It’s certainly not frenetic in the tab space when it comes to brand launches. But the two main contenders – Apple and Samsung, have kept their assembly lines busy. Over the last year Apple has revamped its iPad line with four significant launches and also unleashed the long overdue iPad OS that brings much needed productivity tools to the iPad line.
The premium tabs in Samsung’s tablet line also play up the productivity pitch. The Galaxy Tab S6 is the brand’s latest tablet and it has premium stamped all over it. It’s slinky, weighs just over 400 gm and boasts of a gorgeous 10.5-inch Super AMOLED display (2560 x 1600 pixels / 287 pixels per inch). Whether you’re binge watching on a long flight or need your own screen to catch live sporting action during a family holiday, you’re more than covered. The Tab S6’s entertainment creds get a further boost with Dolby Atmos Quad speakers.
The fun doesn’t stop with just videos, I enjoyed gaming with this device. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor coupled with 6 GB of RAM is enough firepower for those intense gaming marathons. The device’s hardware spec sheet also includes a 7080 mAh battery that won’t let you down. Our video tests validate Samsung’s claim of 15 hours of video playback. There’s 128GB of Internal memory and room for a Micro SD card (up to 1TB) in case you want to load up your tab with your favourite movies or work files.
While tablets have aced Content consumption, productivity has been a tough sell. The Tab S6 offers two key tools in its pitch. The first – Samsung’s versatile S-Pen that most Note users swear by. This one’s bundled in the device. The new scribble to text feature that can convert your notes into Word docs is extremely useful. The S-Pen is housed in a dedicated slot (on the keyboard cover) and charges when it’s not in use. We’d recommend Samsung’s optional keyboard; it’s certainly not as roomy as your laptop keyboard but it’s a good balance of compact size and typing comfort.
We’ve used Samsung’s DeX, a handy solution that mimics a laptop style navigation and it plays out quite well on the Tab S6. The laptop style trackpad is another clever design tough in the keyboard. It’s certainly enough to craft word documents or draft lengthy emails but it’s still not super convenient for a PowerPoint deck. The Tab S6 and Samsung’s other tabs also miss out on a dedicated Tablet-specific version of Android. Samsung’s One UI is not just easy on the eye but also brings some useful functionality. The Galaxy Tab S6 is easily the best Android tab you can buy now. It can fill in for your laptop on a quick business trip when you don’t have to get a tonne of work done.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 costs Rs 59,999. The keyboard cover is priced at Rs 10,999 (it’s available for Rs 5,499 as part of a limited period launch offer)
