A Samsung tablet you’ll probably want to own

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is one of two new tablets from Samsung, the other being the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. The key feature of both is a stunning Super AMOLED screen with a Retina-standard resolution, a combination that arguably makes the screens on these tablets the best of any tablet on the market.

That screen, combined with improved design and an excellent overall spec, makes the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 a very promising tablet that will be worth serious consideration when it goes on sale in July.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5: Screen

The Galaxy Tab S 10.5’s screen is its obvious standout feature. While the traditional tendency for Super AMOLED screens to oversaturate colours is still evident, I was immensely impressed by the screen on the Galaxy Tab S 10.5.

The key is Super AMOLED’s vastly superior black level and contrast. Samsung says the screen as a 100,000:1 contrast ratio, which is 100x that of typical LCD displays. And this difference is clear to see even to an untrained eye. Blacks are visibly, definably and unequivocally black.

This isn’t the only benefit, of course. While colours look a little overcooked in places, the overall effect is generally positive. Photos, videos and photos look rich and detailed, and colours really pop from the screen. 



This shot shows the LCD of the Tab 2 10.1 and AMOLED Tab S side-by-side. If anything the Galaxy Tab S overemphasises yellows in this shot, but the general impact of the screen is impressive.

This is also an incredibly sharp screen. Its 2,560 x 1,600 resolution gives the Galaxy Tab 10.5 287 pixels per inch (ppi), which is as high as it really needs to be on a tablet. The small caveat here is this is a PenTile display, a process that makes AMOLED screens appear slightly less sharp than equivalent LCD screens due to the pattern and arrangement of pixels. You can see the slightly coarse pattern this creates if you like very closely, but it’s not really a problem.

Another feature of the screen is what Samsung calls Adaptive Display, which monitors ambient light and adjusts the white balance to compensate. This feels a bit superfluous, though, as do the Cinema and Photo screen modes—the Super AMOLED screen is good enough on its own not to need such ‘enhancements’.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5: Design

Samsung has made some good design choices with the Galaxy Tab S 10.5. It has the same soft-touch ‘dimple’ rear of the Galaxy S5, which works really nicely on a tablet and makes the Tab S 10.5 very pleasant to handle. But it has also added metal. Not fake metal, not faux-leather stitching, honest-to-god real metal.



The curved, metal edges instantly lend the Galaxy Tab 10.5 a classier look and a comfier feel in the hands than older Samsung tablets. As we’ve come to expect from Samsung, it’s a very thin and light tablet, too, weighing in at just 495g and 6.6mm thick. You can comfortably hold the Galaxy Tab 10.5 in one hand.

I’ve seen quite a few Samsung tablets over the years, and this is the first one with a design I really like. This is progress.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5: Specs and Software

After the great screen and impressive design, the specs merely confirm this is a tablet worth serious consideration. Depending on your region, you’ll get either a Samsung Exynos 5 octo-core processor or a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. There’s 3GB of RAM, a microSD card slot that supports up to 128GB capacity cards, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and options for 16GB and 32GB of built-in storage. 

The main camera has an 8.1MP sensor with an LED flash, and there’s a 2.1MP front-facing camera. The battery has a 7,900mAh capacity that's good for an impressive 11 hours of video according to Samsung, and you get Bluetooth 4.0 and an IR-blaster – two features common to pretty much all Samsung tablets.



There are one or two interesting software features, too. Like most previous Samsung tablets you have the ability to use two apps at once in split-screen, but SideSync 3.0 add the ability to take calls from your phone on your tablet using Wi-Fi Direct. There are places where Samsung’s software feels a little intrusive and cluttered in comparison to pure Android, but most of these can be removed or simply ignored.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5: Bluetooth Keyboard

In addition to two different case covers, Samsung has also produced an optional Bluetooth keyboard for the Galaxy Tab S 10.5. It’s not the most accomplished tablet keyboard, though. It’s a nice idea and the keyboard looks nice, but this isn’t a serious typing tool.



The two covers meanwhile, the Simple Case (screen only) and Book Cover (front and rear), are quite nice, but the mechanism for attaching them is very fiddly. Instead of magnets, Samsung employs two ‘clicker’ points (like a popper on a jacket) to fix them on. They clip on strongly, but getting them on is fussy, so once the cover is on you’re unlikely to ever take it off again.

First Impressions

One or two small niggles aside, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is a very promising tablet. The screen looks great and the refined design feels like a meaningful and long overdue step forward for Samsung. I could live without some of the fussier software features, but overall this is an Android tablet worth waiting for.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 goes on sale in July. The price is still to be confirmed.

Could this be the best Android tablet on the market?

People like small tablets. The Nexus 7 started the trend; the iPad mini proved it wasn’t just an Android thing; and the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 could be the very best ‘small tablet’ around.

Like the iPad mini with Retina display, it favours a slightly larger 8-inch screen (8.4-inch to be precise) to the seven inches of the Nexus 7. And as the LG G Pad 8.3 reminded us, it’s a size that works perfectly for a small tablet. Unlike any of the above, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has a truly stunning Super AMOLED screen.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4: Screen

Like its larger sibling, the Galaxy Tab S 10.5, the Tab S 8.4 has a Super AMOLED screen with a super-sharp 2,560 x 1,600 resolution. Of course, on this smaller display it’s even sharper with 359 pixels per inch of screen space. It doesn’t look quite as sharp as the iPad mini’s LCD screen due to the PenTile sub-pixel arrangement, but this is a minor issue.

Another minor issue is the slight tendency to oversaturate colours. This is a common trait among AMOLED screens and the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 isn’t immune. But, like the Galaxy S5, it’s far less dramatic than on OLED screens of old, and the benefits of AMOLED far outweigh this weakness.



The benefit is the hugely impressive black level. Put even a good LCD next to this AMOLED screen and the quality and purity of blacks is immediately obvious. Samsung claims a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 (100x more than typical LCDs) and I don’t doubt this figure.

The result is photos and video that really impress with their richness, depth and quality. Web pages benefit, too. It’s an outstanding screen.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4: Design

Samsung has upped its game in the design department, too. That’s mainly thanks to the metal, curved edges, which make the Tab S 8.4 look and feel far classier than any Samsung tablet or phone I’ve seen to date.

This difference apart, the Galaxy Tab S is really a very large Galaxy S5. It has the same ‘dimple’ effect rear, and this dovetails very nicely with the new metal trim – the latter is a huge improvement on the nasty plastic accents on the S5. 



This means you also get the S5’s fingerprint scanner, though it's a mixed blessing given how unreliable it proved on that phone – I didn’t have the opportunity to see if it’s any better here.

Size and weight are the Galaxy Tab S 8.4’s true strengths, though. It measures just 6.6mm and weighs just 294g. You can hold it very comfortably in one hand, making it perfect for reading and web browsing on the move.



The two case/cover options are nice, too. The Simple cover covers just the screen, while the Book Cover protects the rear too and offers three different viewing angles. I’m not mad about the ‘clicker’ mechanism for fastening them – it’s basically like a popper on a jacket – as it’s fiddly, but this shouldn’t prove too bothersome unless you feel the need to remove the case often.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4: Specs

This is top-spec tablet. There’s a Snapdragon 800 processor (or a Samsung Exynos 5 in some regions), 3GB of RAM, 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, microSD card support up 128GB and plenty more. That includes an 8.1-megapixel camera with LED flash, a 2.1MP front-facing camera, and there will be an LTE version in addition to Wi-Fi only ones.

The fact none of this sounds hugely impressive is merely a mark of how much we take for granted now – the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has every conceivable feature it needs and it has more than enough processing power on tap to get things done quickly.


Blacks don't get better than OLED blacks

First Impressions

Samsung has produced a very promising tablet in the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. The size is right, the design is right and screen is a stunner. Provided the price is reasonable, this is an Android tablet that can really take the fight to the iPad mini 2.

Samsung launched on Thursday perhaps the most direct competitor to the iPad we've seen yet. In fact, the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S comes in a larger and smaller size too, just like its Applecounterpart.

Both versions of the iPad (the mini and the standard 9.7-inch size) have the same display resolution, processor and storage space as the other (just the size is different), while specs built into the 8.4-inch and 10.5-inch Galaxy Tab devices largely go hand-in-hand too.

But of course there are differences between what Samsung's offering compared to Apple, so we've stacked the details side by side for your easy-snacking pleasure. Check out the chart below.

	Samsung Galaxy Tab S	iPad
Screen Sizes	Two models: 8.4 inches; 10.5 inches	Two models: 7.9 inches; 9.7 inches
Resolution	2,560 x 1,600	2,048 x 1,536
Dimensions	8.4 x 4.3 x 0.25 inches; 9.7 x 6.9 x 0.25 inches	7.87 x 5.3 x 0.29 inches; 9.5 x 7.31 x 0.37 inches
Weight	0.64 pounds (Wi-Fi)/0.66 (LTE); 1.02 pounds (Wifi)/1.03 pounds(LTE)	0.73 pounds (Wi-Fi)/0.75 pounds (LTE); 1.44 pounds (Wi-Fi), 1.46 pounds (LTE)
Mobile Operating System	Android KitKat (4.4)	iOS
Processor	Samsung Exynos 5 Octa (1.9GHz quad-core ＋ 1.3GHz quad-core) or Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.3 GHz Quadcore (region dependent)	Apple A7 chip with 64-bit architecture, M7 motion coprocessor
Battery Life	Up to 11 hours	Up to 10 hours
Storage Space	16, 32GB (with microSD up to 128GB)	16, 32, 64 or 128 GB
Camera	8MP w/ LED Flash + 2.1MP Full HD	1.2MP front, 5MP rear
Price	Wi-Fi: $399.99; $499; LTE pricing not announced	Wi-Fi: $399 16GB, $499 32GB, $599 64GB, $699 128GB; LTE: $529 16GB, $629 32GB, $729 64GB, $829, 128GB
LTE Option	Yes, via AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint	Yes, via AT&T, Verizon, Sprint with Sprint Spark (10.5-inch only), T-Mobile (10.5-inch only)

A story by The Information caused the Microsoft blogging sphere to start fluttering recently. It is spinning wild by the idea that Microsoft was toying with the idea of Windows Phone and Android installed in the same handset, granting users the ability to choose between the two, or perhaps dual boot each at separate times.

