Contents of delivery:

• The tablet
• Charger with USB cable
• Instruction

Specifications

• Android 5.0.2, update to 5.1.1 soon, TouchWiz skin like on Samsung Galaxy S6/Note 5
• Screen 7.9 inches, SuperAMOLED, 2048x1536 pixels (326 ppi), 4:3 geometry, automatic backlight adjustment, maximum outdoor brightness for text readability (auto mode), additional screen settings modes;
• Chipset Exynos 5433 (as in Note 4), 8 cores up to 1.9 GHz, MALI T760
• 3 GB RAM, 16 GB built-in, memory cards up to 128 GB
• Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual band
• LTE support
• Fingerprint sensor
• GPS/GLONASS
• Li-Ion 4000 mAh battery, HD video playback time up to 12 hours (maximum brightness), games about 6 hours
• Weight - 265/272 grams (Wi-Fi / LTE), dimensions - 134.8 x 198.6 x 5.6 mm

Positioning

The Tab S line is Samsung's flagships, which were created to compete directly with the iPad, the company has never hidden this, moreover, introducing the first generation of Tab S in the US, they put the iPad up so that anyone can compare the quality of the screens and their differences. It is clear that the screen is not the only parameter for choosing such a device, but they differ like heaven and earth, the difference is visible to the naked eye, we even had a detailed analysis of the differences between these devices and their screens.

Samsung's ideology has always been to give iPad more technology and features for the price, to present the most technologically rich device. Not forgetting its convenience. In the Tab S2, history repeats itself with one difference - the tablet market has dipped dramatically over the past year, and this applies to all major manufacturers, including Apple. Therefore, Samsung focused on updating the line without introducing any new, sensational features. The task was to make flagship tablets that are comfortable in daily use, become the most powerful devices on the market in terms of performance (in the Android segment at least), and at the same time offer high-quality cameras and good battery life.

The positioning of this device is typical for flagships - everything is without compromise, there are the best components, the most productive solutions. For geeks, it's a shame that the tablet is built on the same platform as the Note 4, with some stretch they can be called twin brothers. But we must remember that Note 4, which appeared almost a year ago, overtook the market by 1.5-2 years. Even today there are no similar solutions from other companies, which makes this device the best in its segment. In short, if you are looking for the most powerful tablet, with the best screen and camera, without regard to its cost, then the Galaxy Tab S2 will definitely be among the options. And it will be one of the priority options.

Design, dimensions, controls

Externally, the tablet turned out to be different from the first Tab S. Another screen geometry, a frame, like in Note 4, around the body, it is made of metal, with a polished edge. Moreover, the edge is only on the front surface, and behind the plastic - the tablet is comfortable to hold in your hands, it does not slip.

For most consumers, the flagship must be made of metal, although this is not always convenient and correct. Upon impact, the metal beats the glass that protects the screen, but the plastic does not deform the case in such a way. The question of what the manufacturer should use, plastic or metal, has long turned into a philosophical one. But in practice, the difference is noticeable with constant use of devices - for example, the Tab S2 weighs only 272 grams (for the LTE version, the Wi-Fi version weighs even less - 265 grams), while the iPad Mini weighs 341 grams. Minimum difference? How to look. If you take the tablet in your hands from time to time, you will not see any differences. But if you are playing or watching a movie, the Tab S2 will be more comfortable, it does not pull your hand and is not felt in it. A child can easily hold it.

The thickness of the device is a parameter that every manufacturer exercises, in the Tab S2 the thickness is 5.6 mm (iPad 7.5 mm). It is very thin, but this parameter does not affect the characteristics in any way. Thin and thin, after all, thinness is visually pleasing, in the hands it does not play a big role. The dimensions of 134.8 x 198.6 x 5.6 mm are excellent for this kind of device.

On the trip, I got so used to the fact that the tablet is light and small that I got used to carrying it in the side pocket of my shorts, where it was not felt at all. An attempt to put the iPad there failed, it was noticeably heavier and hit the leg when moving.

The back wall is made of soft-touch plastic, it almost does not get dirty, does not scratch, and is pleasant. The camera lens protrudes, but this is normal for such models. There are two “buttons” on the case for installing a branded case, they may seem superfluous to someone, like me, I don’t wear cases on tablets, preferring to wear them like that.

On the bottom end you can see two speakers, this is not a snag, there are physically two of them, and they sound loud enough. The location of the speakers on one side of the case is not indisputable, I would like them to be blown apart. But the sound in most situations does not suffer, it is impossible to cover both speakers with your hand. In terms of volume, the tablet clearly outperforms the iPad, however, the sound quality is higher.

At the same end is a microUSB-connector, as well as a microphone. The tablet has two microphones, they are needed for the noise reduction system to work. Let me remind you that the tablet can be used as a regular phone, with or without a headset.

On the left side are a paired volume rocker, a power button, a little lower - a slot for a nanoSIM card (the choice of such a card format is surprising and doubtful), as well as a slot for memory cards.

On the front panel under the screen, exactly in the middle is a physical key, on the sides - two touch. Due to the size, it is convenient to work with the keys, no problems arise.

The build quality of the device is five plus, there are no problems. The disadvantages include the fact that, due to the thickness of the model, I had to sacrifice the usual Corning Gorilla Glass 4 coating, there is a “lightweight” version with a thinner outer layer. As a result, the screen is quickly covered with small scratches. You can see them only in the off state, it is, of course, impossible to feel them with your fingers.

The tablet can be purchased in black or white, below you can see what the white device looks like, it is no less interesting than the black one that I had in the review.

Screen

In order to understand how high-quality the screen in the Tab S2 is, you need to look at it in life. This is perhaps the best screen in tablets that exists today. Here are its specifications - 7.9 inches, SuperAMOLED, 2048x1536 pixels (326 dpi), 4:3 geometry. Now let's talk about what he can do in practice.

To begin with, these weeks I often flew a DJI Phantom 3 quadcopter, and in order to watch real-time video from it (transmits at a distance of up to 2 kilometers in HD quality), I installed Galaxy Tab S2. A little trick, in the settings you need to set automatic brightness control, then the maximum brightness of the backlight will double compared to the standard one when the tablet realizes that it is outdoors. Under direct sunlight, the picture remained fully readable, there was no need to look for a shadow. The photo does not convey this, it seems that the screen has faded, in life it is readable.

Now let's talk about what SuperAMOLED is criticized for, saying that it has too bright colors. In the settings, you can choose one of five operating modes (adaptive is the default, AMOLED Movie, AMOLED Photo, Basic, Reader).

In principle, it is worth stopping at the adaptive mode, it perfectly adjusts the image to the displayed content, plus it handles external lighting conditions. That is, the adaptive mode will turn on the settings for reading itself, realizing that you are reading a book or a page in the browser.

But if you do not want to trust this mode, then you can customize everything for yourself. And then the colors will not be so aggressive or become muted, it all depends on you. Other tablets do not have such technologies or they are in their infancy, in the same iPad, the ability to adjust the font size has only recently appeared, and nothing like the technology described simply exists. You cannot select a screen color temperature on the iPad. Someone can quite rightly say that this is not necessary on the iPad. Perhaps that is the case for you. Most likely, you just haven't seen what a quality screen is, and therefore continue to consider the iPad's faded screen to be acceptable. He is not bad in his class, but has long become average, nothing more.

I repeat that if the display was excellent in Tab S, then in the second version it became amazing. Good, clean picture, high brightness in the sun, pleasant viewing of photos and videos.

The screen geometry has become the same as in the iPad - 4:3. I like it less than 16:10, because I like to watch videos on my tablet. There are black bars right there, like on the iPad. But on the other hand, the quality of the picture covers everything. This is a tablet with the best screen on the market, which is recognized (grudgingly or through gritted teeth) even by ardent critics of all Samsung products.

Battery

The built-in Li-Ion battery has a capacity of 4000 mAh. At first glance, this is not much for a tablet, we are used to seeing 5000-6000 mAh batteries in such devices. But given that it uses an energy-efficient chipset and a new version of the screen that consumes less than previous models, the operating time in different modes has increased.

