Review of Samsung Galaxy Tab S6: the most "charged" tablet on Android

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Despite the fact that the tablet market has been declining for 4 years in a row, Samsung always has an up-to-date set of models

different price range and positioning. Shortly before the announcement of the flagship Galaxy Note10 smartphones, Samsung introduced the no less flagship Galaxy Tab S6 tablet. Interestingly, last year's predecessor was with an index of 4, they decided to skip the number 5. But much more interesting is what the new tablet can do. And he knows a lot of interesting things: Samsung has worked extensively and there are innovations on almost all fronts, from materials, internals to S Pen capabilities. The company packed Galaxy Tab S6 to the maximum, and we will try to figure out how it all works, how convenient and appropriate.

What is it?
What makes him interesting?
What does the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 look like?
How good is the screen?
What about performance, memory, sound and autonomy?
What are the unlock methods?
How convenient is the interface?
What can an S Pen do?
How convenient is DeX mode and what can you really do on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6?
How are things going with the camera?
In the dry residue

What is it?

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 - flagshipAn Android tablet with a 10.5-inch SuperAMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 × 1600 (16:10 aspect ratio), a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, 6 GB of RAM and Android 9 Pie with a proprietary shell on board.

What makes him interesting?

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Formally, diagonal, screen type and resolutionsimilar to Samsung Galaxy Tab S4: 10.5-inch SuperAMOLED-display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a resolution of 2560 × 1600, but the matrix is used updated, moreover, this is the first screen in tablets with support for the HDR10 + standard. The frames around the perimeter are narrow, but there is still no mechanical button: now there is a finger scanner in the screen instead of recognizing irises using infrared sensors. Instead of glass, they decided to use metal for the back cover. Inside is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 flagship processor, 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory plus a microSD card slot. The branded S Pen is included and is magnetically attached to the tablet body: up to 4096 pressure levels are recognized, new functions have appeared (we will talk about them later). There is an updated desktop mode of operation of DeX, four powerful AKG speakers with Dolby Atmos support are responsible for the sound, the main camera is now dual. Of the interfaces there is USB 3.1 (Type C), dual-band Wi-Fi, LTE and Bluetooth 5.0.

What does the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 look like?

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In general, anything radically new in design ortablet designs are hard to come up with. In front, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 looks as familiar as possible: a large screen, a front camera and relatively thin frames around the perimeter. In the case of tablets, making them thinner is a controversial decision, considering how we usually hold the tablet during use. Dramatically (compared to the Galaxy Tab S4), the rear panel has changed. Instead of glass, metal is now used, it is clearly more practical for tablets. Less likely to break and no fingerprints left, so that the aesthetic component is preserved even with prolonged use.

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In addition to the usual logos Samsung, AKG andplastic inserts for antennas, two more unusual elements appeared on the rear panel. Dual camera and a small recess with a plastic pad for mounting and wireless charging S Pen. Inside the stylus is not stuffed because there is simply nowhere to go. The tablet itself is very thin, and they decided to make the S Pen as close as possible to the usual pen / pencil. But in branded cases and covers, a place for the stylus is provided and thought out very well.

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The thickness of the tablet is only 5.7 mm. Based on the portrait orientation, the volume and power buttons, one of the microphones and the tray are placed on the right side:

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You can insert a SIM card and microSD into the tray. Judging by the information on the official Ukrainian website, they will not be able to carry a version without an LTE module to us (at least for now). But it exists in nature, if that. Versions are marked as follows: SM-T860 (Wi-Fi) and SM-T865 (LTE).

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At the bottom there is a USB Type-C connector and two speaker grilles. There is no 3.5 mm headphone jack in the tablet. And this is a very strange solution:

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On the left are magnetic contacts for connecting the keyboard cover and slots for its proper installation:

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At the top there are two more speakers and a microphone:

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Visually and constructively at the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6there’s almost nothing to complain about: a thin, lightweight (only 420 with a 10.5-inch diagonal) metal case, in which there is nothing to stagger and which does not leave fingerprints. The only complaint is the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack. So either watch a movie, or charge a tablet, and not all at once. Well, or buy bluetooth headphones.

