CES 2014 saw Samsung launch, quite literally, two of the biggest tablets of the year but went a little further with the announcement of two impressive slates that fit into more socially acceptable sized frames.
The Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 and Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 may overshadow the competition thanks to their sheer stature, but the launch of the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 and Tab Pro 8.4 provides a strong backbone to the new "Pro" range.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 sits quite firmly against the more traditional tablet, aiming to take a hefty swipe at the dominance of the iPad Air, the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet and Microsoft's own Surface 2. Even Samsung's own Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 can't be ignored given a similar spec list and the extra S Pen.
Unfortunately the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 seems to get off to a poor start as its fairly substantial price tag, of £449 ($499, around AU$809), makes it more expensive than its immediate competition.
A clue for this increased price tag may lie in the naming strategy. The "Pro" moniker definitely hints at the business market, aimed more as a working tablet than for casual web browsing in front of the television. This is backed up by the inclusion of Samsung's e-Meeting and Remote PC apps, as well as Cisco's WebEx.
That said, even casual users will be drawn to Samsung's offering thanks to some hefty internal grunt and a suitably impressive screen.
The Samsung tradition of eschewing metal products for a plastic back is continued in the white Tab Pro 10.1 I have in my hands, as is the same faux leather and stitch effect on the rear that was first seen on the Galaxy Note 3.
Initially
I found this to be a bit disappointing but the textured plastic is
actually rather pleasant to hold and I soon found myself drawn to the
stitch effect. Love it or hate it, it's nice to see Samsung trying to
break away from a traditional slab with a nod to the leather bound
notebooks of old.
Samsung has elected to offer the Galaxy
Tab Pro 10.1 in both black and white, with the review model I had being
the latter. In terms of a "pro" offering, I do feel that the black
version is far better suited, as the white plastic seems like it would
fit far better on a coffee table rather than at a desk.
Wrapped in a 243.1 x 171.4 x 7.3mm frame and weighing a mere 469g, the Tab Pro 10.1 is easy to hold for long periods of time. The bezel also fits neatly between slim and stylish, whilst staying wide enough to allow a decent grip without leaving thumbs all over the screen.
This is a good call because there is no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 screen is easily one of the best on the market. The 2560 x 1600 resolution leaves a density of 299ppi, higher than the 264ppi of the Retina Display on the iPad Air.
This resolution matches that of the Asus Transformer Pad, however the screen felt brighter, meaning a more pleasant viewing experience, and one that was less strenuous on the eyes.
I
did find that there was the occasional problem with the auto-brightness
coming out too dark even when adjusting the toggle, so I tended to keep
the brightness on its maximum setting. This is a problem that I also
found on the Asus and will hopefully be fixed in a software update.
Other
hardware matches up to this high standard, with 2GB of RAM supporting
an octa-core Exynos CPU. This is made up of four cores clocked at 1.9GHz
and four smaller 1.3GHz cores.
Samsung has also opted to
go for a traditional button layout, with the physical home key being
flagged by the back and multi-tasking buttons. These are at the bottom
when the Tab Pro 10.1 is held in landscape, something that makes more
sense as I found that I held the tablet in landscape pretty much all the
time.
The
2MP front facing camera sits in the opposite bezel, making a lot of
sense for video calling. A rear facing camera is also included packing a
total of 8MP, alongside a flash.
I've never been an
advocate of using a tablet as a camera, using it out and about felt more
than a bit ridiculous, but the generous offering means that the Tab Pro
10.1 could prove to be a decent alternative to having to search through
drawers to find your compact.
In terms of speakers and
ports, the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 includes a microUSB port on the centre of
the base, ideal for charging whilst using the tablet.
The
left and right sides house a dual speaker system, something I was
equally impressed by as the speakers sat just above where I placed my
hands. Below the right hand speaker is the microSD slot, whilst the
headphone port sits above the left.
This left the
power/lock button and volume rocker to be placed along the top, sitting
relatively flush but standing out enough that I never found any problems
in hitting them.
An infra-red blaster also seems to be
included but the lack of Samsung's WatchOn app left me a little
confused. Overall though, it's clear that Samsung has given its tablet
design a lot of thought.
Being a Samsung device one of the key areas to be looked at has to be the screen. Unfortunately we've yet to see a tablet from the Korean giant that comes with the same pop and sparkle that accompanies the Super AMOLED screens that ship on the Galaxy S5.
However, the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 still manages to put in a more than decent shift.
There's no doubt that the occasional auto-brightness issue left me feeling a little frustrated, but generally the Tab Pro 10.1 was bright and usable whilst out and about, should you decide to do a bit of mobile web browsing or take a snap on the 8MP camera.
Colours
reproduction was also second to none, something that has come to be a
trademark of Samsung devices. This meant that watching videos on the
10.1-inch screen was superb, and it gave that extra edge to mobile
gaming.