For example, when playing video in HD-resolution (MX Player, hardware acceleration, AVI, maximum brightness), the operating time is about 12 hours. If you turn on the automatic backlight adjustment or reduce the brightness, then the operating time will increase to 13-14 hours. This is noticeably more than any tablet in this class. And if we take into account the weight and dimensions of the tablet, then we can consider it a kind of record.

When using a SIM card in a tablet, when you call and write SMS, everything is not so rosy. It will last a day or more with an average load (2 hours of screen, about an hour of calls). The cellular module eats up the battery quickly enough. If we limit ourselves to data transfer, then everything will be typical for such devices, comparable to the same iPad - about 7-8 hours of work. Here, for example, how long the device worked for me when watching three episodes of the series (2 hours 15 minutes), working in other applications (half the brightness of the backlight, automatic mode).

In games, you can achieve a maximum of 7-7.5 hours of work, depending on the screen settings. But in games, the maximum number of cores is used, which negatively affects the operating time, the tablet noticeably warms up.

If you want to maximize battery life then don't use Chrome, Samsung's browser is much more energy efficient. The difference in operating time will be almost twice! As for me, Google urgently needs to do something with the energy efficiency of Chrome, it eats up the battery of mobile devices too quickly, although it is convenient in other aspects.

Traditionally, there is a power-saving mode, when you can limit the processor performance, turn off the backlight of the touch keys, degrade the animation, and so on. Unfortunately, in this mode, you cannot select individual items, only enable them all at once. From the pleasant - you can set the automatic inclusion of this mode when the battery is discharged to a certain level (5, 15, 20, 50%).

In maximum power saving mode, the display turns gray and background data transfer is limited. This mode is unique from other companies and is directly related to the capabilities of the display.

The full battery charging time is about 3.5 hours (2A), fast charging mode, unlike the same Note 4, is not supported. In total, the Tab S2 is optimal in terms of operating time, if you keep in mind its capabilities and performance.

Memory, memory cards, performance

The tablet uses the same processor that we saw in the Note 4, the Exynos 5433. This processor was far ahead of its time and offered a very high performance bar, it remains one of the best on the market. They don’t look for good from good, and for a tablet in which the screen resolution is lower than in the same Note 4, they decided to use it. Many expected that this would be a new generation of processor, but there is simply no need for it - it could only be needed when using high-resolution screens. The technical characteristics of the processor are as follows - 4 cores with a frequency of up to 1.3 GHz, 4 cores with a frequency of up to 1.9 GHz. Fast RAM (1066 MHz). However, look at the results of synthetic tests.

The amount of internal memory is 32 GB, you have about 24 GB of space available for your programs and data. You can install a memory card up to 128 GB, there is almost no difference in access speed, so the applications stored on the card will work just as fast. There are versions of the tablet with 64 GB of internal memory, they will not be delivered to Russia.

The amount of RAM is 3 GB, which is quite enough for any task. In the interface, the device works very quickly, there are simply no slowdowns.

Communication options

Samsung is consistently refusing to use the infrared port to control household appliances, it was installed on most top models in 2014, including it can be found on the Tab S, it is not here. As well as the tablet lost support for NFC, which is doubly disappointing, since for most the presence of this technology makes using the device more convenient (quick pairing with other phones or tablets with one touch).

Surprisingly, the Tab S2 will not support Samsung Pay (there is no separate chip for crypto-protection of transactions), but it is pointless to worry about this, since the technology is focused only on the US market in 2015. Using a tablet for payments in the absence of NFC is only possible in the old fashioned way.

Other strengths of Samsung tablets remain here, the antenna for Wi-Fi is dual-band, operates at 2.4 / 5 GHz, 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, traditionally there is Wi-Fi Direct. Bluetooth version 4.1.

Support for GPS / GLONASS is implemented well, as a device for navigation, the tablet turned out to be successful. BMW chose him as the standard navigator for their 7 Series.

The radio module supports the following frequencies:

• LTE: 700/ 800/ 850/ 900/ 1800/ 1900/ 2100/ 2600
• 3G: 850/ 900/ 1900/ 2100
• 2G: 850/ 900/ 1800/ 1900

Before us is a device that will easily work in LTE around the world.

Camera

If you approach formally, then the cameras have not changed in any way compared to the Tab S, the front one also has a resolution of 2.1 megapixels, the main one - 8 megapixels. But unlike the Tab S, the main camera doesn't have an LED flash. The front camera has become more aperture, as well as the main camera (f = 1.9 versus 2.4 in Tab S).

Look at sample shots and the camera interface. I think you can see the resemblance to the Galaxy S6. Pictures look great on a tablet screen, noticeably better than their actual quality on a PC screen. The reason is the outstanding performance of the display, but not the camera, it is just quite ordinary and inferior to most top-end smartphones on the market. On the other hand, for tablets, this camera is one of the best, as you can easily see by looking at the comparison shot with the iPad Mini (right).

And this is how the tablet shoots in the evening and during the day, and also records video. It will not be able to replace a top-end smartphone, but it is quite good for everyday tasks.

Photo examples

Now I want to dwell on one of the chips directly related to the camera and tablet performance. The Samsung app store has a 3D Capture program that allows you to capture 3D images of objects. Press shoot, go around slowly a stationary object, preferably at the same distance, and in a minute you have a model in front of you that you can twist as you like, export to other programs for editing three-dimensional pictures (file format .OBJ and also .MTL). The built-in editor allows you to clean up the image, remove the background, select individual zones, and it is quite advanced, covering all the features you need. For most, this program will become a kind of toy, but someone will find it the right use.

With my hands, I managed to make a three-dimensional picture of bread on a plate, it was like a kind of miracle. He immediately twisted the picture, showed his friends what happened. I tried to position the tablet motionless and rotate the plate, the shooting did not happen - the tablet requires that it be rotated around the object.

I have always been amazed by such technologies that are becoming commonplace - ten years ago it was impossible to think that something like this would be in a mass device. This is what can be called high technology, and they are becoming publicly available. This tablet is a cheap way to get 3D models. Of course, here the question arises in their detail, quality. But for the mass consumer, this will definitely be the first encounter with such technology and the possibility of using it.

In no case should you consider that 3D shooting will be a feature that will draw attention to this product. It’s hard to believe, but this feature is unique, and other companies don’t have it (I haven’t seen it in any product). Of course, there are dozens of programs for iPad and Android that make 3D objects in .OBJ, but none of them are popular (maybe they are all niche?), and the quality of the resulting files is not very good by description. I do not presume to judge this, for sure among the readers there will be those who have played with such programs and can evaluate their quality better.

Software Features

The model comes with Android 5.0.2, and will be updated to 5.1.1 soon. Inside is a lightweight TouchWiz, which is completely or almost completely identical to what we see on the Galaxy S6. In the review of this phone, I analyzed in great detail all the pros and cons of such a solution, dwelling on all the little things. You can read about it in the review text.

Or watch the video on the Galaxy S6 as an example.

As with other flagship devices, you get free services and apps, like Microsoft's OneDrive gives you 100GB of cloud storage when you sign up. You can get a free subscription to various magazines, navigation and the like.

The multimedia capabilities of the tablet are excellent, it is omnivorous and digests most video formats (AC3 is not supported out of the box due to patent disputes, just install MX Player and everything will work).

I like the fact that you can upload any files to this tablet and immediately start watching and listening to them. As usual, maximum omnivorousness, no need to convert or download anything through a computer, everything is done from the device, it is completely independent.

Bookmarks appeared in the file manager, you can open different pages and copy files from one page to another.

The fingerprint sensor works by touch, there are no problems.

Of the interesting chips, I note that when working with Bluetooth, you can add “trusted devices” to the list. For example, it can be a speakerphone in a car. Then, when connected to such a device, the tablet will remain unlocked. At home, I set up a wireless speaker as such, and there is no need to put your finger on the sensor every time, the tablet is open.