How good is the screen?

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There are 10 in the tablet.5-inch SuperAMOLED display with a resolution of 2560x1600 (16:10 aspect ratio), pixel density - 278 ppi. As mentioned above, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is the world's first tablet with support for the HDR10 + extended color range standard with support for dynamic metadata for different scenes in the video. Unlike Dolby Visual, for the use of which you need to pay royalties, HDR10 + is an open standard that Samsung developed in 2017. The screen itself is of excellent quality, with decent maximum brightness. But PWM has a place to be, it is worth considering. When using the tablet, I did not have discomfort, but this is a very individual thing. Regular methods of combating flicker (DC Dimming) in the tablet is not provided, except to try third-party applications such as OLED Saver.

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In the settings you can adjust the brightness,screen and font scale, turn on a dark theme (which works across the entire interface), select a display mode and turn on a blue filter to reduce eye strain. Like current Samsung smartphones, there are two main modes: natural colors and “saturated” with manual adjustment of color temperature and RGB components:

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The maximum brightness in the “natural” mode was 306.254 cd / m2, while the calibration is very good, the screen goes very cold in colors and the color gamut is close to sRGB:

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In “saturated” mode, the maximum brightness is slightlyhigher, 317.098 cd / m2 (of course, these are indicators for the SDR content), but the color rendering is slightly colder (with manual default settings), and the color gamut typical for AMOLED is much wider than sRGB:

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What about performance, memory, sound and autonomy?

The tablet uses the current flagshipQualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, which includes 1 × 2.84 GHz Kryo 485 core, 3 × 2.41 GHz Kryo 485, 4 × 1.78 GHz Kryo 485 and Adreno 640 graphics accelerator. RAM - 6 GB, internal - 128 GB, plus there is a slot MicroSD. It is worth noting that the new, very fast UFS 3.0 memory is used, as in the flagship Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Note10 +. The tablet works very quickly, very smoothly and copes with a large number of running heavy applications. Of course, with the performance in any games, everything is also in the best possible way. In the graphics settings (where they generally exist), you can safely twist everything to the maximum, if auto-tuning has not yet done so. Unfortunately, NFS: No Limits never delivered manual settings, and automatic settings are almost always underestimated, as well as resolution.

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Game Tools utilities are also present, as on all Samsung smartphones:

Results in synthetic tests are expected to be veryhigh, among the most powerful Android devices at the moment, which is not surprising. We should also pay attention to the speed of the drive. The read and write speeds are around 1500 and 500 MB / s, respectively, which is approximately 2-2.5 times higher than in the past UFS 2.1:

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At the same time, the system works very stably,The Throttling Test stress test showed that even with a long load there is no significant overheating, and productivity decreases only to 93%, which is not significant at all:

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Like its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6got 4 speakers and they sound very loud and high quality. According to this indicator, the tablet outperforms most ultra-compact laptops. But the lack of a 3.5-mm jack upset: after all, watching a video is one of the most popular tablet use cases. Especially on the road, when it may be necessary to recharge the tablet.

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Of the wireless modules there is a dual-bandWi-Fi ac / a / b / g / n (2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 and LTE, as well as GPS, GLONASS, and Beidou. For wired connection, USB Type-C version 3.1 is used. The tablet has a 7040 mAh battery. I lost a little weight compared to the Galaxy Tab S4, where it was at 7300 mAh. This did not particularly affect autonomy: movies can be watched for 13-14 hours, half an hour playing NFS: No Limits consumed 5% of the battery. So with the autonomy of the tablet, everything is in perfect order. Supports 18W Super Fast Charging. She did not reach us, so it was not possible to measure the time of full charge.

What are the unlock methods?

