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I have ipad air and it is not so bad but I hate ios limitations as Iam an android fan ( I have note 3 ) and since the galaxy tab s is announced I was taken by its screen
The only concern i have is it worth to sell my ipad and buy a tab s or not , also the ipad build quality is a beauty does the tab s will satisfy me in its build quality or I will regret giving away my ipad ?
Last thing is the exynos processor coming with it will be good or we will suffer lagging?
Thanks
I wonder if any tablet is worth it now. What are the benefits of having our carrying a tablet?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Free mobile app
There is a 10.5" and 8.4" since OP didn't say which one, I'd take it the 10.5". I'd sell the Air for the 8.4 and/or 10.5". My bro has the iPad Air, very good tablet, but can't do much without jailbreaking it. Tab S specs is beastly! The exynos will not lag. Air has better built quality. Go to the store and check out the Tab S yourself. Good luck!
I might buy the 8.4" since my budget max is $400, but 10.5" Amoled is epic as hell! Wish I had $499 for it.
You buy Apple for the ecosystem, not for the hw/OS specs, which are behind Samsung/Android. If you don't have a must-have app on the iPad, go with Android. Better value for the $ and freedom to make changes as you wish.
The only issue I have with Samsung Tab S is that it's 16:9 screen ratio. I need the 4:3 for portrait eBook reading. For media consumption, I have a laptop & HT system.
I certainly talk about 10.5 model and the budget is not abig problem since I will sell the ipad and I mostly use my tablet for media like movies or tv series and I love android so go for it or wait for better processor and better build quality
Well the clear advantage of the 8.4 over the 10.5 is physical size and portability. While you can easily zoom small text on the 8.4 you cannot easily make the 10.5 physically smaller. The 8.4 is far easier to hold in one hand and read like a book. The 10.5 is more of a two handed affair.
Based upon people who own the Pro model and have seen the S in person, the reporting is the amoled screen is not sufficiently better or different to justify the $120 price premium over the current Pro model discounted pricing.
Rumor is Best buy may be offering a $100 trade in for any older working tablet when buying a S which could be a difference maker as the S will be thinner, lighter and have longer battery life.
mitchellvii said:
Well the clear advantage of the 8.4 over the 10.5 is physical size and portability. While you can easily zoom small text on the 8.4 you cannot easily make the 10.5 physically smaller. The 8.4 is far easier to hold in one hand and read like a book. The 10.5 is more of a two handed affair.
Based upon people who own the Pro model and have seen the S in person, the reporting is the amoled screen is not sufficiently better or different to justify the $120 price premium over the current Pro model discounted pricing.
Rumor is Best buy may be offering a $100 trade in for any older working tablet when buying a S which could be a difference maker as the S will be thinner, lighter and have longer battery life.
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Click to collapse
I just recently bought the 8.4 "Pro" and have been using it for at least 5+hours a day since I got it. I visited my local Best Buy and took a look at the new "S" model as I am still within my return policy. The first thing you will notice is the screen. The amoled screen is very nice but like mitch said I would not buy it just for that.
What I would buy it for, and the reason why I am returning the "Pro" for it, is a number of things. The battery life is better and there is a software feature included that will extend the time of the charge.
The speakers are on alternate sides... this may not sound like much to most but being a guy with big hands I have to hold the "Pro" awkwardly in order to not cover one of the speakers. Having them to one side allows me to hold it like I should and hear what I am supposed to.
The "S" model is smaller and lighter. Now looking at the specs it doesn't look like much until you actually get it in your hand. It is a significant difference and makes it easier to hold and hold for longer periods of time.
The "Pro" functions just as well as the "S" until you start going nuts with the multi-tasking, which I use extensively. The extra 1gb of RAM that you get in the "S" makes a huge difference in what you can have open and how many. Play Order and Chaos with the music player while surfing the web is a wonderful thing.
So to sum it up, the screen is very sexy on the "S", but by itself I don't think "Pro" owners should really worry about that. For those of us that still have opportunity to swap them out, like myself, its all up to you but the rose gold trim on top of the changes I mentioned above are what convinced me to swap.
-Grev
One important point , this topic was created to compare the tab s with the ipad air not with pro and is it worth it to swap from the ipad to the tab s
Thanks
I cannot stand iOS. Just too limited and over simplified.
People for years have been touting the apps but when I tried an iPad mini for a while the app situation was Way worse than android.
The stupid x2 zoom was just totally unacceptable. Android scales everything very well. I don't care if the apps are all totally redone for tablet size or not.
The iOS ecosystem seems like everyone is trying to reinvent the wheel with form over function. Get some buzz with something cool that is less usable than it was. I think it suits the uber hipsters perfectly. But not me at all.
You're going to love holding the Tab S 8.4 at 300 grams, very thin and a nice grippy back.
The Screen..
Battery life, especially if you use a browser with Night mode, darker theme.
