Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 VS. Tab S7- Any Difference?
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S7 was recently announced at Samsung’s Unpacked event which featured products like the Note20 Ultra, Galaxy Buds Live, and more products! Last year, Samsung released the Galaxy Tab S6, which was a great 2-in-1 device which consumers liked. The Tab S7 improves on the Tab S6, with adding a few new amazing features, so should you pick up the new Tab S7 or buy last years Tab S6?
Galaxy Tab S7 New Features
The display is a major improvement for the Galaxy Tab S7, and this is because it finally has 120HZ, a feature that the iPad Pro has had for 3 years now. 120HZ makes the display much smoother than 60HZ, and there is noticeably less delay when you’re swiping through than on a normal 60HZ display.
There are also now 2 sizes, an 11" Tab S7 and a 12.4" Tab S7+. The larger Tab S7+ is meant for people who want to do more laptop tasks on their tablet, and could use the extra screen room to fit more things. I feel like the 11" Tab S7 is a really nice size for a tablet, but 12.4" is better while using it with a keyboard as as laptop.
The Tab S7 also now packs the SnapDragon 865+, which is a decent processor, but nothing close to the A12Z on the iPad Pro and the Quad-Core chips on the Surface Pro lineup. One advantage that you do get with the SnapDragon 865+ is 5G,which this tablet does have. This is the first tablet I have seen to have 5G in it, which is great! You will also get 45W fast charging with the Tab S7 this year, compared to the 18W one on the Tab S6.
The S Pen has been improved a bit from last years Tab S6, with a new 9ms latency. This latency has been improved a lot over the Tab S6’s latency, and it is now on par with the Apple Pencil. There is definitely a difference, but only if you play it in super slow-mo, and are looking very hard for a difference. It’s a good improvement, but you probably won’t notice it. Also, the S-Pen still sits on the back of the tablet, with a weird placement and also a raise when you put the tablet on a surface.
Galaxy Tab S6 Advantages
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 actually has a better quality panel than the standard Tab S7, not the S7+, which is larger, more expensive, and has the best tablet display. The Tab S6 features a Super AMOLED display compared to the LCD on the Tab S7. However, the Tab S7 does comes with 120Hz, which is a reason why they even put the lower quality LCD display in there. Panel-wise, the Tab S6 is better than the S7.
The main reason why you would consider the Galaxy Tab S6 is because of its cheaper price. You can find a Tab S6 brand new for around $500, whereas the Galaxy Tab S7 will run you $650, before you have to buy the keyboard. Speaking of the keyboard, that will cost you $229 to buy on the Tab S7+. which is a lot of money. A smart financial decision would be to go for the Tab S6 and get the keyboard case with it (costs around $150), which is a package for the same price as the Tab S7 itself. If you don’t want the keyboard, the Galaxy Buds Live could also be a good choice, as they are a good companion tool to this tablet.
Alternative Options
One alternative option to these tablets is the iPad Pro, which is known as the best 2-in-1 option by a lot of people. It has premium build quality, great accessories, amazing display, great cameras, and the list keeps going on. The iPad Pro is a great device which is a blend of both iOS and MacOS, and Apple calls it iPadOS. iPadOS is a touch-based interface but it also incorporates MacOS elements like a full desktop version of safari. The problem, again, is that you can’t run some computer software's like Final Cut Pro, VSCode, to name a few. The iPad Pro is also very pricey, as it goes over $1500 for the 12.9" iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil 2.
The Surface Pro 7 is a traditional laptop, running Windows, but it converts into a tablet right after you take the keyboard off. The Tab S6/S7 and the iPad Pro are mostly tablet and a little bit of laptop, whereas the Surface Pro 7 is meant to be a laptop, and tablet next. The Surface Pro 7 is for someone who wants a little bit of a tablet experience, but mainly they want to run their applications on there as well. This laptop is built decent, design is outdated, and in general isn’t the most up-to-date 2-in-1. It costs a pretty penny as well, and it is usually in the $1000 price range after adding the keyboard and a few options. This puts it right in between the Tab S7 and iPad Pro price wise.
The Surface Pro X is the renovated, freshly designed, 2-in-1 introduced by Microsoft. It has thin bezels, thin design, new storage place for the Surface Pen, ARM processor, better display, and more. Think of this tablet as the Surface Pro 7, except with newer internals and externals. After adding the keyboard, this will run you around $1200. That is a lot of money to be spending on a 2-in-1, but thankfully, it can do everything your normal Windows laptop can do.
Verdict
The Galaxy Tab S7 is a decent step-up over the Galaxy Tab S6, in a few areas like display and performance. The Galaxy Tab S6, however, is still amazing and has pretty recent internals, a nice bezel less design, but both of them have the awkward S-Pen placement. I think that the Tab S6 is a great option for someone who doesn’t need the latest, and is better off saving $150 to get last years model. There are design and software flaws on both of these tablets, so buying one over the other won’t give you Windows or take away the back S-Pen placement.
Aside from just these two tablets, I feel like there are still other great options left on the market. The iPad Pro and the Surface lineup both feel like they could get many more things done with their superior software. I think that the hardware is really nice with the 120hz screen, great build quality, decent S-Pen, but Android can’t take advantage of all of that hardware, so Samsung should make something like iPadOS or make a Windows option for people who want it. As for the Tab S6 compared to the S7, there are a few improvements, but the largest one for me is that new 120Hz display.
If you are looking for the best and latest in technology, the Galaxy Tab S7 is for you. If you want to save $150 and get a very similar package to the Tab S7, the S6 is definitely worth the buy. I’d highly recommend looking at other options before buying though!
