Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 v. Apple iPad Air 2; Specifications And Pricing Comparison

The Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 is the new tablet from Samsung. It is being dubbed as iPad killer since the iPad Air 2 and the Galaxy Tab S2 both feature a 9.7-inch display.

The Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 is the slimmest tablet Samsung has ever made with a thickness of only 5.6 mm and it is packed with attractive specs. Here is a comparison between the technical specifications of both the tablets:

Dimensions And Display

With a slim chassis of 5.6 mm, the Galaxy Tab S2 is slimmer than the iPad Air 2, which has a thickness of 6.1 mm. Sporting a metal chassis, the Tab S2 measures 237.3 x 169 mm. The weight of the Wi-Fi model is 389 grams and the Wi-Fi and LTE model weighs 392 grams.

The iPad Air 2 comes with an aluminum unibody and it measures 240 x 169.5x mm. The Wi-Fi-only unit weighs 437 grams and the weight of the Wi-Fi and LTE model is 362 grams.

The 9.7-inch screen with support for 2048 x 1536 pixels resolution is a common feature of both the tablets. The Samsung slate features a Super AMOLED screen whereas the iPad Air 2 houses an IPS LED backlit display. The Home present below the screen features a fingerprint scanner.

Chipset, RAM And Storage

The Exynos 5433 chipset with a 64-bit octa-core processor powers up the device. It comes with four Cortex A57 cores working at 1.3 GHz and four Cortex A53 cores clocking at 1.3 GHz. The chipset is supported by 3 GB of RAM. The Galaxy Tab S2 will be available in 32 GB and 64 GB native storage variants and support for up to 128 GB of microSD on external storage.

The Apple A8X chipset featuring a tri-core 64-bit processor working at 1.5 GHz along with 2 GB of RAM powers the iPad Air 2. There is no external storage on the device, but it comes with internal storage versions like 16 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB.

Camera And Software

Both the tablets house 8 MP rear snappers. However, the front-facing camera of Samsung slate is 2.1 MP whereas the iPad Air 2 features a 1.2 MP camera.

The Android 5.0 Lollipop with TouchWiz UI comes preloaded on the Tab S2. The iPad Air 2 is shipped with iOS 8.

Battery And Price

The Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 comes with a battery of 5,870 mAh. The Apple tablet is packed with a bigger 7,340 mAh battery.

According to Sam Mobile , the Galaxy S2 Tab S2 9.7 Wi-Fi-only model is priced at 499 euros ($540) and the version that supports both LTE and Wi-Fi is priced at 540 euros ($616). The USD pricing is as per the current exchange rates. The publication does no list the exact price of the 32 GB and 64 GB storage versions.

The iPad Air 2 base model with only Wi-Fi connectivity starts at $499 and the 128 GB WI-Fi and LTE variant carries a price tag of $829.