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Samsung decided not to use last yearfingerprint scanner in its flagship tablet Galaxy Tab S4. We used the recognition of the owner of the irises using an infrared camera and face recognition. In the same year, the scanner returned, but now it is built into the screen. Face unlocking is also available, but there are no additional sensors, only the front camera, so this is a very dubious way to protect your data.

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The fingerprint scanner works accurately and quickly (asfor screen). It is not an ultrasound that is used, but an optical version, but there were no problems with its operation. It works without problems from any angle.

How convenient is the interface?

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is runningAndroid 9 Pie with the proprietary shell One UI 1.5. It is very close to the One UI smartphone option, which we have repeatedly seen in the latest Samsung smartphones. Adjusted for the big screen, of course. Otherwise, everything is familiar: two options for organizing the workspace: with a separate application menu and without it. There are different navigation options: with buttons or gestures, you can choose different sizes of the desktop grid and application menus. There is a dark theme. Well, of course, everything is redrawn in a corporate style:

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Application Manager holds more cards running applications. The large screen is well suited for working with applications on a split screen. Plus applications can be launched in the window:

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There are a decent number of branded applications, including a file manager, notes, Bixby, a branded application store, and so on:

The Daily Board application migrated from its predecessor, which can only be launched when the tablet is charging. Either a clock or a photo gallery will be displayed on the screen:

Separately, it is worth mentioning the preinstalled AdobePremiere Rush, which is positioned as a fully functional option for video editing. At first glance - it’s quite suitable for simple slicing, transitions, subtitles, sound substrates. And it works smartly:

The shell is convenient, understandable. And most importantly, it works very quickly and smoothly. There were no brakes or glitches during use.

What can an S Pen do?

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The complete S Pen has not only changedoutwardly, but also functionally. Structurally, everything is almost familiar: dimensions, weight and shape are close to the usual pencil / pen, there is one mechanical button. On the reverse side is a small plastic insert, similar to that located on the tablet in place for recharging the S Pen. Recognition of up to 4096 levels of pressure and angle. From the point of view of its intended use, everything is fine with S Pen: it’s convenient to draw, it works adequately with a bunch of third-party applications, and, of course, with company notes, drawings, and so on. Handwriting input is supported (and works adequately).

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From third-party software, it seemed to me the most interestingand functional Concepts: a bunch of tools, additional functions, work with layers and so on. For sketches, sketches, flowcharts and other things, it fits perfectly:

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Of the innovations, it is worth noting that now SPen with Bluetooth, as in the Note line of smartphones since last year. This allows you to use it as a remote control in different applications. At the same time, not only the button works, but also gestures in the air: horizontal, vertical and circular. Of course, you can remotely control the camera (which makes it no longer so useless in the tablet) and a number of other applications. So, for example, for presentations S Pen as a remote control is very suitable.

How convenient is DeX mode and what can you really do on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6?

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A separate important feature of the Samsung Galaxy TabS6 (like its predecessor S4) is the “desktop” operating mode of Dex. It can be used both on the tablet itself and by connecting to an external monitor (having the appropriate cable). When connected to an external monitor, the tablet can be used either as a touchpad or as an additional display. Of course, it will be most convenient to use a tablet in Dex mode with the BookCover proprietary keyboard. There is a suspicion that they will give it on pre-order. It has changed significantly for the better compared to last year. It consists of two separate halves: a part with a folding stand that attaches directly to the back of the tablet and the keyboard itself with a magnetic mount to the bottom of the tablet. The main difference from last year is the presence of a small but full touchpad with clicks. This greatly simplifies the work and brings the tablet closer to the more familiar “laptop” scenario.

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DeX mode by its main logic was left withoutchanges, but it was substantially redrawn, and most importantly, it was well “finished”. It works very quickly, even with a large number of simultaneously running applications. The main logic itself is close to Windows: application shortcuts are placed on the desktop, in the lower left corner are navigation buttons and an application menu button. Next - the icons of running applications with the ability to pin, in the lower right corner - a panel with a clock, notifications, switches for wireless interfaces, notification curtain, and so on. The tablet fully works in multitasking mode, applications can be deployed to full screen, or work with them in windows. Switching takes place with the old familiar Alt + Tab combination.