There are a lot of such small chips in the system, each of them does not mean anything, but all together they make the device convenient. For the LTE version, nanoSIM and voice calls are supported, as well as SMS, unlike the same iPad, where a SIM card is only needed for data transfer.

Love or hate TouchWiz, but the shell greatly complements the stock Android, bringing in handy features, there are plenty of them.

Accessories for Tab S2

A standard set of accessories is available for the tablet, including various wired and wireless headsets, but I would like to draw your attention to three accessories that are different from other models and are only suitable for this tablet.

Let's start with the Keyboard Cover, this is a cover in which the keyboard is built in, it is fastened to the magnets on the back surface. This accessory is not available for the 8-inch model, only for a tablet with a large diagonal, which will seem like enough reason for someone to choose it.

At the same time, you can choose just Book Cover, this is a regular cover that allows you to put a tablet to watch videos.

Finally, you can purchase the docking station MT800, which has remained unchanged from the first generation of tablets and is familiar to us. This station has an HDMI connector with 4K video support, two full-fledged USB connectors, microUSB, Ethernet - you can turn your tablet into a full-fledged computer.

Impression

I did not like the Tab S2 at all in absentia, it seemed that the tablet did not bring anything new, and its subtlety was a tribute to fashion. In life, he changed his mind to the opposite - it is convenient to work with him, and the screen is excellent, no one simply has anything like it. I was especially pleased with the work on the street, however, the super-bright backlight eats up the battery quickly, but on the same DJI quadcopter you can fly even on a summer afternoon, when the sun burns everything around and nothing is visible on the screens of other devices.

Even if you watch movies all day, you will have enough battery power until the evening, in my usual mode the tablet worked for about 2 days, which is not bad (iPad lands in a day). In a word, I liked the device, but not its price. It is clear that it is necessary to nod on the course, but still the flagship turned out to be expensive and not accessible to everyone - but should flagships be available to many? Question.

The Tab S2 competes in Russia with the first generation of this tablet, primarily due to the fact that the old prices remain on it. However, let's compare. The price for the Wi-Fi version is about 21 thousand rubles, for the LTE version - about 23,000 rubles. Of the minuses - a smaller amount of internal memory (16 GB versus 32 GB), an old version of the OS, without updating to 5.1.1 in the near future, a slightly worse screen with fewer operating modes. The operating time in the first Tab S is slightly lower, but noticeably higher than that of all devices in this class. This line has become a kind of champion in terms of survivability thanks to the technical solutions used by the manufacturer.

The price for the Wi-Fi version of the 32 GB Tab S2 (SM-T710) is 31,990 rubles, for the 32 GB LTE version (SM-T715) – 35,990 rubles. The difference is simply drastic, and the appeal of the first generation Tab S is superior from every standpoint. You lose almost nothing by purchasing the previous model, but the savings are noticeable, enough for one or two devices below the class.

Apple has no direct competitors to the Tab S2 yet, the new model has not been released, so we will have to compare it with the best offer that is now, this is the iPad Mini 3. It would have to be compared with the Tab S, they are classmates, but let's compare with the Tab S2. The initial memory configuration for the iPad is 16 GB, it costs 26,990 and 35,990 rubles (Wi-Fi / LTE) in the official store. There is no 32 GB version, so it will not be possible to compare directly, the next 64 GB version costs 33,490 and 42,490 rubles. It turns out quite an interesting picture, if the LTE versions cost the same, but the Tab S2 has twice as much memory, plus there are memory cards, then Wi-Fi looks a little more expensive. The quality of the screens is incomparable, the model from Samsung wins a lot. As well as battery life, weight and size, many people may like the fact that the iPad case is made of metal. As an iPad Mini owner, I can say that the Tab S2 is noticeably more convenient in everyday life, it wins in all respects. Anticipating the question of why I didn't choose it or its predecessor - I'm not so wasteful that I change tablets every year, the old one does its job quite well. But the battery starts to die a little, it is possible that I will change the old man to a new one in the coming months. Choosing a new tablet today, I would definitely compare the iPad Mini 3 and Tab S2, and then focus on the amount that I have.

In life, Tab S2 and iPad Mini 3 are completely different, they differ radically from each other. The aesthetics, the feel in the hand, the way you use these devices. In a word, see for yourself and decide what you like, here no one can be your adviser. Trying to compare the Tab S2 with Android flagships from other companies is doomed to failure. What other companies call flagships is in no way technically true to that name - the models are weaker, just look at their screens and performance, they play in a different league. However, it is quite fair to raise the question here, do you need everything that the Tab S2 offers, or is it better to save money and buy not a flagship, but something simpler, but the answer to this question is again up to you.

I specifically highlighted the review of the 8- and 9.7-inch models in different materials, as I said above. The difference between these models is fundamental, one is mobile and always accompanies you, the second is suitable for those who spend more time at home or carry a bag with them, where a folder for papers and, accordingly, Tab S2 9.7 will fit. Functionally, these models are identical, only their perception, price and positioning differ, we will talk about this in the review of the older device. As for me, Samsung turned out to be an excellent model, which has, perhaps, everything you expect from a flagship - the best screen on the market, excellent battery life, the ability to make and receive calls, support SMS and full-fledged LTE in any country in the world. The price bites, but the more attractive the previous generation of the device. This is the flagship without any discounts, we just have to wait for the fall and the next iPad Mini to see how Apple can respond to this device. I'm afraid that only iOS9 and an increase in RAM will be the answer, you should not expect fundamental differences. So, Tab S2 will remain the most interesting device in terms of the totality of characteristics that it has. But here the question is how much you are committed to a particular platform, and you can argue about this for a long time and without much result.

Samsung introduced its most technologically advanced tablet in 2014. Its distinguishing feature was the 8.4" or 10.5" Super AMOLED screen - no one has used such large OLED displays in mass products. It was logical to assume that the flagship of tablets in 2015, the metal Galaxy Tab S2 will also be presented. Its release date was set for August 2015. True, this time the company decided to use other screen sizes: Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 and Galaxy Tab S2 9.7. In addition, they have become the thinnest in their class.

The aspect ratio of the new tablets is 4:3, that is, this is a more "square" option. The analogy with the iPad mini and iPad Air is straight forward, although Samsung probably decided that this option was just more convenient, but we'll figure it out later. In general, the company has exactly the same display geometry and diagonals. True, the screens there are much simpler - an LCD matrix, albeit PLS, but with a low resolution of 1024x768. "Retina" clearly decided to leave for the flagships.

At the same time, the tablet market began to “bear losses” back in 2014, and in 2015 they came out “at full strength”. People simply do not buy these devices, because they are old enough that they do not break and continue to work. The segment of expensive models de facto today remains with Apple and Samsung, which continue to regularly update their assortments, even successfully releasing something new. In this review, we'll take a look at what the best Samsung tablets of 2015 are.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 video review

As always, we suggest looking at the tablets through the lens of our video camera - this way you can get a much better idea of ​​​​them:

Now let's move on to the traditional review.

Design

Samsung in 2015 is hard to understand. In the smartphone segment, she proposed the following classification: Galaxy A - fashion metal phones; Galaxy E - almost the same design, but in plastic; Galaxy J - budget tubes. But the Galaxy J is already de facto replacing the Galaxy E, and in tablets it has become the youngest, while the Galaxy Tab A is an average plastic version. But the metal was "given away" to the flagship Galaxy Tab S2.

Of course, if you do not try to find the relationship between smartphones and tablets, then everything is more or less logical, but it turns out somehow by itself if you deal with IT journalism every day. Moreover, the Galaxy Tab S2 is not made entirely of metal - only the side ends got one, as was the case with the Galaxy Alpha. And besides, there is nothing here, since the back of these smartphones is covered with glass.

Galaxy Tab S2 received a plastic back cover. It is painted in the body color, which can be black or white. The paint and the plastic itself are such that they are somewhat reminiscent of metal, but still they are not.

