Samsung has made an interesting tablet: first look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4. Samsung Galaxy Tab S review: new flagship tablet

Pleasant in all respects, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 certainly pleased me, however, some shortcomings were also discovered. First of all, the tablet positions itself as a universal device that allows you to surf the Internet, play games, take photographs and listen to music, while the screen is probably the biggest advantage of this Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 - excellent colors, practically no glare from the sun. It’s ideal to watch movies on a tablet, everything contributes to this. The only significant drawback of the device is the weak battery, with a stated 4900 mAh, charging lasts for a maximum of 5 hours, and not the most intensive work; some users specifically switch the tablet to energy saving mode in order to use more charge for longer. The price is a little high, however, all other advantages definitely outweigh the few disadvantages; the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 will be an ideal companion not only at home, but also on the road, at work, at school and in all possible situations. Pop growth on the market now there is no competitor to this model and the point is not even in the characteristics, but in the full operation of the device.

Specifications and price

OS – Android 4.4

Processor – 8 cores 1900 MHz; or 4 cores 1600 MHz;

Screen – depending on the configuration 7 inches, 8.4 inches; 10.1 inches;

RAM – 3 GB or 1 GB depending on the configuration;

Camera – 8MP;

Front – 2.1 MP;

Battery – 4900 units;

PRICE – 600 dollars;

The sizes are accordingly different;

PRICE – 200 – 300 dollars

Reviews

— The screen perfectly conveys colors, the eyes do not get tired, the size is optimal;

— Powerful hardware that allows all applications to work as they should;

— Ability to scan a fingerprint;

— The screen begins to glare in dark colors;

— High-quality pleasant sound that sounds crystal clear. Both the highs and bass are on par;

— The tablet has a rather weak battery;

— The battery does not hold the declared 4900 mAh, in practice it is about 2600;

— Charging lasts for 5 hours;

— 4 g functions decently;

— Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 will require careful handling from you, try not to drop it, buy a case, and stick on a film if there is none;

— The battery is not removable, if you want to change it, take it to service center, do not change it yourself, destroy the screen;

— Ideal for games;

— The camera takes pretty good pictures;

— The back cover is made of a material that is pleasant to the touch;

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Shortly before the announcement of the long-awaited smartphone Galaxy Note 9 Samsung introduced another tablet. Sales of the Galaxy Tab S4 began on August 10. This device also comes with an S Pen stylus. We can say that this is the best Android tablet of this year. It replaces last year's.

Instead of a 4:3 screen aspect ratio, it goes to a wider 16:10. The bezels around the screen are thin, the Home button is now missing, but there are four speakers with AKG support. It uses last year's Snapdragon 835 processor. Is such a device worth the asking price of RUB 53,000? Let's find out.

Specifications

• Dimensions and weight: 249.3 x 164.3 x 7.1 mm, 483 g
• Materials: glass
• Biometrics: fingerprint scanner, iris scan
• Colors: black, gray
• Stylus
• OS: Android 8.1, Samsung Experience
• Screen: 10.5 inches Super AMOLED, 1600 x 2560, 288 ppi, 78.07%
• Cameras: rear 13 MP f/1.9, LED flash, sensor size 1/3.06 inches, pixel size 1.12 microns; autofocus, video 4K 30 fps. Front 8 MP
• Processor: Snapdragon 820 8-core 64 bit, Kryo 2150 MHz, 14 nm, Adreno 530
• Memory: 4 GB, storage 64 GB, microSD up to 400 GB
• Battery: 7300 mAh

Scope of delivery

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 tablet
• S Pen stylus
• Fast charge adapter
• USB-C cable
• User Guide

Design

As already mentioned, the tablet has a wider screen. Now it has become longer, but due to this it looks more compact. The back surface is glass, the frame is made of aluminum. This makes the device feel similar to the premium smartphones of today. Of course, the tablet weighs much more, 483 g.

The glass back is partly to blame for this weight. This tablet won't be easy to carry around without a case. When it heats up, it begins to burn your hands quite noticeably. Additionally, if you hold the device incorrectly, you may accidentally touch icons and switches near the edges of the screen.

Otherwise, the tablet is perceived as a solid device. The power and volume buttons are solid and click clearly when pressed. The internal vibration engine provides a distinct tactile feedback when you press the navigation buttons. You can turn this off in the settings if you don't like this interaction. There is a small camera protrusion on back side housings.

Screen

It is not surprising that it uses a Super AMOLED panel made by Samsung, 10.5 inches diagonal. Samsung has been known for the quality of its OLED panels for many years, so it installs them even in budget mobile devices, not to mention such an expensive one.

The pixel density is 288 ppi, making individual pixels difficult to see. There are four different screen display modes. You can choose the most powerful AMOLED with bright colors or a more subdued basic mode.

AMOLED screens are known for slight color distortion at angles. On Samsung smartphones this is difficult to notice due to the small screen size. On the tablet there is a color shift at the edges. Not enough to spoil the impression, but still there is distortion.

Processor and memory

As usual, Samsung's new tablet runs on last year's mobile processor. In this case, it's the Snapdragon 835. Enthusiasts aren't usually too happy with an offering like this, but the Snapdragon 835 is far from obsolete status. There will be no problems with the speed of work.

Even hard games like Rules of Survival runs quickly and smoothly, just like on modern smartphones. There are no problems in office applications either. Even when multitasking, the tablet does not experience any difficulties.

4 GB of memory is also far from a record value. Modern, even not the most expensive smartphones often have 6 GB and even 8 GB. However, by modern standards this is quite an adequate volume. In terms of storage, there are 64GB and 256GB versions. In both cases, memory cards are supported.

Interface and functionality

As you might expect, the Samsung Experience bootloader is installed on top of Android 8.1. Depending on your preferences, this could be good or bad. Here you can find useful features such as a secure folder to hide files and images behind a password or fingerprint. There is also a set of Device Maintenance with reports on security, autonomy and tips for deleting files that take up too much space. Game Launcher configures hardware components, silences notifications during the game, and allows you to record gameplay.

The Samsung Gallery app lets you view photos and create short videos, animated GIFs, and slideshows of your favorite images. Calendar displays necessary information no worse than Google calendar.

We can say that the Samsung Experience shell has matured and is well suited for work-oriented users.

As mentioned above, there is no Home button. All navigation is done through a virtual panel. There is familiar buttons Back, Home and Recent Apps. What about biometric locking?

There is an iris scan, and the Intelligent Scan function is also supported. It mixes eye scanning with facial recognition.

If you hold the tablet in portrait orientation, unlocking is quick and discreet. If you turn it to landscape orientation, problems may begin. About half the time the scan is completed without problems. Sometimes you need to turn your head to the left and find a position so that the camera can see your eyes and face. In any case, unlocking is quick, although not as convenient as with a front fingerprint scanner.

Stylus

It's nice to see the Samsung S Pen stylus included with the tablet. It's a pity that there is no way to attach it to the tablet. If you don't have an additional accessory like a case, you'll have to be careful not to lose the stylus.

Powered by Wacom technology, the stylus supports anti-accident function touchpad and supports the Bluetooth communication standard. For this standard to work, you need big battery. However, even when it is discharged, you can write and draw. There are 4096 degrees of pressure. As on Galaxy smartphones Note, the stylus can create GIF animation, write on the screen when the screen is off, and translate text from language to language. The Penup app is useful for those who want to learn how to draw. There is a built-in guide for creating different images that is updated regularly. There is also an active community of artists who share their drawings.

You can use the stylus for a variety of tasks. If you press and hold the button while dragging the stylus across text, you can mark it up, copy and paste it. Inside apps like Samsung Calendar, you can highlight different items. Hovering the stylus over the screen gives you a pointer that lets you interact with sites like you would with a mouse.

Samsung DeX without dock

Introduced with the Galaxy S8 and is an interesting concept. You can take your smartphone with you and turn it into a computer. To do this, you had to carry not only a smartphone, but also a docking station. A monitor, mouse and keyboard would also be nice.

Now you can do without a docking station. You need to open the notification panel and tap on the DeX mode switch to get the desktop. You can connect a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, or use a Samsung keyboard case, sold separately.

Also, nothing prevents you from connecting a monitor. In this case, the tablet is used as an auxiliary screen.

This good option, if you went somewhere without a laptop, stayed in a hotel or at a party where there is a monitor and keyboard. Once you connect them, you can go about your computer business.

Accessories

Samsung is also selling a special Book Cover Keyboard for the Galaxy Tab S4. This is a very good accessory to improve productivity. The keyboard is connected not via Bluetooth, but through a proprietary 4-pin connector on the left half of the device.

The keys have good travel and click clearly, despite their small thickness. As a result, typing is quite convenient. Since the keyboard is small, like the tablet itself, it will take some getting used to. If you type for a long time, you can get tired. Despite this, such a keyboard will help you type on the road, if necessary.

The keyboard includes a stylus holder, which makes it even more valuable. This reduces the chance of losing your stylus.

Another accessory is the Charging Dock Pogo, which is also sold separately. It is designed to hold the tablet in landscape orientation and charges it via a 4-pin connector. When the tablet is installed here, it can display a slideshow of your favorite images or a select number of photos as wallpaper.

It is unlikely that such a docking station is necessary. It should make it easy to hold the tablet in your hand, but not easy to connect it correctly. If you want to watch movies when the tablet is in landscape mode, it can come in handy.

Cameras

There is no optical image stabilization on the rear camera, so the quality can be called subpar best case scenario normal. Detail is quite good, although images can appear blurry or grainy.

Color reproduction is quite close to reality, but the dynamic range is quite poor. Even if you switch to HDR mode, which is in a separate menu and is not activated automatically, the camera still overexposes bright areas and darkens dark areas too much. This camera can come in handy when you urgently need to shoot something and have nothing else at hand. Obviously, the tablet will not be used as the main camera; this is inconvenient and simply strange.

The front camera captures facial features quite well. It also overexposes bright areas, but does not darken dark areas as much. It is quite suitable for video calls. There's a portrait mode that attempts to blur the background behind the foreground subject. The separation is not very good, especially if the background is complex.

Multimedia

All work, no play - that would be too boring. The Galaxy Tab S4 isn't that boring. The wide 10.5-inch screen allows you to watch interesting videos. This is also facilitated by four speakers, which provide an immersive listening experience.

On the back of the case there is the inscription Tuned by AKG, but the quality of the speakers is slightly disappointing. The sound is quite full and separates well. However, there is not enough lower sound range, which deprives the sound of full saturation. The volume is also not good. Activating Dolby Atmos gives a slight increase in volume; this will be enough to watch video in a room.

Don't think that the sound is completely bad. It's better than most other tablets. True, the main competitor in the form iPad Pro still ahead. There's clearer bass high frequencies, mid frequencies are cleaner.

You can play great games on the Galaxy Tab S4, especially if you connect an external controller. Stereo speakers make games more attractive clear display also allows you to have fun.

Autonomy

The battery capacity is 7300 mAh. This gives the Galaxy Tab S4 the ability to work for a very long time. He was tested throughout the day in the office. I used desktop multitasking mode, read articles, edited images, texted and played music. After six and a half hours, the charge level dropped to less than 10%.

This allows you to save your work before putting the tablet to charge. We can say that the tablet is enough for an entire day of work. If you use it primarily as a multimedia device, it may last a couple of days, depending on the load.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is a good example of a new breed of productivity tablet. Samsung is not trying to enter the tablet-PC hybrid sector by relying on a touch interface. There is a stylus that will be useful for artists and designers, or just those who want to take handwritten notes. It has other uses for work and entertainment.

Mode Samsung DeX and the optional keyboard case also bring the tablet closer to computers. You are given a familiar desktop, with all applications distributed on it as on Android.

Is such a device worth 53,000 rubles? This is a fairly high price, especially considering the not-so-advanced components inside. First of all, we are talking about last year’s processor. If you want a tablet that's both a workstation and an Android entertainment device, few models can compare to the Galaxy Tab S4.

Alternatives include Microsoft Surface Go, which is unlikely to appear in Russia. In the West it costs $400, the case and keyboard are sold separately for $100 each. The device runs on Windows S and can be upgraded to Windows 10, but cannot be changed back.

There is also an iPad Pro for the same price as the Samsung tablet. The stylus is sold separately for $100, the keyboard for $160.

We can say that Samsung has thought out its pricing strategy well and its tablet falls between the two mentioned above. We can say that it will be a worthy purchase for those who really need it.

Pros

• Premium look and feel
• Desk without DeX accessory
• Beautiful and smooth software
• One of the best styluses
• Four speakers with good stereo separation

Cons

1. The sound from the speakers is normal at best.
2. Heavy body and glass back
3. Last year's processor
4. The iris scanner on a tablet may look strange
5. Camera quality

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First, let's talk a little about the situation as a whole. It's no secret that the tablet market is going through hard times. After the emergence of this class of devices itself with the release of the first iPad (yes, we have to admit that it was he who defined the appearance of the modern tablet), the market grew rapidly, filling with new devices, new technologies, and new players. But in 2013-2014 a peak was reached, after which a global decline began.

Today, only a few companies pay any consistent attention to tablets and regularly release new products in different price segments: Apple, Huawei, Lenovo and Samsung, the hero of today’s article. The vast majority of other manufacturers retain some models in their assortment and occasionally add to their lineup in the mid- and low-budget segments, but they do not strive to compete with the leaders in terms of flagships.

This is understandable: the concept of a flagship tablet is strongly associated with the iPad (more recently with the iPad Pro), the development and promotion of a competing model requires a lot of costs, and the market capacity itself is small. As a result, noticeable and technologically interesting new products are released extremely rarely. And all of them will inevitably be compared with devices from the Apple company. But it is possible that this comparison may not be so unfavorable for them! Let's take a look at the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 (SM-T835)

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (MSM 8998), including 4 CPU cores @ 2.35 GHz and 4 CPU cores @ 1.9 GHz, as well as Adreno 540 GPU
• RAM 4 GB
• Flash memory 64 GB
• Map support microSD memory up to 400 GB
• operating room Google system Android 8.0 Oreo
• Touch display SuperAMOLED, 10.5″, 2560×1600 (16:10, 288 ppi), capacitive, multi-touch
• Cameras: front (8 MP, 1080p video) and rear (13 MP, 4K video)
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz; MIMO support)
• Mobile Internet: UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900 MHz), LTE (bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 38 , 39, 40, 41)
• Bluetooth A2DP LE
• GPS/A-GPS, Glonass
• 3.5 mm stereo headset jack
• USB-C connector
• Lithium polymer battery 7300 mAh function fast charging
• Dimensions 249×164×7.1 mm
• Weight 462 g

For clarity, let’s compare the characteristics of the new product with the iPad Pro 10.5″.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 has a smaller battery, but the rest of the specs are generally more attractive. Thus, the screen resolution and, as a result, the pixel density of Samsung is slightly higher. The camera resolution is also slightly higher. The flash memory capacity of the new product is limited to 64 GB, but there is support for microSD up to 400 GB... However, we have repeatedly seen that it is impossible to judge by characteristics alone, so let's move on to testing.

