Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 and 10.1 Review
by Jarred Walton on March 22, 2014 9:30 PM EST_678x452.JPG)
Introducing the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro Lineup
Samsung Galaxy series of tablets and smartphones have been well received since they first started appearing on store shelves, and with good reason. Not all manufacturers really get industrial design, aesthetics, and the goal of building a cohesive whole that doesn’t cut corners. With the latest Pro series of tablets, Samsung looks to improve on their existing devices, with better performance, some tuning of the industrial design, and some software updates as well. We have the 8.4” and 10.1” Galaxy Tab Pro models in house, though there’s also a larger 12.2” model and a Note version of the 12.2” model that includes a Stylus as well as some other tweaks. Also worth mentioning is the that the Note 10.1” 2014 model appears to be nearly identical to the 10.1” Tab Pro, other than the fact that it has a stylus (S Pen). Here’s the short overview of the current Galaxy Pro product stack:
| Overview of Samsung Galaxy Tab/Note Pro/2014 Models | |||||
| Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 | Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 | Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 | Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 | Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 | |
| Dimensions |
128x219x7.1mm (5.1"x8.6"x0.28") |
243x171x7.3mm (9.6"x6.7"x0.29") |
244x173x7.6mm (9.6"x6.8"x0.31") |
296x204x8mm (11.6"x8.0"x0.31") |
295x204x7.9mm (11.6"x8.0"x0.31") |
| Display |
8.4” WQXGA (1600x2560) |
10.1” WQXGA (2560x1600) |
10.1” WQXGA (2560x1600) |
12.2” WQXGA (2560x1600) |
12.2” WQXGA (2560x1600) |
| Weight |
332g (WiFi) (0.73 lbs.) |
470g (WiFi) (1.03 lbs.) |
541g (WiFi) (1.19 lbs.) |
751g (WiFi) (1.65 lbs.) |
732g (WiFi) (1.61 lbs.) |
| SoC (CPU) |
Snapdragon 800 (Qualcomm MSM8974) (4 x Krait 400 @ 2.3GHz) |
Exynos Octa 5420 (big.LITTLE up to 1.9GHz, 4+4 Cortex-A15+A7) |
Exynos Octa 5420 (big.LITTLE up to 1.9GHz, 4+4 Cortex-A15+A7) |
Exynos Octa 5420 (big.LITTLE up to 1.9GHz, 4+4 Cortex-A15+A7) |
Exynos Octa 5420 (big.LITTLE up to 1.9GHz, 4+4 Cortex-A15+A7) |
| SoC (GPU) | Adreno 330 | Mali-T628 | Mali-T628 | Mali-T628 | Mali-T628 |
| Connectivity | 802.11ac WiFi | 802.11ac WiFi | 802.11ac WiFi | 802.11ac WiFi | 802.11ac WiFi |
| Memory | 2GB | 2GB | 3GB | 3GB | 3GB |
| Storage | 16GB | 16GB | 16GB/32GB | 32GB | 32GB/64GB |
| Battery | 25.4Wh (~10 hours) | 31.2Wh (~10 hours) | 31.2Wh (~9 hours) | 36.1Wh (~13 hours) | 36.1Wh (~13 hours) |
| Online Price | $399 | $499 | $549/$599 | $649 | $749/$849 |
Many of the core elements in the new line of Galaxy Pro offerings are similar –the displays for example are all WQXGA, and frankly that’s probably the biggest selling point right there. Coming from the world of laptop reviews, it’s awesome – and a little disheartening – to see such great displays on tablets. I’ve been asking for good laptop displays for years, and while we are starting to see a shift in the marketplace, most budget laptops still have lousy displays. Not all tablets come with awesome displays, but just about every tablet out there right now at least uses an IPS panel, and more and more we’re seeing high resolution displays as an added bonus. Worth note is that the 10.1 and 12.2 models are available in either black or white versions, but the 8.4 only comes in white (for now?); I actually prefer the white version, though, so that’s not a problem.
