Galaxy Tab S2 vs iPad Air 2 vs Xperia Z4 Tablet specs comparison

Samsung just put the slumbering tablet competition into overdrive, releasing the world's thinnest tablets, the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7, each measuring the incredible 5.6mm thin, and weighing just 265g and 389g, respectively. Those two will be competing directly with slates that are a bit thicker, but no less impressive, like Apple's iPad Air 2 and Sony's Xperia Z4 Tablet.

This is why took a look at what the S2 9.7 has to offer, comparing it head-on with Apple's and Sony's finest for the moment, as these are the three tablets people are likely to be musing over in the coming months when in the market for a slate. Designwise, the trio of tablets looks exquisite, with the Samsung and Apple slates donning a metal body, while Sony keeps things soft and touchy. The Xperia Z4 Tablet has one very important reason not to go the aluminum alloy way, though, as it is IP68-certified for watching movies in the bathtub, while the metal-clad slates can't brag with any extra waterproofing to speak of.

The overall dimensions of the Samsung and Apple tablets are strikingly similar, save for the thinner chassis on the Tab S2, while Sony has the tallest slate. Granted, it is hosting the largest screen of the bunch, too, but that's not the only reason, as the worst screen-to-body ration of the trio shows that Sony has gone with thicker bezels, compared to the other two, to make holding its tablet more comfortable.

For that matter, the Xperia Z4 Tablet has a much higher pixel density than the other two, with its 2560x1600 pixels screen. Not only that, but Sony has equipped it with one of its power-sipping, yet ultrabright panels, making the display on the Xperia tablet the best of the bunch in these two important aspects. When it comes to the silicon inside, all three are capable warriors, with Apple's desktop-grade A8+ chipset taking the cake from the Exynos 5433 in the Tab S2 and the Snapdragon 810 in the Z4 Tablet, and eating it with much better benchmark scores. Samsung and Sony are more generous with their internal storage allotments, plus they offer microSD slots for expansion. 

Last but not least, Sony claims 17 hours of video-watching on a charge, and, considering what it does with its phones now, consistently placing them in our top battery life ranks, we'd wager to bet that the Z4 Tablet bests both the iPad Air 2, and the Galaxy Tab S2 when it comes to endurance on a charge. Which one is your favorite so far, given that they are all hitting very similar price points when storage amounts are evened out?