GSMArena.com GSMArena.com

Tip us

883k

142k
87k
355k

RSS

Log in

Login with
Facebook Google

Sign up
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • FeaturedNew
  • Phone Finder
  • Tools
  • Glossary
  • Coverage
  • FAQ
  • Contact
Sony Xperia XZ2 review
  • -
  • -
  • -
GSMArena team, 25 June 2014

S-class coupe


Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 review

  • Comments (51)
  • User reviews
  • Galaxy Tab S 8.4

2. Unboxing, design and build quality, display
  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. Unboxing, design and build quality, display
  3. 3. Controls, battery performance, connectivity
  4. 4. User interface
  5. 5. Performance
  6. 6. Contacts, messaging, text input, file manager
  7. 7. Gallery, multimedia players, audio quality, loudspeaker
  8. 8. Still and video camera
  9. 9. Web browser, additional apps
  10. 10. Conclusion
  11.  
  12. Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 specification
  13. User opinions and reviews
  14. Review comments (51)

Samsung Android

Unboxing

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 ships in a box with the same design as its smartphone relatives. Inside it you will find the tablet, a charger and a microUSB cable, as well as some booklets.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84
Unboxing the tablet

Considering the stature of the tablet in Samsung's product range, a pair of bundled headphones would have been highly appreciated. Unfortunately, the Tab S 8.4 does not follow the example set by its smartphone siblings in this regard.

Additional accessories

Just like most of its Galaxy smartphones and phablets, Samsung will be offering flip covers for the Galaxy Tab S series. The original cover for the Tab S 8.4, once attached, leaves almost the entire back exposed but would protect the entire front. It doubles as a stand too. Another version of the cover folds around the entire slate and doubles as a kickstand.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4
Samsung's original covers for the Tab S 8.4

Design and build quality

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 unsurprisingly features the same design as the rest of the company's tablet lineup, save for the rear finish. The latter features the same faux perforated leather-like look as the Samsung Galaxy S5, thus bringing yet another reason to justify the presence of the letter S in the tablet's name.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 in the flesh

A rather controversial part of the tablet's design has to do with the available Dazzling White and Titanium Bronze color schemes. The former features a back cover with pearl effect with gold bezel, while Titanium Bronze in real life sports a back cover in grey/brown which changes its hue under different light with, once again, gold bezel. The two colors look a tad gaudy in person - plain black with the usual chrome bezel would have been the safer, better choice it seems.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 in white

The build quality of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is up to the company's usually high standards. The slate is superbly put together and is certain to handle heavy use without hiccups.

The physical measures of Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 are 212.8 x 125.6 x 6.6mm, for a weight of 294 grams. The newcomer is notably lighter and thinner than the already slender Apple iPad mini 2 (331 grams and 7.5 mm respectively).

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 side by side with Tab S 10.1 and iPad Air

Handling

Handling the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is a pleasure. The perforated faux leather back, despite being ridiculed by the competition, is extremely grippy. It allows users to handle the ultra-slim device without worrying much about accidental drops.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84
Handling the Galaxy Tab S 8.4

The light weight of the tablet allows it to be held with one hand without causing any unnecessary strain.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4
Handling the Galaxy Tab S 8.4

Display

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 features a gorgeous 8.4" WQXGA display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. Its pixel density of 359ppi handily beats that of the iPad mini 2's 324ppi.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84
The display of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4

Samsung took three years before fitting another Super AMOLED display in a tablet, but we are happy to tell you that the wait was well worth it. The screen of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is the best we've seen in a tablet by quite a margin. It is beautiful to look at with its deep blacks and saturated (if you choose that) colors.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84 Samsung Galaxy Tab S 84
A closer look at the tablet's display

Let's look at the numbers. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has a practically unlimited contrast ratio, as individual pixels don't get lit up - AMOLEDs light up only the parts of the screen that display a different color beside black.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 vs. Samsung Galaxy S5Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 vs. Samsung Galaxy S5
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 diamond-pattern PenTile matrix vs Samsung Galaxy S5 diamond-pattern PenTile matrix

The Super AMOLED panel on the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 isn't the brightest we've seen, it's actually inferior to the Galaxy Tab Pro slates, the Xperia Z2 Tablet and the latest iPads. However in most cases you won't notice this in practice unless you put the Tab S side by side with an iPad.

The outdoor visibility is great, too.

Display test 50% brightness 100% brightness
Black, cd/m2 White, cd/m2 Contrast ratio Black, cd/m2 White, cd/m2 Contrast ratio
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 0 221 ∞ 0 398 ∞
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 0 210 ∞ 0 382 ∞
Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 0.34 281 830 0.60 498 822
Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 0.41 312 775 0.72 588 812
Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet - - - 0.45 484 1076
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 0.27 221 831 0.53 440 821
Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 0.33 301 901 0.54 493 911
Apple iPad Air 0.19 181 968 0.53 508 964
Apple iPad mini 2 0.20 167 835 0.56 450 804
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 0 149 ∞ 0 379 ∞
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 0 200 ∞ 0 328 ∞

Samsung is still providing several screen color modes to match the particular needs of different user groups. They include Adaptive display, AMOLED cinema, AMOLED photo, and Basic mode. No matter which mode you choose, it's really hard to describe how impressive the 8.4" screen actually is before you see it in real life.

Here goes a video comparing the newcomer's screen with the iPad Mini with Retina display.

Overall, the Super AMOLED display alone makes the tablet one of the best compact offerings on the market. It really is that good.

Next Page » 3. Controls, battery performance, connectivity
2. Unboxing, design and build quality, display
  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. Unboxing, design and build quality, display
  3. 3. Controls, battery performance, connectivity
  4. 4. User interface
  5. 5. Performance
  6. 6. Contacts, messaging, text input, file manager
  7. 7. Gallery, multimedia players, audio quality, loudspeaker
  8. 8. Still and video camera
  9. 9. Web browser, additional apps
  10. 10. Conclusion
  11.  
  12. Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 specification
  13. User opinions and reviews
  14. Review comments (51)

Reviews Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 reviewPage 2
  • Comments (51)
  • User reviews
  • Galaxy Tab S 8.4

Phone finder

  • Samsung
  • Apple
  • Nokia
  • Sony
  • LG
  • HTC
  • Motorola
  • Huawei
  • Microsoft
  • Lenovo
  • Xiaomi
  • Google
  • Acer
  • Asus
  • Oppo
  • OnePlus
  • Meizu
  • BlackBerry
  • Alcatel
  • ZTE
  • Toshiba
  • Vodafone
  • Energizer
  • XOLO
  • Lava
  • Micromax
  • BLU
  • Gionee
  • vivo
  • LeEco
  • Panasonic
  • HP
  • YU
  • verykool
  • Maxwest
  • Plum

All brands Rumor mill

Related articles

  • Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ get April security update in Europe, improved stability
    19 April 2018 2
  • That Samsung Galaxy S9+ mini will actually be called Dream-Lite
    19 April 2018 22
  • Samsung Galaxy A6 and A6+ CAD-based renders and videos leak
    19 April 2018 16
  • Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) now receiving Oreo
    18 April 2018 34

Ebay offers

Popular reviews

Sony Xperia XZ2 review

Sony Xperia XZ2 review
Samsung Galaxy S9 review

Samsung Galaxy S9 review
Apple iPhone X long-term review

Apple iPhone X long-term review

Home News Reviews Compare Coverage Glossary FAQ RSS feed Facebook Twitter

© 2000-2018 GSMArena.com Mobile version Contact us Advertising Privacy Terms of use

CDN by