Best Samsung tablets to buy right now (2020)
Are you looking for a good Samsung tablet in 2020? Well, we’ve got good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that there’s not a lot of models to choose from, but the good news is that what’s on offer covers pretty much all the bases!
Whether you’re looking for a premium Android slate, a capable 2-in-1 that runs Windows, or an affordable alternative, there’s likely something for you on this list. It’s been a slow couple years for Android tablets as a whole, but maybe this year we’ll see something new and interesting not only from Samsung, but from other big names as well. Apple is surely pushing hard to further dominate the segment.
What is the best Samsung tablet?
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
The Galaxy Tab S6 is everything that a good tablet needs to be. It’s sleek, it’s functional, and most importantly, it’s Android’s best bet at coming up with any serious competition to the iPad. But should you really get it instead of any of Apple’s tablets? Yes, it’s a noteworthy alternative to its non-Pro slates.
With the Galaxy Tab S6, you get great performance, excellent design, top-notch hardware, beautiful display, a useful S Pen, standalone DeX Mode, and a great multimedia experience. It’s a great tablet overall that doubles as both an excellent multimedia consumption device and a productivity powerhouse that could even be used as a lightweight replacement for your laptop in certain scenarios. Of course, provided that you get the Book Cover Keyboard, which costs $179.99.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e
Believe it or not, the Tab S5e is significantly thinner than the 7.1mm Tab S4, at a (record-breaking?) 5.5mm. Its screen bezels are also smaller, resulting in a shorter and narrower slab with the same Super AMOLED display real estate and even the same 2560 x 1600 resolution. At only 400 grams, this bad boy is not just lighter than the Galaxy Tab S4, but also Apple’s latest 9.7-inch iPad and the 11-inch iPad Pro.
Despite all that, Samsung is promising a respectable battery life of up to 14.5 hours, which actually seems doable with 7,040 mAh cell capacity in tow and an unnamed but no doubt frugal octa-core processor clocked at up to 2.0 GHz speed (Snapdragon 670?). That doesn’t exactly make the Galaxy Tab S5e the world’s most powerful tablet, but in combination with up to 6GB RAM, it should get the job done adequately as far as web browsing, light gaming, and especially multimedia content consumption is concerned.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S4
Furthermore, with the Galaxy Tab S4, Samsung brings its DeX dock to a tablet for the first time. Samsung DeX on the Galaxy Tab S4 transforms the user interface and experience so you can multitask like you would on a PC, without any additional accessories needed. For example, you can open multiple PC-style applications— including Android and Microsoft Office apps— directly on the Galaxy Tab S4. You can even resize windows, drag and drop content between apps, and use keyboard shortcuts and commands. The experience is further supplemented by the excellent S Pen stylus, which comes in the box.
On the hardware and software fronts, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 runs the latest version of the Samsung Experience, based on Android 8.1 Oreo. The tablet is powered by the Snapdragon 835 (2.35GHz + 1.9GHz) and comes with 4GB of RAM and a 7,300 mAh battery with Fast Charging support. It is also available in two storage options – 64GB or 256GB, both expandable to up to 400GB via the microSD card slot.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3
Furthermore, the Tab S3 also comes with Samsung’s trademark S Pen, which leverages the perks of the tablet’s outstanding display. It’s perfect for note-taking, that’s a given, but it’s also a powerful tool for artists. Coming from the now-ancient 12.2” Galaxy TabPRO, I found the Tab S3 to be a tad small for drawing with its 9.7” screen, but even if it’s not the first choice for artists, it’s such a well rounded device otherwise.
As far as looks are concerned, the tablet has a glass and metal design that channels that classic Samsung look, which we’re seeing less and less of these days, with the bezel-less craze in full swing, and we actually quite like it. Would it have looked better, had Samsung shaved a bit more on the sides, top and bottom, leaving the frame thinner? Perhaps it would’ve, but it’s not a bad-looking device as is.
The Galaxy Tab S3 is powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor, which is not quite up to par with the current top-of-the-line Snapdragon 835, but it’s still more than capable of delivering an adequately smooth experience. That being said, Samsung’s Android skin is as usual prone to lag at times, so keep that in mind.
The tablet comes with 32GB of on-board memory and is powered by a 6,000 mAh battery, which is able to deliver average battery life of around seven and a half hours of video at full charge. You can also turn the Tab S3 into a 2-in-1 if you opt to attach a keyboard ti it, but the keyboard’s sold separately, so it will run you extra on top of the tablet’s already premium price.
Samsung Galaxy Book 12
The Samsung Galaxy Book is a 12-inch 2-in-1 tablet with a fantastic HDR-ready, 2160 x 1440 Super AMOLED display and the horsepower to match. This tablet is aimed at power users who want to do a lot on the go. As such, it runs Windows 10, instead of Android, which could either be a good thing or a deal-breaker, depending on your preferences, but it’s safe to say that the people who are buying this product are not getting it primarily for entertainment. Although Windows 10 can feel somewhat clunky on a touch screen device at times, it’s much better-suited for actually doing work.
And to supplement the power-user-nature of the operating system, the Galaxy Book comes with both a keyboard kickstand and an S-Pen out of the box, which is really nice. The keyboard kickstand is, however, not as solid as we had hoped. It does the job but can feel a bit flimsy at times, especially compared to Microsoft’s solution for the Surface Pro. But then again, this one is included in the box!
For a 12-inch device, the Galaxy Book is relatively compact, sporting a sleek profile that manages to keep things thinner and lighter than the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. At the core of the Galaxy Book is a 7th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU clocked at 2.5Ghz, paired with an Intel HD 620 GPU and either 4 or 8 gigs of RAM, depending on the version. There’s also two SSD storage options available – 128GB and 256GB. The all-around performance of this premium 2-in-1 is good for productivity and creative work, but as you would imagine, it is not very well-suited for running more demanding games. However, most of the stuff that you’ll find on the Microsoft Store should run just fine.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (with S-Pen)