The high specs are also continued inside the
Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1, shipping with an octa-core Exynos CPU powered by
four 1.9GHz cores and four 1.3GHz cores. This means that whilst browsing
the web sat in front of the television was a breeze; pages loaded as
quickly as Wi-Fi would allow.
Heavy lifting was also
carried off with aplomb. Throughout my time with the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1
I only found that the CPU stuttered once.
That was
during initial set up as nigh-on every app that came pre-installed had
an update located on the Play Store, and throwing YouTube browsing its
way left the Tab Pro 10.1 hesitating a few seconds before bringing up
the latest edition of the Phone Show.
Two
gigabytes of RAM also helped the Tab Pro 10.1 take the strain, although
this was a little disappointing given that there are three found inside
the Galaxy Note 3. That said I never found this to be a problem.
Samsung
has also thrown in a variety of differing business-focused apps, from
its own e-Meeting and Remote PC apps to Cisco's WebEx. This means that
the Galaxy Tab Pro range will certainly be sitting on the radar of many
IT departments.
Also
included is Samsung's Knox software. This provides not only a protected
section on the tablet for file storage, but also a secure connection to
the outside world via the internet app, as well as a host of other apps
that can be found through the Samsung App Store.
Despite
its current troubles there is no doubt that BlackBerry still has a
certain hold over the business world thanks to its reputation for
security, but this is an area that Samsung is definitely starting to
break ground in.
With all that power behind the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1, it should be no surprise that it performs really rather well. Any concerns surrounding the lack of a 64-bit chip such as the one found in the iPad Air are quickly allayed.
Geekbench 3 results gave an average score of 2722 putting the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 at the highest end of scores, as well as being the highest scoring tablet on the Geekbench site - unsurprising really given the wealth of power on offer.
Some of the touches to the UX that are found on the larger Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 seem to be missing on the Tab Pro 10.1. Instead the Tab Pro 10.1 follows the far more traditional Samsung layout that has been seen before.
That said there is still a dedicated screen for Flipboard as well as a business page occupied with a calendar, large email, office and business magazine widgets.
The inclusion of Flipboard with its own home screen is a nice touch, adding an almost BlinkFeed feel that is found on the HTC One M8 and its predecessor, the HTC One.
I did find myself ignoring it a fair bit though, as it is the page to the left of the default home screen. This was a little disappointing as I think it would have been a far more useful feature had it been baked in slightly tighter to the overall experience.
Another area that Samsung has excelled at has been its use of multiple windows. As a feature that I have come to use on Windows 8.1 devices, this was something that I was really looking forward to using. Unfortunately I found that it was a little more convoluted than the Windows equivalent.
Side by side viewing was possible when loading documents or videos, and apps could be launched as pop ups via a side-swipe in from the right side of the screen.
These
pop ups can also be minimised, appearing in much the same manner as
Chat heads from Facebook messenger; little floating icons. I would have
liked a way of implementing snapping these pop ups to the side though,
something that Windows definitely excels at.
It is a little disappointing that a keyboard dock doesn't come bundled as it does with the Asus Transformer Pad. There did seem to be a similar problem on both tablets however: the Android software.
The Tab Pro 10.1 has come on in leaps and bounds in terms of tablet performance. However, when it comes to productivity I still feel that Windows 8.1 has both Android and iOS beaten hands down as the multi app view I mentioned is more impressive and better implemented on Windows.
Battery life
Including an 8,220 mAh battery seems about standard for this size tablet, coming in at exactly the same size as the iPad Air, and sits rather well between the 4,800mAh Tab Pro 8.4 and the 9,600mAh Tab Pro 12.2.
The larger battery size compared to the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 left me feeling like the Tab Pro 10.1 could go for a long time. Nine hours of standby whilst connected to the Wi-Fi left a drain of 3%, meaning I never felt the need to ensure that the slate was hooked up to a power supply over night.
Running the TechRadar battery test of a 90-minute HD video with the screen brightness maxed out caused a battery drain of 26%. Compare that to the 22% drop of the Tab Pro 8.4 and the 28% drop on the Note Pro 12.2 and things seem about right.
This also means that the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 outperformed the almost identically specced Galaxy Note 10.1 2014.
The Note tablet saw a much greater drain, dropping by 35%. This could be down to the extra power that sits behind the Note 10.1 2014 (it comes with 3GB of RAM rather than 2), as well as a slight variation in the software.
Should you plan on watching HD movies whilst on
the way home from the office, or want to give the kids something to
keep them entertained on those long journeys, you'll be more than
covered with the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1.
The essentials
In terms of essentials on a tablet, we've already seen that the Galaxy
Tab Pro 10.1 covers video playing impressively, alongside that I'd
expect to see a decent web browser, keyboard, email integration and
perhaps some interesting games and social apps.
