Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 vs Apple iPad Air: 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 larger display category, and that means it is time for a specs battle between the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and the Apple iPad Air.
The big focus of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 was in the dimensions and the display, with both changes aimed squarely at the iPad Air. Samsung was able to build a tablet that has a larger display with a higher resolution than the iPad Air, while still making the table thinner and (just barely) lighter. Maybe even more impressive is that the Galaxy Tab S doesn't have a footprint all that much bigger than the Air, even though its display is 0.8 inches larger. If you can get past Samsung's usual plastic backing materials, that could make for an impressive tablet.
Unsurprisingly, the other internals of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 (SoC, RAM, etc) look far more impressive on paper, but we'll have to wait and see how the device performs in real world conditions, because Samsung's software additions tend to cause performance issues.
For this comparison, we've also added in the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1, which was released back in February and is the most direct predecessor to the new Tab S 10.5.
|
|
|
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 | Apple iPad Air | Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 |
Design
Dimensions | ||
---|---|---|
9.74 x 6.98 x 0.26 inches 247.3 x 177.3 x 6.6 mm |
9.45 x 6.67 x 0.30 inches 240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm |
9.57 x 6.75 x 0.29 inches 243.1 x 171.4 x 7.3 mm |
Weight | ||
16.47 oz (467.0 g) | 16.86 oz (478.0 g) | 16.54 oz (469.0 g) |
Materials | ||
Back: Aluminum | ||
Biometrics | ||
Fingerprint (swipe) | ||
Features | ||
Touch sensitive control keys | ||
Keys | ||
Right: Volume control, Other | ||
Colors | ||
Black, White | Black, Gray, Silver, White | White |
Display
Size | ||
---|---|---|
10.5-inch | 9.7-inch | 10.1-inch |
Resolution | ||
1600x2560px, 288 PPI | 1536x2048px, 264 PPI | 1600x2560px, 299 PPI |
Technology | ||
Super AMOLED | IPS LCD | Super Clear LCD |
Screen-to-body | ||
72.88 % | 71.65 % | 70.97 % |
Colors | ||
16 777 216 | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 |
Features | ||
Ambient light sensor | Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor | Ambient light sensor |
Hardware
System chip | ||
---|---|---|
Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5420 | Apple A7 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 |
Processor | ||
Octa-core 1900 MHz ARM Cortex-A15 and ARM Cortex-A7 |
Dual-core 1400 MHz Cyclone |
Quad-core 2300 MHz Krait 400 |
GPU | ||
Mali-T628 MP6 | PowerVR G6430 | Adreno 330 |
Memory | ||
3GB (LPDDR3)/32GB | 1GB (LPDDR3)/128GB | 2GB (LPDDR3)/32GB |
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 (4.4) |
Battery
Type | ||
---|---|---|
7900 mAh | 8820 mAh, Li - Polymer | 8220 mAh |
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 |
8 MP (Autofocus) |
Flash | ||
LED | LED | |
Video recording | ||
1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps) | 1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps) Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling | 1920x1080 (Full HD) Video calling |
Front | ||
2.1 MP | 1.2 MP, Video capture: 1280x720 (HD) (30 fps) | 2 MP |
Connectivity & Features
Bluetooth | ||
---|---|---|
4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
WLAN | ||
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band MIMO, Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct | 802.11 a,b,g,n,dual-band Multiple antennas, MIMO, Hotspot | 802.11 a,b,g,n,dual-band,ac Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct |
USB | ||
microUSB, USB 2.0 | Lightning | microUSB, USB 2.0 |
HDMI | ||
Yes | Yes | |
Location | ||
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass | A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass |
Sensors | ||
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers) | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass |
Other | ||
Infrared, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync | Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, AirDrop | Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, ANT+, Infrared |
Multimedia
Headphones | ||
---|---|---|
3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack |
Speakers | ||
Multiple speakers | Multiple speakers | Multiple speakers |
Features | ||
Album art cover, Background playback | Album art cover, Background playback | Album art cover, Background playback |
Screen mirroring | ||
MHL | TV-out | Wireless screen share,MHL,TV-out |
Additional microphone(s) | ||
Yes |
Cellular
4G (FDD) | ||
---|---|---|
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900) | Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+) | |
3G | ||
Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100) | Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100) | Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100) |
Data Speed | ||
LTE | LTE, HSPA, UMTS | LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS |
SIM type | ||
Micro SIM | Nano SIM |
Phone Features
Notifications | ||
---|---|---|
Flight mode, Silent mode | Flight mode, Silent mode | Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone |
Other features | ||
Voice commands, Voice recording | Voice commands, Voice recording | Voice commands, Voice recording |
Regulatory Approval
FCC approval | ||
---|---|---|
Date approved: Oct 22, 2013 FCC ID value: BCGA1475 | ||
Measured SAR | ||
Body: 1.19 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.33 W/kg |
Buyers information
MSRP | ||
---|---|---|
$ 929 | ||
In The Box | ||
Lightning to USB Cable, USB Power Adapter |
Availability
Officially announced | ||
---|---|---|
Jun 12, 2014 | Oct 22, 2013 | Jan 06, 2014 |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 vs Apple iPad Air vs Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: