10 reasons to buy Samsung’s Tab S and 10 reasons to buy Apple’s iPad Air

THINKING of ditching your Apple iPad Air for Samsung’s new Tab S? Here are 10 reasons why you should — and 10 more why you should not.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S tablet launched in New York on 13 June 2014 - Samsung is pitching its new tablet as an alternative to Apple's high-end iPad Air

10 reasons you should ditch your iPad for a Tab S

1. The incredible lightness of its being

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S devices are almost unbelievably slender. Both tablets have the same tiny girth as a Galaxy S5 phone, and would feel delicate if they weren’t solidly constructed. At 294g for the 8.4-inch model, and 465g for the 10.5-inch model, both weigh less than an iPad Mini and iPad Air respectively.

2. Feel the power

Samsung has packed serious computing muscle into these “mass premium” tablets. Both feature eight cores of computing power: one four-core chip rated at 1.9GHz for speed, another four-core chip rated at 1.3GHz for power savings. By comparison, Apple’s iPad Air has a dual-core chip rated at a maximum of 1.4GHz.

3. Sharp appearance

Apple’s Retina screen is outshone by the Tab S. The larger of the pair features a pixel-per-inch density of 287, beating the iPad Air’s 264. Admittedly, it’s a narrow victory.

4. Phone a friend

A new feature called Side Sync 3.0 is a first for tablets. It lets a Samsung smartphone connect to the tablet using Wi-Fi Direct technology, and delivers the phone’s screen on the tablet. Once connected, users can answer phone calls on their tablet, prepare SMS messages using its larger onscreen keyboard, swap files between devices, or simply play games on a bigger screen.

5. Fingerprint scanner

Security is important but PIN codes are frustrating. Like the Galaxy S5 phone, these tablets feature a home button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner. One swipe and the tablet is unlocked, and there’s only a one in 50,000 chance that someone else can unlock it.

Apple rival... Samsung executives unveiled the Galaxy Tab S tablet at an event in New York City on June 12, 2014

6. Two apps at a time

Samsung’s new tablet pair will let you look at two apps at once, side by side. After holding down the back button, you can drag an app from the menu that appears on to one side, and another to sit beside it. Handy for copying text into an email, for example, or looking up a restaurant on one side of the tablet, and its location on the other.

7. Super AMOLED

Samsung claims the Super AMOLED screen technology in these new tablets features a contrast ratio 100 times greater than LCD and offering 20 per cent more colour. Colours displayed on these tablets are inarguably bright and bold.

8. Screen modes

Having a long history developing screen technology, Samsung has introduced three display modes to these tablets. Basic mode is for everyday use, Cinema for watching video, and Photo for viewing images.

9. Accessories are go

New Tab S covers click firmly on to the back of these tablets, securing them without magnets. This means you can pick them up by their cases, safe in the knowledge they will not tragically meet a tiled surface.

10. Added memory

Samsung’s new tablets will come with 16 or 32GB storage each, but their memory can be boosted with a MicroSD memory card up to 128GB in size. That’s something you cannot do with its Apple competitors.

SAMSUNG TAB S: Is this the tablet to rival Apple’s iPad?

REVIEW: Fast, solid and easy to use

Sharp display ... Samsung Galaxy Tab S tablet features a pixel-per-inch density of 287.

10 reasons you should not ditch your iPad for a Tab S

1. The price

Samsung has not released an Australian price, making purchasing decisions hard. Sources indicate it could come close to Apple’s iPad Air with wi-fi, however, at $598.

2. New iPad incoming?

Samsung is poised to launch the Tab S range in July but the iPad Air 2 (as it’s imaginatively been dubbed) could arrive as soon as September with slimmer body, fingerprint sensor, and more powerful chip, if you believe the rumours.

3. Keeping it in the family

If you don’t own a Samsung Galaxy phone, you won’t be able to use its Side Sync 3.0 feature to answer calls or edit text messages.

4. New iOS software

Apple’s iOS 8 software, due later this year, will let you share tasks between an iPhone and an iPad. Take the iPad out of the equation and you won’t be able to finish writing that iPhone SMS message on a tablet.

5. Metal begone

Apple’s iPad range may be glass on the front but it’s metal out the back, giving the tablets a premium feel. Samsung has opted for a lighter, plastic material that feels less expensive.

Old Faithful...Apple's iPad Mini with Retina display.

6. Fewer accessories

Samsung is catching up but the lion’s share of accessories are available for Apple products, including the iPad. That Twelve South BookBook case that makes the iPad look like a worn encyclopedia volume will not make the transition to Android.

7. Not appy

Google Android and Apple iOS offer different apps. To swap between platforms, you’ll have to find and download your favourites and some may not be available. This is less common than it used to be, however.

8. Learning curve

At least temporarily, you’ll have to invest time adjusting to new controls. Swiping from the bottom of the screen won’t do much any more — you’ll need to swipe from the top down. You’ll also need to acquaint yourself with Android’s Back button, and embrace new shortcuts.

9. Size matters

Apple tablets come in storage capacities up to 128GB. The Tab S range runs out of puff at 32GB, though you can boost that with a 128GB memory card.

10. Screen preference

Screens on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S devices may be brighter, but some users prefer the more natural, less saturated hues on the iPad’s LED-backlit LCD screen.

Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson travelled to New York as a guest of Samsung.