If you’re a fan of tablets, Samsung has a few different options for you. But for top-of-the-line, you can’t do much better than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6.
On the surface, it doesn’t look that much different than the Galaxy Tab S5e, which became available in Canada earlier this year. At 244.5 x 159.5 x 5.7 mm, the 10.5-inch device is slightly shorter and thicker than the Tab S5e but unless they were sitting next to each other, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. At 420 grams, the Tab S6 is also a touch heavier but it still ends up being lighter than the most lightweight iPad Air (456 grams). The weight is well-balanced but it’s a little wide to grasp in one hand. And I would recommend getting a cover of some kind as the back of the aluminum-bodied device is a little slippery. (Samsung sells both a BookCover case and a BookCover Keyboard attachment for the device separately. There are a few third-party options as well.)
Like the S5e, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 uses a WQXGA Super AMOLED (1,600 x 2,560) screen that’s absolutely breathtaking. Samsung has always excelled with its displays, offering some of the most colourful image quality for photos and videos. Also, like the S5e, this tablet has four speakers (one at each corner) that offer surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology. So videos and music sound great too, as audio reverberates through the device.
But what really makes the Tab S6 stand out is that, unlike the S5e, it comes with a stylus, which gives it similar functionality to the company’s phablet, the Galaxy Note 10. Though, the Tab S6’s S Pen is a bit bigger and allows for a better grip. So I could write more legibly on the Tab S6’s screen than the Note 10’s. It still didn’t compare to writing on paper but, to be fair, my cursive was never very good to begin with.
The Tab S6 also includes the same stylus-specific apps/functions as the Note 10, such as Screen Write, Translate and Smart Select. The Tab S6 can also convert what you’ve written with the S Pen into printed text. From my experience, it works quite well. While it made some mistakes, it did a better job of deciphering my horrific handwriting than I had expected.
The Tab S6’s S Pen can also do the Note 10’s air actions, which allows you to control your tablet without touching it. The S Pen has a button on its side that can be programmed (through both a single-press and double-press) to perform tasks in certain apps. You can also program gestures, so while moving the S Pen around like a wand (or more specifically, up, down, left, right or a circle either clockwise or counterclockwise) you can activate commands. For example, in the camera app, you can do such things as zoom in and out, switch cameras and take photos. (But like with most tablets, for the images themselves, they won’t be anything spectacular. The Tab S6 has 13 MP/ 5 MP rear cameras and an 8 MP front-facing ones as the image quality is OK, but can be a little grainy.)
The placement of the S Pen is a little weird. Instead of sliding into the side of the device, it fits into a groove on the S6’s back and is held in place magnetically. Presumably, it was designed this way to keep tablet itself thin but some people might find it aesthetically displeasing.
The Galaxy Tab S6 is also a faster and more powerful device than its predecessor. Running on Android 9 (Pie), the tablet uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150 Mobile Platform. It has an octa-core processor with the faster core running up to 2.8 GHz. It comes with either 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage or 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage — and it can hold a microSD card of up to 1 TB.
There’s also a nano-SIM slot if you want to turn it into a phone and it includes the Samsung DeX desktop environment if you wish to plug it into another monitor or computer and use it like a PC.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 can be purchased from the company’s website and other retailers. Currently on sale, the 128 GB model is available for $699.99 and the 256 GB model is $779.99.
KEY SPECIFICATIONS
OS
Android 9 (Pie) with One UI
Dimensions and weight
244.5 mm x 159.5 mm x 5.7 mm; 420 g
Display
10.5-inch 2,560 × 1,600 (WQXGA) Super AMOLED touchscreen
Chipset/CPU
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150 Mobile Platform (1x 2.8 GHz, 3 x 2.4 GHz, 4×1.7 GHz)
Storage and memory
128 GB ROM/6 GB RAM or 256 GB ROM/8 GB RAM
MicroSD slot
Audio
Quad speakers
Dolby Atmos 3D surround sound
Cameras
Rear: 13 MP; f/2.0 aperture, 80-degree FOV (wide); 5 MP; f/2.2, 123-degree FOV (ultra-wide)
Front: 8 MP, f/2.0 aperture, 80-degree FOV (wide)
Battery
7,040 mAh
Ports, sensors and features
S Pen stylus (included)
Accelerometer
Fingerprint sensor
Gyro sensor
Geomagnetic sensor
Hall sensor
RGB light sensor
Nano-SIM slot
USB 3.1 Gen 1