Almost a full year after its release, the 2013 made Google Nexus 7 has proven time after time that it’s a contender in the compact tablet segment. With its $229 starting cost, it has shown us that owning a good performing tablet can be snagged without forking over a huge investment. Sporting newer specs and a larger footprint, the just released Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has propelled Sammy into the limelight of late once again in the tablet space. Knowing that, it’s intriguing to find out exactly how its newest tablet can compare and possibly sway people to choosing it over the Google Nexus 7.
Design
When you're the cheaper of the two, it makes perfect sense to have a conventional design that's straight to the point – without any elaborate or ornate characteristics to up the cost. Indeed, the Nexus 7 lacks the construction improvements and sophistication we see evident in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4, but nonetheless, its design is certainly a sufficient one that we regard as a timeless look. It has solid build, but its minimalistic look is rather bland when put next to the flashier Samsung tab.Some folks will appreciate the narrower body of the Nexus 7, as it is more comfortable to hold with one hand over the wider waist of Sammy's toy. The Galaxy Tab S 8.4, however, is much slimmer (6.6 mm vs 8.65 mm) and has identical weight, although packing significantly larger screen.
Display
Quite frankly, the 8.4-inch 1600 x 2560 Super AMOLED display of the Galaxy Tab S is more stunning than the Nexus 7's smaller sized 7-inch 1200 x 1900 IPS-LCD panel. And why's that?
Well, it's partly due to the sheer luminance and polarizing glow of the display. For a Super AMOLED screen, it's one of the best in terms of brightness, viewing angles, and overall wow factor. Don't believe us? Checking the two out in the dark instantly reminds us why the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is superior over the Nexus 7, there’s just no comparison. AMOLED screens are known for the inaccurate color reproduction, but the S 8.4 can deliver very accurate color reproduction if you select the basic color profile. Despite being outmatched, the Nexus 7’s display is still usable for many occasions.
The numbers below represent the amount of deviation in the respective property,observed when a display is viewed from a 45-degree angle as opposed to direct viewing.
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance(balance between red,green and blue)across different levels of grey(from dark to bright).The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones,the better.
Comparing the two respective Android experiences is always intriguing, especially when the two approach it differently. Between them, the Nexus 7's vanilla Android 4.4.4 KitKat experience is arguably the easier to comprehend and navigate – whereas the TouchWiz experience of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 adheres more to productivity centric individuals. Visually, we prefer the cleaner look of stock Android on the Nexus 7, but functionally, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has more to offer. For example, we have enhanced multi-tasking thanks to Multi Window, and the cool feature of SideSync that allows us to gain phone functions via the help of a Galaxy S5.
Going through their various organizer apps, we can't say one is necessarily superior over the other – more so when the usual set of apps, like the calendar and clock, function identically on both tablets. Furthermore, Google Now is available on the two to give us even more support.
Typing away becomes a natural thing after some practice, especially when they both offer spacious sized keyboards. However, the keyboard of the Nexus 7 proves to be the preferred choice mainly because it boasts a more simplified layout.
Processor and Memory
Oh boy! It shouldn't shock anyone to know that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 blows the Google Nexus 7 out of the water when it comes to the performance benchmarks. Of course, its newer quad-core 1.9GHz Exynos 5 Octa 5420 chipset with 3GB of RAM is undoubtedly more equipped at this point over the Nexus 7's aging quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 2GB of RAM. Strangely though, even with the newer hardware, we still sometimes are witness to bouts of sluggishness with Sammy's toy. It’s not terrible per se, but it’s something we’re not really inclined to expect in a high profiled thing.
At the bare minimum, we're given 16GB of internal storage with the two – so it's safe to presume that it's an ample amount for general users. However, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 benefits from having a microSD card slot on hand, which we might add is also easily accessible.
Surfing the web is an effortless thing with these two tablets, though, we get more of an ideal experience using Samsung's device. To be fair, it's a wonderful and rich experience with the Nexus 7, but that sharper and iridescent Super AMOLED display continues to attract us.
Not surprisingly, they're available in both Wi-Fi only forms, but it's only the Nexus 7 that's currently sporting a variant with LTE connectivity built-in. Nonetheless, it's only a matter of time before we see a version of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 with it on board too. As for the rest of the connectivity goodies, they feature aGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. Somewhat of a shocker, it's the older Nexus 7 that gets outfitted with NFC – not the Galaxy Tab S 8.4!
Camera
Shutterbugs will no doubt like snapping photos and videos on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 much more than the Google Nexus 7. First and foremost, it lays claim to several cool shooting modes and manual controls that make the experience of shooting on the fly so enjoyable and rewarding. On top of all that, its 8-megapixel camera proves to be more versatile and slightly better in quality than the Nexus 7's 5-megapixel snapper.
In general, the two tablet produce favorable looking results with their respective cameras, but upon closer inspection, we find the Galaxy Tab S 8.4's snapshots to be sharper – allowing it to soak in detail that doesn’t diminish if we’re to crop them afterwards. Moreover, it manages to deliver the more realistic colors and images that are more properly exposed. Well, it's not downright terrible for the Nexus 7 and its 5-megapixel snapper, but its quality is softened by its tendency of under exposing images – not to mention, it tends to have a more saturated color reproduction.
At the same time, we dig the quality of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 when it comes to shooting 1080p videos. Frankly, we can attest that the video from the Nexus 7 is actually pretty good, but it's just better with the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. Out of everything, there’s just more detail with Sammy’s tablet – plus, the Nexus 7 exhibits more artifacting elements in its video. Finally, there's also more fun experienced through the various shooting modes that are made available with Sammy’s prized possession.
Multimedia
Okay, we know that the Google Play Music app is available on the two tablets, so there's not one that's functionally or visually better. However, in terms of audio quality, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 proves to emit the punchier tones that make our ears prop up.
Yet again, the Super AMOLED display is the sole differentiator between the two when it comes to watching high-definition videos. Sure, the Nexus 7 is an inviting device for the occasion as well, but it can't match the stunning glow that's remarkably evident over with the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. Did we also mention that there's a multi-tasking element too with its Pop Up Play feature?
Interestingly enough, there's not much of a huge difference with their batteries – a 4900 mAh one in the Galaxy Tab S 8.4, and a 3950 mAh battery in the Nexus 7. In our experience, we don't notice one to be greatly more accommodating in terms of longevity, as our own heavy usage permits us at least one single day with both tablets.
We measure battery life by running a custom web-script,designed to replicate the power consumption of typical real-life usage.All devices that go through the test have their displays set at 200-nit brightness.
After looking at their pricing, they obviously allude to the fact that they're targeting different users. On one hand, we have the Google Nexus 7's easy-to-swallow $230 super affordable price, which makes it a winner in our books for its minimal impact to our wallets. Sweetening the deal even more, it’s one of those tablets that’ll certainly to receive the latest and greatest Android updates as soon as they’re made available. You can’t beat that, right?
In contrast, the $400 priced Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is a tougher sell for some people who are on a tight budget, but its higher price point is justified by its better hardware, sophisticated looks, and added functionality. Even though TouchWiz is lacking in the visuals department, especially in comparison to the clean look of stock Android, it benefits from having meaningful new functions that aren’t present in its rival.
Individuals looking for a fun, compact sized tablet will relish what the Nexus 7 has to offer, but for those who have a productivity side to them, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 proves to be the ideal tablet. To tell you the truth folks, you really can't go wrong with either of them!
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