sounds more than attractive because its superior software and performance. The 32 GB Nexus nine is likewise available for nether $400 if you're after a cheaper Android variant.

So is the Galaxy Tab S2 worth it at its asking cost? Probably not, considering the wider field of tablets available today, especially those from Apple. However, if you lot're heavily invested in the Android ecosystem, and want a slick tablet that features (mostly) meridian-finish hardware, the Galaxy Tab S2 is 1 of the better choices on the market today.

Pros: Ultra-sim, lightweight pattern is undoubtedly very attractive. Android on tablets has improved in the concluding twelvemonth. Decent display with an ideal aspect ratio.

Cons: Expensive compared to Apple's current iPads. Performance and battery life falls behind the best tablets out there.