I think it has more to do with which OS you like better or which architecture you are invested in at this point as prices are similar. IMO the Tab has some advantages like SD card availability, weight, and size but they are not huge, except the SD thing. Personally I have a deep rooted dislike of Apple from the days when the DRMed music so you couldn't put stuff you purchased on different devices.
salahfathi said:
I have ipad air and it is not so bad but I hate ios limitations as Iam an android fan ( I have note 3 ) and since the galaxy tab s is announced I was taken by its screen
The only concern i have is it worth to sell my ipad and buy a tab s or not , also the ipad build quality is a beauty does the tab s will satisfy me in its build quality or I will regret giving away my ipad ?
Last thing is the exynos processor coming with it will be good or we will suffer lagging?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a steal on the Mini 2 64gb way under $400 and new. Got it in Feb this year just before 7.1 ios came out. So its jailbroken. The ONLY reason I bought it like so many others say jailbroken is the only way to go. I would never buy one with out it. I can put different icons widgets blah blah. If it was not jailbroken I might sell it for a Tab s.
Yet I didnt and bought the Tab s anyway. For ME there is just more freedom.
Zeblade said:
I got a steal on the Mini 2 64gb way under $400 and new. Got it in Feb this year just before 7.1 ios came out. So its jailbroken. The ONLY reason I bought it like so many others say jailbroken is the only way to go. I would never buy one with out it. I can put different icons widgets blah blah. If it was not jailbroken I might sell it for a Tab s.
Yet I didnt and bought the Tab s anyway. For ME there is just more freedom.
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My ipad is jailbroken too but enough lies on ourselves android alone without root has much more freedom than jailbroken ios
salahfathi said:
My ipad is jailbroken too but enough lies on ourselves android alone without root has much more freedom than jailbroken ios
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I 100% agree.
Update to my prior post. With the $100 trade in offer I went ahead and got the 10.5 Tab S. Glad I did. Colors amazing on this and like the extra size in portrait.
Get the S 10.5 and stick a 128 Gb sd card in it and save all of your music, videos etc on it so that you always have access to them wherever you go and if you need to do a factory reset then they are still available on the device.
Because the iPad has no sd card is a deal breaker for me.
IPad has a slicker, smoother os and a slightly better app store, but that's about it tbh. You can't use otg usb devices, no sd slot and a more restricted os. I have an ipad3 which I still use, but love the fact I can just plug my usb stick into my tab s and watch a movie or tv episode. Also the amoled screen is amazing. No iTunes to worry about either.
Sent from my SM-T700 using Tapatalk
I only got the tab S 8.4 less than a week ago, was deciding whether to get the ipad mini retina, I wanted the ipad to play one game from teamlava called dragon story, but the developer was more hunger for money with their games which makes player spend alot of money, so I have slowly grown off the game.
With the 8.4 there is more freedom to customize the tab, and with less limitation, and cheap to buy.
You won't be disappointed
bigbrown said:
You buy Apple for the ecosystem, not for the hw/OS specs, which are behind Samsung/Android. If you don't have a must-have app on the iPad, go with Android. Better value for the $ and freedom to make changes as you wish.
The only issue I have with Samsung Tab S is that it's 16:9 screen ratio. I need the 4:3 for portrait eBook reading. For media consumption, I have a laptop & HT system.
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HW isn't behind with the exception being the OLED panel itself. The CPU in an iPad Air is much faster then what Samsung uses.
HughesNet said:
HW isn't behind with the exception being the OLED panel itself. The CPU in an iPad Air is much faster then what Samsung uses.
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Another exception is running two apps simultaneously on the S 10.5 splitting it's 16:10 screen which is great and would not work on the ipad with it's 4:3 aspect ratio screen.
which one would I buy?
I haven't seen a tab s in person yet but if it's available now here I would definitely choose it if the screen is as good as they say
Do you need the s-pen?
I have both and I'm feeling the Tab S more due to the screen. You won't go wrong if you choose the Note, its a great tablet, the main attraction is the pen which I hardly used. The Pro tablets weren't available at the time of purchase. After a few more days ill make my decision, but I'll probably keep the tab s.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk
dcaplinger76 said:
Do you need the s-pen?
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Click to collapse
I had the same question before. The only advantage the Note has is the Pen.
The Tab s has better screen, better battery life and it is a brand new device therefore more likely would receive updates. The Note is more then 6 mths old. The HW specs are nearly the same as the Tab S but for the same price. For me the Tab S won and I love it.
Wish Samsung put it the pen in Tab S. I'll think I'll just wait for the next Samsung Note.
I went through this dilemma and ended up with the note. It's a tough call. I love oled but also had the older note and did use the spen for meeting notes. It's really oled vs digitizer.... nothing much else in it though the UK note is annoyingly still on 4.3. The note screen is lcd but very clear.
One consideration on screens. For movies etc and anytime the screen is darkish the oled will use far less power. All whites ie some Web browsing is worst case for oled and will such juice worse .
