Mid-Size Tablet Shootout Posted: iPad mini with Retina Display vs. Galaxy Tab S 8.4

I ‘m curious about how many iPads Apple is actually selling these days. It’s been widely rumored and anticipated that new models with A8 SoCs, 2 GB of RAM, 8 megapixel cameras, and fingerprint recognition login, are coming in a matter of weeks, and I find it hard to fathom why any informed person in the hunt for a new iPad wouldn’t hold on with their current tablet hardware (even if it’s no tablet hardware) until the new machines are unveiled.

I’m in this very position myself. My 3+ year old iPad 2 is still going strong, but the 512 MB of RAM is slowing things down these days, and the two megapixel camera really isn’t up to much, so it’s been a challenge not to lay down the plastic for a new Air or mini, although I’ve managed to resist, and at this late date it would be silly to take the plunge this late in the game.

I suppose it helps that there are no doubt a lot of uninformed prospective buyers oblivious to the nuances of Apple new product cycles.

Not that ending up with a current A7 powered model would be cause for major buyer remorse, however nice the late 2014 iPads turn out to be. The late 2013 models are also certainly nice pieces of work, and the 64 bit A7 SoC should have plenty of future proofing headroom for the next few years, and the current 5 MP camera is no slouch, so the current Pads are a strong contender even at nearly a year since they were rolled out compared with recent newer competition.

Just how strong is quantified by Yahoo! Tech technology reporter Daniel Howley in a comparo review of the mid-size iPad mini with Retina Display, vs. the more recently released Galaxy Tab S 8.4.

Photo Courtesy Apple

Howley notes that in the midsize tablet category, the iPad mini with Retina display reigns supreme, but Samsung is challenging with the slightly larger-screened Galaxy Tab S 8.4.mBoth machines are priced at $399, so, how does the S 8.4 measure up against the 7.9-inch iPad?
Howley faced off the two tablets head-to-head in several categories of evaluation, observing that there’s a reason the iPad mini is one of the most popular tablets you can buy, what with its superb industrial design making it “an impressive piece of technology.” The Tab S, is attractive enough, but made of plastic instead of unibody aluminum. It has a bigger, brighter display, but the iPad’s renderings are more realistic and true to life.

Photos Courtesy Samsung

The Tab S display is higher resolution at 2560 x 1600, versus the iPad’s 2048 x 1536, and it has two main home screens, with the option to add up to three more, but Howley finds them “cluttered and overwhelming,” and notes that precious few Android apps are optimized to work with the Tab S’s display He says the iPad mini with Retina display feels far more streamlined, and lots of iOS apps have been optimized for the iPad mini’s Retina display.

Photo Courtesy Apple

Both machines delivered impressive performance, and roughly similar battery life, but the Samsung Tab S 8.4’s 8-megapixel rear camera squaring off against the iPad mini’s 5 MP shooter proved testimonial to higher megapixel counts not necessarily equating to better image quality.

You can check out the full review in detail here:
http://yhoo.it/1mS5tle

It’s probably not much of a spoiler to note that Howley declares the iPad mini with Retina Display the best mini tablet, by virtue of its superior design, more fluid interface, larger apps library and a wider array of accessories, and that with iPad mini and Air upgrades anticipated soon, “The best midsized tablet on the block may get even better.”

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