The back cover has a smooth soft-touch finish, which is slightly different between the white and black Samsung Galaxy Tab S2.

We got both options: Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 and Galaxy Tab S 9.7. Between themselves, they differ only in screen size, dimensions, weight and battery capacity. At the same time, their design is very similar, but there is some difference.

So the 8-inch tablet received a thinner screen frame on the sides and a speaker above it. Obviously, Samsung does not exclude the possibility of using the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 as a phone. It can really be clasped with the palm of your hand, but it still bursts it strongly. And we even tried to put the tablet in a jeans pocket - under certain conditions, it will really fit into men's pants, but walking and sitting down is very inconvenient.

At the same time, both devices are distinguished by an extremely small thickness - 5.6 mm. We have not seen thinner tablets. Maybe some of the readers know them, so we will be grateful if you tell us about them in the comments. Recall that the Galaxy Tab S of the first generation had a thickness of 6.6 mm.

Decreased not only the thickness, but also the weight. So the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 weighs 265 grams (like a very heavy smartphone!), And the 9.7-inch weighs 389 grams. For the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5, these figures are respectively 294 and 465 grams. Of course, the decrease in weight was also affected by the decrease in diagonal, as well as the decrease in battery capacity, but in any case, for tablets, both Galaxy Tab S2 are very light.

In general, we liked the look of the Galaxy Tab S2, especially the 8-inch model, which is more like a huge and thin smartphone than a small tablet. The devices fit perfectly in the hands, which do not get tired at all from working with them. Samsung's technological leadership in new products is clearly visible, and yet we have not yet moved on to the main "chip" of tablets - their screen. But we will talk about it in a section.

Connectors and controls

The change in the screen geometry of the Galaxy Tab S2 entailed the transfer of buttons and connectors. Tablets are now more like huge smartphones for which the long side is considered the main one.

Above the screen, the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 has a front camera and earpiece, while the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 does not have the latter. It is logical - if you can somehow hold the 8-inch tablet with one hand, then the 9.7-inch tablet will have to be used with two.

Below the screen are the traditional task manager buttons, Home and Back. The first and last are made touch, and Home, as usual with Samsung, is mechanical. In addition, there is a built-in fingerprint scanner.

The fingerprint sensor has been upgraded - used the same as in the Galaxy S6. In other words, to scan a finger, it is enough to attach it, and not to hold it, as it was before. Recognition is very fast, but for memorization, you need to put your finger on the sensor more than a dozen times. How it all looks in reality, you can see in our short video:

The touch buttons have a backlight, although they are perfectly visible without it.

On the back cover, special mounts for the case are of interest. The Galaxy Tab S and Galaxy Tab A had the same ones.

At the top of the rear is the camera, and devoid of flash. Obviously, Samsung believes that the tablet will rarely take pictures.

On the right side are the volume buttons and compartments for the SIM card and microSD card. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 also has a speaking microphone on the right.

We got the SM-T715 (8-inch) and SM-T815 (9.7-inch) models, supplemented with a cellular communication module, so there was a second slot on the sidewall.

The compartments open with an ejector or a thin paper clip. The holders themselves are plastic, so you should not handle them especially rudely. Note that Samsung has switched to using nanoSIM already in tablets. If you have any difficulties installing cards in your Galaxy Tab S2, then our short video on this topic will help you solve the problem:

The left end was left completely empty.

Below are two speakers, a 3.5 mm mini-jack for headphones and a headset, and a microUSB connector. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 still has a microphone here.

The Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 has a noise-canceling microphone on top, while the 9.7-inch tablet does not have this at all - Samsung does not position it as a device for calls. Do not think that you can make calls on the tablet, but the company rightly believes that you will not have to walk down the street with it and talk like on the phone. And if you have to, then only on the speakerphone or headset.

In terms of ergonomics, both tablets, especially the 8-inch one, resemble smartphones. They have a narrow side as the main one. The layout of the controls and connectors is well chosen and did not cause negative emotions.

Case for Galaxy Tab S2

As always, Samsung will release branded covers for the Galaxy Tab S2, as it did in 2014 with the first generation of AMOLED tablets.

These will be covers that cover the screen and can serve as a stand for the tablet. Recall that the Galaxy Tab S2 has two mounts on the back specifically for covers.

Screen

It was the screen that became the main feature of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S series tablets. In 2014, the Korean company began mass production of 10.5-inch Super AMOLED displays. At the same time, the devices that received them did not cost at all like a new small car. In 2015, the Galaxy Tab S2 repeats the story of its predecessors. During the year, no other manufacturer offered a similar product.

It should be noted that the decision to switch from an aspect ratio of 16:10 to 4:3, coupled with a change in resolution and diagonal, resulted in a lower dot density than the first Galaxy Tab S. The difference is not great, but it is. Tablets in 2014 offered a resolution of 2560x1600, while the current ones are 2048x1536. As a result, the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 provides a dot density of 264 ppi, while the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 gave 288 ppi. For the "younger" ones, these figures are respectively equal to 320 ppi for the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 and 359 ppi for the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. But in any case, you should not be upset - the difference is not visible to the eye, even if you put the old and new tablets side by side.

Subjectively, the picture on them looks very cool: bright, saturated, the colors are pleasing to the eye. In the sun, the screen behaves perfectly, it does not grow blind very much. Viewing angles as always maximum.

Objective measurements indicate a maximum brightness of 315.63 cd/m2 for the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 and 358.48 cd/m2 for the 9.7-inch counterpart. Both of these values ​​are not record-breaking, rather the figure is slightly below average when compared with modern tablets and smartphones. But in any case, the stock of brightness is enough. The brightness of black, as always, is almost zero - our calibrator does not see light there. This, if someone is not in the know, is one of the main features of OLED technology. So the black color is very natural and deep, the screen contrast tends to infinity.

With the color gamut of the screens of both tablets, everything is in order. As always, it greatly surpasses the sRGB space and approaches AdobeRGB - another feature of AMOLED.

Violation of the color temperature is also characteristic of Super AMOLED. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 has a temperature of 7500-7700K, while the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 has a temperature of 7900-8000K. The picture is displayed a little colder than necessary, but in general, the excess is not very large.

The display gamma curves of both devices look great, almost matching the 2.2 reference curve. So that all areas of the image are displayed without unnecessary highlights or darkening.

As always, the standout feature of Samsung devices equipped with a Super AMOLED screen is the ability to select a color profile. The function is more than useful, since everyone can customize the display according to their preferences.

As always, the screen supports up to 10 simultaneous touches. We did not expect anything else from the flagship tablets.

In terms of screens, both Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablets are the best on the market. Neither the iPad mini/Air, once the standard in this regard, nor any other product, surpasses models from the South Korean company in terms of picture quality.

Camera

The camera, Samsung is sure, is not very necessary for tablets today. More precisely, shooting is not a defining function of this type of device. And if you are not sure, then how to explain the same resolution of the rear and front cameras of the Galaxy Tab S and S2? Let's say more, the Galaxy Tab S2 even lost the flash on the back! We will not claim that the same sensor is used, but it is very similar.

The camera app has migrated to the Galaxy Tab S2 from the Galaxy S6. It is distinguished by a minimalist simple interface, which, nevertheless, is not without advanced shooting modes.

So in Pro mode, you can adjust the white balance, ISO sensitivity level and exposure compensation.

There are other interesting shooting modes, including "Dual Camera" - it shoots from two cameras at once. It looks like this:

And so you can even capture video in Full HD resolution:

In certain situations, it will be nice to shoot what is happening immediately behind and in front.

The maximum photo resolution reaches 8 MP and only in the native aspect ratio of the screen 4:3. By the way, because of it, the Galaxy Tab S2 camera cannot shoot video in Ultra HD resolution - it lacks width.

The shots look quite decent, especially those taken during the day on the street. There is no excessive saturation, white balance is correct, autofocus worked well. But when there is not so much light, the pictures are somewhat worse.

