Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 total review

Samsung has quietly revealed the Milky way Tab S6 ahead of the hotly-anticipated reveal of the Galaxy Note 10 on 7 August, and it offers quite the upgrade over 2018'southward Milky way Tab S4. The Tab S6 offers an improved processor, enhanced security, smart connectivity and, in our opinion, a desperately-needed redesign. But, is the Galaxy Tab S6 worth the extra money, or is the Tab S4 all the same a tempting option?

Here, we break down the key differences betwixt the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 and the Galaxy Tab S4 and explain which is better for your needs.

Pricing and availability

The newly appear Samsung Milky way Tab S6 is bachelor to pre-order at present with aircraft expected before 30 August. It costs £619/$649 for the 6GB/128GB variant, while those wanting the meridian-end 8GB/256GB variant take to pay out more at £689/$729. A 4G model adds £70 to the price.

The Samsung Milky way Tab S4, on the other paw, has been available to buy since its release in August 2018. While it would've ready consumers back over £500/$600 at launch, the Milky way Tab S4 tin can be picked up for as piffling as £435 at Amazon in the UK, along with $499 at All-time Buy in the US.

For more than inspiration, accept a await at our selection of the all-time tablets available right now.

You lot can besides read our comparison of the S6 with the cheaper Tab S5e.

Design and build

The new Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is a solid upgrade over the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 in the design section, offer a comfy course gene, lightweight design and more than. It arguably sports a design similar to a certain fruit-shaped company'southward flagship tablet with an angular pattern beginning by curved edges, and that camera bump looks very familiar likewise.

Whatever information technology resembles, information technology'southward certainly a footstep-up from the design of the Tab S4 which, in 2019, looks fairly dated.

Nearly noticeably, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 sports the same x.5in Super AMOLED brandish as the Tab S4, but with a difference in overall width. How? It'due south due to the thin bezels featured on the more contempo tablet, giving information technology a sleeker await when compared to its older, chunkier sibling, and allows information technology to compete with some of the height tablets on the market this twelvemonth.

Information technology's not merely the surface surface area that has got smaller, every bit the Tab S6 is over 1mm thinner than the Tab S4, measuring in at v.7mm and vii.1mm respectively.

Of class, every bit technology advances, things get lighter, and that'due south the case with the Samsung Milky way Tab S6 too. It has slimmed down from 480g to 420g, which should be noticeable when held in the manus.

Along with the Tab S6 comes a make new Southward-Pen that, in addition to offer new features, offers a dramatic redesign.

Like the tablet itself, the new Southward-Pen is more athwart than its predecessors, and can be attached to the back of the tablet via congenital-in magnets –this is where it also gets charged wirelessly. It sports buttons for remote command, and offers wireless charging capabilities likewise. The S-Pen also matches the terminate of the Tab S6 it's bundled with, be it Cloud Bluish, Rose Blush or Mount Greyness.

The Tab S4 as well came with an S Pen, merely different the updated variant, it didn't sport magnets, wireless charging or remote control capabilities.

Features and specs

While the redesign of the Tab S6 is welcome, it'southward the features of the latest tablet that blow those of the Tab S4 out of the water.

Galaxy Tab S4 Milky way Tab S5e Galaxy Tab S6
Display 10.5in AMOLED, 2560x1600, 287ppi 10.5in AMOLED, 2560x1600, 287pp 10.5in AMOLED, 2560x1600, 287pp
Processor Snapdragon 835 Snapdragon 670 Snapdragon 855
RAM 4GB 4/6GB 6/8GB
Storage 64/256GB - expandable up to 512GB 64/128GB + microSD up to 512GB 128/256GB - expandable up to 1TB
Cameras 13Mp rear, 8Mp front 13Mp rear, 8Mp front 13Mp + 5Mp rear, 8Mp forepart
Operating organization Android eight Oreo (updatable to ix) Android 9.0 Pie Android 9 Pie
Connectivity USB-C, Pogo, headphone jack USB-C, Pogo USB-C, Pogo
Biometrics Iris scanner Fingerprint scanner, Face recognition Fingerprint scanner, Face recognition
Speakers Iv Iv Four
Headphone jack Aye No No
Battery 7300mAh 7040mAh 7040mAh
Dimensions 249.iii x 164.3 10 seven.one mm 245 ten 160 x 5.5mm 245 x 160 x 5.7mm
Weight 482g 400g 420g

Let's showtime with the core internals; the Tab S4 features Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 chipset (2.35GHz + 1.9GHz) aslope 4GB of RAM which, in all fairness, should provide decent performance, but it may struggle to run more graphically intense games and Pro-level apps available in 2019. That's where the Tab S6 comes into play, offering Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8150 Mobile Platform (1x2.8GHz, 3x2.4GHz, 4x1.7GHz) along with either 6- or 8GB of RAM depending on the variant that you opt for.

It should come as no surprise that the Tab S6 offers more flexibility in terms of storage, boasting either 128- or 256GB of storage equally standard, which can be expanded by up to 1TB via the tablet's microSD card slot.

