For a tablet where I mostly do web surfing / e-book reading / YouTube watching I feel like I don't need it to necessarily run iPadOS and be in the "ecosystem" with the rest of my Apple devices. The S8 plus is tempting as the same screen size is $400 cheaper compared to a 12" iPad Pro. I was wondering if anyone here who was an iPad Pro user switched to the S8 and could comment on their experience? I've never used Android in my entire life so I have no idea what that experience is like. Did you keep your S8 or did you switch back to your iPad Pro?
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iPad Pro Has anyone switched from an iPad Pro to a Galaxy Tab S8?
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Definitely a question which can be best answered by @Digitalguy who uses both Galaxy tabs and iPads and enjoys them both
I don’t but based on what what you mentioned
- YouTube watching would definitely be nicer on the Tab S8+ because of the aspect ratio in my view
- I feel for e-book reading it’s actually the other way round
- Web surfing is probably great on both but maybe also a bit better on a more square tablet
Other considerations
- Tab S8+ comes with a stylus included which is very nice
- Tab S8+ has Oled which have great blacks and contrast and don’t suffer from the blooming in dark environments, wheras mini LED does.
- iPad Pro’s have higher brightness levels and are better if you use them in bright spaces or outdoors Or if you like HDR content.
- iPad Pro’s are less reflective and have better palm rejection (although this may have been fixed with the S8 gen)
- the aspect ratio is better for use in portrait mode than the 16:10 of the Galaxy tabs
I don’t but based on what what you mentioned
- YouTube watching would definitely be nicer on the Tab S8+ because of the aspect ratio in my view
- I feel for e-book reading it’s actually the other way round
- Web surfing is probably great on both but maybe also a bit better on a more square tablet
Other considerations
- Tab S8+ comes with a stylus included which is very nice
- Tab S8+ has Oled which have great blacks and contrast and don’t suffer from the blooming in dark environments, wheras mini LED does.
- iPad Pro’s have higher brightness levels and are better if you use them in bright spaces or outdoors Or if you like HDR content.
- iPad Pro’s are less reflective and have better palm rejection (although this may have been fixed with the S8 gen)
- the aspect ratio is better for use in portrait mode than the 16:10 of the Galaxy tabs
For me, this is the case. I found 16:9/16:10 Android tablets great for videos and less than ideal for everything else.
I don't have any recent Android tablet but I've used 16:10 Android tablets in the past and I greatly prefer the iPad's aspect ratio for reading and web browsing.
Whenever I needed to type something (e.g. forms, forum posts), the onscreen keyboard would block a good portion of the screen leaving very little content visible (landscape mode). Granted, that was on a 10.1" 1920x1200 display. It may be less of an issue with bigger displays.
I can't tell you an apples to apples comparison but I have an Ipad air 5th gen and a Samsung Tab S8. I also have a Lenovo 7i 12th gen Intel laptop and Samsung Galaxy S22 plus. I have a Macbook Air M2.
So I run two systems at the moment. What I can say is this. If you are paying retail prices for the Tab S8 anywhere from $599-$699 vs $799 for new M2 iPad Pro is not a big difference in cost once you are paying over $600 for a tablet.
If you are talking the larger iPP and larger S8 then the OLED screen is certainly an advantage but it is not as bright.
I like the Tab S8 a lot and I got it on a trade in so I paid half retail. For that price it is an excellent tablet. If I had to choose only one device and the choice was M2 iPP or Tab S8 I would get the iPad. I don't use the s-pen or Apple pencil. It is nice to have the s-pen included so if I need it I can use it.
The reason I would choose the Apple device is a few things. First the screen. I like the tab S8 screen a lot. It is vibrant and has great contrast for an LCD. However the LCD on the iPad has an anti-reflective coating which I prefer. The M2 chip is much faster than the 8 Gen 1 Snapdragon. They both have the same ram. The battery life is very good on the Samsung tablet and probably has an edge. The build quality is very similar between the two considering the M1 iPP. The speakers are a bit better on iPad. Samsung will give you 4 OS upgrades and 5 years of security patches but Apple will most likely support the iPad longer. Hardware wise they are very close tablets with an Edge to the iPad. THe 16 x 10 screen format of the S8 is better for streaming content and 4 x 3 is better for productivity.
The software experience is a rather subjective thing. You get DEX on S8 which works fairly well while Apple's stage manager in my opinion is a mess. Android offers more customizations and settings. However Apple has a more polished interface that seems more fluid and responsive overall. Animations look better and there are rarely glitches like there can be in Android. So a slight edge for iOS and updates are better handled on iOS.
All that being said the difference between the two is a lot less than people make it out to be. Android is a lot better than in the past and most apps are available. There are some apps like Procreate that are only on Apple and that is a big deal for some people.