Obviously the size and weight of the three core models differs, and the Note versions with their S Pen weigh a bit more, but somewhat surprisingly the SoCs aren’t all the same. The odd man out here is the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, which uses a Snapdragon 800 processor whereas the other four all use the Exynos 5 Octa 5420. (Reportedly the LTE versions of the Pro 10.1 models appear to also use the Snapdragon 800.) What’s ironic about this bifurcation is that in most of our benchmarks the Snapdragon 800 and up being faster than the Exynos 5420. It’s not a major difference in performance, but it is measurable. Battery life on the other hand appears to be better on the Exynos SoC, so it’s not a clear victory regardless. Basically, not all SoCs are created equal in every area.
Wrapping up our quick overview, the amount of RAM varies slightly; the 8.4 and 10.1 "Tab Pro" models come with 2GB, but the 10.1 Note and 12.2 models come with 3GB memory. Battery capacity also varies, with the larger devices having larger batteries – presumably to help power the larger displays, though in practice it often means the larger tablets also get better battery life. The cameras are the same 8MP rear/2MP front, with a flash on the rear camera as well. There are of course different storage capacities available, though they’re more limited than what you might see with, e.g. Apple, as some of the devices only have one eMMC size. The 8.4 and 10.1 Tab Pro models we received have 16GB, with the 10.1 Note 2014 having 16/32GB options; the 12.2 Tab Pro gets bumped to 32GB (only) while the 12.2 Note has 32/64GB options. At least all the models come with an SD card slot (up to 64GB SDXC supported), though that doesn’t necessarily help with (all) applications.
In terms of pricing, the 8.4 is the least expensive of the devices, with an MSRP of $399. The 10.1 costs $499 ($50 extra for the S Pen in the Note, and another $50 to go to 32GB eMMC storage) and the Tab Pro 12.2 costs $649 while the Note Pro 12.2 costs $749 ($849 with 64GB eMMC). LTE versions of the 10.1 and 12.2 devices will typically add another $100 or so (off contract), but there’s no LTE 8.4 option. While none of these are inexpensive tablets, I do have to say that after using the 8.4 and 10.1-inch models, I find myself gravitating towards the 8.4-inch form factor. It’s small enough to be easily transportable and you can hold it with one hand, but it’s significantly larger than any smartphone so it doesn’t overlap that use case. I also generally like using the 8.4 in portrait mode, though some of that is certain personal preference. The fact that it also happens to be a bit faster in many cases doesn’t hurt either, though it would be nice to have a 32GB option.
Let’s move on to a subjective overview of the two devices we received for testing.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
125 Comments
View All Comments
rogueninja - Sunday, March 23, 2014 - link
It's like a giant phone without the calling features. Android doesn't have anything for productivity.ESC2000 - Wednesday, March 26, 2014 - link
I assume you mean in comparison to Windows tablets bc you claiming that ios is better than android for productivity and that an iPad is less like a big phone would be a total joke. At least some Android tablets allow you to view more than one window at a time which is crucial for productivity, not to mention swipe keyboards as well as active digitizer to facilitate data entry. On top of that Android 's customizability allows you to set your tablet up in whatever way facilitates productivity for you which is guarantee is rarely a 4x5 grid of icons that you're stuck with on the iPad. Also not being able to access the file system is quite a drag for work purposes..... Need I go on?And if you were referring to Windows tablets *slinks away in shame *
TestKing123 - Sunday, March 23, 2014 - link
Have to say, since the flood of Windows 8 Pro two in one's (laptop and tablet hybrid), these large tablets are irrelevent. Got a Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro and it literally blows the water out of any android tablet (and iPad) in performance and usability. Only negatives are price and size, but compared to a 10" regular tablet, seems like a good way to go. All the benefits of a tablet with the power and software of a regular PC.wintermute000 - Monday, March 24, 2014 - link
yes and no. Win8 apps are still a pretty poor selection, going from my Win8 surface pro to android is like night and day difference. For tablet use Win8's app selection needs to improve drastically (heck even winphone is noticeably more barren and many apps that are there lack feature parity compared to droid/apple). Desktop apps yes handy but no good in touch mode.darkich - Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - link
Absolutely correct.I would still pick a high end Android tablet or even an iPad over any windows tablet wannabe.
