Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 hands-on impressions

Last updated: July 31st, 2019 at 16:07 UTC+01:00

What many had expected to be introduced as the Milky way Tab S5 has today been formally launched as the Milky way Tab S6. Samsung'southward latest flagship tablet follows the same blueprint philosophy as the Galaxy Tab S5e. It's thin, light and has slimmer bezels. Samsung feels that this is the right moment for a new flagship tablet every bit the market is showing signs of recovering, so it'southward putting a powerhouse on the market. SamMobile got an opportunity to spend some time with the tablet and you will find our first impressions of the device in our Milky way Tab S6 easily-on that follows below.

Galaxy Tab S6 hands-on: Pattern

As previously mentioned, the Galaxy Tab S6's design is quite similar to the Milky way Tab S5e. The similarities are quite evident upfront since it opts for slimmer bezels besides. The back, however, make information technology stand out. There's a new groove at the back where the Due south Pen attaches magnetically. The Galaxy Tab S5e, as many of you may be enlightened, doesn't come with a stylus. You lot'll also run into two rear cameras. The Galaxy Tab S6 is Samsung'south starting time tablet with a dual camera at the dorsum.

Since this is a flagship product, Samsung has gone with an in-display fingerprint sensor instead of placing a conventional sensor in the power button. In the time that we spent with this device, nosotros found that the in-display fingerprint sensor works very well in both portrait and landscape orientations. This is all the same another difference between this tablet and the Galaxy Tab S5e and last year's Milky way Tab S4. It also comes with a new S Pen in the box.

The overall slim and low-cal metallic build feels solid as you'd await. Some y'all might dock points from the device since it doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Galaxy Tab S5e didn't equally well but at least information technology came with a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle in the box. Nosotros have confirmed with Samsung and the company says it'south not going to ship the Galaxy Tab S6 with the dongle. It feels that Bluetooth headphones are now bachelor for every toll range so information technology doesn't have to provide that accessory anymore.

One tin can hold with Samsung'southward logic but it has to be said that zippo drastic has happened in the Bluetooth headphone market over the by half dozen months between the Galaxy Tab S5e and Milky way Tab S6'southward launch. It would have been better if Samsung shipped a dongle with this new tablet every bit well; information technology'due south a flagship afterward all. What we besides wish Samsung had done this time around was make the Milky way Tab S6 water and dust resistant with an IP67 or IP68 rating. It would provide customers with more peace of mind and flexibility when using their device. This virtually seems similar a missed opportunity for a flagship tablet similar the Galaxy Tab S6, particularly as prices for these tablets are continuing to rise each year.

Brandish

The 10.5-inch brandish of the Galaxy Tab S6 is exactly the same as the one on the Galaxy Tab S5e. Samsung'due south AMOLED panels are generally exceptional and we establish no problems with this ane as well. It looks stunning with bright colors. With a brightness rating of over 500 nits, it'southward actually in a league of its ain as far as tablets are concerned. The display has support for the S Pen which comes in the box. Using the stylus on the device'due south brandish opens up a whole new globe of functionality and possibility on the Galaxy Tab S6. We'll go more than in detail about the display's qualities in our full Galaxy Tab S6 review.

Software

Samsung is shipping the Galaxy Tab S6 with Ane UI i.5, the latest version of its One UI custom skin. The tablet comes with Android ix.0 Pie and is going to receive Android Q, whenever Samsung starts rolling out the adjacent major iteration of the Os. Most of the features here are already nowadays on other Samsung devices. They include the organisation-wide Dark mode and Pie'due south Digital Wellbeing features.

Since the S Pen has received an update, information technology can now perform the very same functions that yous tin can exercise with the Milky way Note 9's Due south Pen. It can be used as a remote in presentations or as a clicker in the camera app. There are some novelty features likewise, such as the ability to use augmented reality engineering science to draw a pair of glasses on your confront in selfie mode. This isn't something that many people volition utilize a lot but it'southward practiced to encounter that Samsung is trying new things. The gesture controls which the Southward Pen enables in the camera app will be expanded as well since Samsung will open up the SDK to developers. This volition let them to integrate the Southward Pen controls in their ain apps.

Performance

In the limited corporeality of time that we had with the Galaxy Tab S6, our commencement impression was that this tablet is blazing fast. You can thank the latest Snapdragon 855 processor for that. Samsung has done itself a favor by shipping this device with electric current-generation silicon. Couple that with a hefty serving of RAM (6GB on the base of operations model, 8GB on the higher-end variant) and you lot've got a true Android powerhouse. All of this actress power translates into a much smoother experience with Samsung DeX, something professional person users who rely on DeX will profoundly capeesh. Nosotros'll talk more about the operation gains here in our total review.

Conclusion

This Galaxy Tab S6 easily-on is just meant to inform you lot of our first impressions of this device. Nosotros'll take a detailed Galaxy Tab S6 review fix in the nigh future so do cheque back for that. Despite our express fourth dimension with the device, we do accept some serious questions nearly whether or non it will succeed in the market. The price is the elephant in the room: Does it offer enough to justify the 300-400 euro premium over the Milky way Tab S5e?

Nobody really uses a tablet for photography. Samsung could have justified the price tag with a ToF sensor instead of a wide angle camera. A ToF sensor would actually make sense in a tablet since it would enable new AR experiences which volition exist useful for both consumers and business users. The IP water and dust resistance rating, or lack thereof, sticks out like a sore pollex as well.

In that location'south no denying the fact that the Milky way Tab S6 is a beautiful tablet. It feels really nice and premium in the easily. It has a gorgeous display and all the power that you lot could want from a tablet in 2019. But will customers opt for information technology given the shortcomings? Only fourth dimension will tell. We await to receive the Galaxy Tab S6 adjacent month and volition then have a full review up for you in no time.

What'due south your first impression of the Galaxy Tab S6? Is it a worthy upgrade or should the boilerplate customer just stick with the Milky way Tab S5e?