Packaging and equipment

Since we had a pre-sale sample for testing, we cannot evaluate its packaging, and the packaging is only partially available to us. So, the sample was accompanied by charger 5 V 2 A (9 V in fast charge mode), USB-C cable, an electronic pen and a key for removing the card tray.

Design

The appearance of the model is inspired rather flagship smartphones than tablets. At least there's a glass back (whereas all iPads still have an aluminum body) and minimal bezels around the screen.

It is significant that the width of the frame on all four sides of the screen is almost the same, while the iPad Pro has a much larger frame width on the short sides than on the long sides. Of course, this was achieved by eliminating the physical Home button. There is also no fingerprint scanner here (protection is implemented through facial and iris recognition - we will talk about this in more detail in a separate section).

Another feature of the device is its minimal thickness. Although the tablet is 1 mm thicker than the iPad Pro 10.5, it is not noticeable. It seems that the device is really very thin and elegant, and there is no desire for it to be even thinner.

The rounded edges are made of metal (with the exception of four subtle plastic recesses). Both connectors - USB-C and a 3.5 mm mini-jack - are located on the bottom edge, if the tablet is held, according to the inscriptions, vertically, in a “portrait” orientation.

On the top and right sides you can see holes for the built-in microphones. In addition, on the right side there is a power button and a volume rocker (both of them are made of metal), as well as a slot for Micro-SIM cards and microSD.

The left side is entirely dedicated to connecting the keyboard: it has a four-pin connector in the center, as well as two holes necessary for fixing the keyboard.

One of the most important design elements is the built-in AKG speakers, whose grilles we see in four places: on the short edges at the top and bottom. Thus, like the iPad Pro, the new product provides uniform stereo sound. Moreover, in terms of quality it is very good for this form factor - especially at mid frequencies. However, the iPad Pro still has a more bassy sound, while the Galaxy Tab S4's lower frequencies are still “flat”.

This is noticeable on music tracks with deep bass (we used Massive Attack's Take It There), and will also likely be felt in action scenes in films (explosions, collapsing buildings, etc.). But for background listening to music, watching YouTube videos and similar applications, the sound is excellent.

In general, the design is worth appreciating: the tablet is beautiful, compact, made of noble materials, with decent stereo sound and a successful slot for Micro-SIM and microSD.

Screen

The tablet's screen resolution is 2560×1600, which gives a pixel density of 288 ppi and is slightly higher than the corresponding figure for the iPad Pro 10.5″. At the same time, it would be worth recalling that the iPad Pro’s aspect ratio is 4:3, while Samsung’s is 16:10. The first is more convenient for reading books, the second - for watching movies.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. We present it expert opinion about the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is noticeably lighter (brightness according to photographs is 144 versus 117 for the Nexus 7) and has a pronounced blue-green tint. There is no ghosting of reflected objects on the screen of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of intense external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier and appear at a lower speed than in the case of regular glass.

When the white field was displayed in full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 290 cd/m². It is necessary to take into account the fact that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the lighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. Moreover, in automatic mode The brightness of the screen in bright light is significantly higher. As a result, readability during the day in the sun should be good level. The minimum screen brightness value is 1.6 cd/m², that is, a lower brightness level allows you to use the device even in complete darkness without any problems. Automatic brightness adjustment works based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front camera lens). The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider; with it, the user can try to set the desired brightness level in the current conditions. If you leave everything at default, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 8 cd/m² (dark), in an artificially lit office (approximately 550 lux) it sets it to 130 cd/m² (normal), in a very bright environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight- 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 470 cd/m². We were not entirely satisfied with the result, so in complete darkness we slightly increased the brightness, ultimately obtaining the following values ​​for the three conditions indicated above: 13, 140, 470 cd/m² (ideal combination). It turns out that the auto-brightness function works adequately and allows the user to customize their work to individual requirements. At any brightness level there is significant modulation with a frequency of 240 Hz. The figure below shows brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for several brightness settings:

It can be seen that at maximum and close to it brightness the modulation amplitude is not very large; as a result, there is no visible flicker. However, as the brightness decreases, modulation appears with a large relative amplitude; its presence can already be seen in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flickering may cause increased fatigue.

This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B) in equal numbers. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

An equal number of subpixels ensures the absence of artifacts typical of PenTile RGBG matrices with a halved number of blue and red subpixels.

The screen has excellent viewing angles. Is it true, white when deviated even at small angles, it acquires a slight blue-green tint, but the black color remains simply black at any angle. It is so black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. For comparison, here are photographs in which the screens of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 (profile Basic) and the second comparison participant are displayed identical images, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera was forced to switch to 6500 K.

White field:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field.

