Are you going to upgrade to the Tab S3?

LordAndroid

Well-known member
Sep 15, 2010
569
6
18
Visit site
Setting aside the honey moon device phase its definitely worth the upgrade the usb type C fast charging is a much appreciated feature the new S pen is much thicker and feels like an actual pen in the hand the display is beautiful! The 4 stereo speakers are awesome much needed improvement...!
 

anon(661246)

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2012
1,201
1
0
Visit site
Worth all that money?

I am going to go in a different direction and say it's not. You can get a Samsung Chromebook pro for less money and get better functionality.

Samsung is pricing this about a 100 too high.

Since this is priced a premium device, I am going to give you my negatives.

This should not have less than 64gb on board. You are left with about 25gb after the os. You shouldn't see 32gb on premium devices in today's market

They stuck with the 820 instead of the 821. Why? It's marginally better but iam paying for a high end device.

They should have either made the pen smaller or make the tablet a little thicker or both. Pretty bad that there is no pen integration. I already ended up looking for the pen a few times because I put it down for a few minutes and I had to search where I last left it.

I really don't get Samsungs pricing for this device.
 

jstwondrng

Well-known member
Sep 3, 2011
547
0
0
Visit site
Just purchased it on Friday and it is a beautiful device! I'm coming from the Nexus 9 and totally impressed. Very thin, amazing screen and the S pen is like writing on a piece of paper. Was worried I wouldn't be that enamored by this device after having the N9 for over two years... I am!

Only complaint is, neither the device nor the Samsung branded case gives you something to put the pen in. I'm afraid I'll lose it if I carry it around.

J
 

SupraLB

Well-known member
Oct 28, 2015
815
0
0
Visit site
I really like the pen! I played around with it at Best Buy. They really nailed the feel and touch of the pen and the screen.

I'm still holding out to the the LTE version for verizon, plus the price.

Even with the pen and how cool it is, I would still use my fingers to navigate and swipe around. I guarantee within 3-4 weeks there will be some nice cases on Amazon that will hold the pen nicely. The aftermarket for the cases for the S2 were plentiful online and much better than the samsung offerings.
 

jstwondrng

Well-known member
Sep 3, 2011
547
0
0
Visit site
I really like the pen! I played around with it at Best Buy. I guarantee within 3-4 weeks there will be some nice cases on Amazon that will hold the pen nicely.

Yeah, that would be nice to get a case for it. Right now, without one, it will get lost. BTW, the pen is really awesome! And you are right, I'm still using my finger for navigation.

J
 

icwhatudidthere

Well-known member
Mar 14, 2011
408
9
0
Visit site
Picked one up on Friday and I like it well enough that I'll probably keep it. It's an upgrade from an LTE Tab S which is pretty unusable at this point due to Samsung's bloatware, lack of upgrades and poor performance. I'm using this primarily for note taking and media consumption while traveling and so far it's been great for both.

The S Pen feels good both in the hand and on the screen. IMHO it's better than both the iPad Pro pencil and the Surface pen. I like that the pen itself is textured and lighter which makes it easier to handle than the iPad pencil. The iPad pencil also feels like writing on glass. At least the S Pen has a little more resistance to it.

Having a USB C charging port means all of my devices are now USB C which seems like a small thing but greatly simplifies my life since I no longer have to worry about bringing a USB C, micro USB and Lightning cable.

The old 820 processor is probably my biggest Con right now as it already seems choppy at times in Chrome when pinch zooming random pages. That's a bad sign for how long this will last me. Also the magnets for the case aren't nearly as sturdy as the physical mounting points. They're stronger than you might expect for magnets, but not strong enough to keep it from accidentally unmounting. Last Con for me is lack of HDMI out support.

I mostly like it. The cons are disappointing for a supposedly premium device. It's a premium device only because there really aren't any more premium Android tablets.
 

M Stuart

Well-known member
Jun 5, 2014
57
0
0
Visit site
The old 820 processor is probably my biggest Con right now as it already seems choppy at times in Chrome when pinch zooming random pages. That's a bad sign for how long this will last me. Also the magnets for the case aren't nearly as sturdy as the physical mounting points. They're stronger than you might expect for magnets, but not strong enough to keep it from accidentally unmounting. Last Con for me is lack of HDMI out support.

Give Samsung's browser a try, especially the latest beta version. It's usually much more smooth than Chrome.
 

quadtronix

Well-known member
Aug 23, 2012
294
15
18
Visit site
I played around with a Tab S3 at BB yesterday for a bit... Was actually impressed. It was pretty smooth and I liked the feel of the glass materials. There was an SPen there but I didn't really have time to get into all that... It was nice though. I won't be getting though as I just picked up a 9.7" iPad Pro last week.
 

nate wilborn

Member
Jul 19, 2013
20
0
0
Visit site
I got it on Friday at Best Buy and am happy with it so far. My Galaxy Tab S was dying I had it since it was released probably just a battery issue but was ready to upgrade.

I get the price critiques and understand it but for me personally I cant stand Apple's ecosystem and its worth it to me to have a premium Android tablet.

The tablet itself has a FANTASTIC screen like others have said. Looks great. I like the new AKG speakers on each end. I knew I wouldn't really use the keyboard cover so I just got the Samsung Book cover for it that they had to ship to me separately. It's nice attaches magnetically. I just clip the S pen on the top of it lays down the spine of the cover. For my personal uses I don't look at it as a laptop replacement.

I am happy with it so far but the obvious downsides for the future like I know already with Support for the old Galaxy Tab S Samsung is strangely really slow to get updates to software on it. And at most you expect maybe one major Android release late before they are done with it which sucks. Finally i am hoping that when I get my new phone I will be fully USB C as well and can dump all micro usb cables.
 

