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 | ||
| a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band MIMO, Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac |
a,b,g,n,dual-band Multiple antennas, MIMO, Hotspot 802.11 a, b, g, n | 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
| 4G (FDD) 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
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