And a test picture (profile Basic):

Color rendition is good, the colors are moderately saturated, the color balance of the screens varies slightly. Recall that photography can't serve as a reliable source of information about color rendering quality and are provided for illustrative purposes only. In particular, the pronounced reddish tint of the white and gray fields present in photographs of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 screen is visually absent when viewed from a perpendicular view, which is confirmed by hardware tests using a spectrophotometer. The reason is that the spectral sensitivity of the camera sensor does not exactly match this characteristic of human vision.

The photo above was taken after selecting a profile Basic in the screen settings, there are four of them:

Profile Adaptive display differs in some kind of automatic adjustment of color rendering to the type of output image and environmental conditions:

The saturation is greatly increased, it looks terrible. What happens when you select the two remaining profiles is shown below.

Movie AMOLED

Saturation is slightly less.

Photo AMOLED

The red saturation is slightly lower than in the case Movie AMOLED.

Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen (profile Basic).

White field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed has been increased compared to previous photographs), but in the case of Samsung the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness samsung screen The Galaxy Tab S4 looks much brighter visually (compared to LCD screens), since the screen of a mobile device often has to be viewed from at least a slight angle.

And a test picture:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of the Samsung at an angle is noticeably higher. Switching the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the switching edge there may be a step with a width of approximately 17 ms (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to white and back:

In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing behind moving objects. However, dynamic scenes in films OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “twitchiness” of movements. The graph above shows how after a few tens of milliseconds the brightness begins to decrease when white is displayed in full screen.

The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, showed that there is a slight roll in the shadows (shades up to the 8th inclusive do not differ in brightness from black), but all gradations are displayed in the highlights. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.07, which is less than the standard value of 2.2, while the actual gamma curve deviates slightly from the power law:

Let us recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen.

Color gamut in the case of a profile Adaptive display very wide - in green it is wider than DCI-P3:

In profile Movie AMOLED The coverage is a little narrower, it is close to DCI-P3:

When selecting a profile Photo AMOLED coverage is adjusted to Adobe RGB boundaries:

When selecting a profile Basic coverage is compressed to sRGB boundaries:

Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:

In case of profile Basic with maximum correction, the color components are already noticeably mixed with each other:

Note that on screens with a wide color gamut (without appropriate correction), the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. Hence the recommendation: in most cases, watching movies, photographs and everything natural is better when choosing a profile Basic, and only if the photo was taken on an Adobe RGB setting, does it make sense to switch the profile to Photo AMOLED. Likewise, profile Movie AMOLED appropriate when viewing video material with DCI-P3 coverage adopted in digital cinema.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is acceptable in the case of the profile Adaptive display and good in profile Basic. The color temperature is close to 6500 K, while in a significant portion of the gray scale this parameter does not change very much, which improves the visual perception of color balance. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) remains below 10 units across most of the gray scale, which is considered good for a consumer device:

(The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored in most cases, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

For some reason only when selecting a profile Adaptive display It becomes possible to adjust the color balance using the color temperature slider and three adjustments to the intensity of the primary colors, but due to the too wide color gamut in this profile there is no point in correcting the balance. There is a fashionable function nowadays Blue light filter, for which a more or less correct description is even given in the settings (in the menu at the level above there is nonsense written about “reducing eye strain,” but oh well):

Why such a correction can be useful is described in the article about iPad Pro 9.7. In any case, when having fun with a tablet or smartphone at night, it is better to reduce the screen brightness to a minimum, but still comfortable level, and only then, to calm your own paranoia, turn the screen yellow with this setting.

Let's summarize. The screen has a high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device without special problems Can be used outdoors even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is acceptable to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB (if you choose the right profile) and good color balance. At the same time, let us recall the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), a noticeably smaller drop in image brightness than LCDs when viewed at an angle. Disadvantages include modulation of screen brightness. For users who are particularly sensitive to flicker, this may cause increased fatigue. However, overall the screen quality is very high.

Performance

Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (MSM 8998) SoC, created using a 10 nm process technology. It includes 4 CPU cores with a frequency of 2.35 GHz and 4 CPU cores with a frequency of 1.9 GHz. The GPU is Adreno 540. The RAM of the new tablet is 4 GB, just like its main competitor.

So, how different is the performance of the new product and the iPad Pro 10.5″?

Let's start with browser tests: SunSpider 1.0, Octane Benchmark, Kraken Benchmark and . The Chrome browser was used on Samsung, and Safari on Apple.

The results for the new product are disappointing: in browser tests, iPad Pro 10.5 is a confident leader. However, this may be due to the browser itself. At the very least, Android devices often lose to Apple devices in browser tests. But the fact remains a fact.

Now let's see how the iPad Pro performs in Geekbench - a multi-platform benchmark that measures CPU and RAM performance, and from the fourth version, which we used for testing, also GPU computing capabilities (if you want to mine bitcoins on an iPad, you should be interested in this item :)). Plus, we haven’t forgotten about the comprehensive AnTuTu Benchmark.

And here the Samsung tablet again could not compete with the iPad Pro 10.5. Unfortunately, we have to admit that the Galaxy Tab S4 does not match its competitor in terms of processor performance.

The last group of benchmarks is dedicated to testing GPU performance. We used 3DMark, GFXBench Metal 3.1.5 and Basemark Metal.