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It all works very quickly and smoothly. In Dex mode, you can work with office applications, process photos (at a basic level), so formally such a scenario is fully operational. But, of course, a familiar laptop is still more comfortable.

How are things going with the camera?

They decided to install a dual camera on the tablet. The main module is 13 megapixels with an f / 2.0 aperture and autofocus, video recording in UHD (3840 × 2160) @ 30fps is supported. The second is ultra-wide at 5 MP with an f / 2.2 aperture. The camera interface is familiar with Samsung smartphones: the modes are switched by horizontal movements, next to the shutter button there is a switch between cameras, the screen has all the basic necessary settings:

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Taking pictures with tablets is rather inconvenient andmanufacturers usually install very modest cameras, "for show". Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 received a very good main camera. Yes, it does not reach the flagship smartphones by night shooting (by the way, there is a night mode itself and it works), but getting decent photos is quite possible:

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Wide angle camera:

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In the dry residue

If we consider the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 inabsolute categories, then this is really the most powerful and advanced Android tablet at the moment. It boasts the necessary set of a top-end tablet: excellent materials, assembly, a large high-quality display, top-filling inside, a long battery life, the presence of all the necessary wireless interfaces, including LTE, a fast, convenient shell and high-quality, loud speakers. In addition, there are extremely interesting bonuses in the form of an S Pen stylus, which is not only suitable for any sketches or sketches, but can also act as a remote control for presentations or a camera. Plus, DeX mode, which, complete with a keyboard, turns the tablet into something like a laptop, on which you can really do some work. But if you go back to reality and take into account factors such as the main tablet usage scenarios and cost, it becomes clear that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is a very niche device for a narrow audience. It is possible that it is intended: the tablet will cost 28 000 UAH (like its predecessor at the start of sales), which is comparable with the flagship smartphone or a good ultraportable laptop.

6 reasons to buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab S6:

stylish appearance and quality materials;
flagship iron;
high-quality display with support for HDR10 +;
impressive autonomy;
functional stylus S Pen and interesting DeX mode;
high-quality speakers.

3 reasons not to buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6:

high price;
lack of a 3.5 mm headphone jack;
You already have a tablet for video, web surfing and social services. networks, but you don’t need more.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

Flagship Android tablet with 10.5-inch SuperAMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 × 1600 (16:10 aspect ratio), a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of internal memory, an active S Pen stylus and Android 9 Pie OS with a proprietary shell

Rozetka

Allo

Comfy

Brain

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Technical specifications Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

Display
SuperAMOLED, 10.5 inches, 2560 × 1600 287 ppi

Housing
dimensions 244.5 × 159.5 × 5.7 mm, weight 420 g

CPU
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (7 nm), 1 × 2.84 GHz Kryo 485, 3 × 2.42 GHz Kryo 485, 4 × 1.78 GHz Kryo 485, Adreno 640 Graphics

RAM
6 GB

Flash memory
128 GB + microSD

Camera
13 MP, f / 2.0, 1 / 3.4 ″, 1.0µm, AF + 5 MP, f / 2.2, (super wide angle), 1.12µm, 8 MP front camera, f / 2.0

Wireless technology
Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac (dual band, 2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, LTE

GPS
there is

Battery
7040 mAh

operating system
Android 9 Pie + One UI 1.5

For those that want to know more:

Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 review: flagship tablet with really interesting chips
Samsung Galaxy S10 review: All-in-One universal flagship
Samsung Galaxy A80 Review: Smartphone Experiment with PTZ Camera and Huge Display
Lenovo ThinkBook 13s review: ultra-portable “business notebook” with a human face
Sony Xperia 1 review: “high” flagship with 4K HDR OLED display