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I've been using a Galaxy Tab 10.1 since June of 2011. It's a little long in the tooth in speed and version of Android. And, it has no SD card slot.
So, I went over to my Best Buy and bought a Note 12.2. There's a lot to love about the Note but there are some things I'm disappointed in.
Things I like...
- It's bigger. Nice to have a larger screen for some of the apps it's a godsend, for others it just more awkward white space.
- Battery life is better than the Tab 10.1 even though it has to drive more pixels.
- Micro-usb. The Tab had a 30 pin connector which was a pain in the butt.
- Camera is a lot better but who takes photos with a tablet? Only iPad nerds do that.
- Speed. It's very, very snappy compared to the Tab but with 8 cores, all of which are faster than the Tab's 2 cores, that's to be expected.
Things I don't like...
- The launcher. (not the Magazine UX part). It's no different than the Tab. In fact, there are no more icons on the screen, they're just larger. With all those pixels I was hoping to have icons at least as small as the Tab. And more of them on the screen. It looks like an interface built for the elderly. Kinda like those telephones with huge buttons. I know, I know, I can use another launcher but then I will lose the Magazine UX.
- Magazine UX. I was really looking forward to this. But, alas, it has so very few apps and widgets available that I find I never use it.
- The weight. It's only 4 ounces more than my Tab but it turns out that is a lot. I find my left thumb aching after a while while holding it. It's not really convenient.
- The Zagg case. I bought the Zagg case as I have a similar full keyboard case by Logitech for the Tab. It's nowhere near as nice as the Logitech case. It's hard to remove and feels very cheap and flimsy compared to the metal keyboard by Logitech. They key placement for special keys isn't very well designed either.
All in all I'd say I'm disappointed in the Note 12.2. I'm still within the 15 day return period for Best Buy and am on the fence about returning it. The problem is that the one I would replace it with is the Tab Pro 10.1 with 32 gig of memory. But, I can't find that anywhere. 16 gig yes, but 32 gig is no where to be found.
Help me out here. Are there features that are compelling that I haven't found? If so, push me into keeping this tablet.
You criticize Magazine UX + Launcher. Well, you´re completely right. But what does it matter ?
You criticize the weight. Yes, it´s "heavy". But hey, it´s the largest screen ever. Anything has its price.
And we should not forget: 750g are not too much. Just put your iPad Air in a regular leather case and you will be very close to 1000g.
The Zagg case .. well... that´s the case. But not the Tab...
Just get another launcher, another case ...
I would complain about other stuff:
- First the yellowish color at the cam-border.... Don´t know if this is just normal or I got a bad unit.
- The pixel density could be better . This is no "Retina" Display anymore since you can clearly see the dots.
- Performance issues ? WTH is this stuttering again and again ? Are 3GB + 8 cores still not enough ? iPad is running on 2 cores / 1GB RAM and is much smoother.
As you say the launcher is a disappointment, therefore I´ll try AWD, should solve it up.
Positive:
- Big, big display, wonderful for movies and especially comics
- No navigation bar at the bottom is great for apps not supporting immersive mode. (SmartQ-Reader!!!)
- Then pen is doing a good job.
Missing:
- Still not intensively tested her battery life and speakers.
Seems a though most of these things could have been seen on a review or playing with it in store before buying it.
You are both correct. I could have see much of this in advance. I really wanted the Tab Pro for $100 less. I have a Note 3 and, before that, a Note 2, and never take the stylus out. It's a non-starter. I believe that the Tab Pro will be out next month so I essentially paid $100 to get the larger Note Pro a month early.
I was running KitKat 4.4.2 on my original Tab 10.1 so immersion is nothing new. In fact, on the ROM I was running it was a toggle. I preferred it to be toggled off as it hid the status bar at the top.
I don't read comics and I watch movies on my 52" TV, not a 12" tablet so those things don't excite me. However, I do watch TV via Slingbox when my wife is watching something else on the large TV.
