I recently got a chance to spend a little time with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and since Samsung is targeting the iPad mini with its latest tablet, it was a great chance to see how it stacked up against the iPad mini.
Samsung is looking to take on Apple's iPad mini with its just-released Samsung Galaxy Note 8. I had my iPad mini with me when I was using the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, so I could get a much better impression and be able to compare the two on the spot. So without further ado, let's take a look:
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs. iPad mini - Design
Design of a tablet can often make or break its usefulness, since a tablet is a much more intimate device, one that most people carry around with them, especially the new smaller-sized tablets. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 unfortunately follows Samsung's love of using cheap-feeling plastic materials in its smartphones and tablets. It also has a very thick bezel surrounding its screen, compared to the thin bezel found on the iPad mini. It's no wonder that Apple is the top-selling tablet maker; a major reason is due to Apple's design. It makes its tablets and smartphones feel high-end by always using the best quality materials for its products. Samsung should wake up and move away from cheap- feeling plastic; it's one of the biggest complaints in almost every review of its tablets and smartphones. The iPad mini easily wins this category by a mile.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs. iPad mini - Display
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 features an 8-inch 1280 x 800 display with 189 ppi (pixels per inch), whereas the iPad mini features a 7.9-inch 1024 x 768 display with 163ppi. I found the display on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 to be a little better than the iPad mini. Text, pictures, video and more looked slightly sharper on the Galaxy Note 8.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs. iPad mini - Performance
Samsung uses a 1.6GHz A9 quad-core Exynos processor and 2GB of RAM in the Galaxy Note 8. Apple uses a 1GHz dual-core A5 processor and 512MB of RAM. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 felt much snappier than the iPad mini: this is definitely due to the processor and RAM.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs. iPad mini - Features
What sets the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 apart from all tablets, not just the iPad mini, is its clever S Pen. When I used the S Pen and a stylus I have for my iPad mini, the difference between both was night and day, as you can see in the picture. Samsung is using the S Pen as a way to differentiate itself from other smaller tablets, and I love this feature. It's like writing on a piece of paper, thanks to the S Pen's integrated Wacom technology in the S Pen and the Galaxy Note 8's display. This was a feature I wish Apple would add in the future. This is the Galaxy Note 8's killer feature and it works amazingly well.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs. iPad minI - Price
Samsung is charging a $70 premium over the price of the entry-level iPad mini. As much as I love the stylus I could not imagine spending $70 to get that feature over the iPad mini. Samsung should have really considered undercutting the iPad mini's price from the beginning if it really wants to compete and beat Apple or at least try and narrow the huge gap between its market share and Apple's.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 tablet is an impressive tablet, and it would be even more impressive if it were sold at a lower price and used better quality parts in its design. The iPad mini for now seems like a better option in my opinion: due to price, quality build and design, and more tablet-optimized apps to choose from.