Although video is not supported in 4K resolution, the camera can shoot QHD or 2560x1440. Incidentally, the Galaxy Tab S only provided Full HD video.

What can be said about the video? During the day, everything looks great: the colors are beautiful, the picture is clear, the resolution is high.

The front camera does not have a “selfie resolution” of 2.1 MP. Photos and videos are taken in 1920x1080 or Full HD resolution.

Photos come out more or less decent, although somewhat blurry. But in general they are not overexposed, there are no chromatic aberrations, the white balance is correct.

The video also does not look as good as from the main camera, but it is also decent.

From a larger camera, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 suits us and even likes it in places. For a tablet, a very good option, but it's a pity that the flash was removed.

Specifications Galaxy Tab S2

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablet lineup consists of four products. They differ in screen size (8.0" or 9.7") and the presence or absence of LTE support. And yes, in theory there are versions with different amounts of memory, although here we have no exact certainty about the available modifications - according to one information, there will be at least 32 GB of internal flash memory, but we had tablets with 16 GB in our hands. And in theory there is also a version of 64 GB.

Galaxy Tab S in 2014 received a platform from, which was introduced back in 2013. With the Galaxy Tab S2, the manufacturer did exactly the same thing - the flagship tablets of 2015 received the stuffing from the Galaxy Note 4.

Thus, the Galaxy Tab S2 acquired a Samsung Exynos 5433 processor. Recall that it was the first to have at its disposal the Cortex-A57 cores (4 pieces, frequency 1.9 GHz) and Cortex-A53 (also 4 pieces, frequency 1.3 GHz), which seem to be 64-bit, but both the Galaxy Note 4 and Tab S2 run in 32-bit mode. However, all this is not critical. Although they are not the fastest by the standards of 2015, they provide very decent performance. Nothing will slow down, and here's why.

With the first Galaxy Tab S, their video card played a cruel joke - Mali-T628 MP6, used in the Wi-Fi version of the tablet, the accelerator is fast and performed its tasks perfectly in Galaxy Note 3. But in the tablet, the screen resolution almost doubled and some games were no longer so “smooth”. But with the Galaxy Note 4, the story is different - the Mali-T760 MP6 renders a picture at a resolution of 2560x1440, and in the Galaxy Tab S2 the screen provides a resolution of 2048x1536, so there are no difficulties with speed. Games do not slow down there, even the most difficult ones. But we will talk about this in more detail in the next section.

The amount of RAM is expected to remain at the level of 3 GB. In fact, more is not required - the tablet does not slow down anyway. Flash memory in our case turned out to be 16 GB, and in both versions of the Galaxy Tab S2: 8.0- and 9.7-inch. Presumably, larger versions will be released. In addition, microSD card expansion is available.

As for connectivity, only Wi-Fi (SM-T710 - 8.0" and SM-T810 - 9.7") and LTE (SM-T715 - 8.0" and SM-T815 - 9) versions will be on sale. .7"). The latter, due to additional antennas, weigh a couple of grams more, and they also have plastic inserts on the upper end. But most importantly, Samsung has abandoned the Qualcomm-based option, as it did with the Galaxy Tab S LTE. Now Exynos 5433 supports all the necessary technologies.

In total, the Galaxy Tab S2 received, albeit last year's, but extremely high-performance hardware platform. Tablets will not slow down beforehand, but to make sure of this, let's take a look at the test results.

Performance Testing

Let's see how the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 has changed compared to its previous generation.

The old Smartbench 2012 and Quadrant benchmarks show a clear superiority of the Galaxy Tab S2.

The constantly updated Antutu test also favored the new device, which is logical.

In the relatively simple 3DRating graphics benchmark from the same Antutu, we got almost parity for both tablets. Let's take a look at what will happen in more advanced 3D tests.

There is not much difference in GFXBench, where again we got the same results in the T-Rex offscreen test. However, when the T-Rex test was run in full screen, the Galaxy Tab S2 scored 25 FPS, while the Galaxy Tab S only got 14 FPS. That is, for large resolutions, a new tablet is better suited.

But 3DMark easily and unpretentiously gave the victory to the Galaxy Tab S2 - this tablet defeated its predecessor.

The autonomy of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 turned out to be very, very good, according to. However, the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 has it even better, but let's not forget that the new generation tablets received smaller batteries: 4000 mAh for the 8-inch and 5870 mAh for the 9.7-inch. The Galaxy Tab S had batteries of the following size, respectively: 4900 mAh for the 8.4-inch and 7900 mAh for the 10.5-inch. But autonomy fell slightly, which incidentally led to a reduction in weight and thickness. And in any case, it turned out to be more than decent.

As you can see, the 9.7-inch tablet lasts a little longer due to the larger capacity battery. At the same time, for both devices, the maximum consumption falls on the operation of the screen, 3D games (most of all here) and surfing the Internet via a mobile network.

In general, the performance and autonomy of the Galaxy Tab S2 are more than satisfied with us. Although the speed of the tablets is not the best on the market, they de facto have no rivals, especially among analogues. Moreover, the issue with a high screen resolution was resolved - it became slightly lower than that of the previous generation, and the video card turned out to be even more powerful, so that the devices are ready even for future games, as well as for current ones. You can see for yourself.

Games on Galaxy Tab S2

All games on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 work without any difficulties at all, which we saw when we launched about 20 titles.

• Riptide GP2: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Asphalt 7: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Asphalt 8: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• N.O.V.A. 3: Near Orbit: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Modern Combat 5: Blackout: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Dead Trigger: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Dead Trigger 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Real Racing 3: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Need for Speed: Most Wanted: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Shadowgun: Dead Zone: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Frontline Commando: Normandy: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Frontline Commando 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Eternity Warriors 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Eternity Warriors 3: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Trial Xtreme 3: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Trial Xtreme 4: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• dead effect: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Plants vs Zombies 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• Iron Man 3: excellent, the game does not slow down;

• dead target: excellent, the game does not slow down;

Actually, what was required to prove. There are no glitches and brakes on the Galaxy Tab S2.

ON

Having received the Galaxy Tab S2 at our disposal, we were somewhat surprised - there, although the previously presented mid-range smartphone is supplied. It must be assumed that the flagship tablets were developed earlier, and therefore were tested with an earlier version of the system. But in any case, you should not worry, it will be updated, and more than once.

Recall also that both Galaxy Tab S2 operate in 32-bit mode, despite the processor. However, this did not affect the overall performance in any way - in the end, the Galaxy Note 4 also does not suffer from the lack of 64-bit support.

The software shell of the Galaxy Tab S2 is generally in line with what we saw in the spring of 2015. It was only slightly polished, and at the same time some applications were added.

The only noticeable difference is the presence of Galaxy Essentials and Galaxy Gifts shortcuts on the second desktop, which lead to sections of the same name in the Galaxy Apps store. The first link hides a list of additional applications such as Kids Mode, Video Editor, Story Album, Hancom Office, and the like. Well, Galaxy Gifts are subscriptions to various services and materials.

Otherwise, the list of applications looks quite ordinary. There is a necessary minimum like a browser, notes, a file manager, a calendar, and there are also additional SideSync and Smart Manager applications. We got acquainted with the first in detail in, and the second has already been seen more than once on new Samsung devices.

Once again, we repeat that Smart Manager is a utility that collects managers of RAM, energy saving, flash memory analyzer and tablet protection tools.

In addition, there is a complete set of programs from Microsoft, namely Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Skype and OneDrive.

Almost a complete set of Microsoft Office devices from Samsung began to receive under an agreement with the software giant, which was signed in 2015. However, all these applications, except for PowerPoint, are already installed. Whereas Hancom Office will have to be downloaded separately.

Samsung, as always, has expanded the capabilities of the task manager - the MultiWindow function is available from it, dividing the tablet screen into two parts and launching two applications at once.

The second application is opened by selecting the one you need from the list of recently opened ones, or simply by clicking on the shortcut.