Jaycemiskel

Trusted Member
Jul 28, 2011
2,769
4
0
Visit site
I really like the Tab S3, but I just don't know about spending so much for it. I feel like I'll have buyer's remorse if I buy it, especially since I just bought a new laptop. I can think of some use cases where it would be great to have around. I Also like that it has quick charge and USB C? I guess I'll do some more thinking.
 

Gary_Berg

Well-known member
Nov 15, 2013
348
6
18
Visit site
Got an S3 Friday for my wife, her 2014 Note 10.1 was dying. Nice, but not an earthshaking improvement over my Tab S. Very premium price compared to the iPad just released. I prefer Android to iOS, but a 100% premium?
 

SupraLB

Well-known member
Oct 28, 2015
815
0
0
Visit site
I really like the Tab S3, but I just don't know about spending so much for it. I feel like I'll have buyer's remorse if I buy it, especially since I just bought a new laptop. I can think of some use cases where it would be great to have around. I Also like that it has quick charge and USB C? I guess I'll do some more thinking.

My Tab S2 runs the house. As soon as I get home, I use the S2 for everything. I have the LTE Verizon version, so I can make/receive calls with my cell phone number, all my apps and messages sync perfectly with my phone. My data use the same account, which is great when I travel and I dont have to rely on random wifi or hotspot my phone.

Doing everything I would normally do on my cell phone with the S2 and that big beautiful screen makes it so much better. Especially viewing Instagram, YouTube, or photos.

The thinness and lightness is what really makes all that possible. If it was too heavy and not easy to hold, I wouldn't use it much.

Another nifty benefit is setting up different users, so multiple people in the house can use it with their own settings and accounts. I set up a guest account so when people come over they can use it while not seeing all my messages, webpages, and such.
 

Jaycemiskel

Trusted Member
Jul 28, 2011
2,769
4
0
Visit site
My Tab S2 runs the house. As soon as I get home, I use the S2 for everything. I have the LTE Verizon version, so I can make/receive calls with my cell phone number, all my apps and messages sync perfectly with my phone. My data use the same account, which is great when I travel and I dont have to rely on random wifi or hotspot my phone.

Doing everything I would normally do on my cell phone with the S2 and that big beautiful screen makes it so much better. Especially viewing Instagram, YouTube, or photos.

The thinness and lightness is what really makes all that possible. If it was too heavy and not easy to hold, I wouldn't use it much.

Another nifty benefit is setting up different users, so multiple people in the house can use it with their own settings and accounts. I set up a guest account so when people come over they can use it while not seeing all my messages, webpages, and such.
Yeah, I guess that's a good point. I have the original Tab S and it's terrible for IG because it's so long so it's a pain to use in portrait mode.
 

gottria

Trusted Member
Oct 30, 2009
517
3
0
Visit site
Just got my S3 and and comparing it to my Tab A with S pen and as far as the S pen features they work identical. Feature for feature I can't tell the difference. The cheaper S pen from the Tab A works on the S3 but the newer pen won't work on the Tab A, I might get a cheaper pen to carry on my S3 for quick notes in the field and leave the nicer pen at home. Biggest negative Ii see on the S3 is while using it on the couch I reached for the S pen and realized, crap I left it downstairs on the desk. Why Samsung didn't have it build in like the rest of the models that have an S pen is ridiculous. Tab A battery is a lot better than the S3, left them both off the charger last night and the S3 went down by 8% and the Tab A 2%, set up almost identically.

Just did a sunlight comparison and the S3 is way better, the Tab A has something weird with the auto brightness. It's always dark, outside in the sun I had to turn it off and crank it all they way up. Also didn't have that cool feature where the display changes color when your finger moves over it to help see it better in direct sunlight.
 
Last edited:

pool_shark

Well-known member
Aug 21, 2010
1,779
75
0
Visit site
I picked mine up Thursday.
To me, the only real difference between the s2 and s3 is the s-pen.
I know most people are going to go gaga over the screen, but I didn't buy a $600 device just to watch videos.

I have a case with a slot for a pen, that's where I keep mine.
I'm waiting on my BT keyboard case to arrive. I didn't get the Samsung case because from pics and videos I can't see if the case can fold backwards and still have the tablet stand up like the keyboard case for the s2.

I've used it with citrix receiver and MS Remote Desktop, edited notes with the s pen, and configured GNURoot debian (to test Unix scripts without having to log into work).
On my note 5, I write notes for many different things, but mainly for work. When I would use my s2 I would find myself missing a pen to append to my s-notes. Now with the s3, I no longer have that problem.
 

gottria

Trusted Member
Oct 30, 2009
517
3
0
Visit site
Pool, what case did you end up getting?

Also wondering is a S2 case would work? I tried my Samsung book cover case, removed the little nubs and it's fits but just feels a bit small as the magnetic flap that folds over doesn't fully close.

Also don't care for the cases that fold up and form a triangle stand, just could never get it in the right position as a stand.
 

pool_shark

Well-known member
Aug 21, 2010
1,779
75
0
Visit site
Pool, what case did you end up getting?

Also wondering is a S2 case would work? I tried my Samsung book cover case, removed the little nubs and it's fits but just feels a bit small as the magnetic flap that folds over doesn't fully close.

Also don't care for the cases that fold up and form a triangle stand, just could never get it in the right position as a stand.

I'm currently using one of my S2 cases. It doesn't fit correctly, it covers the charge port and the camera flash.

This is what I have coming.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU5737668
 

Forum statistics

Threads
943,134
Messages
6,917,446
Members
3,158,834
Latest member
Nikoczzzz