Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 Vs. Apple iPad Air 2: Nearly Identical Slates Take Centerstage (VIDEO)
The Apple iPad Air 2 may have led the pack when it was released in October 2014, but it was followed by its close rival when Samsung launched its Galaxy Tab S2 in July this year with nearly the same specs.
The tablet industry doesn't have the same clout the smartphone market does and with a decline in slate sales, Apple continues to refurbish its last gen slabs to debut newer, more improved models each year.
With its iPad Air 2 last year cornering a large share of the market, Samsung launched its closest competitor, the Galaxy Tab 2, which carries nearly identical specs as the Apple tablet.
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In terms of design, the iPad Air 2 is clad in a thin and lightweight framework measuring 170mm x 240mm x 6.1mm, while the Galaxy Tab S2 sports a metal casing at 169mm x 237mm x 5.6mm. When held side by side, it can be hard to tell one from the other.
In the display arena, the Galaxy Tab S2's 9.7-inch Super AMOLED screen features a 2048 x 1536 resolution, which is basically similar to the iPad Air 2's 9.7-inch Retina display with anti-reflection coating that carries the same resolution and identical 264 ppi.
Processor-wise, the Galaxy Tab S2 is powered by an octa-core 1.3GHz Exynos 5433 CPU with 3GB of RAM, while the iPad Air 2 carries a 1.5GHz triple-core A8X with 2GB of RAM. While the Galaxy Tab S2 runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box, the iPad Air 2 ships with iOS 8.4 installed.
The Galaxy Tab S2 is available with 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, with the Galaxy Tab S2's onboard storage expandable up to 128GB. In the meantime, the iPad Air 2 is available with 16GB, 64GB and 128GB internal storage. Its storage is not expandable. The Galaxy Tab S2 has a smaller 5,870mAh battery, however, when pitted against the iPad Air 2's longer lasting 7,340mAh powercell.
In terms of camera options, both slates present an 8MP rear camera, with the Galaxy Tab S2 featuring a 2.1MP selfie snapper to the iPad Air 2's 1.2MP front shooter. While the Galaxy Tab S2 has the more superior 4K video recording capability, the iPad Air 2's 1080p video recorder features autofocus, face detection, and panorama mode.
