Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 has style and substance to challenge Apple iPad

First Samsung made its phones more like the iPhone. Now it’s launched a tablet that slick new tablet to challenge the reign of Apple iPad.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablet challenges the Apple iPad

SAMSUNG is fast becoming the makeover king.

First, its flagship Galaxy phones got metal and glass revamps.

Next, its biggest phones added on dangerously attractive curves.

Now, its tablet computer has a slick new look with a metal frame, a seriously slender profile, and a new screen ratio that matches that of its biggest rival.

But the biggest message Samsung is sending with the Galaxy Tab S2 when it launches in Australia today is the differences between its premium tablet and Apple’s top iPad are no longer substantial, even though it’s $100 cheaper.

The South Korean tech giant has gone to great lengths to ensure this tablet is a genuine iPad alternative.

Samsung first stepped up its tablet game last year, delivering its first premium tablet in the Galaxy Tab S, a slender, fully featured, Google Android tablet with more pixels and a bit more power than you would expect.

This year’s model delivers many of the same advantages, with some impressive tweaks, but the most immediate change you’re likely to notice is its size or, more tellingly, its lack of it.

Samsung’s new top-of-the-line tablet is just 5.6mm thin, making it thinner than its skinniest phone, thinner than an Apple iPad, and slender enough to slip under most doors.

While it comes in two screen sizes — 8 inches and 9.7 inches — the largest and heaviest model only weighs in at just 392g, making it easy to read from one-handed and even easier to forget in a bag.

Its octa-core processor is a little faster than the last model, with four 1.9GHz cores and four 1.3GHz cores to do the heavy lifting. It also matches its 3GB RAM which, while not as much as its newest Galaxy Note phone, is more than enough to get Android Lollipop working as it should.

HANDS ON: Fall in love with the iPad Pro

Despite multi-tasking for Australia, leaving more demanding apps open than is sensible, we were not able to break its spirits. It didn’t pause, much less freeze.

The Tab S2 also delivers space for a MicroSD card, now up to 128GB in size, even though Samsung recently removed this from its top phones, and the tablet charges with a standard Micro USB cable, and a 4G model is available for those who don’t want to pause to find a Wi-Fi hotspot. This model is compatible with the newest Cat 6 4G networks for faster speeds.

Those who are super keen can even use this tablet as a phone. Yes, Samsung has retained the phone app in this tablet so, should your SIM allow it, you can place calls on what will look like the biggest handset in the known world. More likely, it could come in handy if you leave your phone elsewhere or wish to hold a conference call.

The screen on this tablet is of the Super AMOLED variety and is exceedingly sharp. Even at very close range, you cannot discern one pixel from another.

It’s also capable of more brightness than you’d expect, making it possible to use in indirect sunlight, its colours are punchy and well saturated, and the screen is easy to see from even extreme angles, making it useful for video streaming to an audience.

Strangely, though, it does not have quite as many pixels as its predecessor. While the Tab S2 matches Apple’s iPad Air 2 in pixel count, at 264 pixels per inch, it does not quite meet the 288 ppi of the larger Tab S.

Side by side, text on the Tab S screen does look marginally sharper. However, it’s worth noting the new model offers greater brightness and a whiter appearance, bettering the slightly yellow hue of the old model. On balance, the new display is superior.

There is much more obvious change to this screen, however, and that is its size. No longer 10.5 inches, the biggest model now delivers a 9.7-inch screen, and one in a 3:4 ratio rather than the elongated 16:10 ratio of last year.

It is a display ratio that will be familiar to Apple iPad users and, frankly, it’s a smart move. While some apps require updates to look their best on Samsung’s new screen size (I’m talking about you, Zinio and Evernote), it’s handy display size for photos, videos, and books, and feels less top-heavy in your hand.

Turnaround: New tablet to revive tablet slump

The Tab S2 design is also a step up. While its bezel has not slimmed down, it now features a premium metal edge much like the Note 4, subtle silver branding, Corning Gorilla Glass to resist scratches, and a matte plastic back panel.

It’s a more stylish tablet take, and helped by redesigned accessories including the Book Cover that offers a slim, faux leather folio cover that fastens with magnets doubles as a stand (and a sturdier one than official iPad cases deliver).

Other enhancements include the more reliable fingerprint scanner from its recent phones, and an improved, f1.9 lens for its rear, 8-megapixel camera, though it loses an LED flash and doesn’t offer Samsung’s popular Quick Launch feature.

Samsung also omits the infra-red universal TV remote control from the last model, and the battery in this model is smaller than the last, even when you consider that its screen and body is smaller. The Tab S2 does promise up to 12 hours of battery life, however, and regularly survived two days of frequent use in our tests.

The company has built in one big benefit to its top tablet over that of its main rival: it offers 16GB more storage for at least $100 less, both for the large Wi-Fi and 4G model.

Samsung has a tough task luring Apple fans away from their iPads but the Galaxy Tab S2 makes an impressive pitch. Google Android users are likely to appreciate its power, better fingerprint sensor, new screen ratio and more premium design, while anyone should appreciate its significantly lower price.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 / 4.5/5 / $599-$749 / Out today / samsung.com/au

Pros:

-Slimmer, lighter body

-More premium design with metal edge

-Improved speed, fingerprint scanner, camera lens

-Undercuts top Apple iPad by at least $100

Cons:

-Fewer pixels than last model

-Loses LED flash and infra-red universal remote control

-Smaller battery

-Not waterproof