They're both superb tablets.
Which would you buy, a second hand 10.1 for $300 AUD or a brand new 10.5 for $580? Both 16GB wifi only model.
I sold my note for the tab s 8.4 and never looked back. Owning the note always felt like it was an incomplete job and unfortunately Samsung has a bad habit of not updating the software of older models even if their hardware can run it properly.
This is the best Android tablet I've ever of we'd and there's absolutely no reason for you not to like it
I have both (actually just sold my Note 10.1 2014). Here's is how I'd compare the two:
Advantages of Tab S:
- Tab S has better screen (colors in photos are more realistic on Tab S)
- Tab S has some better/updated apps (e.g., sidesync lets me make/take calls from my Galaxy S5)
- Tab S has better accessories available (covers, keyboards)
- Tab S has side power plug (precludes need for stand and angled power cord when used with book cover)
- Tab S is thinner/lighter (but the Tab S' smaller bezels make it a bit harder to hold...minimizing this advantage a tad)
Disadvantages of Tab S
- Note 2014 has S-Pen/Wacom, but this disadvantage is mitigated a bit by the fact that the Tab S has a sensitive screen works with fine tip (3mm) capacitive pens (e.g., iCooly). http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009XGMO1A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- Gold trim on Tab S is gaudy to me
- Note has S-Pen related apps/functions (e.g., action memo, pen window). But, I never found much use for those though.
Performance-wise, the two are about the same. By my standards, both are very fast. The Tab S is just a tad smoother. I don't notice any of the browsing lag some others have complained about.
...and when I found out that some of those s-pen related apps e.g S -Note, were available for download onto the tab s, I was you even more convinced that I had made right decision to get rid of my Note 10.1
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
No Wacom, what is the point having S-pen app?
You can use a stylus with the Tab S. You just need to provide some sort of Palm rejection when writing. A simple cleaning cloth will do. Not as good as a Wacom Stylus but for simple note taking workable.
What we really need is a good aftermarket Bluetooth stylus but so far the available models work with Apple (grrrr) only.
Bluetooth still will not be as good as Wacom and kills battery.
Just going to wait for Note 10.1 2015 model with AMOLED and WACOM.
mitchellvii said:
You can use a stylus with the Tab S.
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Click to collapse
You can drive a Camry off-road, it doesn't mean you'd want to. Using a stylus on a standard conductive display, even an iPad's, is painful. It's not the lack of palm rejection, it's the lack of detail, sensitivity, and precision. I'm not selling people on Note's per se, but unless you're making short, and I mean short, hand written notes and lists trying to use a conductive display in the same way as a Note will be pure frustration.
Now let’s check out the Note 10.1’s trump card: its S Pen. The S Pen is, when you get right down to it, a Wacom stylus and digitizer. Considering Wacom make the best graphics tablets in the world bar none (like the*Intuos 5, for one) that’s a very good thing.
Samsung is the first manufacturer to integrate this tech into an Android tablet – both the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet and HTC Flyer used N-Trig pens that were lumpy, required batteries, didn’t offer as many pressure levels and weren’t nearly as responsive, nor did they give you a choice of nibs.
Now for those who might say: “but the iPad has plenty of styli available for it, what makes this special?”, here’s the deal. With one exception, all the styli you can get for the iPad and every other capacitive tablet are only a minor improvement over using your finger. There’s only one capacitive stylus that gives a thin point, and it doesn’t offer pressure sensitivity or palm rejection.
With the S Pen - and other Wacom digitizers as found on the likes of the Samsung Series 7 Slate – you get 1,024 levels of pressure, which lets you draw weighted lines as you would with a real pencil. You get palm/finger rejection, which means you’ll rarely draw an accidental line with your hand. Basically, it’s akin to upgrading from using a chalk to an art pencil.
http://www.trustedreviews.com/samsu...w_s-pen-performance-and-video-playback_Page-4
@ BarryH, You can pick up more chicks with a Porsche but a 72 Pinto beats walking to work.
Wasn't trying to answer "should you" but more "could you". But seriously, if you want a tablet for notetaking, I would go with a Windows variety due to the OneNote full handwriting support. Sharp was supposed to release a 10.1 Windows tablet with the same resolution as the Tab S (not amoled) but appears to have been vaporware.
Sadly now that I have owned an amoled tablet I am spoiled forever. My Tab S is purely an entertainment toy. I use my Acer R7 for any handwriting (although that is far more rare than I imagined it would be - typing is just better).
Do you think if your Tab S was Wacom, would it be good enough to replace your Acer?
I have an ageing Thinkpad X200 Tablet, but I still can not find any good candidate to replace it. The only laptop I found good enough to replace the X200T is Fujitsu tablets, but they are so expensive.
WHat would you do?
I currently own a Note 10.1 (2014), and the screen has been cracked for about 6 months. Now the screen is not responding to a finger touch (although the stylus still works). I am told that there is a dual digitizer in the device, and the one which responds to the finger is dead.
