Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 10.5-Inch - Black (UK Version)

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This contrasts really well with the Apple Pencil, which does require charging, has no holster on the iPad keyboard, and rolls away each and every time we set it on a table. Network: The bandwidths supported by the device may vary depending on the region or service provider. Samsung includes a tablet-appropriate S Pen (larger than the Note smartphone S Pen), and this one is more rounded and feels more natural to hold than last year’s Tab S3 pen. DeX supports multi-resolution (HD+/FHD) video outputs. HDMI adapter required to connect to external display when using Samsung DeX. Monitor and accessories including HDMI adapter, HDMI cable, DeX cable, keyboard and mouse are sold separately. Recommended accessories for Galaxy Tab S4: HDMI Adapter (EE-HG950), DeX Cable (EE-I3100). Exact model number may vary by country. Good news. The specs lie a little bit: it actually doesn't matter that the tablet is underpowered on paper with an early 2017 chipset that’s easily outpaced by Apple’s laptop-rivaling chip speeds. We’re more concerned with the fact that the price of the tablet increased to match the iPad Pro.

Tab S4 (10.5”) Wi-Fi - Samsung sg Galaxy Tab S4 (10.5”) Wi-Fi - Samsung sg

Battery: Actual battery life varies by network environment, features and apps used, frequency of calls and messages, number of times charged, and many other factors. service availability requires Samsung Account login and data connection. Available functions and features may vary by country, region and language. Data usage fees may apply. Inside the Galaxy Tab S4 there’s a Snapdragon 835, 4GB of RAM and, in the UK, 64GB of storage (some regions will get a 256GB option too). A microSD slot is included, so you can expand that further. The stretched-out 10.5-inch display covers the majority of the front of the Galaxy Tab S4. This larger display has resulted in a reduction in the bezel surrounding it compared to the outgoing Tab S3, although it isn’t quite as eye-catching as the Infinity Display on the Samsung Galaxy S9. There’s no curve to the panel – which is probably a good thing for a tablet of this size. Images are simulated and for illustrative purposes only. All specifications and descriptions provided herein may be different from the actual specifications and descriptions for the product. All functionality, availability, features, specifications, GUI and other product information provided herein are subject to change without notice or obligation.

Connecting a Bluetooth mouse does help clear things up, but it’s not ideal on a commute or a tight space. Interestingly, the mouse works on both normal Android and in Dex mode. The iPad Pro, on the other hand, has a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes swiping and scrolling a lot smoother. I’d also say the iPad displays colours slightly more accurately – to my eye anyway – and editing the same photos on both devices in Adobe Lightroom CC was a better experience on the iPad as a result.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 10.5-Inch - Black (UK Version)

My biggest concern is the glass rear. Not only do I fear that it will become damaged every time I put the device into my bag uncovered, but it’s super-slippery, even after only a few minutes of holding it. Any oily residue on your hands will instantly transfer onto the glass, leaving the device a smudge-covered mess. The cool feel of metal is far more reassuring on a tablet. S Pen functionality is typical of a Samsung tablet or Note phone. You can draw, jot down notes, annotate screenshots, translate text, and new this year (on the tablet at least) is the ability to send Live Messages. That display panel is really something to celebrate though. With a stunning 2,800 x 1,753 resolution sitting on an OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ built in, it's a delight to watch and with Dolby Atmos audio, even better to hear. There’s almost a need for the S Pen or a Bluetooth mouse to properly operate Dex mode, or a reason to learn the unintuitive keyboard shortcuts to resize windows. But then you realize that too many apps shut down randomly, including Google Docs. Pictures remind me of those taken with a mid-to-low-end phone, maybe the Galaxy A6 (2018). They’re colourful, with decent detail; they get the job done if the environment is bright. Low-light performance is poor and you’ll likely get better results from your phone. The front 8-megapixel sensor is good for video calls – I was using Google’s Duo app for this – with nice facial details and sufficient brightness.

The 2-in-1 promise without the productivity chops

At least the device is thin and light. Slipping it in a bag will result in no noticeable weight gain, and I could hold it in one hand whilst scribbling some notes without feeling any strain. The screen on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is utterly gorgeous, and right up there with the iPad Pro 10.5 for having the finest display on any tablet you can buy right now. Inside the Galaxy Tab S4 you’ll find a 7300mAh battery, which is a decent increase over the 6000mAh cell from the Tab S3. A fast charger is included in the box, via which you’ll be able to get from 0% to 100% in a couple of hours.

Samsung Electronics SM-T830NZKLXAR Galaxy Tab S4 with S Pen Samsung Electronics SM-T830NZKLXAR Galaxy Tab S4 with S Pen

Where the Tab S4, and most Android tablets, fall down is in standby time. Leaving the Tab S4 unplugged overnight saw a 9% drop. The iPad Pro dropped just 3% in the same time. This means you’ll need to keep more of an eye on the battery if you tend to leave a tablet in your bag all the time. Why buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4? The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is the best Android tablet you can buy. It’s pricey, but for the money you get a stunning screen, and as someone who watches a lot of videos on a tablet, I’d happily spend extra for a panel this colourful and sharp. I’m not sure this is a great buy for those wanting a tablet just for web-browsing, a bit of gaming and the odd Netflix watch on a train, however. Samsung’s core software works fine, but apps as popular (and as standard) as ones from Google should work without crashing. Google Docs crashed 27 times while we wrote this review on the Tab S4.

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There are four speakers on the Galaxy Tab S4: two along the bottom and two on the top. Each has been ‘tuned’ by AKG – a brand owned by Samsung – and they’re capable of pushing out Dolby Atmos audio. All of this should function okay on the 10.5-inch display, but resizing app windows doesn’t work every time like it should, and we even had trouble closing apps. Touch detection is a bit off, which makes something as simple as tapping the X button in the top right corner a chore. When you open up an Android app in Dex, it appears as a phone-sized window. You can drag this around and open multiple windows at once, or switch to a full-screen view. The S-Pen is good, Dex makes Android workable on a tablet, and battery life is on a par with the competition. I’d like more RAM and maybe a metal rear rather than glass – but those are my biggest issues.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 10.5 - Full tablet specifications Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 10.5 - Full tablet specifications

We test every tablet we review thoroughly. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly and we use the tablet as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product. A great tablet even as of September 2023. Weather your gaming, watching videos, or using for productivity the Snapdragon 835 can power through with 8 cores and 4GB ram on US models. I would definitely recommend this older flagship tablet over any mid... In the US you can buy the LTE version from Verizon (first to launch), Sprint, and US Cellular (the latter two offered in late 2018). There are other bugs, too. I’ve found that having four or more apps on-screen at once causes slow-down, and if you add a playing video to that it can grind to halt. There’s a whole lot to like about the Tab S4. However, its design and build aren’t on that list. It’s a design that works exceptionally well for phones, but not so much for tablets.The Tab S4 is easily better for binge-watching on Netflix, not only because of the punchier panel, but because the 16:10 aspect ratio is better suited to widescreen video. There are issues with the keyboard forgetting which apps you want to input text into, and refusing to do anything. You also can’t use Screen-off Memo in Dex or any of the handy S-Pen tools that are normally available. The iris scanner, too, is less reliable in Dex.