I'm using Apex as my launcher now, it's been my standard on my phones and tablets for years. I'm able to shrink the icons and fit more onto a screen. In effect I've turned the 12.2 Note Pro into just a larger version that runs smoother than my Tab 10.1. That's nice, don't get me wrong, but it's not a dramatic upgrade, just an incremental one.
I wish that it allowed all apps to be run in multi-window view. That's one thing the ROM on my Tab 10.1 made available. Yeah, some don't look right but then you learn which ones not to use in that mode.
I'm getting used to the Zagg case. I like the larger keyboard as I'm a touch typist. It also shuts off the screen when attached and turns on the screen when removed. Must be a magnet thing.
One thing I've found that I'm not fond of is the hard home button and back button in the center of the screen. I'm used to being able to put those anywhere on the bottom of the screen closer to one of my hands. Turns out that I miss that a lot from the Tab 10.1 maybe the most.
I have to say that the volume from the speakers is significantly better than the original Tab. Very loud and clear. I'm enjoying that quite a bit.
Battery life is very good. I can almost go two days.
It took a week or so for me to get used to the size of the Note 2 when I first got it. Once I got used to it, though, I'd never go back to a smaller screen. It appears that I'm getting accustomed to the 12.2 display also. I'm leaning more and more toward keeping it.
Iam confused on which tab to get ,since both are priced similar in the U.K , also this will be my first tablet . few questions i have is
1. Is the AMOLED display of tab s significantly better than that of Note 10.1.( iam impressed by the display of note 10.1 but hadnt used tab s)
2.does the extra 0.4 inch of tab s make any difference?
3.is S-pen really useful productivity tool.
4.Which one is overall a better tablet(VFM).
rkoforever90 said:
Iam confused on which tab to get ,since both are priced similar in the U.K , also this will be my first tablet . few questions i have is
1. Is the AMOLED display of tab s significantly better than that of Note 10.1.( iam impressed by the display of note 10.1 but hadnt used tab s)
2.does the extra 0.4 inch of tab s make any difference?
3.is S-pen really useful productivity tool.
4.Which one is overall a better tablet(VFM).
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I had a note 10.1 2014 till it fell and the screen broke. I replaced it with the 10.5 tab s.
1. Yes, the amoled display is significantly better and nothing compares to it. Watching movies on the note annoyed me because if you weren't at the PERFECT angle, then parts of the image looked slightly washed out compared to the rest of the screen, if not viewing dead on you have the same annoying issue which is compounded by the back light being on on lcd's so the blacks are dark grey and they exhibit the same washed out look if not viewing the screen dead on. Amoled screens don't have either of those issues, even in extreme viewing angles the image on screen is the same as viewing dead on, and the deep blacks are awesome as the pixels are not lit and this alone would have made me upgrade even if my note wasn't destroyed.
2. The screen size difference is negligible and I don't notice a difference really.
3. The S Pen is a very good tool for those who use it. I have a note 3 and don't the s pen with it, but on the tablet I used to use it a lot for school. Note taking on the tablet with an app named Papyrus was very convenient and that is the only thing that I will miss dearly from the note tablet (I'll be so pissed if they announce a Note S before the end of the year)
4. Overall, for the price, I'd have to give it to the Tab s. It's slightly bigger, way better screen, thinner, lighter and has much better battery life. I'll check out getting a stylus later on when school resumes but for now, the Tab s wins.
Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk
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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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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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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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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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.
There are a lot of issues with the previous version of this tablet (Samsung galaxy Note 10.1 2012 edition) involving the S-Pen. I was wondering if anyone could tell me whether these issues have improved with the new version (Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition). Some of the common problems are:
1. S-pen cursor offset from actual stylus nib near the edges of the screen. (I understand that there are a lot of manual fixes for this but I was wondering if the accuracy around the edges has improved in general)
2. S-pen lines jitter or jump up and down in certain areas on the tablet. (I understand that this happens with magnet cases, but in my case I have never put a magnet case on my tablet and I still have the issue.
