Introduction
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 is the Korean giant's latest entry into the market for premium full-size tablets. Launched alongside a compact variant with 8" display, the ultra-thin newcomer is aimed squarely at Apple's iPad family in its segment.
In a bid to attract the attention from current and prospective Apple iPad buyers, Samsung has made the Galaxy Tab S2 the thinnest and lightest slate in its class. With a 5.6mm waistline and 389 grams of weight, the Tab S2 is sleeker and lighter than the already impossibly thin Apple iPad Air 2.
Of course, as expected from a flagship tablet by Samsung, the specs of the Galaxy Tab S2 aren't too shabby either. Take a quick look at what the tablet has to offer below.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 at a glance
- Display: 9.7" Super AMOLED unit with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels; 264ppi; 4:3 aspect ratio
- CPU: 1.9GHz quad-core Cortex-A57; 1.3GHz quad-core Cortex-A53
- GPU: Mali-T760
- Chipset: 20nm Exynos 5433 SoC with big.LITTLE architecture
- RAM: 3GB
- Memory: 32/64GB of built-in memory; microSD card slot
- Dimensions: 237.3 x 169 x 5.6 mm; 389 grams (Wi-Fi model); 392 grams (LTE variant)
- OS: Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with TouchWiz UX
- Cameras: 8MP main camera with 1440p video capture @ 30 fps; 2.1MP front-facing unit
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.1; microUSB v2.0 with MHL TV-out; GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS; optional 4G LTE network connectivity
- General: Built-in fingerprint sensor; dual speakers
Displays with 4:3 aspect ratio have quickly become the norm in the Android tablet realm, so it is hardly a surprise that the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 features one. Samsung first introduced a 4:3 screen on the budget-friendly Galaxy Tab A series of slates earlier this year.
Samsung's own 20nm Exynos 5433 chipset/3GB of RAM combo found in the Tab S2, while not as capable is the beastly Exynos 7420 found in the Galaxy S6 family, is surely not a slouch. The SoC was featured in a variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
With all that said, follow us on the next page for an unboxing of Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, followed by a closer look at its design and build quality.
Synthetic benchmarks
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 features a 64-bit Exynos 5433 SoC with 1.9GHz quad-core Cortex-A57 CPU and 1.3GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU, coupled with 3GB of RAM. The GPU is Mali-T760.
This particular chipset was featured a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 variant last year, so we know that it is no slouch. We put the tablet through the usual set of synthetic benchmarks. Take a look at its results below.
GeekBench 3
Higher is better
AnTuTu 5
Higher is better
GFX 2.7 T-Rex (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
GFX 2.7 T-Rex (onscreen)
Higher is better
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
Kraken 1.1
Lower is better
BrowserMark 2.1
Higher is better
Basemark OS II
Higher is better
Basemark X
Higher is better
Basemark OS II (single-core)
Higher is better
Basemark OS II (multi-core)
Higher is better
Overall, Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 offers improved performance over last year's model, especially on the GPU side. However, it isn't as powerful as the 14nm Exynos 7420 found in the Samsung Galaxy S6 family and Galaxy Note.
