Samsung's much-rumored Galaxy Tab S is now official and it looks poised to give the iPad Air a run for its money, shaping up as a fierce challenger.
Apple's iPad Air has proved to be a very popular tablet due to its high-end specs and features, as well as the Apple branding. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S, however, seems to have all it takes to challenge the iPad Air, as it has better specifications all around.
On paper, Samsung's newly-unveiled Galaxy Tab S beats the iPad Air in virtually every department. It boasts a Super AMOLED display with a higher resolution that the iPad, it has support for expandable storage, it provides faster wireless connectivity, has more RAM, better cameras, and it all comes in a slimmer body.
The new Samsung Galaxy Tab S sports a 2,560 x 1600 pixel resolution, higher than the iPad Air's 2,048 x 1,536 Retina display. Under the hood, Samsung's new offering comes with an octa-core Exynos S processor clocked at 1.9 GHz and paired with a hefty 3GB of RAM, while the iPad Air packs an Apple A7 chip with just 1GB of RAM.
In terms of storage, the Galaxy Tab S comes with 16GB of internal storage capacity, with microSD card support for additional memory of up to 128GB. The iPad Air, meanwhile, comes in several configurations, the largest of which has 128GB of internal storage capacity. MicroSD support is not available for Apple's slate, so the configuration you choose is all you get.
In the camera department, the Galaxy Tab S has an 8-megapixel rear camera with flash and a 2.1-megapixel front shooter, while the iPad Air comes with a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front shooter.
When it comes to design portability, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S measures 0.3 inches (6.6mm) in thickness and weighs in at 1 pound for the 10.5-inch model, or 10 ounces for the 8.4-inch version. The iPad Air is 0.29 inches (7.5mm) thick and weighs 1 pound.
On the battery front, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S will provide 11 hours of video, while the iPad Air will last for up to 10 hours on a single charge. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11ac for the Galaxy Tab S and Wi-Fi 802.11n for the iPad Air, with both slates LTE-enabled.
On the software side, the new Galaxy Tab S comes with Android 4.4 KitKat on board, and also borrows some neat features from the company's smartphones. Unlike the iPad Air, for instance, the Galaxy Tab S is able to open two apps at the same time, which increases convenience and productivity. A great tool called SideSync, meanwhile, will allow Galaxy Tab S users to pair their slate with supported devices such as the Galaxy S 5 and handle calls from the tablet or easily transfer files between the two devices. Apple has announced a similar feature with its upcoming iOS 8, but so far the iPad Air does not offer this option with its current operating system, iOS 7.
The Galaxy Tab S will launch in two models, one with an 8.4-inch display and the other with a larger 10.5-inch screen, with both versions sharing the same specifications. The 10.5-inch model will have a $499 price tag, while the 8.4-inch variant will cost $399. The iPad Air has a starting price of $499 for the 16GB model.
Of course there are many other aspects to take into account, including personal preference, but a quick glance clearly shows that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S is more powerful than the iPad Air. Which would you choose?