Applications can be displayed as one under one, and next to each other - it all depends on the position of the tablet.

You can also open any program in a window.

By the way, the dialer is also made in the form of a window. Why not? The tablet screen is large and poking at the huge buttons is no longer so convenient, although it is difficult to miss them.

We see no point in dwelling on standard applications in detail. They are the most common, although drawn differently.

All these notes, file managers and so on are on most Android devices. And if they are made by Samsung, then they look the same.

The proprietary TouchWIZ shell and a set of software from a South Korean company suits us just fine. Everything is well thought out, well drawn and does not slow down. The only complaint is more about the aspect ratio of the screen - because of the square display, watching movies is not so convenient.

Output

In 2014, the Galaxy Tab S made a splash - still, no one had released mass devices with such large OLED screens before! In 2015, the Galaxy Tab S2 no longer produces the same effect, although the second generation is noticeably prettier. First of all, it can be praised for the metal frame, as well as for the screen. Visually, it has become even better, the colors look more saturated and rich. This is clearly the best display on the market.

On the other hand, we're ambivalent about Samsung's decision to move its tablets to a 4:3 aspect ratio, like all iPads. A more square format may be better suited for web pages, but watching movies is no longer so comfortable - there will always be black bars on top and bottom.

But otherwise, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 has solid advantages: it is the thinnest Korean tablet (and possibly the entire market), they are very light, especially the 8-inch model, which is made in the form factor of a smartphone. The autonomy of the devices turned out to be very decent, as well as the performance. They got a fingerprint scanner, to which you just need to put your finger. Add here a good camera, which, however, has lost its flash, and you will get, if not a perfect tablet, then close to it. However, much depends on the price.

Galaxy Tab S2 price

You can buy the Galaxy Tab S2 for 32 thousand for the younger version with Wi-Fi and 32 GB, and the version with LTE is estimated at 36 thousand. At the same time, prices for the first Galaxy Tab S have already dropped to 22-24 thousand for the youngest model.

The only actual competitor on Android, and even in 10.1-inch version, is the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet. At a price of 42 thousand rubles, it looks good: Android 5.0, Snapdragon 810, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal memory, an IPS screen with a resolution of 2560x1600, a thickness of 6.1 mm and a weight of 389 grams. Add here a metal case and moisture protection, as well as a 6000 mAh battery. All in all, a decent alternative, unless the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 is cheaper.

And, of course, Apple. Here the company has iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. They are thicker and heavier, similar in resolution and diagonal screens, slower processor. Although in general they are still good, and they are not so expensive - from 27 thousand for the younger iPad Air 2. And do not forget that these are 2014 models, and more recent news are on the way.

Pros:

• stylish design;
• metal frame of the case;
• excellent workmanship;
• very small thickness of 5.6 mm;
• light weight for a tablet;
• the best screen on the market - a high-resolution Super AMOLED matrix;
• good camera for a tablet
• a modern version of Android with a guarantee of future updates;
• built-in fingerprint scanner of the second generation;
• high performance;
• good autonomy.

Minuses:

• rear camera without flash;

Samsung's new 8-inch tablet looks like two drops of water similar to its older brother Galaxy Tab S2 9.7. As a "stuffing", as far as possible, the same components are also used. Let's check if moving to more compact sizes causes a decrease in device performance.

Together with the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7, a competitor to the iPad-Air-2, Samsung has released a more compact one, which can be considered as an alternative to the iPad Mini 4. The design of the novelty is reminiscent of the Galaxy A series smartphones. The main difference from its predecessor Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is the 4-format display: 3 instead of 16:10. The amount of RAM remains the same and is 3 GB. Like the Galaxy Tab S 8.4, the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 LTE uses Samsung's 1.9GHz Exynos SoC but uses a more modern chip. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 with an LTE mobile communication module is about 5,000 rubles more expensive than the Wi-Fi-only version of the tablet. The direct competitors of the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 are the super-new iPad Mini 4 and its Android counterparts the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact and the less compact Google Nexus 9.

Specifications Galaxy Tab S2 8.0:
Screen	8'' 4:3 resolution, 2048 x 1536 pixels, glossy surface, glass, Super AMOLED, Capacitive Multi-Touch, up to 10 touches, G-sensor;
CPU	Exynos 7 Octa (5433) 8 cores (4+4), up to 1.9 GHz + 1.3 GHz;
graphics accelerator	Mali-T760;
Operating system	Android 5.0.2 (Lollipop);
RAM	3 GB;
Built-in memory	32 GB;
Memory card support	microSDXC, microSDHC, microSD up to 128 GB;
Connection	GSM, HSPA+, LTE cat.6, VoLTE, standards 700/ 800/ 850/ 900/ 1800/ 1900/ 2100/ 2600;
SIM card	Nano-SIM (12 x 9 mm);
Wireless interfaces	Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, Bluetooth 4.1;
Sound	built-in speakers x2 on the bottom;
Navigation	GPS (satellite), A-GPS (GSM base station), GLONASS;
cameras	main - 8 million pixels, autofocus, aperture f1 / 9, video recording QHD (2560 x 1440) @ 30fps; front - 2.1 million pixels, fixed focus;
Sensors	accelerometer, compass, Hall sensor, gyroscope, RGB sensor, fingerprint scanner;
Connectors	micro USB 2.0, headphone jack, Nano-SIM slot, USB OTG support;
Battery	4000 mAh (Li-Pol battery; charging time - 210 minutes);
Dimensions	19.86 x 0.56 x 13.48 cm;
Weight	0.272 kg;
Color options	White black;

Frame

Size aside, the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 looks exactly like the 9.7-inch model. The only difference is the speaker slot above the Samsung logo on the 8-inch model. The Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 is thinner and noticeably shorter than its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4, due to the transition to a 4:3 screen format, it “recovered” in width by almost a centimeter. The camera protrudes a little inaccurately by about 1.8 mm above the back of the tablet. In terms of lightness, with a weight of 272 grams, only SONY Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact weighing 270 grams can be compared.

The previous flagship tablet, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4, looked like the corresponding flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5. The design of the new Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 is based on the Galaxy A smartphones. For the first time, the tablet uses a metallic frame that attracts attention, but rough to the touch. The back cover is made of rough plastic; The tablet does not try to slip out of the hands. Unfortunately, fingerprints on the Galaxy Tab S2 become noticeable rather quickly and are difficult to erase. On the back of the device, you can see the latches for separately purchased covers. The metal frame makes the Galaxy Tab S2 feel very solid. The gaps are small, when you try to twist the tablet, only a slight crackle is heard.

Components

It uses the same components as the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7. The tablet has an Exynos 5433 Octa SoC 1.9 GHz processor, 3 GB of RAM and a 32 GB flash drive, of which 25 GB is available to the user. It supports the use of microSD memory cards up to 128 GB and the transfer of programs and applications to the memory card.

The power supply and external devices are connected to the tablet via the Micro USB 2.0 connector. It's a pity that not through the latest USB 3.0 Type C. The good news is USB-OTG support for connecting a peripheral device (flash drive, keyboard, mouse, etc.) and MHL for transferring photos and videos to a large display. Supports Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi Direct for wireless image transmission and ANT+ for wireless transmission of information from sensors. Infrared, like the Galaxy Tab S 8.4, the Tab S2 8.0 does not. NFC technology is not supported.

I am glad that the tablet has a vibration motor for tactile feedback. The tablet does not have LED indicators familiar to users of Android smartphones.

Right side: Nano-SIM card slot, microSD card slot, volume control, power key Left side: no connectors.

Bottom: speaker, 3.5 mm headphone jack, microphone, Micro-USB connector, another speaker. Top: microphone

Software

The operating system uses Android 5.0.2 with Samsung TouchWiz shell. To date, TouchWiz leaves a favorable impression and offers many additional features and customization tools. Whether an update to Android 5.1 or 6.0 will be released for the tablet is, unfortunately, not yet known. As usual with Samsung tablets, the Tab S2 8.0 comes preloaded with a plethora of third-party apps. Most of these apps are easy to uninstall. Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNnote, Skype, OneDrive) are not completely removed, you can only deactivate their individual components.