Although the device is still technically under warantee, Samsung will reject the work because the screen is cracked.
SO... and the reason I am posting here specifically
Do I pay $280 to get my Note 10.1 repaired, or do I go buy an S 10.5?
I do like the stylus for some features, but have found a BT keyboard to be a faster interface for notes
Thoughts?
GO!
I personally think that unless you find the stylus useful, the Tab S has the better screen by far. If the screen of the note doesn't bother you, though, it may very well be worth simply getting the repair instead of shelling out more for a new tablet.
Not that I ever avoid getting new toys.
Sent from my Galaxy S5
I've been a flight crew member for 35 yrs. so obviously I am a decisive kind of guy. This decision has stumped me. Do I acquire the 8.4 or 10.5.?Seems pretty simple, right, WRONG. I have ordered then cancelled both models numerous times. I commute to work. If not on a jump seat, I may end up in a middle seat if I can't get into business class. I use my note 3 now and it's perfect so I think the 8.4 would be the perfect size for confined spaces. However, I want that big screen but concerned I won't use it and reach for my note when in a confined space.
I went to best buy and played with both but to no avail. I assume maybe some on here have had both and may be able to offer their enlightenment. I have read about the 10.5 being sharper do to the difference in the pixals in the screens. I have to admit I did notice this when playing with them and did find the 10.5 screen just seemed brighter and clearer. This was before I even read that some saw a difference. I'm new here as I just found this site and would like to thank all those who take the time to offer their opinions on these tabs. It has been a great help to me and I am sure others as well. Bill
Get the 10.5. In a confined space you will want to read in portrait and the 8.4 is too small for that. Also 10.5 seems to be having a better amoled screen experience than the 8.4. I owned the 8.4 Pro model and after a while I started to have a "big phone" experience. You want a tablet? Get a proper tablet, not a big phone.
mitchellvii said:
Get the 10.5. In a confined space you will want to read in portrait and the 8.4 is too small for that. Also 10.5 seems to be having a better amoled screen experience than the 8.4. I owned the 8.4 Pro model and after a while I started to have a "big phone" experience. You want a tablet? Get a proper tablet, not a big phone.
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Click to collapse
Great point Mitch, I actually never thought of that. I do read quite alot on my current tab and phone, finding the phone too small so rarely do so any longer. I read another post of yours where you mentioned the"big phone" experience and I can see that happening to me especially since the note 3 already as an over 5" screen.
ibill1 said:
Great point Mitch, I actually never thought of that. I do read quite alot on my current tab and phone, finding the phone too small so rarely do so any longer. I read another post of yours where you mentioned the"big phone" experience and I can see that happening to me especially since the note 3 already as an over 5" screen.
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Click to collapse
If you are looking for the best possible media experience, get the 10.5. The 8.4 will feel redundant with your Note 3.
I just got the 8.4 and for me it is the perfect size. Reading even in portrait is not a problem at all, text seems plenty big. I really love that I can hold it in one hand easily, it's the perfect size to grip securely with your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other. Honestly it's all up to your personal preference, and budget. Personally I lean on the smaller screen size, my phone is the Galaxy S3 and the 4.8" screen on it is about as big as I want on a phone. A big screen is nice and all but you also have to think about convenience and how your going to be using it. I really expected the 8.4" screen to be smaller than it is, I was looking at the nexus 7 and even the Note 8.0 and thought those screens are a little small for a tablet(the big phone effect), but when I got the Tab S 8.4 and started using it I was like this screen is nice, seems really big especially since I'm used to the S3.
Loving the 8.4 since its more suitable for outdoor usage. Bigger sized is for home use.
First of all I would like to begin by stating I am an Android hardcore fan and by no means an Apple fanboy.
With that out of the way I need your help.
I want to buy an android tablet. I was very excited and pre-ordered the new Nexus 9 (currently own the Nexus 7). However after reading the first reviews that came out that talked about the device having serious screen light bleed and overheating I quickly changed my mind and cancelled my order.
So the next thing I did was try to find another good android tablet. I really like the hardware Samsung offers but I really HATE touchwiz. I like my Android stock as google intended. Yet at least in my opinion there is no other good offerings for 10" android tablets out there apart from the Galaxy Tab S (ok I really liked Sony Xperia Z2 tablet but its almost impossible to find).
Never had anything made by Samsung before (tried to stay in the Nexus line of things) because I wanted to stay away from touchwiz and all the bloatware other companies inflict uppon android.
So I went down to a brick and mortar store to see the Galaxy Tab S up close and see if I liked it.
The hardware, build quality and screen are perfect! So here comes the bad part.
