TECHNOLOGY MATTERS

Samsung Galaxy Tab S: First Impressions

 If you thought that tablets are stagnating and that innovation is missing, Samsung's newest efforts might prove you wrong. We have just got our hands on some of the latest tablets from Samsung, due to launch in India within the next couple of months.

These new tablets combine great hardware, the latest software and several new and useful features. All this in a unibody device that is just 6.6mm thick, lightweight and easy-to-carry. Plus, you can get it in 8.4-inch and 10.5-inch sizes

The Tab S marries the best of previous Samsung tablets and the current flagship Samsung Galaxy S5. It has a unibody design with textured rear panel similar to the Galaxy S5. Both the 8.4-inch (294 grams) and 10.5-inch (465 grams) variants of the tablet are just 6.6mm in thickness - this makes them look very svelte, stylish and easy to hold.

The thin bezels around the display added to the overall look of the tablet. The only issue we saw with build was that the microSD slot cover felt flimsy.

These are among the first tablets to use a super amoled display. This type of display (usually on high-end phones), offers a wider colour range, deeper contrast, better outdoors visibility, richer colours and is more power efficient.

With a high resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, the displays on both tablets looks absolutely stunning. We played games, saw videos and even opened a magazine on the display and the screen is very impressive.

Samsung has included three display modes - Cinemas mode, Photo mode and Basic mode - these modes are optimised for best output while watching video, viewing photo or for general usage respectively.

The tablets are available in Wi-Fi only or LTE versions. The LTE version runs on a quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, the WiFi version has an octa core Exynos 5 processor. Other specification include 3GB RAM, 16 or 32GB storage and a microSD slot (with support for 128GB cards). The 8.4-inch tablet has a 4,900mAh battery while the 10.5-inch tablet has a 7,900mAh battery - both have a claimed battery life of over 10 hours on a single charge.

As expected from this kind of hardware, the interface is butter-smooth. Multitasking between apps works without a hitch even with more than 10 apps running in the background.

Apart from LTE and WiFi, the Tab S also has WiFi Direct and Bluetooth 4.0 for wireless connectivity. However, why NFC has not been included in either variant is not clear.

In terms of sensors, you get the usual accelerometer and gyro sensors plus an IR emitter port to use the tablet as universal remote control. The LTE version of the tablet also has a proximity sensor. In addition, both tablets also have a fingerprint sensor in the home button for security - similar to the flagship Galaxy S5.

Both the 8.4-inch and 10.5-inch variants of the Tab S come with an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera. The 8MP rear camera on both is surprisingly good for a tablet - we captured a few photographs and got sharp images with noise visible only zooming in 100%.

The front 2MP camera also works well if there is enough ambient light. However, there is a fair amount of noise visible on the front camera. The rear camera is capable of recording full HD videos in high quality.

 Samsung has pre-loaded the latest Android 4.4 OS on both variants along with its TouchWiz user interface. As with the Galaxy S5, you get various Google apps pre-installed including Chrome, Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Google+, Hangouts, Drive and Photos.

In addition, you can select and download your choice of apps out of Group Play, S-Note, S Translator, Samsung Link, Scrapbook, Story Album, Video Editor, Gear Manager, Gear Fit Manager, Samsung Smart Switch, Samsung Level, E-meeting, Kids Mode, Kids Piano and S-Console.

Samsung has also improved its magazine service called PaperGarden, which offers exclusive content. The Kids Mode lets you restrict access to content and apps if you regularly hand the the tablet over to a child.

 Other than the fact that this is the first tablet to use a super amoled display and finger print sensor, Samsung has also included two unique features called SideSync and RemotePC on the tablet. SideSync lets you connect a Samsung Galaxy S5 with the Tab S over WiFi - when connected, you can forward voice calls to the tablet or quickly transfer files between the connected devices.

The RemotePC app lets you access and use your desktop PC remotely from anywhere after installing a server/client software on the desktop.

The Tab S 8.4 16GB WiFi only version is priced at US$ 399 while the Tab S 10.5-inch 16GB WiFi only version is at US$499. At this price, the tablets compete directly with the Apple iPad Mini with Retina display and full size Apple iPad.

However, they offer features and functionality not seen before on tablets. Look out for a detailed review once the tablet is launched in India (we are hoping for a lunch early August this year).

                                                                                                      COURTESY- ECONOMIC TIMES