If you have a Mac and iPhone then your Samsung S8 will not communicate well with them. No messages and no calling from your tablet. You will need a Samsung phone and Windows computer for that. So you would lose some functionality.
Overall I would say that the iPad Pro is a better tablet and if you are heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem it would not make a lot of sense.
You may get an S8 to see for yourself and test it out while in the return period. If the drawbacks are too much then return it. It is fun to use different devices running different OS but if you are not able to have parallel systems then it might just be an annoyance.
I still have a myriad of Android tablets about the house in addition to my M1 12.9 & Mini 6. I decided to give the Galaxy Tab S7+ a try and ended up returning it - the high reflectivity of the screen under normal room lighting bothered me and I just didn't care for the screen ratio.
As others have mentioned I have several iPads and Android tablets. iPads are in my signature.
For Android, I have had and sold the S7+, and I have both the S8 ultra and the S7FE (as well as the Lenovo Yoga tab 13). The S7FE is used almost exclusive as touch/pen monitor for my Windows desktop all day long, à la Sidecar (Android and Windows have very powerful apps for this use, way better than sidecar, zero lag, touch support, audio support, 120hz etc.), hardly ever with Android itself...
Overall I prefer my iPads pro 12.9, but my reasons might not match yours
What's better on my Android tablets (16.10 ratio)
- Video watching, the video is larger or the iPad is lighter for the same video size (S8+ has the same video size as the 12.9)
- Multitasking is much more powerful (I don't use DEX, so I am talking about OneUI multitasking)
- Pen has many more functions
- Works better with Windows and Android phones
What I don't like and why I use the iPads more:
- portrait mode for documents viewing is much better on 4:3
- Browsing is much better on iPads for 2 main reasons: iPads are much faster, and I am not talking about Geekbench speed, where the S8 beats the iPad 9, but browsing speed. Safari is much faster than any browser on Android, much more than what Geekbench would make you think
Let me give you some numbers based on Browserbench 2.0.
Ipad pro first gen: around 50, second gen around 90, third gen around 200 (similar to iPad 9), M1 over 300.
Android S8: around 100.... S7+ / S7FE: around 40-50
Just to give you a comparison, my 2017 12in Macbook does 90...
The second reason is that selecting text (with fingers) on Android is just as bad as selecting text on Windows, not even close to iPad... And I do a lot of selection, copy and paste etc.
-Palm rejection is... non existent on Android... So you may think that when you use an iPad pro you are actually putting your fingers on the bezels, right? Well, no. You are touching the screen too. But the iPad knows it and does not register a touch. With Android (and Windows), if you have thin bezels, you are constantly interfering with the screen when holding it and that's so bad I even disable touch with an app when I want to watch a movie....
Now if you only watch on a kickstand or do not hold the tablet while using it, this might not affect you...
- The Magic Keyboard is much superior to Samsung keyboards, but that might not matter to you...
- Screen is more reflective, so you either put a matte screen protector (like Paperlike) which degrades the quality of the screen, or you avoid dark mode at all costs and turn up the brightness (which is not great for oled).
In terms of Apps, iPads has more "pro" apps, but other than that Android is almost on par nowadays.
To be honest other that for streaming and as monitors, I don't use my Android tablets... (having said that, for someone like me who works from home most of the time, just the wireless monitor feature makes my S7FE worth every penny, as it functions as a second wireless touch/pen monitor with audio when on my desk or turns my Samsung tablet into a Surface pro on steroids around the house, with all the power of a desktop PC, fanless, and battery life that is even better than the iPad pro regardless of what you do on it, but that's a very specific use case, and by the way it should not be confused with remote desktop, that's a totally different thing...).
For Android, I have had and sold the S7+, and I have both the S8 ultra and the S7FE (as well as the Lenovo Yoga tab 13). The S7FE is used almost exclusive as touch/pen monitor for my Windows desktop all day long, à la Sidecar (Android and Windows have very powerful apps for this use, way better than sidecar, zero lag, touch support, audio support, 120hz etc.), hardly ever with Android itself...
Overall I prefer my iPads pro 12.9, but my reasons might not match yours
What's better on my Android tablets (16.10 ratio)
- Video watching, the video is larger or the iPad is lighter for the same video size (S8+ has the same video size as the 12.9)
- Multitasking is much more powerful (I don't use DEX, so I am talking about OneUI multitasking)
- Pen has many more functions
- Works better with Windows and Android phones
What I don't like and why I use the iPads more:
- portrait mode for documents viewing is much better on 4:3
- Browsing is much better on iPads for 2 main reasons: iPads are much faster, and I am not talking about Geekbench speed, where the S8 beats the iPad 9, but browsing speed. Safari is much faster than any browser on Android, much more than what Geekbench would make you think
Let me give you some numbers based on Browserbench 2.0.