3. drawing diagonal lines seem to wiggle back and fourth. (I'll admit that this image is not mine and that it is for a different pen, but I have heard of the same issue with the S-Pen)
Again I am not looking for solutions to these problems, I'm just trying to find out whether Samsung has resolved some of these issues with this newer model.
I've attached images of examples of each issue. The images are in the order that the issues are listed.
runbcov said:
There are a lot of issues with the previous version of this tablet (Samsung galaxy Note 10.1 2012 edition) involving the S-Pen. I was wondering if anyone could tell me whether these issues have improved with the new version (Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition). Some of the common problems are:
1. S-pen cursor offset from actual stylus nib near the edges of the screen. (I understand that there are a lot of manual fixes for this but I was wondering if the accuracy around the edges has improved in general)
2. S-pen lines jitter or jump up and down in certain areas on the tablet. (I understand that this happens with magnet cases, but in my case I have never put a magnet case on my tablet and I still have the issue.
3. drawing diagonal lines seem to wiggle back and fourth. (I'll admit that this image is not mine and that it is for a different pen, but I have heard of the same issue with the S-Pen)
Again I am not looking for solutions to these problems, I'm just trying to find out whether Samsung has resolved some of these issues with this newer model.
I've attached images of examples of each issue. The images are in the order that the issues are listed.
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Click to collapse
I'm not certian how bad these issues are on the 2012 edition, but on my 2014 edition I have never noticed any of them in the 2.5+ years I've had it. I did notice while doing the attached examples that near the edge the cursor tracking does become a little jumpy/slightly off, but like I said, in 2.5 years of use I'd never even noticed it until just now, its very minimal. Drawing a slow diagonal is also slightly jumpy, but again, I'd never noticed it until just now, also very minimal. I have the OE form fit case on mine, which isn't magnetic, so I can't say if a magnetic case has any influence on anything. Hope that helps
*edit* I just realized I mislabeled one of the lines in the pic. Both horizontal lines were drawn slow, so the label under the bottom horizontal line is incorrect. Oops :-/
Thanks for the reply. At this point I'm really torn as to whether I want to upgrade to the new version (Note 10.1 2014) or just replace the one I have (Note 10.1 2012) with the same model and hope that the pen issues are not as bad. Not sure if I should make a new thread for this but another thing I wanted to know was how battery life compares. I'm looking for people who had the 2012 version and upgraded it to the 2014 version to share what their experience has been with battery life. Also could you include what you normally keep the brightness level at?
runbcov said:
Thanks for the reply. At this point I'm really torn as to whether I want to upgrade to the new version (Note 10.1 2014) or just replace the one I have (Note 10.1 2012) with the same model and hope that the pen issues are not as bad. Not sure if I should make a new thread for this but another thing I wanted to know was how battery life compares. I'm looking for people who had the 2012 version and upgraded it to the 2014 version to share what their experience has been with battery life. Also could you include what you normally keep the brightness level at?
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Personally between the 2 I'd go with the newer. I've never owned the 2012 edition, but the whole reason for releasing newer version of any particular make/model device is to update, upgrade and fix any known problems the previous version may have had. Like I said before, the spen issues you were asking about are so minimal on my 2014 edition I never noticed them until the day I drew up that picture attachment for you (that's 2.5 years of ownership, by the way). As for battery life, I just attached a screenshot of my battery stats screen in 3c toolbox as well as its corresponding "help" page so you know what you're looking at. The averages are for about 2 months worth of time (I reset these stats when I replaced my battery about 2 months ago) and its worth noting I'm not running the stock ROM. I'm rooted and running Temasek's unofficial CM12.1 build. As for brightness, I keep mine fairly low, 15-20% usually. Bright screens hurt my eyes so I never really go above that.
Just a thought.... Have you placed a call to Samsung tech support? They might be able to tell you if any spen issues the 2012 edition had were fixed in later builds of the 2012 edition. Its a free call, might be worth a shot.