Many Samsung programs offer assistive features. For example, the Smart Switch app makes it easy to switch to a new tablet by transferring settings, contacts, and data from another mobile device. Check out the SideSync app to control your tablet from a Windows PC or mobile device. Unfortunately, an attempt to control from another Samsung tablet was unsuccessful. At the same time, the connection between the Windows laptop and Tab S2 8.0 after installing the appropriate software on the laptop worked fine. A long press on the left touch button activates the split screen mode.

Communications and GPS

The built-in WLAN a/b/g/n/ac module provides very high data transfer rates. When communicating with the ASUS RT-AC56U router, this speed reached 780 Mbps with a theoretical limit of 866 Mbps in the 5 GHz band. As the distance between the tablet and the router increases, the data transfer speed decreases slightly. The range of the Tab S2 8.0 wireless module and the reception quality in both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands are on the same level as other comparable mobile devices.

In the absence of Wi-Fi, it is possible to use an LTE modem with a data transfer rate of up to 300 Mbps (LTE Cat. 6). If necessary, for example, when downloading a large amount of data, you can activate the "accelerator" for the parallel use of Wi-Fi and mobile networks.

Thanks to the presence of a conversational speaker, Tab S2 8.0 can be used as a giant smartphone. Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 does not have this feature. The voice quality of the Tab S2 8.0 during phone calls is at a high level, like that of expensive smartphones. When using a headset, as long as the background noise level is not too high, speech is also intelligible.

The tablet supports GPS and Glonass satellite navigation systems. Outdoors, the current position is determined fairly quickly; reception strength is slightly lower than Galaxy Tab S2 9.7. Indoors, GPS satellite signals are not detected even after a long wait.

Using the Garmin Edge 500 Tab S2 8.0 cycling computer as a control device, it showed a slight overall deviation of 2% and the tendency to “cut off” the path characteristic of many tablets. The Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 is a bit more accurate in terms of positioning, and the Apple iPad Mini 4 is the absolute champion, surpassing even navigators.

cameras

The Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 uses the same cameras as the older model Galaxy Tab S2 9.7. On the front side of the tablet is a selfie camera with a rather pathetic resolution of 2.1 megapixels (1920x1080, 16:9 format, aperture 1 / 2.2). Selfies, unfortunately, are fuzzy and pale.

selfie camera with a rather pathetic 2.1 megapixel resolution

Photos from the 8-megapixel rear camera (3264x2448, 4:3 aspect ratio) are significantly better, although they are not comparable in quality to the pictures taken by the cameras of modern high-end smartphones. On the other hand, few tablets can take better photos than the .

It's a shame that using a faster lens (1/1.9 on the Galaxy Tab S2 instead of 1/2.4 on the Galaxy Tab S) didn't improve the quality of low-light shots. As before, such images are characterized by high digital noise (the appearance of a noticeable number of dots of random color and brightness) and loss of detail. Also, unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S2 does not have an LED flash.

On closer examination, you can notice a loss of clarity in the corners of the pictures. Due to the location of the camera near the edge of the tablet, when photographing in landscape orientation, make sure that your fingers do not get into the frame. From automatic mode, you can switch to professional mode and manually set the white balance, ISO sensitivity value, exposure compensation, etc. In addition, there are applications for obtaining HDR (with extended range of brightness) - and panoramic shots.

Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 provides high quality video recording. Supports recording at 2560x1440 resolution of the popular 16:9 format at up to 30 frames per second. It's an improvement over its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S, which can capture video at resolutions up to Full-HD.

You cannot take photos at the same time as recording video in maximum resolution. Also, in the maximum resolution video recording mode, electronic image stabilization does not work. Recordings in both Full-HD and QHD quality are crisp and clear. Video stills have better detail and more vibrant colors than photos taken with the front camera. The front camera, however, captures video at 1080p at 30fps and can be used on occasion for video calls.

8 megapixel rear camera

Accessories

Like the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7, the package is limited to the bare essentials. The tablet comes with a quick start guide, a charger, a 5V 2A USB cable, and a small metal tool for ejecting Nano-SIM or microSD cards. Additionally, you can.

Input Devices

The Galaxy Tab S2's touchscreen handles touch with precision. There is no need to put any pressure on the screen; fingers glide over the protective glass with very little friction.

An advanced fingerprint scanner is built into the Home key. A similar scanner is used in the top-end smartphones Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. You no longer need to swipe your finger across the scanner over and over again, just one touch is enough. You can use the scanner when making purchases from the Samsung App Store or accessing web forms. It's hard to find fault with the on-screen keyboard built into the system. Supports already familiar functions of suggesting words and continuous (without taking your finger off the screen) input. If desired, the keyboard can be moved from the edge of the screen to any other location on the display. You can also split the keyboard into 2 parts to make it easier to type with your thumbs.

The tablet responds quickly to user actions, annoying slowdowns are not observed even when switching between applications. To change the screen orientation (from vertical to horizontal or vice versa), the tablet with some delay responds with a very smooth rotation of the display contents. The lag probably serves to prevent an accidental turn.

Screen

The Galaxy Tab S2 8.0's 8-inch 4:3 Super-AMOLED display delivers the same 2048 x 1536 resolution as the 9.7-inch model. The pixel density of the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 has a fairly high 320 ppi, which, however, does not exceed the density of 359 ppi of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 predecessor.

The average screen brightness of the tablet is 348 cd/m2, which is well above the 261 cd/m2 of its predecessor, but lower than the brightness of LCD screens, which, for example, the iPad Mini 4 or Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact exceeds 400 cd/m2. To ensure readability of information from the screen, the brightness during auto-adjustment, depending on the readings of the light sensor, may exceed the values ​​​​set manually by the user.

Unlike LCD screens, a Super-AMOLED display does not require a backlight, so the black dot brightness on a Super-AMOLED display is 0 cd/m2 and the contrast ratio of a Super-AMOLED display tends to infinity. Competing tablets with LCD screens in terms of contrast cannot fundamentally compete with the Galaxy Tab S2. Thus, the Lenovo Yoga 2 8 LED screen has the maximum contrast ratio of 1556:1 among comparable tablets. It should also be noted that, according to subjective perception, the colors on the screen are displayed most vividly.

Like the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7, the user of the 8-inch model has access to the AMOLED Movie, AMOLED Photo, Basic, Reading color modes, as well as the Adaptive Display mode, in which the color spectrum, saturation and clarity is adjusted automatically depending on the nature of the information displayed on the screen.

Performance and gaming

Like the 9.7-inch modification, it uses Samsung's own Exynos 5433 Octa ARM processor, which is a single-chip SoC system. Unlike the Exynos 5420 used in the first generation Galaxy Tab, the Exynos 5433 supports 64-bit applications. Like all Exynos 7 Octa 8-core processors, the 5433 works according to the big.LITTLE principle: 4 high-performance Cortex-A57 cores with a frequency of up to 1.9 GHz are activated under high load, and 4 economical Cortex-A53 cores with a frequency of up to 1.3 GHz allow reduce power consumption when high processing power is not needed. If necessary, all 8 cores are included in the work. The processor has a built-in graphics core Mali-T760 MP6.

The Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 delivers first-class results and outperforms the SONY Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. Subjectively, the performance of the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 is more than enough for fast web browsing, launching web applications and interacting with web services.

in Idle mode does not exceed 30°C. Of the competitors, only the Lenovo Yoga 2 8 stays noticeably cooler in standby mode. Under load, the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 does not rise above 43°C, which is significantly higher than its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4, but at the same level as current competitors.