Ipad pro first gen: around 50, second gen around 90, third gen around 200 (similar to iPad 9), M1 over 300.
Android S8: around 100.... S7+ / S7FE: around 40-50
Just to give you a comparison, my 2017 12in Macbook does 90...
The second reason is that selecting text (with fingers) on Android is just as bad as selecting text on Windows, not even close to iPad... And I do a lot of selection, copy and paste etc.
-Palm rejection is... non existent on Android... So you may think that when you use an iPad pro you are actually putting your fingers on the bezels, right? Well, no. You are touching the screen too. But the iPad knows it and does not register a touch. With Android (and Windows), if you have thin bezels, you are constantly interfering with the screen when holding it and that's so bad I even disable touch with an app when I want to watch a movie....
Now if you only watch on a kickstand or do not hold the tablet while using it, this might not affect you...
- The Magic Keyboard is much superior to Samsung keyboards, but that might not matter to you...
- Screen is more reflective, so you either put a matte screen protector (like Paperlike) which degrades the quality of the screen, or you avoid dark mode at all costs and turn up the brightness (which is not great for oled).
In terms of Apps, iPads has more "pro" apps, but other than that Android is almost on par nowadays.
To be honest other that for streaming and as monitors, I don't use my Android tablets... (having said that, for someone like me who works from home most of the time, just the wireless monitor feature makes my S7FE worth every penny, as it functions as a second wireless touch/pen monitor with audio when on my desk or turns my Samsung tablet into a Surface pro on steroids around the house, with all the power of a desktop PC, fanless, and battery life that is even better than the iPad pro regardless of what you do on it, but that's a very specific use case, and by the way it should not be confused with remote desktop, that's a totally different thing...).
I currently have an iPad Pro 11" M1 and a Tab S8 Ultra. I like them both a lot. Had plenty of iPads and Samsung tablets previously.
IMO, for what your usage is. You can't lose with any model iPad or any model on the tab S8 line. Both are excellent tablets. If your usage was more specific, then it might be a differ story.
With the S8 line, the stand-by battery life isn't as great as the iPad. Stand-by life on the iPad is amazingly uncanny.
With the iPad, Apple doesn't include any accessories. Samsung includes the S-pen with their tablets. Also, if you pre-order or purchase within the first month or two, they throw in the keyboard for free as a bonus. And sometimes Galaxy buds as well.
Also, Samsung tablets are the king of multitasking. And it works VERY well.
IMO, for what your usage is. You can't lose with any model iPad or any model on the tab S8 line. Both are excellent tablets. If your usage was more specific, then it might be a differ story.
With the S8 line, the stand-by battery life isn't as great as the iPad. Stand-by life on the iPad is amazingly uncanny.
With the iPad, Apple doesn't include any accessories. Samsung includes the S-pen with their tablets. Also, if you pre-order or purchase within the first month or two, they throw in the keyboard for free as a bonus. And sometimes Galaxy buds as well.
Also, Samsung tablets are the king of multitasking. And it works VERY well.
Had a s8+ and went to iPad Pro 12.9
-android is good. Samsung’s one UI is top notch imo . And it’s much better than people make it be .
And for what u wanna do I don’t believe you’ll be frustrated
-aspect ratio of the Samsung is much better for movies and videos .but it is also the reason why I went to the ipad ; 16:10 was awful for notes taking and pdf editing .
-oled is just much better imo ,better contrast. As long as u watch the movies in the dark it’s gonna destroy the ipad .Samsung has Hdr10+ ,ipad has DV and hdr but not Hdr10+ .ymmv
-the s-pen comes for free and is much more useful than the pencil. U can use the button to do anything u want ,including scrolling ,pause the music/video . You also have the “new”Hover function ,something that wasn’t on the iPad up until the m2
-battery was better than the iPad to me
TLDR; for what u wanna do and at that price I wouldn’t hesitate one second
-android is good. Samsung’s one UI is top notch imo . And it’s much better than people make it be .
And for what u wanna do I don’t believe you’ll be frustrated
-aspect ratio of the Samsung is much better for movies and videos .but it is also the reason why I went to the ipad ; 16:10 was awful for notes taking and pdf editing .
-oled is just much better imo ,better contrast. As long as u watch the movies in the dark it’s gonna destroy the ipad .Samsung has Hdr10+ ,ipad has DV and hdr but not Hdr10+ .ymmv
-the s-pen comes for free and is much more useful than the pencil. U can use the button to do anything u want ,including scrolling ,pause the music/video . You also have the “new”Hover function ,something that wasn’t on the iPad up until the m2
-battery was better than the iPad to me
TLDR; for what u wanna do and at that price I wouldn’t hesitate one second