WPCentral wrote a fine piece digging into what The Information uncovered if you would like a peek at the details without running nose-first into a paywall.

Why might Microsoft have wanted to pursue the strategy? Aside from the obvious placement onto more handsets — and thus, in theory, more app downloads for Windows Phone developers — it is hard to parse why Microsoft would even contemplate the effort.

Yes. In fact, the only thing that I can summon to mind is that Microsoft was desperate. You don’t lash your platform onto another that does the precise same things — and some things better, it has to be said — if you are confident in your own platform’s ability to exist on its own.

Happily, what The Information uncovered — I haven’t managed to confirm their work independently, but parts of it jibe with logic — more than just a Hail Marry attempt to jump onto Android’s momentum to bolster Windows Phone. Other efforts include firmware updates, new advertising efforts, sub-$100 handsets, and so forth. The sort of things that you expected, in other words.

All the above is viewable from a post-Nokia context, of course, in which Microsoft owns two of the three commanding heights of its smartphone platform: hardware, and software, even if Carrier Support remains, for obvious reasons, outside of its control.

I think that Windows Phone sans Microsoft’s control of Nokia hardware business would have been open to more platform flexibility. However, now for Microsoft, every advantage it grants to other OEMs as enticement to build and sell Windows Phone handsets is a direct undercut to its own efforts. So, Microsoft’s best bet to help Windows Phone and itself at the same time is to ensure that Lumia handsets — those devices being of essentially now past Nokia vintage — sell at increasing volume.

Shoving Windows Phone haphazardly into Android hardware to give consumers an odd choice perhaps at the corporate expense of OEM royalties for IP protection just doesn’t shift water in that reality.

What we should take from the above I think is actually simple: Microsoft remains utterly committed to Windows Phone, and is willing to pursue any avenue that it can to ensure the success of the platform. The Android gambit was a desperate thought, but you have to give the company points for outside-the-platform thinking.

When Nokia reports earnings and device volume figures for the holiday quarter, we’ll have a pretty clear look at the health of Windows Phone, a platform that is growing abroad and struggling at home, though the third-party data at the moment is somewhat mixed. Just don’t expect to see Windows Phone and Android sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g.

What if Samsung launched a smartphone constructed from thin but sturdy aluminum instead of cheap-feeling plastic? What if that sleek metal smartphone also featured a design that was unique and interesting instead of the same old bland slab design? Such is the vision of graphic designer Ivo Maric, who recently created a concept render of the “Galaxy F,” a premium Samsung smartphone that has been rumored to be in development since the middle of last year.

Maric’s Galaxy F features an aluminum enclosure and a huge display that stretches almost to the side edges of the phone. And unlike most smartphone concepts, Maric’s Galaxy F is actually designed with reality in mind, featuring styling and dimensions that fall within the realm of possibility.

Rumors in the months leading up to Samsung’s recent Galaxy S5 unveiling suggested that the company is working on a premium version of its flagship smartphone dubbed either Galaxy F or Galaxy S5 Prime. The phone never materialized during Samsung’s press conference in February, but reports suggest that the handset is still in development.

According to most reports, the Galaxy F features specs that closely match the Galaxy S5, but packed into a premium metal enclosure similar to those found on the iPhone 5s or HTC One. The device may also include a quad HD display that will pack twice as many pixels as a 1080p screen into the same space.

Additional renders of Ivo Maric’s Samsung Galaxy F follow below.

Sony has announced the Xperia T3, a 5.3-inch smartphone which the company claims to be the world's slimmest in its category.

Measuring 150.7 x 77 x 7 mm and weighing 148 grams, the Xperia T3 is indeed quite light and thin for such a large phone.

Design-wise, it doesn't stray much from the other new high-end Xperias, such as the Z2, though it's noticeably thinner (the Xperia Z2 is 8.2mm thick). It also has the stainless steel frame with the power button on the side, and it's also available in black, purple or white.

This is where the similarities end, however, as the T3 is not water or dust-resistant, and its specs are one or two notches behind Sony's flagship.

The 5.3-inch screen has a 1280x720 pixel resolution (which Sony for some reason calls Full HD), and it comes with a quad-core, 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an 8-megapixel camera, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of memory (expandable up to 32GB via microSD memory cards).

Software-wise, the Xperia T3 has the latest version of Android (4.4 or Kitkat), and comes with several Sony bells and whistles, including camera apps such as Social live and AR effect.

Sony Xperia T3 will become available globally at the end of July 2014. The price has not been announced.