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

posted by Michael H. / Jun 13, 2014, 1:32 AM

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 vs Apple iPad mini 2 vs LG G Pad 8.3

Display

Display size

8.4 inches

7.9 inches

8.3 inches

Resolution

1600 x 2560 pixels

2048 x 1536 pixels

1920 x 1200 pixels

Pixel density

359 ppi

324 ppi

273 ppi

Technology

Super AMOLED

IPS LCD

Screen-to-body ratio

76.61 %

71.82 %

72.80 %

Colors

16 777 216

Camera

Rear

Yes

Main camera

8 megapixels

5 megapixels

Hardware Features

Autofocus, CMOS image sensor

Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Specifications

Aperture size: F2.4; Focal length: 33 mm

Aperture size: F2.6

Flash

LED

Software Features

Digital image stabilization, Self-timer, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, Exposure compensation, ISO control, White balance presets, Burst mode, HDR, Scenes, Effects

Digital image stabilization, HDR, Face detection, Exposure compensation, Touch to focus, Self-timer, Digital zoom, Geo tagging

HDR, Panorama, Voice activation, Night mode, Scenes, White balance presets, Self-timer, Geo tagging

Video recording

1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)

Recording format

MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV

H.264, MOV

Features

Time-lapse video, Digital image stabilization, Video calling

Front

2.1 megapixels

1.2 megapixels

1.3 megapixels

Video capture

1280x720 (HD)

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 g)

12.03 oz (341 g)

11.92 oz (338 g)

Materials

Back: Aluminum

Biometrics

Fingerprint (swipe)

Features

Touch sensitive control keys

Phone functionality

Yes

Hardware & Performance

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, 64-bit

Quad-core, 1700 MHz

GPU

Mali-T628 MP6

PowerVR G6430

Yes

RAM

3 GB LPDDR3

1 GB LPDDR3

2 GB LPDDR2

Internal storage

32 GB

128 GB

16 GB

Storage expansion

Slot Type

microSDXC, microSDHC, microSD

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

Stand-by time

29.5 days (708 hours)

Talk time (3G)

29.00 hours

Music playback

80.00 hours

Video playback

12.00 hours

Cellular

CDMA

800, 1900 MHz

GSM

850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz

UMTS

850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz

LTE (FDD)

Bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20

Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26

Data

LTE, HSPA, UMTS

Multimedia

Screen mirroring

MHL

TV-out

DLNA, SlimPort

Shopping information

MSRP price

$ 829

$ 350

Options

22 Comments

1. hateftotti

Posts: 223; Member since: May 03, 2011

Tab S 8.4 The greatest tablet out there

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 1:40 AM 15

9. Moodi

Posts: 38; Member since: May 11, 2013

Ummmmmm Surface pro 3?

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 2:47 AM 6

11. StraightEdgeNexus

Posts: 3689; Member since: Feb 14, 2014

Ummm we are talking about tablets not laptops here.

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 2:54 AM 11

14. Arte-8800

Posts: 4562; Member since: Mar 13, 2014

He could be referring to RT?

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 4:56 AM 0

15. StraightEdgeNexus

Duh, he clearly said Surface "PRO", so not quite RT.

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 5:16 AM 1

17. joey_sfb

Posts: 6794; Member since: Mar 29, 2012

Lol! Good one!

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 7:00 AM 0

16. Moodi

But the SP3 is The TABLET that can replace your laptop, so it's kinda 2 in 1.

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 5:46 AM 0

19. joey_sfb

Please! Most laptop are thinner than surface pro.

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 8:45 AM 0

12. hipnotika

Posts: 353; Member since: Mar 06, 2013

"dual core cpu and 1 gb ram" with these specs you ll take best performance :) power of Apple ! specs are nothing without software !

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 3:13 AM 1

13. vincelongman

Posts: 5592; Member since: Feb 10, 2013

Which is why Surface Pro 3 is better IMO

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 3:31 AM 1

22. Frankiebeans

Posts: 33; Member since: Aug 26, 2012

I love that they're tying to make a tablet the size of an ipad mini because i think thats the perfect size for a tablet but the Samsung software is a no go for me

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 5:45 PM 0

2. gigaraga

Posts: 1454; Member since: Mar 29, 2013

Tab S 8.4 > G Pad 8.3 > Mini 2 w/ Retina Display

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 1:45 AM 14

3. twens

Posts: 1154; Member since: Feb 25, 2012

Is it just me or does the tab look nicer than the rest?

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 1:53 AM 9

7. ihavenoname

Posts: 1693; Member since: Aug 18, 2013

I disagree, but I guess it's question of taste (I'm not personally a big fan of gold and white on that Tab S looks too much beige for me.)

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 2:32 AM 0

8. imej88 unregistered

if you mean by the screen, yes the tab is very nice. But, if you mean by the design and capacitive buttons, it is you...xD

4. hmd74

Posts: 539; Member since: Jan 31, 2013

Ipad mini 2 price 829$ ??!!!!!

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 2:05 AM 4

6. Ray.S

Posts: 436; Member since: Jul 19, 2011

This is the price for the 128 GB version with 4G. The base, 16 GB model without cellular connectivity costs $399.

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 2:25 AM 3

5. FingerMyApple unregistered

ipad mini retina iChoose you :)

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 2:11 AM 4

10. StraightEdgeNexus

Screen: galaxy Tab S chipset: ipad mini ecosystem: ipad mini design: ipad mini price: G Pad 8.3

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 2:48 AM 0

18. Leandronb

Posts: 86; Member since: Jun 03, 2014

i'm not a fan of samsung products because of their crap touchwiz. but i have to admit this tablet is the best android out there.

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 7:09 AM 0

21. joey_sfb

Don't like touch wiz just use the launcher of your choice. I use ADWLauncher EX with my Note 2. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.adwfreak.launcher&hl=en

posted on Jun 13, 2014, 5:30 PM 0

20. sonisoe

Posts: 440; Member since: May 06, 2009

god knows what samsung is doing.... sammy's got all variations in the world for their devices... but i guess as long as they're making money, its all fine....