Let's start with GFXBench. Let us remind you that Offscreen tests involve displaying images in 1080p, regardless of the actual screen resolution. And tests without Offscreen mean that the image is displayed in exactly the resolution that matches the device screen resolution. That is, the Offscreen tests are indicative from the point of view of the abstract performance of the SoC, and real tests— from the point of view of the comfort of playing on a specific device.

With the exception of a single subtest (T-Rex Onscreen), which is too easy for both models, the difference between the new product and the iPad Pro 10.5 is obvious.

And one more confirmation of the above. Perhaps in Sling Shot Extreme the new product came close to the iPad Pro, but in Ice Storm Unlimited the gap is still too significant.

Well, we have to admit that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is still inferior in performance to the iPad Pro 10.5″. However, let's think about what this means in practice. Since even despite the lag, the Galaxy Tab S4 still shows very high results, it will run all the latest games for Android without problems (as well as games for iOS on the iPad Pro). And, of course, in normal use you will not feel any discomfort either. So the less powerful filling in this case can be considered more of a theoretical disadvantage than a practical one.

Play video and connect to an external display

Completed testing Alexey Kudryavtsev.

This unit supports DisplayPort Alt Mode for USB Type-C- output image and sound to external device when connected to USB port. We tested operation in this mode together with an adapter equipped with a USB Type-C pass-through connector with USB support Power Delivery, HDMI output, a card reader for SD and microSD cards, as well as two USB 3.0 ports. Video output is carried out in 1080p mode at 60 Hz frame rate.

The monitor displays an image of an alternative desktop, and the tablet screen can be used as a touchpad for coordinate input or work as usual.

The control panel at the bottom of the screen is removed when the image is displayed on the entire screen (for example, when playing a video). Output to the monitor is carried out in a true resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, dot to dot. Note that simultaneously with image and sound output, you can connect a mouse and keyboard to your smartphone via USB or Bluetooth, turning it into a basis for your workplace. In addition, connected USB drives and memory cards are read.

In desktop mode, you can open several windows at the same time, placing them on the desktop in the same way as in Windows and macOS, use the right mouse button, etc. In general, the tablet really turns into some kind of system unit. We will tell you more about this, as well as about accessories that you can buy to use the tablet in desktop mode, in a separate article.

To test the output of video files on an external screen (only 1080p files) and on the screen of the device itself, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)"). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In the tests we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware” mode. The test results are summarized in the table:

Review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 tablet | Appearance

Galaxy Tab S4 is a typical candy bar with a screen that occupies almost the entire front surface. The thickness of all frames around the screen is 1 cm.

The screen has an oleophobic coating, which generally does its job well. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the back of the tablet - it is glossy and fingerprints instantly cover the entire surface. It doesn't look very good (we won't take a photo).

At one of the ends Tab S4 There is a USB-C port and a 3.5 mm headset output. Also on this and the opposite end you can see the stereo speaker grilles.

The hardware power/lock and volume control buttons are located on the side. There is also a hybrid slot for nano-SIM and MicroSD.

Note that you can place both cards at once, on opposite sides of the slide (which, however, is not very convenient at the time of installation). However, only one SIM card is supported. What is important, like many Android tablets, SIM card support is full, that is, you can make calls, send SMS and generally use the device as a phone (for example, if you have a Bluetooth headset, although without it too).

On the opposite side there is a connector for the docking station. Galaxy Tab S4 The manufacturer is positioning it as a business tablet - with the help of a keyboard case (sold separately), it can be turned into a laptop, and with an HDMI output (sold separately) - into some kind of analogue of a desktop PC on Android. At the same time, the screen can be used as a regular graphics tablet.

Also Tab S4 Works with the S-Pen stylus, which (very nicely) comes included.

Review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 tablet | Screen

The tablet's 10.5-inch screen has a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels, giving an aspect ratio of 16:10. Viewing 16:9 content in full screen results in black bars appearing along the long side (in the case of a movie, at the top and bottom). We don’t consider this a drawback - indeed, while smartphones quite naturally “stretch out” to 19:9 or more, on tablets even the “classic” 16:9 looks a little narrow.

In general, the screen is very bright, the colors are saturated, but the Super AMOLED matrix also has its own “trademark” disadvantages - for example, color changes (the screen literally turns into a “rainbow”) at large viewing angles, as well as barely noticeable color halos in some fonts.

Review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 tablet | Software

Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 runs on the Android 8.1.0 mobile operating system with proprietary Samsung firmware Experience 9.5. The latest firmware updates are dated August 31, 2018, Android security protocols are dated June 1, 2018. Today this is no longer the most latest version operating system, although still quite current.

The manufacturer did not overload the tablet with various pre-installed programs - there are only a couple of utilities from Samsung. For example, the Samsung Notes app allows you to take handwritten notes using S-Pen and translate them into text.

You can also draw in notes with a pen using emulation of various types of tools: pencil, oil paints, watercolors, etc.

And in the PenUp application you can see drawings of other people (some kind of analogue social network), including how they drew them in real time - and even repeat the drawing yourself.

