The highly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is now official, and it's expected to go head to head with the popular iPad Air 2.
The new Galaxy Tab S2 (pictured above) will become globally available starting in August, launching as the company's "most immersive tablet to-date," according to Samsung. The high-end tablet comes in two models - one with an 8.0-inch display and the other with a larger 9.7-inch screen, sharing virtually the same specifications aside from battery size.
Apple's iPad Air 2 is widely considered the biggest competitor to the newly-announced Galaxy Tab S2, so let's see how the two tablets stack up against each other in terms of specifications.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 features a Super AMOLED display with a QXGA resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels for both its 8.0- and 9.7-inch models. Samsung also boasts a "reading-optimized ratio" that allows users to enjoy a "seamless reading experience without unnecessary scrolling."
The iPad Air 2, meanwhile, sports a 9.7-inch LED-backlit multi-touch IPS Retina display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, i.e. the same resolution the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 has to offer.
Processor, RAM
Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 packs an octa-core application processor consisting of Quad 1.9GHz + Quad 1.3GHz, paired with a hefty 3GB of RAM for a fast and responsive performance.
The iPad Air 2 packs an Apple A8x processor with 64-bit architecture, paired with an M8 motion coprocessor and 2GB of RAM.
Storage
When it comes to storage, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will be available in 32GB or 64GB configurations, with additional memory of up to 128GB via microSD.
Apple offers its iPad Air 2 with 16GB, 64GB or 128GB of internal storage capacity, with no microSD support for expandable memory.
Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 has an 8-megapixel rear camera with QHD video recording capabilities, i.e. 2560 x 1440 @30 fps, and a 1.2-megapixel front shooter.
The iPad Air 2 comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera as well, but with 1080p video recording @30 fps, paired with a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime front camera.
Connectivity
The Galaxy Tab S2 supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac MIMO (2.4GHz / 5GHz), optional LTE, Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth 4.1 BLE.
The iPad Air 2 supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-channel (2.4GHz / 5GHz), MIMO, Bluetooth 4.0, and optional LTE.
Battery
With the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, the 8.0-inch model packs a 4,000 mAh battery, while the larger 9.7-inch variant comes with a bigger 5,870 mAh battery.
The iPad Air 2, meanwhile, boasts a larger 7,340 mAh battery unit, which lasts up to 10 hours of web-surfing on Wi-Fi, video watching or listening to music.
Other
Both the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and the iPad Air 2 have fingerprint readers, aiming to offer extra security and convenience. The iPad Air 2 supports Apple Pay, while the Galaxy Tab S2 is expected to support Samsung Pay. Both the Galaxy Tab S2 and the iPad Air 2 come in either Wi-Fi-only or Wi-Fi + LTE models, and both are at the top of the game when it comes to delivering a solid, powerful performance.
On the software side, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 runs Android 5.0 Lollipop, while the iPad Air 2 ships with iOS 8.1 but is upgradeable to the latest iOS 8.4.
Both the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and the iPad Air 2 come with top-notch specs and features all around and should be able to handle virtually any task you throw at them, so it may ultimately come down to brand loyalty and consumer preference. With the Galaxy Tab S2 barely announced, it remains to be seen just how it performs overall, but on paper it definitely sounds promising.
Either way, one thing's for sure: the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 has what it takes to go head to head with the iPad Air 2, and it will be interesting to see whether it will prove to be more popular than its rival.