I put it to the lag test. I restarted the device, cleared the memory from running apps, removed all widgets and shortcuts from the desktop and loaded up Chrome. Opened two tabs. One for the Verge and one for Phonearena. Waited for the sites to load and when finished tried to quickly scroll through. The thing choked! I mean it lagged and could not keep up with the scrolling. Parts of the website had to be loaded again while I was staring at a blank screen waiting for the tablet to catch up to my scrolling. I do this with my Nexus 7 and the thing keeps up like a champ! I would expect that a device with the specs of the Tab S would fly.
I tried a nearby ipad air (not even 2nd gen) and scrolling was smooth as butter with no lag at all. I also then realised that there was about 10 apps running in the background on the ipad as I had forgot to clear the memory.
Don't know if this is just a chrome problem but I'm really nervous about the lag on this device. And yes I am very picky when it comes to such things. Even the slightest hickup will drive me crazy!
I don't want to buy an ipad cause as I said I want an android device.
What would you do if you were me?
Would you take your chances with the Nexus 9, wait for another tablet to come to market or even go for an ipad?
I am also considering using different roms on the Tab S but its kind of a big risk as it costs a lot of money and I am not sure how good other roms will work on this device.
Anyway sorry for the long post and I am waiting for any answer you give me. Thank you.
Chrome is very laggy for some android devices. It has gotten worst after each update. Yet I dont use chrome and the stock browser works well. This has an amazing screen though.! I get 8 hours battery life while watching youtube. If you would like to root.. You can remove the lag from the bloatware. And the lag is also from touchwiz launcher. I use nova launcher and its much better. As of now we do have a unoffical CM11 custom rom. And as of now android L should be coming within a couple of months or maybe early 2015. So.. The lag maybe removed in android L but it may take a while for it to come to the tab s. The tab s is really light but the edges hurt my hand when holding it landscape. It is also great at watching youtube videos and the video fills up the whole screen vs the ipad doesnt. The screen is also bright at night even on 1/4 brightness. But as of roms, we have a few right now and are still being developed on. The thing is if you drop this tablet and the screen breaks.... You will have the pay for the whole screen, not just the glass. This tablet has knox too. So if you trip knox installing a rom then you have no warrenty. If your worried about price, try looking into some other samsung tablets! There are so many to chose from for your needs. Hope this helps!
First thing you want to do is get rid of chrome get firefox it's flawless on this tablet, next thing would be get a different launcher to replace touchwiz. I absolutely love nova prime but there are many to choose from so just do some research. Once you have done this your tablet will be way better then the ipad imo. If you want to root be warned in advance that there is this virtual circuit breaker called knox and once it trips you have voided your warranty something I wished I knew beforehand.
I was in a similar situation, I had a nexus 7 but used an LG g pad 8.3 and decided I would prefer the extra screen size as I do a lot of media watching. I was hoping for the nexus 9 but was put off by the 4:3 and its overall weight etc. so I opted, slightly reluctantly for the tab s 8.4.
I also hate touchwiz and instantly swapped out the launcher to nova, alas I don't like google now launcher on tablets as it messed up the bbc weather widget... The system does also lag at times and I did also notice it on chrome on some sites, it would just not do anything until it was all loaded up. I used the beta which seemed a little better and just put up with it. Its weird though as it flies through things like app installs but chokes on things like pressing the home button. Now personally I dont care, its just a stutter but its there.
So sadly there is not a perfect solution at the moment, the nexus 9 seems to have its issues which I hope quickly clear up. The tab s is probably the best bet, but its also got its issues. I do hear they are bringing out a version with a better snapdragon chip which might help.
it does have an amazing screen though, which makes me forgive most of its issues! not the no led notification though, I wont forgive them that omission My 8.4 came with a £50 play voucher (well will when it arrives) and that made the decisions easier for me, the relative cost came down into the worth a punt bracket. While im glad I did, its a shame there is little out there for the larger screens for those who want a top notch product with zero flaws.
I was on the nexus 9 fence for quite awhile. I even order and cancelled THREE times!
The Samsung Tab S is or was $404.00 on Amazon so I pushed the button and I'm more than happy with Me decision.
The screen is beautiful, Lollipop will be coming a little after the first of the year,and the build of the device (i bought the white one) is very nice.
The Tab S 10.5 is the best device for the money at this time.
Sound a lot like me OP. I was so set on getting the Nexus 9, pre-ordered one on Amazon, but couldnt wait for delivery so I went to Best Buy and bought one there to play with while I waited for the Amazon order to be delivered. The one I bought from Best Buy had all the issues that some people had been talking about. Overheating was the first thing I noticed right from the start, then after I read the reviews about the back cover being easily pressed in and making a creaking sound, I noticed mine does the same thing, and the cherry on top was right after I bought it for the full $399 plus tax, HTC went and did their "fire sale" and slashed the price to $199 for a limited time/limited quantity and that confirmed my decision to return it and cancel my Amazon order, which I ended up doing reluctantly. Android 5.0 was pretty amazing though and the tablet, at least for me, was the perfect size for portability/comfort for media consumption/web browsing. (Although the 4:3 aspect ratio wasnt the best for netflix/movies both on the tablet and when mirroring the tablet to my tv via chromecast since when mirrored to my tv i would have two black bars on both sides of the screen
I had a nexus 7 before i bought the nexus 9, but it was just too small for web browsing. Screen was amazing on it and build quality was great. I bought an ipad air (first gen with A7 processor), and while the build quality is better than any other tablet in the market and it was an overall very fluid, smooth and lag free experience, iOS isnt for me. Too limited, not enough customizability and since i have an android phone I'd rather stick with an android tablet for better continuity and syncing between my devices. Played with the ipad air for a few days and returned it.