The problem with windows tabs is that they aren't good TABLETS.
Simple as that.
And they surely aren't good for a laptop use case because the screen is too small.
Simple as that.
You obviously got tunnel vision ed by windows/pc so much that you just don't understand what a tablet is and how people use it.
darkich - Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - link
To clarify myself..with getting "tunnel-visioned" I was referring to TestKing123TestKing123 - Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - link
Obviously, the only one with tunnel vision is YOU since you obviously haven't used a two in one before. Care to give give specifics instead of spouting dribble?"I would still pick a high end Android tablet or even an iPad over any windows tablet wannabe."
Why? Can you work in Microsoft Excel on your Android tablet or iPad? Play a REAL PC game instead of some silly mobile nonsense?
"The problem with windows tabs is that they aren't good TABLETS.
Simple as that."
WRONG. Using a windows Pro tab is just as easy/inituitive as any android/ipad tablet. Mine even comes with a QHD screen. Care you to give examples rather than talk out of your ass?
"And they surely aren't good for a laptop use case because the screen is too small.
Simple as that."
You're talking out of your ass. Simple as that. My Yogo 2 pro is 13.3, only slightly smaller than the industry standard 14" ultrabook. Maybe a Surface 2 Pro is small, but it isn't a 2 in 1, is it? It's form factor is a tablet with an OPTIONAL keyboard, not a genuine hybrid like the Yogo 2 Pro or others from Dell/HP just now hitting the market in mass. Do you even know what you're arguing about?
"You obviously got tunnel vision ed by windows/pc so much that you just don't understand what a tablet is and how people use it."
Of course, especially since I own an iPad 4th gen, iPad mini, Galaxy Tab 8.4 and a Nexus 7. Obviously I don't understand these tablets that I own.
It seems the only one with tunnel vision is YOU.
darkich - Wednesday, March 26, 2014 - link
Oh wow.I call a huge BS there.
The fact that you REALLY are suggesting an ultrabook to be used as a tablet says all I need to know about you.
Oh and that office question is even greater pile of sh!t.
Of course I CAN do an excel document ..in fact I can do it even on the cheapest android Chinese knockoff, and I can do it for free.(Kingsoft office)
Not to mention some of the many premium office apps on Android and IOS.
Why on earth would I play a pc game on a tablet??
Name me one such game you can play without a mouse and a keyboard!
Still, since you ask I in fact can point you to some of the highest grade pc games on a tablet - GTA San Andreas, Xcom Enemy unknown, Anomaly 2 (2013 pc release with absolutely unchanged mobile version)
TestKing123 - Wednesday, March 26, 2014 - link
You call BS? The only one here who’s shown a complete lack of intelligence is YOU with your ignorant statements. EVERYONE sees this.Let’s start with your statement on Office:
“Oh and that office question is even greater pile of sh!t.
Of course I CAN do an excel document ..in fact I can do it even on the cheapest android Chinese knockoff, and I can do it for free.(Kingsoft office)”
PLEASE tell me you know the difference between a stripped down and mobile android / IOS office editor compared to NATIVE office? You DO know the difference, do you? Name me ONE enterprise mobile application that even remotely compares in functionality to full fledged Office. You can’t possibly be that dumb? Not to mention, you expect me to believe you work in Excel building reports (like I do) on a dinky mobile knockoff? LOL!
But the comedy keeps coming!
“Why on earth would I play a pc game on a tablet??”
