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.
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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 | 7.9-inch | 8.3-inch |
Resolution | ||
2560x1600px, 359 PPI | 1536x2048px, 324 PPI | 1200x1920px, 273 PPI |
Technology | ||
Super AMOLED | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
Screen-to-body | ||
76.61 % | 71.82 % | 72.80 % |
Colors | ||
16 777 216 | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 |
Features | ||
Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor | Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor | Ambient light sensor |
Hardware
System chip | ||
---|---|---|
Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5420 | Apple A7 | Qualcomm 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 |
RAM | ||
3GB (LPDDR3) | 1GB (LPDDR3) | 2GB (LPDDR2) |
Internal storage | ||
32GB | 128GB | 16GB |
Storage expansion | ||
microSDXC up to 128 GB | microSDXC up to 64 GB | |
OS | ||
Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.2), Samsung TouchWiz UI | iOS (12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x, 8.x, 7.x) | Android (5.0 Lollipop, 4.2.2) |
Battery
Capacity | ||
---|---|---|
4900 mAh | 6471 mAh | 4600 mAh |
Type | ||
Li - Polymer | 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 | ||
1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps) | 1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps) Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling |
1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps) |
Front | ||
2.1 MP | 1.2 MP, Video capture: 1280x720 (HD) | 1.3 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 Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct |
USB | ||
microUSB, USB 2.0 | Lightning | microUSB, USB 2.0 |
HDMI | ||
Yes | ||
Location | ||
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass | GPS, A-GPS, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass |
Sensors | ||
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers) | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass |
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(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800 DD) | 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) | |
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 |
Buyers information
MSRP | ||
---|---|---|
$ 829 | $ 350 | |
In The Box | ||
Lightning to USB Cable, USB Power Adapter |
Availability
Officially announced | ||
---|---|---|
Jun 12, 2014 | Oct 22, 2013 | Sep 01, 2013 |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 vs Apple iPad mini 2 vs LG G Pad 8.3 specs comparison
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