After returning the ipad I decided to pick up the samsung tab s 8.4 . While the screen is great, samsungs bloatware ruins the tablet IMO. Just like you, even the slightest stutter or lag drives me crazy . Chrome definitely was slow and scrolling was choppy. I had it rooted with CF-Auto root, and even after disabling/erasing samsung bloatware and changing the launcher to nova launcher, it still wasnt as fluid and smooth as I want so i returned it. The Tab S is feature packed, but still feels slow and laggy compared to the ipad air i tested for a couple days. With 3gb of ram and the pretty decent processing power, I expected ipad like performance but it definitely fell short.
Now I'm looking at picking up the ipad air 2 but first reading through the forums to see if there are ways to sync my android phone to the ipad.
Why cant we just have a tablet with:
8-9" screen with a 16:9 or similar aspect ratio, 1080p or higher resolution
SD card expandable
Vanilla/Stock Android 5.0 L
Front Facing Speakers
Front/rear facing cameras (not THAT important)
Good build quality
2-3gb ram
Good/fast processor
Sounds like I'm describing the Nvidia Shield from those specs (except for android 5.0), but even the Shield has had some negative reviews dealing with both wireless connectivity issues and build quality defects (cracking trim around the tablet due to heat)
Is that so hard? lol..sorry for the rant
princecharming88 said:
Sound a lot like me OP. I was so set on getting the Nexus 9, pre-ordered one on Amazon, but couldnt wait for delivery so I went to Best Buy and bought one there to play with while I waited for the Amazon order to be delivered. The one I bought from Best Buy had all the issues that some people had been talking about. Overheating was the first thing I noticed right from the start, then after I read the reviews about the back cover being easily pressed in and making a creaking sound, I noticed mine does the same thing, and the cherry on top was right after I bought it for the full $399 plus tax, HTC went and did their "fire sale" and slashed the price to $199 for a limited time/limited quantity and that confirmed my decision to return it and cancel my Amazon order, which I ended up doing reluctantly. Android 5.0 was pretty amazing though and the tablet, at least for me, was the perfect size for portability/comfort for media consumption/web browsing. (Although the 4:3 aspect ratio wasnt the best for netflix/movies both on the tablet and when mirroring the tablet to my tv via chromecast since when mirrored to my tv i would have two black bars on both sides of the screen
I had a nexus 7 before i bought the nexus 9, but it was just too small for web browsing. Screen was amazing on it and build quality was great. I bought an ipad air (first gen with A7 processor), and while the build quality is better than any other tablet in the market and it was an overall very fluid, smooth and lag free experience, iOS isnt for me. Too limited, not enough customizability and since i have an android phone I'd rather stick with an android tablet for better continuity and syncing between my devices. Played with the ipad air for a few days and returned it.
After returning the ipad I decided to pick up the samsung tab s 8.4 . While the screen is great, samsungs bloatware ruins the tablet IMO. Just like you, even the slightest stutter or lag drives me crazy . Chrome definitely was slow and scrolling was choppy. I had it rooted with CF-Auto root, and even after disabling/erasing samsung bloatware and changing the launcher to nova launcher, it still wasnt as fluid and smooth as I want so i returned it. The Tab S is feature packed, but still feels slow and laggy compared to the ipad air i tested for a couple days. With 3gb of ram and the pretty decent processing power, I expected ipad like performance but it definitely fell short.
Now I'm looking at picking up the ipad air 2 but first reading through the forums to see if there are ways to sync my android phone to the ipad.
Why cant we just have a tablet with:
8-9" screen with a 16:9 or similar aspect ratio, 1080p or higher resolution
SD card expandable
Vanilla/Stock Android 5.0 L
Front Facing Speakers
Front/rear facing cameras (not THAT important)
Good build quality
2-3gb ram
Good/fast processor
Sounds like I'm describing the Nvidia Shield from those specs (except for android 5.0), but even the Shield has had some negative reviews dealing with both wireless connectivity issues and build quality defects (cracking trim around the tablet due to heat)
Is that so hard? lol..sorry for the rant
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I agree too. Like the tab s has a great screen but it kills the battery more as you watch videos. I have no lag because I used greenify to hibernate my apps after i exit them. For me only chrome lags because as of each update it gets worse. Firefox works without any lag. We now have cm11 which doesnt lag too.
