Last year, the Samsung Galaxy Tab was the company’s best answer yet to the Apple iPad, though it didn’t really appeal like Apple’s iconic premium slate. However, this year, the Korean tech giant has introduced a much better sequel to the Tab S. The new Samsung Galaxy S2 looks premium, and measures just 5.6 mm around the waist, which makes it the world’s slimmest tablet at the moment. The slate will go head to head with the Apple iPad Air 2.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and Apple iPad Air 2 are among the best tablets for students. Let’s compare their features to find out which one of the duo is the best offering for students.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 vs Apple iPad Air 2: comparison of best tablets for students
Design
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 features a 5.6mm waistline, while the Apple iPad Air 2 also settles quite slim at 6.1mm. On the first look, these tablets look identical. However, while Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 sports metal frame running around the edges and plastic rear back, the iPad Air 2 offers a full-aluminium body, resulting in a much attractive design. The iPad Air 2 weighs 437grams, while the Tab S2 is much lighter at just 389grams. So design-wise, the iPad Air 2 looks more appealing than the Tab S2, but is tad thick and weighs more.
Display
Not many differences in the display section, as both slates offer 9.7-inch screens – with the same 4:3 aspect ratio. Both offer screen resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels, resulting into a pixel density of 264 pixels per inch. The Galaxy Tab S2 has a Super AMOLED display with a reading-
optimized ratio. The iPad Air 2, meanwhile, offers an LED-backlit IPS Retina screen. Both offer best reading experience, making these suitable for students to read e-books and more.
Software
Software-wise, the Galaxy Tab S2 and iPad Air 2 offer best of the experience available on the planet. The Galaxy Tab S2 runs the latest Android Lollipop with Samsung TouchWiz UI layered on top. The iPad Air 2 on the other hand will stick with iOS 8 for a couple more months. The iPad Air 2 doesn’t support split-screen multitasking, which the company will bring with the iOS 9 update. Split-screen multitasking, which Samsung calls Multi Window, is nothing new for Galaxy Tablets, and the latest Tab S2 also offers it. Overall, the Galaxy Tab S2 has the advantage of multitasking capability over the iPad Air 2.
Configuration
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and iPad Air 2, both tablets offer 64-bit computing. The Tab S2 is powered by an octa-core Samsung Exynos 5433 processor consisting of four 1.9GHz and four 1.3GHz cores. The Air 2 utilizes an Apple A8X tri-core 1.5GHz processor, accompanied by an M8 motion coprocessor. The Galaxy Tab S2 offers 3GB of RAM, while the Air 2 is only equipped with 2GB of RAM. So on the paper, the Tab S2 offers faster performance. For storage, the iPad Air 2 comes in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB of non-expandable memory variants. The Tab S2 gets another advantage over the Air 2 as it’s available in 32GB or 64GB combinations, with additional memory expansion support of up to 128GB thanks to a microSDcard slot.
Camera
The Apple iPad Air 2 sports an 8MP rear camera with full HD video recording, accompanied by a 1.2MP FaceTime front shooter. The Galaxy Tab S2 also has an 8MP primary camera, but it offers QHD video recording support, i.e. 2,560 x 1,440. For selfies and video calling, the Tab S2 offers a 1.2MP front snapper.
Connectivity & Battery
In terms of connectivity, both offer similar features. They are available in Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + LTE cellular variants. These offer dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. The Air 2 has Bluetooth 4.0 support, while the Tab S2 offers latest-gen Bluetooth 4.1 BLE connectivity for low-energy connections. The Apple iPad Air 2 wins over the Galaxy Tab S2 in the battery section. The slate offers a massive beefy 7,340mAh battery, while the Tab S2 offers a 5,870mAh unit.
Special features
Coming to the special features of these best tablets for students. Both the Galaxy Tab S2 and the iPad Air 2 offer fingerprint readers to offer extra security and convenience. Apple and Samsung have loaded these tablets with their quick payment solutions. The iPad Air 2 supports Apple Pay, while the Tab S2 is expected to offer Samsung Pay service.
Conclusion
Coming to the verdict, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and the Apple iPad Air 2 boast top-notch specifications, solid build quality, and are among the best tablets for students. The Galaxy Tab S2 has a few advantages over the iPad Air 2 in the performance, connectivity, storage capacity, and software sections. However, the device has just been announced and yet to go on sale, so it remains to find out how well the slate performs. Either way, one thing’s for sure that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is loaded with everything it needs to compete against the Apple iPad Air 2. The Air 2 is available in India at a starting price of Rs 35,900, but there’s no word what will be the asking price for the Galaxy Tab S2.