Like the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7, the drop in performance of the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 observed in GFXBench when the tablet is running for a long time under load is up to 40%, and the graphics core frequency drops from 600 MHz to 350 MHz. Due to throttling, slowdowns are possible during a long game on the tablet.

power usage

When it comes to power consumption, the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 doesn't do much. In Idle mode, only the larger Google Nexus 9 is more “gluttonous” than the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0. Under load, only the Lenovo Yoga 2 8 Windows tablet consumes more than the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0. The 10-watt power supply (5V, 2A) supplied is barely enough to power the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 under load; There is almost no reserve left to charge the battery. When the display is off, the battery charging time is about 2.5 hours. Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 does not charge from a regular USB port in Standby mode; it is possible to charge from the USB port only when the tablet is turned off.

Battery life

It would seem that the battery capacity reduced by 23% compared to its predecessor and higher power consumption do not bode well for this tablet's acceptable battery life. However, the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0, both in Idle mode and under load, “holds on” longer than the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. More than 7 hours in internet tablet mode is sufficient for most users. In terms of H.264 1080p video playback (13 hours), the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 is second only to the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.

Samsung is probably using some trick to extend the battery life of the tablet. For example, the display brightness is reduced by 5% when switching to battery power, regardless of current settings and without going into power saving mode.

Conclusion

pros		Minuses
+	Very thin and light	-	Significant throttling under stress
+	Workmanship	-	Micro-USB-2.0 only
+	microSD card slot	-	No NFC
+	AC-WLAN & Bluetooth 4.1	-	Missing infrared port, which was the predecessor
+	The fingerprint scanner	-	GPS receiver is slightly weaker than Galaxy Tab S2 9.7
+	High precision touch screen	-
+	QHD video recording	-
+	Speaker for use as a phone	-
+	Excellent display with exceptional contrast and color reproduction

Today we are looking at a new generation of tablets from Samsung - Tab S2, namely 8.0 and 9.7. Last year I did, but then the diagonals were 8.4 and 10.5 ″. This is because the aspect ratio of the display has changed in the new models, now it is 4:3. Here I will briefly talk about my impressions of the devices and what else has changed.

Now the devices compete very directly with the iPad mini and iPad Air, as they have completely identical display sizes and resolutions. Moreover, the devices also have similar shapes and dimensions. I tried putting both the larger and smaller models into the iPad Air and mini cases respectively and the result was interesting. The Tab S 9.7 turned out to be slightly lower than the Air, and thinner, so it fit into the case but didn't stay in it. But the smaller model didn't just fit in the iPad mini case, it snapped into it perfectly. And this despite a significantly smaller thickness. True, the case simultaneously clamps the lock and volume keys, so the tablet immediately enters recovery mode.

In all other respects, except for the dimensions and general shape, the tablets are outwardly not associated with Apple in any way, they are different and I like them more tactilely. In addition, Samsung is more confident in the hand due to the soft touch coating on the back. Tab S2 is thinner by 2mm, the models are only 5.6mm thick, but at the same time, the devices are not subject to torsion. The metal frame holds the structure well, even with prolonged use this should not be a problem.

Compared to the previous generation, the main orientation of the larger model has changed here. Previously, it was horizontally oriented, small - vertically. Now both have become vertical, as evidenced by the block of control keys below.

The MicroUSB and headset connectors are located at the bottom, along with the speakers. The Tab S2 8.0 also has a microphone, as the tablet can be used as a ceiling lamp. And above the display there is a conversational speaker.

The ergonomics of the devices are all right, I like them both visually and tactilely. Yes, and I did not see any problems in use. But, like last year, there is a caveat. On the back side there are fastenings for standard flip cases. These are holes that will be there whether you buy an accessory or not.

Everything is fixed with a magnetic strip, but there are nuances with it. For example, in the bent back state, this magnet blocks the screen and it cannot be unlocked even with a key. Also, the display is blocked by this magnet and in one of the standard stand positions indicated in the instructions. This is a shortcoming. Well, it is very difficult to insert / get tablets into standard case mounts. They are difficult to snap into place and even more difficult to snap off, it constantly seems that the device will break.

Well, okay, back to the pleasant moments. One of the nicest is the display. Samsung has always been proud of Super Amoled, and these matrices have become very good. Last year we even did a blind comparison with . The last one won. This year the display has become even more beautiful. The resolution is now 2048×1536 pixels, the pixel density of the smaller model is 320 dpi. The structure of the matrix according to the pen tile scheme and this is visible, but if you look closely. Viewing angles, as expected, are maximum, there is an anti-glare coating, different picture display modes and one of the best brightness on the market.

Cameras in a tablet, in my opinion, do not have to compete with smartphones, but here they are very good. The main one is 8 MP, the front one is 2.1 MP. Given the aperture ratio of 1.9, they are probably the best among all the tablets on the market. And considering how rarely you'll be going to Instagram with a tablet, it's even more good for documents and home photos.

We have Galaxy Note 4 hardware in front of us. Exynos 5433 processor, 3 GB of RAM, Mali-T760 graphics - everything is already known. Moreover, the display resolution is lower than in Note 4, which is why the same tanks come with high fps. In AnTuTu, tablets score about 53,000 points (you can see other tests on the screenshots), but the most important thing is the real speed of the interface and games.

• Dimensions: 134.8 x 198.6 x 5.6 mm (8″) and 237.3 x 169 x 5.6 (9.7″)
• Weight: 272 g and 389
• Operating system: Android 5.0.2 Lollipop.
• Processor: Octa-core, Exynos Octa 5433, 4 x Cortex-A57, 1.9GHz + 4 x Cortex-A53, 1.3GHz
• Graphics: Mali-T760 MP6.
• Display: Super AMOLED, 8.0″ and 9.7″, 2048x1536 pixels
• Memory: 16 GB flash, slot for memory cards up to 128 GB
• RAM: 3 GB.
• Camera: main - 8 MP, - 2.1 MP.
• Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1
• Interface connectors: 3.5 mm headphone jack, Micro USB 2.0.
• Battery: Li-Pol battery 4000 and 5870 mAh.

With the interface, everything is fine, with games in two ways. I tested Dead Trigger 2 at maximum settings, it plays smoothly and is generally cool. Things are a little worse with Real Racing 3, ladders are visible, but I think it's a matter of optimization. But with World of Tanks Blitz, everything is really bad. The game produces 60 fps only at low graphics settings, at medium and high we will get an average of 15-20 frames per second. In principle, achieving 10 fps is not a problem.

Despite the similarity of the hardware with the Galaxy Note 4, it's very good that they put a new scanner. That is, you don’t need to fiddle with your finger on it, you just need to touch it and it works well. And in a tablet used for work purposes, data safety is important.

Everything will be stored in the cloud, on 32 GB of built-in space and on a memory card up to 128 GB. But the battery capacity of the 8″ model is 4000 mAh. Like a long-lived smartphone, only a tablet. This is perhaps the only drawback of the model that I found. In the game, the device lives a little more than 3 hours, the video will scroll for about 7. The older model has similar autonomy figures, with a larger display there is a capacity of 5870 mAh.

Android OS version 5.0.2, on top of it is a fresh touchscreen with all the features.

I am glad that the standard keyboard here is made for productive work, it is better than in the iPad. There is a cursor, not only backspace, but also cases, as well as combinations of actions with the control key.

For myself, I would settle for a smaller model, it is more versatile. The larger one is even suitable for solving some work issues, especially in a standard case with a BT keyboard.

Given the presence of OTG, here you can also connect a mouse and work fully for some time, like with a laptop. But for myself, I settled on 8 ″ models, they are much more convenient to manage on the road, you can hold them in one hand, and here you can also insert a SIM card if necessary. For example, in another country.

In general, the models are cool, among android tablets, without a twinge of conscience I will say - the best. And you can compare with the iPad forever, these are two different camps and, often, two models of use. iPad is better for games, Tab S2 is better for work. For creating music and video - iPad, for communication and watching videos - Samsung. In general, here everyone is free to decide. There is one thing left - the cost. A 9.7″ model will cost $430, and an 8″ model will cost about $560. We already have it, so the prices are quite normal, even when compared with the same iPads.

Video review of Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 and 9.7

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