After Samsung revised the code names of its devices, the flagship models received the S index. Everyone knows smartphones in this series, and not so long ago the company began producing tablets. The first sign was the Samsung Galaxy Tab S devices, which received the best that the compositor had at that time and became a full-fledged competitor to the iPad.

One of the main competitors for the Apple iPad

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 was a continuation of the series. The tablet has an almost standard display, a powerful processor, and a modern 4:3 screen format. Recent research has shown that if earlier users predominantly watched films, now they mainly read books and browse websites. This is what prompted the developer to create just such a format. So, we present to your attention a review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablet.

Specifications

Scope of delivery

The manufacturer only supplies its flagship with a charger, a USB-microUSB cable for connecting to a computer, and a set of documents.

Design

The appearance of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 has one recognizable feature that makes it impossible to confuse it with a device from another company: the physical buttons on the front panel. One of them is mechanical button“Home” has a built-in fingerprint sensor, and the other two are touchscreen. Otherwise, the tablet is similar to other models. However, it is difficult not to pay attention to the desire to inherit its main rival - the Apple iPad.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is available in two screen sizes - 8 and 9.7 inches. As already mentioned, the aspect ratio is 4:3, since the tablet is primarily positioned for business use and browsing. Samsung thought that this would be better, because compared to previous years, the recycling model for such devices has changed, and fewer users are viewing multimedia. And the new format adds 20% more space. By the way, the first tablet with such a screen was the Galaxy Tab A (read it).

In addition to the buttons, which are located on the narrow part of the tablet, there is a camera and a brightness adjustment sensor on the front surface. The display of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is framed by narrow frames, and in the 8-inch model they are somewhat narrower, which makes the device more similar to smartphones. There is a metal frame around the display, giving the tablet a serious look. Moreover, at the back it turns into plastic. The back is covered with soft-touch plastic and has a . There is a rear camera on it, which protrudes above the body, the Samsung inscription and some kind of buttons for a branded case. All connectors are located on the sides: on the right are the volume and lock/power buttons, as well as two tightly closed slots for nano-SIM and microSD; at the top is a microphone; and at the bottom there are two stereo speakers, a headphone jack and a microUSB port. The left side remained completely free. And an 8-inch modification of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 with a module cellular communications It has an additional speaker above the display and a microphone on the bottom edge, since you can make calls through it, just like through a regular phone.

The case itself is plastic and very thin, only 5.6 mm. This is the thinnest tablet in the world. Despite its thinness, the device is very durable and well-built. The parts fit very tightly together, and the body at times seems completely monolithic. Thanks to the refusal to use metal, the weight is only about 390 g for the 9.7-inch device and about 270 g for the 8-inch. Therefore, you can work much longer without stress.

Screen

In this component, Samsung has surpassed everyone, because the display of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is the best on the market. The SuperAMOLED matrix with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 and a pixel density of 320 ppi has the highest brightness and incredibly realistic colors, and the highest contrast helps to display all the smallest details. Indeed, the color gamut of the sRGB palette has reached 100%, making viewing photos and watching videos very comfortable for the eyes.

Thanks to this resolution, the screen of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 does not have grain; it can only be seen when looking at the matrix under a magnifying glass. Even small letters are readable clearly and smoothly. Viewing angles are the highest, so you can comfortably show some content even in a group. If you are not satisfied too bright colors matrix, it is possible to customize the screen operation profile. There are four profiles available: Main, AMOLED Movie, AMOLED Photo and Reading Mode, as well as Adaptive Display, which automatically launches the desired profile depending on the content and conditions of use. You can select any profile manually. Each one is significantly different in terms of color display, white balance and brightness.

About brightness. The standard indicators of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 are about 375 cd/m2 and depend on the number of light colors. But as soon as you activate automatic control and go out into direct sunlight, the brightness easily increases to 700 cd/m2. Almost no one has such indicators. In combination with an anti-glare filter, picture clarity and screen readability remain unchanged. the highest level Anyway.

In addition, there is a coating against grease stains, as well as protective glass. Due to the small thickness, we had to install a thinner coating instead of Gorilla Glass 4. So over time, the screen becomes covered with small scratches, visible only in the light when the tablet is turned off. They do not affect the work in any way and do not spoil the overall pleasant impression. Indeed, the screen of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is the best in quality not only by the standards of tablets, but also of most smartphones.

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is powered by the most powerful Samsung Exynos 5433 processor, first used on the Galaxy Note 4 and significantly leapfrogging its time. It has a huge reserve of power and performance, since the chipset, manufactured using 20 nm technology, has 4 cores at 1.9 GHz, more economical 4 cores at 1.3 GHz, a Mali-T760 MP6 video adapter and 3 GB of RAM. In addition, the hardware supports special technology that allows you to use all 8 cores simultaneously. The whole question is which applications will utilize this feature. Maybe someone was waiting for a new generation processor, but you are unlikely to use its full resource.

Naturally, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 device functions simply exceptionally, there is not even the slightest hint of slowdown. The menu simply flies, the tablet easily reads video files with a resolution of 2K (3840 x 2160), opens documents, allows you to play all modern games on maximum parameters. Various performance tests show results on par with the best smartphones, although they don't always reach them. But its parameters are already sufficient for the most demanding user.

Multimedia capabilities

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 easily plays the highest bitrate media files and supports a variety of music and video formats. True, the standard player may not appeal to everyone. But you can download and install any one from the application store.

The two speakers reproduce all frequencies quite accurately and have a good volume reserve, so the sound quality is excellent. So you can watch videos even in a noisy place. Unfortunately, the square format will force you to put up with black bars when watching modern films on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, since most of them are recorded in 16:10 format. In headphones, the audio sounds very spacious and deep, music lovers will be happy. Although it is unlikely that anyone will buy such a tablet, focusing purely on sound quality.

Battery and operating time

The larger modification of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is equipped with a 5870 mAh battery, and the smaller one is equipped with a 4000 mAh battery. This is a very good indicator for such a thin device. Besides, energy saving mode, screen technology and automatic brightness extend operating time to 14 hours. Average performance with the 3G module turned on is 7–8 hours of continuous operation. In turn, the numbers may differ from the frequency of use, the type of wireless connection and its stability, the profile of the screen, its brightness level, and the temperature environment. So the performance may vary for each device. Games, in general, are the most voracious energy absorbers; you can achieve a maximum of 7–7.5 hours at minimum brightness. But in general, a tablet will be enough for a day, and if mobile communications are turned off, even two.

In the settings of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, you can activate a special power saving mode. It regulates running processes, reduces processor power, disables wireless modules, and at maximum savings, generally makes the screen black and white. This useful feature will extend the life of the device in desperate moments.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablet is equipped with an 8-megapixel main camera and a 2.1-megapixel secondary camera. They are not much different from those in the previous model. The only difference is improved aperture, and therefore there is no flash. The secondary camera has a fixed focus and performs quite well. It also shows a good picture during video calls.

The main camera of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 does not demonstrate anything super-outstanding, compared to many smartphones, which are still significantly ahead of tablets. The improved aperture and f/1.9 aperture do not compensate for the lack of flash when shooting in the evening. Noise appears in the photo, the white balance may be off, and autofocus may not work properly. During the day, the camera boasts good detail and sharpness. White balance works correctly, colors are not distorted, and the camera focuses instantly. Its settings menu is very reminiscent of the settings of the smartphone of the same series. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2's camera is not yet comparable to phone cameras, but it is one of the best among tablets.

Present in the Samsung app store interesting program 3D Capture. With its help you can create three-dimensional images. Just launch the application and, following the instructions, slowly rotate the device around the object, then save. Only a few devices have this capability.

Operating system and programs

Installed on the device operating system Android 5.0.2 with traditional Samsung shell TouchWiz, which is almost completely identical to the telephone one. The set of programs is almost like that of bare Android, although some proprietary applications are still present. Therefore, you won’t have to spend a long time cleaning your tablet from software debris.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 system has large number settings, including several proprietary features. For example, a device search engine S Finder was added, which allows you to find the desired file, application or setting, or Smart Manager - a junk file cleaner and accelerator. In addition, it has its own application store Samsung Apps. Also preinstalled office suite Microsoft Office Android, allowing you to quickly edit the desired document on the go.

The fingerprint sensor built into the Home button helps keep your data safe. When you use the feature for the first time, the setup wizard will ask you to place your finger on the sensor several times until the drawn fingerprint is filled. Up to 4 prints can be programmed. After this, recognition occurs instantly, just touch the sensor with your finger. You cannot configure multiple user profiles through the fingerprint scanner, but the device does have this option. This is very convenient if there is only one tablet for the whole family.

In a word, the system interface has been redesigned very cool. Samsung promises to release regular Android updates, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow is expected to be released in the second quarter.

Competitors

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet - Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with Adreno 430 video chip installed; the device has better resolution front camera - 2.1 MP, widescreen 10.1-inch screen 2560 x 1600; memory volumes are the same; The tablet is protected from dust and water.

Apple iPad Air 2 - lower screen pixel density (264 ppi), 2-core processor, front camera only 1.2 Megapixels.

Considering that Sony's tablet was released later, it is not surprising that its screen resolution is slightly higher. Although we should not forget about the larger diagonal and wide format. The iPad loses in almost all characteristics. We can safely say that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is perhaps the best flagship device today.

Pros and cons

To bring this review to a close, let us note the strengths and weaknesses of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2.

• Almost perfect screen.
• Outstanding performance.
• High-quality assembly, body dimensions.
• menu.
• Fingerprint sensor.

• Inconvenient screen format for watching movies.
• No NFC module.
• Overpriced.

Conclusion

Surely everyone will agree that Samsung managed to set the tone in tablet fashion and the bar that many will strive to jump over. The price, however, is beyond the means of many, but that’s why it’s a flagship. Its highest performance, highest quality screen and strong battery will please both game lovers and those who buy a device for work.

Are you planning to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2? Are you satisfied with everything about it? We will be glad to see your comments after reading the article.