LOL! Who’s forcing you to play PC games on a hybrid in tablet mode? Wouldn’t you use....say, LAPTOP mode? LOL! This is yet another example of your utter ignorance, you just don’t know what the hell you’re arguing about.
And FYI, even if you had a Surface 2 Pro, you can still plug in an Xbox 360 controller to play PC games, which the vast majority of games support. And further still, many genres are quite touch friendly and even better with a touch interface, like Adventure games.
In my case, the Yoga 2 pro has a QHD (3200x1800) screen in which games look absolutely beautiful, even if games are running in regular HD. Also, Intel’s HD4400 blows away any mobile SOC GPU in pure raw performance.
And LOL at you’re list! That’s all you can come up with? Everyone sees you’re an absolute idiot if you’re truly believe mobile games are comparable to the vast library of regular PC games that you can play on a hybrid, including the latest and greatest. San Adreas….LOL! How about GTA 4? I can play that rather well on my Yoga 2 Pro. How does that run on your ipad? LOL.
Of course, all your comical statements are nothing but empty arguments because you simply don’t know what you’re talking about. How about you address my points which you’ve conveniently ignored? Here they are again:
"The problem with windows tabs is that they aren't good TABLETS.
Simple as that."
WRONG. Using a windows Pro tab is just as easy/inituitive as any android/ipad tablet. Mine even comes with a QHD screen. Care you to give examples rather than talk out of your ass?
"And they surely aren't good for a laptop use case because the screen is too small.
Simple as that."
You're talking out of your ass. Simple as that. My Yogo 2 pro is 13.3, only slightly smaller than the industry standard 14" ultrabook. Maybe a Surface 2 Pro is small, but it isn't a 2 in 1, is it? It's form factor is a tablet with an OPTIONAL keyboard, not a genuine hybrid like the Yogo 2 Pro or others from Dell/HP just now hitting the market in mass. Do you even know what you're arguing about?
darkich - Thursday, March 27, 2014 - link
Well that was a waste of time since you obviously lack the minimum nerve, decency and intellectual capacity to understand my points.The funniest thing, you actually CONFIRMED EVERY SINGLE OF MY POINTS AND SHOT YOUR SELF IN THE FOOT WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT.
Yet you keep trolling utter prejudice and insulting like a little pgatetic basement butthurt you are .
You don't deserve a further answer.
My points:
-you are talking a 13.3 inch, 1.4kg ultra book is a good thing to use as a tablet
Anyone with a half sense sees how idiotic proposition this is.. but not you!
- if we actually take a usable tablet form windows (8-10" and a 500-700grams) and try to use it for your idiotic propositions of playing pc games, programing (lol) or ANY use that you can benefit from a laptop form factor..so we need to hook up a keyboard and a mouse to a 10" screen, put it on a table and squint onto it.
Office, again only a professional who is living offa doc editing will have a real benefit in MSOffice ..and ypu thik those proffesionals will not therefore use a real laptop?!?!
Average people that need to write something on their TABLETS will be more than served by the likes of Kingsoft office.
You ever even used it or are you the one talking out of your ass!
It can do spreadsheets, power point, pdf files, and more word and excel than anyone will ever need on a touchscreen.
As that's what I am talking about from the start..understanding what a TABLET really is and what people are needing it for.
And that is a causal, comfortable media consumption in something they can easily handle, hold in one hand and carry around in a purse or even a pocket.
How retarded is to propose using a TABLET ( repeat that word into your head unlit it starts to dawn on you) for gaming with a keyboard and mouse, for professional document editing or writting on your office table?
..
Starting to sink into that tiny clouded mind of yours now??
And further proof of your prejudiced stupidity is that you you fail to realize
that the games I mentioned are in fact a pc games, and a great pc games at that.
I only and merely answered to your callout because it technically was off.
You lack a basic understanding and reading comprehension.
And you waste other people's time!