The
Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 covers most of these pretty well. There is more than
one web browser available on the Tab Pro 10.1. I always opt for the
Chrome browser as I find that it syncs across my devices better, and
provides the majority of features that I've become accustomed to on the
desktop.
In
no way should this be taken to mean that the Samsung Internet browser
should be ignored, although as expected, the functionality is pretty
much identical.
The biggest reason to use the internet
app rather than Chrome is Samsung Knox as when you are in Knox mode you
can browse securely.
The Tab Pro 10.1 does offer a really rather respectable on screen keyboard offering. I found that it will never be able to replace a full sized physical keyboard, nor will it rival the physical offerings that can be obtained alongside the Microsoft Surface 2 or Asus Transformer Pad, but it sufficed for tapping out a few emails and for web browsing. The dedicated number row was a big help.
However,
if you're considering using the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 as a replacement
for a laptop I would definitely recommend investing in a third party
Bluetooth keyboard.
Email integration was also well
handled, with the Gmail app working as well as ever. The standard email
app also worked well, handling multiple accounts and also being
compatible through Knox.
In terms of replacing a compact camera, there is no doubt
that any tablet comes with a massive disadvantage. Where a compact
camera can fit easily in a pocket or small bag, the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1
needs to be carried in a much larger bag.
That hasn't
stopped Samsung from including a rather decent 8MP camera, complete with
flash, to accompany the 2MP front facing sensor.
As
I consider the front facing snapper the primary camera on any tablet
device, I would much rather have seen these two swapped over to allow
for much clearer video calls.
I
did find though that the 2MP camera was more than sufficient in
testing, especially combining it with Samsung's Beauty Face (although
there is no quick software fix that will make me look like Bradley
Cooper).
Video calling was also well handled; with the
biggest problem I faced being the strength of my Wi-Fi, especially when
being used by a house full of devices all connected to the same network.
When it comes to snapping photos though, there is no doubt which one of the two you will be using.
Out and about trying to snap a shot with the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 did feel odd, and the extra screen real estate didn't really seem to help with the positioning of the subject.
In terms of picture quality though, there is no doubt that this is an area where the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 isn't lacking. The 8MP sensor matches the size that was seen in flagship smartphones only a few years ago, and in smartphones that are still towards the upper end of the middle market.
This means that pictures taken are on par with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, a phone that I found took some rather nice shots. Samsung's camera app also comes with the same variety of modes that are now found on Samsung smartphones.
It
does seem that in order to be able to take a decent photo of yourself
to put in the corner of your main snap, you need to have arms like the
bright orange Mr. Tickle. T-Rex's need not apply.
Whilst the camera on the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 is by
no means a slouch, there is no doubt that media consumption is far more
important on devices of this size.
This means the Tab Pro
10.1 needs a decent screen, powerful speakers and enough internal grunt
to ensure smooth gaming and video streaming.
Decent
storage should also be thrown in there, as all of this will prove
completely useless if there is no way of storing all your media.
Thankfully Dropbox comes preinstalled so you can store a wealth of media
there, all being available to play via the Video app.
This
backs up the available 8.9GB of free space, disappointingly low given
that this is the 16GB model. Of this, 2.6GB also comes filled leaving a
rather measly 6.3GB. You're left with less than 40% of the space
advertised.
Samsung does allow this to be boosted through
microSD though, so there is some light at the end of the storage
tunnel. With 64GB cards supported, and 50GB of Dropbox there is a
possibility of 120GB, which isn't to be balked at.
With
storage sorted, you can get on to playing with your media library. I've
already mentioned the screen a few times, but I'll mention it again once
more for good luck.
There
are few tablets that can give the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 a run for
its money when it comes to screen quality. Its high resolution and
impressive colour reproduction really do HD movies justice, even if the
battery seems to suffer.
Where the Tab Pro 10.1 does
begin to suffer is with the speakers. Whilst they are loud enough and
the dual speakers do mean that there is none of the associated problems
of sound only entering one ear, at full blast I found the sound to be a
bit tinny. Anyone expecting HTC One M8 levels of quality will be a little disappointed.
The
Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 doesn't have a lot to shout about when it comes to
media apps, with the standard Samsung apps on offer when it comes to
both the video and media apps. Google's standard YouTube app is also
bundled in.
Another
area that I expected to be able to use when reviewing the media section
of the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 was a tablet version of Samsung's WatchOn
service.
This is thanks to the apparent inclusion of an
infra-red blaster at the top of the tablet, which seems ideal for
throwing information towards the television. Perhaps Samsung has
something for the future? I hope so.
Last
on the list of requirements for a decent media device is the internal
powerhouse, of which the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 is by no means lacking.
Graphically
intensive games may prove to be a bit of a drain on the battery, but I
didn't find any stuttering or hesitation that so often plagues the
mobile gamer.