DUHAsianSKILLZ said:
I agree too. Like the tab s has a great screen but it kills the battery more as you watch videos. I have no lag because I used greenify to hibernate my apps after i exit them. For me only chrome lags because as of each update it gets worse. Firefox works without any lag. We now have cm11 which doesnt lag too.
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Forgot to mention I also tried greenify on the tab s and also removed a bunch of other apps after i had it rooted and still got a bit of lagging. Again, I'm the type that if there is lag/stutters it just ruins the tablet consumption experience for me. I'm mostly using the tablet when I'm on the couch after a day of work/school and dont want to wait for apps to load up forever, sounds pompous of me but if I'm paying $400 + for a device i think its a fair expectation everything will work smoothly out of the box without having to do anything else to it/
I use tapatalk and news+ (rss) heavily and scrolling is jerky. I switched to nova launcher, I've rooted (voided my warranty) and debloated and greenified, the lag is still there.
I have an old iPad 3. Spec wise the S leaves it in the dust. And yet whenever I pick it up I'm amazed at how smooth it is, considering it's running an OS two generations newer than it is. The rss app which looks a lot like news+ (or news+ looks a lot like it) just scrolls through tons of images like it's nothing.
If it weren't for the screen I'd ditch this thing in a second. Basically the S is like a girl who is so hot you put up with all her craziness.
What tablet on the market has the next best screen? for me the quality of the screen is the draw. I was amazed when I saw one on display at Costco a few months ago. Part of the problem is I'm going out of town next week and really wanted a newer tablet to take on the road so I can leave my heavy laptop at home. I have an original Nexus 7 but it's pretty slow.
I hear that in South korea they remade the tab s a bit with less lag. But the new tab s is only in south korea. Like the model is different but has a bit better specs to handle the lag.
barth2 said:
If it weren't for the screen I'd ditch this thing in a second. Basically the S is like a girl who is so hot you put up with all her craziness.
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Perfect analogy to describe the tab S LOL. The screen is pretty amazing, but I'd rather have the girl who is cute, sane and gives great head
princecharming88 said:
Perfect analogy to describe the tab S LOL. The screen is pretty amazing, but I'd rather have the girl who is cute, sane and gives great head
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Lol! Well my girl (Tab s) has a great screen, good battery life, isnt crazy or laggy, has a nice looking butt(back cover), is rooted sadly because i made it happen, and runs really fast. She is really smart and is someone o can talk too. Idk about your girl(tab s) but mine is da bomb. Lol
wth is going on here anyway I also remember someone telling me the tab s was crap because of its benchmarks. which I remembered after watching a couple of hours of films on my flight on such a quality screen.
Yes it has some lag, big deal. Yes it would be better if it wasn't there but compared to the alternatives, there is nothing out there which ticks all the boxes and doesnt appear to be any on the horizon. Its a shame the price doesnt come down or they gloablly do the £50/$75 google play voucher as that makes it decent value for the specs. Its not just the screen, its the size and weight. Its the same damn weight as the nexus 7 and not much bigger at all, but packs in the 8.4 screen and QHD. all easy to hold in the one hand for long periods.
the nexus 9 is 425g compared to 300g of the 7 and tab s. thats almost 50% heavier and for me whos uses the tab for hours a day, thats a big deal. plus (im amazed to say this) I think lolipop is a step backwards. Its about looks and not function, which is the kinda thing I avoided apple for. 4.4.4 would be ideal for me, does the job perfectly without stupid design icons and white all over the place. anyway, thats my rant over
I love my tab s. The screen is where its at!
I really don't understand this obssession people have with smooth scrolling. One of the fist things I do with my desktop browsers is disable smooth scrolling. Whenever I let someone play with my N5 to check it out, the first thing they do is scroll through the 5 pages on my app drawer, and then proceed to say "yeah, it's pretty fast" before handing it back to me. Not once do they open Youtube or a game or some random app to see how the phone really performs.
Having said that, the Tab S LTE (10.5) performs like a champ. The S-AMOLED is absolutely gorgeous, build quality is top notch. Yes, it has a plastic back, but that makes it thin and light. I'm not complaining.
The only downside I can see is the dead custom ROM scene for the Exynos chip. That makes me effectively stuck with stock ROM + Nova Launcher for the life of the device.
I'm so satisfied with my purchase that I'm seriously considering buying a second one (8.4) to take with me on the road.
From what I read in another thread it sounds like Samsung is going entirely to Exynos, which means all of us with Samsung tablets will be SOL for ROM development. They'd rather us an in house chip than pay the extra cost for an outside chip. I love the build and screen, but don't really have any particular allegiance to Samsung.
I'm still waiting to hear more news about the Dell Venue 8 from the 7000 series. It is supposed to be released this month, but I haven't seen any recent information on it.
Thanks for the heads up on that dell tablet. I was really close to buying a tab s. That dell looks sweet though and it has the same screen. I wish we had a release date and price.
