Samsung tablet is just what doctor ordered

Noel Campion enjoys the ability of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, a tablet which is sure to please gamers.

Samsung tablet is just what doctor ordered

Noel Campion enjoys the ability of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, a tablet which is sure to please gamers.

It has been a while since an android tablet passed my desk for review, but I’m always happy to try a device that I can use to draw with. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 comes with the S Pen, right out of the box, which is great, but ultimately, is it as good as the iPad Pro? Let’s dig in and find out.

Clearly, the Tab S4 is in direct competition with the iPad Pro 10.5 as it shares the same screen size and costs a little less at €729 versus €749. What pushes the price of the iPad Pro 10.5 even more is that you have to pay an extra €99 for the Apple Pencil.

The Tab S4 is an incredibly stunning looking device that has an all-glass back and front that sandwiches a metal edge. The back has a 13mp camera that protrudes a little, which is unfortunate, but at only 7.1mm thick I can understand why. At 482g, the Tab S4 is slightly heavier than the iPad Pro 10.5, and feels incredibly solid with little to no flex.

As is the trend with phones, the Tab S4 has minimal bezels to maximise screen size and reduce the overall form factor. Unlike a smartphone, I don’t think the bezels should be too small as it makes using the device much harder, especially for things like drawing and taking handwritten notes.

One of the most impressive things about the Tab S4 is the screen, which is a Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 QHD and support for HDR. Stranger Things never looked this good on my iPad Pro!

From Netflix movies and shows to YouTube videos, the 10.5-inch screen on the Tab S4 makes everything look fantastic with colours that pop and a level of detail that I’ve never seen on a screen this size.

The screen is great for everything else too with vibrant colours, razor-sharp text and contrast levels that produce inky dark blacks. This makes the Tab S4 a joy to use for media consumption, also in part thanks to the quad speakers that produce an excellent stereo soundstage. If you’d prefer to use headphones then either connect them via Bluetooth or the 3.5mm headphone jack.

The four speakers produce great sound quality and more than enough volume, but don’t have much bass. The AKG tuned sound system also supports Dolby’s ATMOS technology for a more enhanced listening experience when watching movies. Of course, like the Note Series of phones, the Tab S4 supports S Pen, which makes this a great alternative for those who like to take handwritten notes. I’m a big fan of using a tablet to take notes, jot down ideas and so on, but great hardware is only half the battle when it comes to more artistic endeavours.

There are a lot of great apps out there for taking notes, but not as many for those who want to paint and draw. I tried several, but none came close to being as good as Procreate for iOS.

The best of what I did use was Autodesk SketchBook, Adobe Sketch, and Infinite Painter.

In using all of these apps, there was a noticeable lag, which I don’t see on the iPad Pro. I did get used to this and was able to work around it, but it does detract from the experience. The pen feels great in the hand and has a small precise nib that doesn’t skid easily on the glass surface of the Tab S4. Palm rejection is excellent, so I didn’t find that I was making unintentional marks with my hands.

As a drawing tablet, the Tab S4 is excellent and as good as you’re going to get right now on an Android device. However, it’s not on par with the iPad Pro and I wouldn’t suggest it as an alternative for professional digital artists.

The Tab S4 is running the Snapdragon 835 and not the faster 845 seen on Samsung flagships like the S9 and Note 9. It has 4GB of RAM and my review model came with 64GB of storage with the option of upgrading this with a microSD card.

Overall performance is excellent and this is a beast of a device for gaming. From games like PUBG Mobile to Asphalt 9: Legends, the Tab S4 performance buttery smooth. Again, the screen makes all the visuals look stunning and the stereo sound setup amps up the experience.

Battery life is fantastic and although I wasn’t able to get the claimed 16 hours of battery life, I definitely had no complaints in this area.

DeX was introduced with the launch of the Galaxy S8 and required an additional dock to work. With the Note 9, all you need is a cable to hook it up to a TV or monitor, but with the Tab S4, you can hook it up to a screen with a simple cable, thanks to the larger screen, you don’t need any cables or dock. I like the concept of being able to run apps full screen and a more Windows 10 type desktop experience, but not all apps support DeX in full-screen mode. I do hope Samsung continues to develop and support DeX, as I think it has a future in both their smartphones and tablets.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is an impressive tablet that feels incredibly premium and looks great. The screen is the best in class and certainly trumps any iPad screen to date.

However, despite great hardware, I feel the Tab S4 is let down a little by Android OS, because it still isn’t fully optimised for a larger tablet screen, yet.

If you’re looking for an alternative to the iPad, then the Tab S4 is the best of what’s out there right now.

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