The Tab S4 matches the premium 256GB storage option, but the entry-level storage drops down to 64GB, and the microSD card expansion is capped at 400GB too. Information technology should exist more than enough for standard consumers, only power users may want to opt for the newer tablet.

The battery life department is where things get interesting, considering the Tab S4 actually has a larger bombardment than the new Tab S6, offering a 7300mAh battery compared to 7040mAh of the newer tablet. Nosotros're yet to go hands-on with the Tab S6 so we're not sure how this translates to real-globe usage, only the official line from Samsung is that the Tab S4 provides around xvi hours of video playback, while the new Tab S6 offers only 15.

Arguably at this point yous're splitting hairs, but if yous spend a lot of fourth dimension away from home, it's worth certainly worth thinking almost.

Photographic camera-wise, the Tab S6 is the winner; information technology sports a dual rear-facing camera setup comprised of a 13Mp broad-bending lens and a 5Mp ultra-broad lens, with built-in AI that enhances overall epitome quality. That's joined by an 8Mp front-facing sensor, which is well-nigh identical to the forepart-facing camera of the Tab S4. The Tab S4 isn't quite as exciting on the rear equally the newer variant, offering a unmarried 13Mp photographic camera.

The Tab S4 saw the introduction of a security feature that Samsung idea was the future – Iris Scanning. In theory, it'due south a good idea, every bit eyes are pretty unique, but the real-world functioning wasn't great and having to align your eyes with the scanner every time you wanted to unlock the tablet became tedious very rapidly.

Samsung realised this and has since moved away from Iris Scanning, and similar with the Galaxy S10, the Tab S6 sports an in-brandish fingerprint reader. This is a much easier – and more secure – fashion to unlock the tablet, and in that location's no sacrifice to the quality of the display to make this possible either.

There's not a lot of difference in the connectivity department, with both offering Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, although the Tab S6 offers MIMO support for faster wireless data transfer. Both feature USB-C ports for charging and information transfer, as well.

The ii tablets also share similarities in the sound department, with both the Tab S4 and Tab S6 offering a 4-speaker setup specially tuned by AKG to provide a great stereo experience whether you're watching a moving-picture show, playing a game or simply listening to your favourite tunes.

1 unique feature of the Galaxy Tab S6 is the connectivity it offers with the Galaxy S10 range. Like iPhones, iPads and Macs, users that own an S10 (or S10+) volition be able to make and receive calls and texts via the Tab S6 when information technology's nearby. It'south non a deal-billow by any means, merely information technology's certainly a bonus if yous've already invested in Samsung'south 2022 flagship.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 a worthy upgrade?

It's hard to say without going hands-on with the tablet ourselves, but based on the specs, the Samsung Milky way Tab S6 offers a range of upgrades over the Milky way Tab S4 including better operation, improved security, enhanced connectivity with Galaxy devices and an all-round improved design.

But, if you lot're a casual tablet user that doesn't need blistering speeds or a huge corporeality of storage, the Tab S4 is however a dandy choice that's more than capable of treatment everyday tasks – it just looks a little dated in 2019.

Specs

Samsung Galaxy Tab S4: Specs

  • Android Oreo
  • 10.5in, SuperAMOLED, 2560x1600, 287ppi
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, octa-cadre processor
  • 4GB RAM
  • 64/256GB storage
  • MicroSD (400GB)
  • Due south Pen, 4096 pressure levels
  • 13Mp rear camera, f/1.ix with car focus
  • 8Mp front photographic camera, f/i.9
  • Wi-Fi 11ac
  • Bluetooth five.0
  • USB 3.1 gen i
  • Quad speakers with AKG tuning and Dolby Atmos
  • 7300mAh battery with Fast Charging
  • Upwards to 16 hours video playback
  • 249x164x7.1mm
  • 482g (Wi-Fi) 483g (LTE)
  • Black or Gray

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6: Specs

  • Android nine P
  • ten.5in WQXGA Super AMOLED (1600X2560) brandish, 287ppi
  • Qualcomm MSM8998 chipset (2.35GHz + 1.9GHz)
  • half-dozen- or 8GB RAM
  • 128- or 256GB storage, expandable by upwardly to 1TB via microSD
  • Dual rear-facing photographic camera setup (13 + 5Mp)
  • 8Mp front-facing camera
  • Wi-Fi 802.xi a/b/g/due north/air conditioning (two.iv/5GHz), MIMO
  • Bluetooth v.0
  • USB-C
  • Four speakers
  • Redesigned Southward-Pen with Bluetooth and Wireless Charging
  • In-brandish fingerprint scanner
  • 7040mAh battery
  • 244.5 x 159.5 x 5.7mm
  • 420g
  • Available in Cloud Blue, Rose Chroma, Mountain Grayness
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Author: Lewis Painter, Senior Staff Writer

Lewis Painter

Our resident Apple skillful, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. Yous'll too find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.