8" or 9.7"

[Scholfield03]

Hey all,

Thinking about picking up one of these tablets was wondering what you would recommend in regards to size

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[lgossin]

It depends on your eyes and uses. I had a Nexus 7, went for the larger 9.7 Tab S2. love the size, easier for me to see things, better resolution (much newer tablet of course) Overall very happy with experience and size but really is a personal issue. I have traveled with the larger tablet and did not have any issues about carrying it or weight. Binged Dare Devil when it came out, great for watching video

Enjoy your purchase

 

[Sir Loyne]

Be aware that if streaming music is your thing the WiFi in the Galaxy Tab S2 is absolutely horrible. Sitting within 20' from my router and with 4 bars out of 4 I'm lucky if I can get 5 minutes. I was just listening to SomaFM with that worthless S2 and after a few minutes it stopped and was unable to load the stream. I turned that useless garbage off, grabbed my Tab4 and it fired right up. I will never have a good thing to say about the S2. I should also mention that it usually takes 2-3 tries for the Bluetooth to connect to my speaker. Tab4? 1 try every time. I can't say this enough... if streaming music is your thing, avoid the S2 at all costs.

 

[BigCTM]

Be aware that if streaming music is your thing the WiFi in the Galaxy Tab S2 is absolutely horrible. Sitting within 20' from my router and with 4 bars out of 4 I'm lucky if I can get 5 minutes. I was just listening to SomaFM with that worthless S2 and after a few minutes it stopped and was unable to load the stream. I turned that useless garbage off, grabbed my Tab4 and it fired right up. I will never have a good thing to say about the S2. I should also mention that it usually takes 2-3 tries for the Bluetooth to connect to my speaker. Tab4? 1 try every time. I can't say this enough... if streaming music is your thing, avoid the S2 at all costs.

I guess I got lucky then because I stream music on my S2 daily using wifi and have zero issues. I am not close to my router either.

 

[Trankster]

I prefer the smaller 8.0 for portability. It fits easily I my camera bag and day pack. I use mine as an ereader, for photo editing, email, Pandora player and Forum reader and rarely for watching videos. Never had issues with 8.0 size or function. I like the wider screen of the S2 versus my prior Pro 8.4 and Nexus 7. Had a 10.1 years ago and found it to be too large to carry around. For bigger jobs I use my laptop or desktop. In the end, i think the size is entirely subjective, whatever works for you.

 

[anon(7901790)]

My daughter and I each have the 8". It's portable and light. Easy to hold while reading in bed. My daughter users hers for homework as well and it works great for getting it done while we're stuck in traffic.

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[Hikoki]

Be aware that if streaming music is your thing the WiFi in the Galaxy Tab S2 is absolutely horrible. Sitting within 20' from my router and with 4 bars out of 4 I'm lucky if I can get 5 minutes. I was just listening to SomaFM with that worthless S2 and after a few minutes it stopped and was unable to load the stream. I turned that useless garbage off, grabbed my Tab4 and it fired right up. I will never have a good thing to say about the S2. I should also mention that it usually takes 2-3 tries for the Bluetooth to connect to my speaker. Tab4? 1 try every time. I can't say this enough... if streaming music is your thing, avoid the S2 at all costs.

This is total rubbish, sorry to say that. WiFi signal is absolutely acceptable, I use my tablet all over my flat without any dropouts or issues, in pubs and other places as well. Also, I stream music over its aptx bluetooth to my Zeppelin speaker, which sits in the living rooms, from all the other rooms in the flat without any issues.
The bigger size is absolutely great for me, thanks to its screen ratio it looks and feels much smaller than I actually thought it would. Portability is also nothing to worry about thanks to its light weight and thinness. Go for the bigger one!
Cheers,
Ivan

 

[Sir Loyne]

This is total rubbish, sorry to say that. WiFi signal is absolutely acceptable

There is, of course, the very slightest of chances that mine isn't so good, right? Naturally though, you assume that if you don't have a problem no one does.

 

[Hikoki]

There is, of course, the very slightest of chances that mine isn't so good, right? Naturally though, you assume that if you don't have a problem no one does.

I´m sorry about this - I got a bit carried away. I think there might be a problem with either your tablet or your wi-fi router, or both, for that matter. I have just tested the reception signal of the Tab all around the flat, even outside on the balcony, and I get 4 bars everywhere, except the balcony where I get 3 - the distance form my Netgear router which sits behind 4 thick brick walls is about 20-25 feet away. The signal is stable-never had a dropout yet. Nearly the same´s true of the bluetooth coverage. I can stream music from anywhere around the flat, even the bathroom LOL.
Cheers,
Ivan

 

[cliro]

I have the 9.7" and am loving it. No issues at all and I have the lte model.

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[anon(7901790)]

There is, of course, the very slightest of chances that mine isn't so good, right? Naturally though, you assume that if you don't have a problem no one does.

I´m sorry about this - I got a bit carried away. I think there might be a problem with either your tablet or your wi-fi router, or both, for that matter. I have just tested the reception signal of the Tab all around the flat, even outside on the balcony, and I get 4 bars everywhere, except the balcony where I get 3 - the distance form my Netgear router which sits behind 4 thick brick walls is about 20-25 feet away. The signal is stable-never had a dropout yet. Nearly the same´s true of the bluetooth coverage. I can stream music from anywhere around the flat, even the bathroom LOL.
Cheers,
Ivan

I have to agree with Ivan. The problem may be with your tablet or the router. Another issue may be interference from other WiFi signals (i.e. other wireless routers/hotpots), cordless phones, microwaves, or even Bluetooth. They all run on 2.4GHz band. If you have a dual band router, try using the 5GHz band instead.

I had that problem in one place we lived. There were over a dozen WiFi networks running in the 2.4GHz band within a 100 meters of my house. That didn't include the amount of microwaves and cordless phones being used in the area. Using the 5GHz band cleared up my interference issues.

 

[BullwinkleMoose]

I have both the 8 and 9.7 and I like them both. If I had to choose my favorite it would be the smaller one. And WiFi works fine.

 

[Sir Loyne]

Accidental double post. Deleted.

 

[Sir Loyne]

I have to agree with Ivan. The problem may be with your tablet or the router. Another issue may be interference from other WiFi signals (i.e. other wireless routers/hotpots), cordless phones, microwaves, or even Bluetooth. They all run on 2.4GHz band. If you have a dual band router, try using the 5GHz band instead.

I only use the 5 band because I have some Bluetooth headphones that I use for watching movies on an sd card. It isn't just my router. I can have my Tab4 and Tab S2 side by side at work and the Tab4 will have 4 bars, while the S2 bounces between 2 and 3. I've found other people online talking about the bad WiFi, so there's always the possibility that there was a "bad batch". The biggest problem I have is streaming music. I have a classical music app and the SomaFM app. Neither will work for much longer than 5-10 minutes.

Thanks for the suggestions, though

 

[Lepa79]

I love the smaller 8 inch screen. Thin, light, and so easy to hold up laying down. Will not go any bigger.

 

[aximtreo]

I bought the 8" and wished I had bought the 9.7". Sold the 8". Haven't bought the 9.7" yet but will when the price more fits my wallet.

 

[koves]

I guess I got lucky then because I stream music on my S2 daily using wifi and have zero issues. I am not close to my router either.

Me too...works perfectly for me

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[coolbreeze78]

I found a new 32gig Verizon 9.7" S2 locally for $300. Never been used. I have AT&T.

I'm guessing this is a mistake? I don't plan on using the cellular function, but have a feeling I won't be able to update it without a Verizon SIM, which I will never have. Also, aren't Verizon devices unlocked? So theoretically I could use an AT&T SIM if I wanted to, no?

Curious if/when MM will be pushed since Verizon is the gatekeeper after Samsung..

 

[anon(7901790)]

I found a new 32gig Verizon 9.7" S2 locally for $300. Never been used. I have AT&T.

I'm guessing this is a mistake? I don't plan on using the cellular function, but have a feeling I won't be able to update it without a Verizon SIM, which I will never have. Also, aren't Verizon devices unlocked? So theoretically I could use an AT&T SIM if I wanted to, no?

Curious if/when MM will be pushed since Verizon is the gatekeeper after Samsung..

As I said in another thread. It SHOULD work on AT&T for GSM/HSPA+ with an AT&T SIM.

The MM update may be problematic though. Because it is a Verizon device and not a WiFi only device, so Verizon will handle the OTA. Once Verizon starts pushing the OTA, you MAY be able to go to Samsung's site to download and install the update via Smart Switch. Again, I'm not entirely sure that will work.

 

[thoots]

I bought the 8-inch S2, but all it really did was to "prove the concept" for me, and I wound up quickly returning it, then I got the 9.7-inch LTE version. I am very happy with that. Sure, the 8-incher is smaller and lighter, but the 9.7-incher is still very thin and light, and I appreciate the larger size. I have a very hard time believing that I'll ever come across a "new" tablet that I'll prefer over it.