I don't get it. Everyone complains about Chrome in favor of Firefox. But I, on my Tab S 10.5, see Chrome being much smoother than Firefox, in terms of loading and scrolling the page. Chrome is flawlessly smooth in most pages (except some very heavy ones), Firefox however lags - even heavily - on pretty much most pages.
I traded in my Note 5, which I loved for the Note 8 and the Note 8 is clearly the best phone I've ever used. That said, 2017 has finally brought compelling competition worth considering.
What I love about the Note 8:
-Hands down the highest quality screen of any phone
-6 GB RAM makes multitasking great
-The camera takes awesome pictures
-The battery life is incredible
-The theme engine allows dark theme without root
-Call quality is outstanding
-The phone is blazing fast 98% of the time
-Headphone Jack
What I don't love about the Note 8:
-The height and weight of the phone. I have large hands and could always manage the Note 5 one handed, but the height of the Note 8 with added weight make it awkward to use in certain situations. I think if the phone were wider, it might balance the weight distribution. Using a Pixel 2 XL and V30, both are much manageable in the hands.
-The forced white navbar is a nuisance for dark themes. Couldn't Samsung offer grays or faded navbar icons to minimize burn in? I use a 3rd party app to mostly mitigate the problem, but not all apps work properly with it.
-The Bixby button. Again, I've used a 3rd party app to mitigate the problem, but it doesn't seem like a polished solution. Samsung just needs to give us options to remap it.
-The curved screen. Yes, it looks great, but the shadows and light refraction make it annoying at times.
Obviously, the pros of the phone greatly outweigh the cons but every time I see someone using a Pixel 2 XL, I am jealous of the more manageable size, the fast and fluid UI that gets updated faster, and the even bigger battery. I am well aware that both the Pixel 2 XL and V30 have far more problems than the Note 8, namely their screens and bluetooth. Being on Verizon, the OnePlus 5T isn't an option, though I love the thought of a phone that has 8 GB RAM and custom ROM capabilities. Maybe I'm just dreaming of a Note 8 running stock Android, and with a flat 18:9 screen ratio instead of 18.5:9 (which seems to account for the length and narrowness). I'm not actually considering switching phones, but I've been tempted to get another flagship to replace my Nexus 6 as a business line. Thoughts?
I got a note 8 and my wife broke the screen of her s7 edge so of course she wanted fixed or a new phone. Gave her my note 8 and got myself an LG V30 thinking that my note 8 was still too big. After 4 hrs I decided I wanted the note 8 back. The note 8 is a superior phone in all ways except for the audio. I traded the v30 for a new blue note 8 in Bestbuy with 300 dollars off. If I have spare money for another phone I would probably get a pixel 2 xl. I watch a lot of videos and YouTube and the 2 speakers in the front appeal to me. For a daily driver I would get bored right away of the pixel. The note 8 could be customized in so many ways that I haven't even installed Nova launcher yet which has been a most in all my previous phones. If you have a note 8 you have the best Android phone currently and period.
Ha, what competition. Note 8 plays in it's own world. It's a beast.
Also with Oreo update it's only better
I had an ASUS Zenfone AR that I got in September. Nothing but problems - which probably explains why VZW pulled it in less than 6 months. After going through 3 Zenfones, I finally convinced VZW to buy it back and got the Note 8 last week.
Size is very good
Wireless charging FTW
Agreed with above points on speed, screen resolution, etc.
First thing I did was install Nova Plus
I played with the advanced Audio settings - including the hearing test and my LG BT Headset sounds amazing!
Theme engine???????
Disabling Bixby and downloading Google Assistant, finding an obscure setting that I can't find again that selects GA as the default and now it works perfect, but it took me a week to get it to work right.
The one thing I DON'T like about the curved screen is that in 2 weeks, I've had 2 tempered glass screen protectors crack and I have to think this is because of the curve. This second one is just a minor hairline at the bottom but the first one was worse.
The other was being reminded that you can't just connect a Samsung to your computer and transfer files >: Still looking for the best way to do that or break down and pay for Wondershare Mobile Go - which may be worth it since you can browse system files
I've only had it a few days.....had to root and debloat and amend some things (adblocker, viperFX...) It's sure is a beautifully designed thing. It's also like having a Mercedes made out of glass. First thing I did when I ordered it was to order a case and screen protector. No way I would go without it, even walking around a carpeted house. But the key reason I got it was that it was rootable and a high end phone. I was coming from a quirky but great V10 and a Note 3 before that. I will simply not have a phone that I can't root.
I like it a lot incredible battery life using a disable of course most crashes are caused by wonky apps..not blazing fast but not real important. I still prefer it over my iphone 6s plus.. not sure which phone is faster, but for a phone, I choose android.. previous phone was LG10,Note4,galaxys4....way better than those
I'm just looking for a upgraded spen device then I'll be content with the note 8