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Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 vs Apple iPad mini Retina vs LG G Pad 8.3: specs comparison

By Michael Heller

Published: Jun 13, 2014, 1:32 AM

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 vs Apple iPad mini Retina vs LG G Pad 8.3: specs comparison

Samsung has just announced its newest flagship tablets (that don't include S Pen styluses), so we naturally want to see how the new Galaxy Tab S devices stack up to the current competition. This one focuses on the more compact tablets, which means a specs battle between the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4, the Apple iPad mini with Retina display, and the LG G Pad 8.3.

It is hard to imagine that Samsung had anyone else in mind when designing these tablets than Apple. The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 features a Super AMOLED display that is 0.4 inches larger than the iPad mini Retina, and has a higher resolution and pixel density. But, Samsung has been able to pack that into a device that is both thinner and lighter than the iPad mini. Not a bad engineering feat, even if Samsung isn't using premium build materials. The LG G Pad 8.4 doesn't quite stack up on most specs, but it should be kept in mind that the G Pad is by far the cheapest, listed on Amazon right now for about $275.

In general, the internals for the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 (SoC, RAM, etc) look far more impressive on paper, but the spec sheet rarely tells the whole story with a Samsung device because of the heavy software customizations that are added.


Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4	Apple iPad mini 2	LG G Pad 8.3

Design

Dimensions
8.38 x 4.94 x 0.26 inches 212.8 x 125.6 x 6.6 mm	7.87 x 5.30 x 0.30 inches 200 x 134.7 x 7.5 mm	8.54 x 4.98 x 0.33 inches 216.8 x 126.5 x 8.3 mm
Weight
10.51 oz / 298.0 g	12.03 oz / 341.0 g	11.92 oz / 338.0 g
Materials
	Back: Aluminum
Biometrics
Fingerprint (swipe)
Features
Touch sensitive control keys
Keys
Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key	Right: Volume control, Other
Colors
Black, White	Black, Gray, Silver, White	Black, White
Phone functionality
Yes

Display

Size
8.4-inch, 76.61% screen-to-body	7.9-inch, 71.82% screen-to-body	8.3-inch, 72.80% screen-to-body
Type
Super AMOLED	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Resolution
2560x1600px, 359 PPI	1536x2048px, 324 PPI	1200x1920px, 273 PPI
Colors
16 777 216	16 777 216	16 777 216
Features
	Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor

Hardware

System chip
Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5420	Apple A7	Snapdragon 600
Processor
Octa-core 1900 MHz ARM Cortex-A15 and ARM Cortex-A7	Dual-core 1300 MHz Cyclone	Quad-core 1700 MHz
GPU
Mali-T628 MP6	PowerVR G6430	Yes
Memory
3GB (LPDDR3)/32GB 3GB/16GB	1GB (LPDDR3)/128GB 1GB/16GB 1GB/32GB 1GB/64GB 1GB/128GB	2GB (LPDDR2)/16GB
Storage expansion
microSDXC up to 128 GB		microSDXC up to 64 GB
OS
Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.2)	iOS (12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x, 8.x, 7.x)	Android (5.0 Lollipop, 4.2.2)

Battery

Type
4900 mAh	6471 mAh, Li - Polymer	4600 mAh, Li - Polymer

Camera

Rear
Single camera	Single camera	Single camera
Main camera
8 MP (Autofocus, CMOS image sensor)	5 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor) Aperture size: F2.4 Focal length: 33 mm	5 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor) Aperture size: F2.6
Flash
LED
Video recording
1080p (30 fps)	1080p (30 fps) Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling	1080p (30 fps)
Front
2.1 MP	1.2 MP Video capture: 720p	1.3 MP

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
4.0	4.0	4.0
WLAN
dual-band MIMO, Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac	dual-band Multiple antennas, MIMO, Hotspot 802.11 a, b, g, n	dual-band Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct 802.11 a, b, g, n
USB
microUSB, USB 2.0	Lightning	microUSB, USB 2.0
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor
HDMI
Yes
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass	GPS, A-GPS, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
Other
Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync	Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, AirDrop	Infrared, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack	3.5mm jack	3.5mm jack
Speakers
Multiple speakers	Multiple speakers	Earpiece, Loudspeaker
Features
Album art cover, Background playback	Album art cover, Background playback	Album art cover, Background playback
Screen mirroring
MHL	TV-out	DLNA,SlimPort
Additional microphone(s)
	Yes

Cellular

LTE Bands
1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26
3G Bands
5, 8, 2, 1	5, 8, 2, 1
Data Speed
LTE, HSPA, UMTS	LTE, HSPA, UMTS
SIM type
Micro SIM	Nano SIM

Phone Features

Notifications
Flight mode, Silent mode	Flight mode, Silent mode	Haptic feedback, Flight mode, Silent mode
Other features
Voice commands, Voice recording	Voice commands, Voice recording	Voice commands, Voice recording

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: May 16, 2014 FCC ID value: A3LSMT705	Date approved: Apr 15, 2013 FCC ID value: BCGA1490	FCC ID value: ZNFV500
Measured SAR
Head: 0.19 W/kg Body: 1.01 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.56 W/kg	Body: 1.19 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.30 W/kg	Body: 0.72 W/kg

Availability

Officially announced
Jun 12, 2014	Oct 22, 2013	Sep 01, 2013
Prices (MSRP)
	$829	$350

See the full Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 vs Apple iPad mini 2 vs LG G Pad 8.3 specs comparison or compare them to other phones using our Phone Comparison tool

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Michael Heller is known for his clear and informative articles on mobile technology. He explores important topics such as the rollouts of 5G networks and the advancements in mobile payments, offering readers insights into the evolving tech landscape.