Last year Samsung released the Galaxy Tab S. It was the company’s most premium slate yet, with top tier specs, a slim and light design and a stunning screen.
Now it’s followed it up with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, a slate with similar selling points. But just how much has changed? Check out our head to head comparison to find out.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (169 x 237.3 x 5.6mm 389g / 134.8 x 198.6 x 5.6mm 265g metal and plastic) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S (247.3 x 177.3 x 6.6mm 467g / 212.8 x 125.6 x 6.6mm 294g plastic)
Both the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S are slim and light, but the Galaxy Tab S2 is thinner and lighter than its predecessor at just 5.6 mm thick and either 389g for the 9.7-inch model or 265g for the 8.0-inch one. Then again it does have a smaller screen so that could partially explain the lower weight.
The rest of the design is similar too, but not identical. The two tablets both have plastic backs, but while the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 has a metal frame, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S simply has a metallic effect along its edging. It looks similar but doesn’t feel the same and is less premium overall.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (9.7-inch 2048*1536 264ppi / 8.0-inch 2048*1536 320ppi) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S (10.5-inch 2560*1600 288ppi / 8.4-inch 2560*1600 359ppi)
Surprisingly in some ways the screen on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is actually a downgrade over the screen on the Tab S, as the S2 has a smaller and lower resolution 9.7-inch or 8.0-inch 2048 x 1536 display, while the Galaxy Tab S has a 10.5-inch or 8.4-inch 2560 x 1600 screen.
Despite being smaller the Galaxy Tab S2 also has a slightly lower pixel density, of 264 pixels per inch for the 9.7-inch version and 320 pixels per inch for the 8.0-inch one, compared to 288 pixels per inch for the 10.5-inch Galaxy Tab S and 359 pixels per inch for the 8.4-inch one.
However overall the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 arguably has the better screen. For one thing the sizes perhaps make it easier to use, as 10.5 inches is on the large size for a device which is meant to be portable and 8.4 inches isn’t quite as compact as most small slates.
On top of that while both the Tab S2 and the Tab S have bright and vibrant Super AMOLED screens Samsung has worked hard to tune the colours on the Tab S2, so they’re likely to be more true-to-life.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (1.9GHz octa-core 3GB RAM) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S (1.9GHz octa-core 3GB RAM)
There’s nothing much to choose between the power of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S. Surprisingly despite being newer the Galaxy Tab S2 has 3GB of RAM and an octa-core processor with four cores clocked at 1.9GHz and four cores running at 1.3GHz, just like the original Samsung Galaxy Tab S.
But that was a very high spec last year and it’s still a pretty high spec this year, so there was no real need to equip the Tab S2 with something faster.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (8MP rear 2.1MP front-facing) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S (8MP rear 2.1MP front-facing)
There’s little to choose between the two slates cameras either, as they both have 8 megapixel snappers on the back and 2.1 megapixel ones on the front.
Those aren’t amazing specs but they’re pretty solid for a tablet and should be enough for you to take some reasonable snaps.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (5,870 mAh/4,000 mAh 32/64GB 4G) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S (7,900 mAh/4,900 mAh 16/32GB 4G)
The 9.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 has a 5,870 mAh battery, while the 8.0-inch one has a 4,000 mAh one. That’s smaller than the 7,900 mAh 10.5-inch Galaxy Tab S or the 4,900 mAh 8.4-inch one, but then again as the Tab S2 has a slightly smaller and lower resolution screen it shouldn’t need quite as much juice.
The Galaxy Tab S can last for up to 11 hours of multimedia use and we’d expect similar from the Galaxy Tab S2, so in other words these slates should be able to get you through a day of heavy use and then some.
The Galaxy Tab S2 has heaps of storage too, with 32 or 64GB built in along with a microSD card slot with support for cards of up to 128GB. The Galaxy Tab S has the same microSD card capacity but comes with just either 16 or 32GB of storage built in.
Both the original Tab S and the Tab S2 support Wi-Fi and have fingerprint scanners, both also come in 3G/4G variants, the only real difference when it comes to connectivity is that the Tab S2 supports Bluetooth 4.1, while the Tab S supports Bluetooth 4.0.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is a significant upgrade over the Galaxy Tab S, yet it’s not quite as much of a jump as you might have expected. The two tablets should be equally powerful and have similarly good cameras, while the original Tab S actually has a larger battery and a slightly sharper screen, but with more natural colours the Tab S2 has the better display overall and shouldn’t need as big a battery as it’s a smaller device.
It also has a more premium build, more built in storage and arguably comes in more desirable sizes. It successfully improves on one of the best Android tablets around which is impressive in itself. It’s bound to cost more, but as one of the best specced slates we’ve come across it’s surely worth the money.
