Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 vs Apple iPad Air: specs comparison

13comments
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

Grab Surfshark VPN now at more than 50% off and with 3 extra months for free!

Secure your connection now at a bargain price!


We may earn a commission if you make a purchase

Check Out The Offer
Did you enjoy this article?
Еxplore more with a FREE members account.
  • Access members-only articles
  • Join community discussions
  • Share your own device reviews
  • Manage your newsletter choices
Register For Free
Loading Comments...

Latest Discussions

Recommended Stories

FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless