Galaxy Tab S 8.4 VS Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4

[hello_world_c]

The Tab PRO is supported by Cyanogenmod. If you don't care for the Samsung extras but want more customization options and much better battery life, this is the one to get.

 

[StuartV]

I just bought the Tab S 8.4 a few days ago. Was just about to buy the Tab Pro 8.4 when I realized the speakers are both on the top (portrait) so that when watching movies in landscape mode all the sound would be coming from one side.

I am pretty unlikely to watch movies on an 8.4 inch screen. But, if I do, it would be with headphones on anyway - unless the sound REALLY didn't matter - in which case the speaker placement wouldn't matter to me. So, any way I slice it, the speaker placement is a non-issue.

I got the Pro 8.4 for $249 at BB and my g/f bought the S 8.4 less than a week later, so we have both in the house to compare.

The Pro CPU is quad-core 2.3GHz. The S is octa-core, but it only uses 4 cores at a time and the fastest is 1.9GHz. The architectures are different, so you can't JUST compare clock speed to know which is faster, but the Pro certainly has a significantly higher clock speed. And mine seems to feel a bit snappier than my g/f's S. It's for certain (in my mind, anyway) that the S CPU does not give better performance than the Pro - and I think it's not quite as good.. The octa-core really just offers the potential for better battery life. Speaking of which...

All the reviews will tell you that the S has better battery life... when watching videos. That is mainly because the S screen uses no battery for black pixels - unlike the Pro's LCD screen which uses the same amount of battery no matter what color the pixel is. For me, I virtually never watch videos on my 8.4" tablet, so I believe I actually get better battery life from my Pro than I would from an S.

One thing that is a clear win for me on the Pro is the Samsung book cover. On the Pro, the book cover covers the front and back with no extra flap. My g/f got the book cover for her S and it covers the front and back plus has a flap that wraps around the open side. Hers may give slightly more protection, but that flap makes it extra annoying to me. I definitely prefer the book cover that Samsung has for the Pro versus the one they have for the S. The Pro cover is just like the Samsung book cover I have on my Note 10.1 (2012) and that has protected my 10.1 just fine, through several drops even.

All other things being equal, I would pick the Pro over the S just for the book cover. But, with the Pro being $150 cheaper, and having a faster CPU and lasting longer on battery (for my non-video-watching usage), it is no contest.

 

[Morow X]

I had the PRO 8.4 LTE version and "upgraded" to S 8.4 version. My opinion:

PRO version
- better color reproduction
- faster in games
- nicer design

S version
- great battery life
- dual speakers
- multi user
- shocking colors while watching movies (i tried MX, BS and built in player)

I had to sold the S version I just couldt stand the colors, I have changed the color profile in the setting to Natural, but still is way off. I didnt see any performance increase over the PRO version. Games are running slower

 

[Civuck]

I had the PRO 8.4 LTE version and "upgraded" to S 8.4 version. My opinion:

PRO version
- better color reproduction
- faster in games
- nicer design

S version
- great battery life
- dual speakers
- multi user
- shocking colors while watching movies (i tried MX, BS and built in player)

I had to sold the S version I just couldt stand the colors, I have changed the color profile in the setting to Natural, but still is way off. I didnt see any performance increase over the PRO version. Games are running slower

Thanks for the comparison. Was curious about how the two stacked up. Surprised the OLED colour was so bad.

Btw, PRO also has multi user support.

 

[brosko]

I noticed the same thing about the s series when looking at it on best buy. The Samsung salesmen kept telling me how great the screen is and how vivid the colors are, and they are, but they are just too fake and unnatural looking compared to the LCD in the pro series.

 

[shanghaichica]

I'm wondering if it's worth getting the S over the pro. I have the tab pro 10.1 and find it perfect in terms of screen quality.

I've been using samsung phones for the past 2.5 years and really like the amoled display so I'm thinking that I would like the tab S. I also use the fingerprint scanner on my S5 and think that I wouldn't mind it on a tablet if I'm going
to be taking it out and about with me.

I've currently got a nexus 7 2013 as my on the go tablet but it's a bit too small and I just prefer Touchwiz over stock android (lol) so I'm looking to replace it with a Samsung tablet.

Posted from my S5

 

[Patrick Sorrells]

I am coming into this conversation a few months later. I just bought the Tab Pro at Best Buy for $279, which was advertised as a sale, and that the regular price is $329. I admit, I bought it because I liked the specs and the price was good. I just don't want to spend the extra $120 to get the Tab S for $399. Being that this was a gift for a family member who has been using the iPad 2. I figure that even without the AMOLED screen the tab pro should be a definite step up from the iPad 2 which does not have retina display

 

[cohoman]

I just bought the Samsung Tab Pro 8.4 (as a birthday present from my wife) to replace my Nexus 7 2010 tablet. I also compared the S and Pro side-by-side at Best Buy, and couldn't see any obvious difference in the screens. Boy, the Pro sure has a high-res screen when compared to my old Nexus 7! The $279 sale price of the Pro vrs $399 for the S was a big part of my decision also.

 

[Lau Chun]

Initially I bought the tab pro 8.4. And then I thought the battery wasn't performing up to my standards. Returned it for the tab s 8.4 hoping to get better battery life. But everything was so laggy and choppy especially while browsing. Almost unbearable. While battery seem to be a little better compared to the pro at that time, I start to learn how to conserve the battery life since I am still new to android devices. I returned it and got the tab pro again now that I am more familiar with android systems, I am pretty sure I can get more out of the battery now.

I am typing this on my tab pro now and one thing is for sure, it is definitely snappier than the tab s.

Battery is on 83% after 3hr 40m and 1hr 40m screen time. Pretty good I'll say

 

[robertc88]

I bought the iPad Rmini and it's OK but I think I'm going to return it and save some money and get the Tab Pro. I know, two different OSes but I will really not be doing anything different that the Rmini does. The app store on Android suits me fine as well.

S is out of the question because of the price.

 

[shanghaichica]

I bought the iPad Rmini and it's OK but I think I'm going to return it and save some money and get the Tab Pro. I know, two different OSes but I will really not be doing anything different that the Rmini does. The app store on Android suits me fine as well.

S is out of the question because of the price.

Me too!
I stupidly bought the mini on Friday last week. Should have just bought the tab pro. Think I'm just going to sell the mini and get the 8.4.

Posted from my S5

 

[CehowardNote7]

I was going to either trade in or sell my Tab Pro to get the S model. However, after reading this thread I am keeping my Tab Pro. BTW, I did have a Note 10.1 2014, but it was stolen. The 10.1 was nice, but IMO, the 8.4 size is ideal for a tablet.

 

[spiff72]

Just wanted to mention this, because I had to do a lot of digging (and an in person visit to BB) to find it...

For some reason, but 8.4 Pro lacks the settings that allow for haptic feedback for the Samsung keyboard and capacitive buttons, while the 8.4 S actually does have those settings. My understanding is that the Pro does have the vibration motor, since the haptic feedback apparently works on the google keyboard, but they didn't include it in the settings.

This is a bummer to me - I want like the feedback from the keyboard and keys, but I can't justify the extra expense of the Tab S.

The pro is also on the BB Black Friday deals list (for $199.99), but there is no way i am going out on Black Friday (or on Thanksgiving) to get one. Maybe try online, but my concern is that stock is limited and supplies are running out and the $249 price point won't last much longer...

 

[shanghaichica]

Just wanted to mention this, because I had to do a lot of digging (and an in person visit to BB) to find it...

For some reason, but 8.4 Pro lacks the settings that allow for haptic feedback for the Samsung keyboard and capacitive buttons, while the 8.4 S actually does have those settings. My understanding is that the Pro does have the vibration motor, since the haptic feedback apparently works on the google keyboard, but they didn't include it in the settings.

This is a bummer to me - I want like the feedback from the keyboard and keys, but I can't justify the extra expense of the Tab S.

The pro is also on the BB Black Friday deals list (for $199.99), but there is no way i am going out on Black Friday (or on Thanksgiving) to get one. Maybe try online, but my concern is that stock is limited and supplies are running out and the $249 price point won't last much longer...

That's interesting as I have it on my tab pro 10.1.

Posted from my S5

 

[spiff72]

Yeah - the larger Pro models do appear to have the haptic option in the settings. It seems very odd that they would leave out the option in settings for the 8.4 - even while it is capable of providing the haptic feedback. I haven't bought one yet - but I may try some alternate keyboards (like Google or Swiftkey) and see if they work with the feedback. (Based on my research these will work). This will never provide support for capacitive button feedback, though, unless Samsung adds it in a future software update.

 

[Jefferry Huynh]

The Pro is on sale at BB $249 right now. it doesn't have the S-pen right?
I am considering between the Pro and the Nvidia Shield. Sammy's products have a reputation for becoming sluggish after using for a while. (because of Touchwiz UI ?) If the Tab S is on sale for around $350, which will you guys choose. Tab S, tab Pro or nvidia shield?

 

[spiff72]

I bought the 8.4 Pro yesterday from BB. After having spent some time with it, I am contemplating a return. I forgot how much I dislike Touchwiz and all of the bloatware that you can't disable! The screen is amazing, but i get occasional lags and stutters at times.

I can't root/ROM anything anymore because my employer implemented software that prevents rooted devices from connecting with our exchange email accounts, so I am basically stuck with "stock" experiences with any device I could choose.

I have a borrowed Nexus 7 (2012) that I installed Lollipop on - and I really like Lollipop so far. It is quite slow though, due to the slower hardware. I would really like to find a deal on a Nexus 7 2013 edition with 32 GBs, but they aren't easy to find lately. I think I am a "pure android" fan - but I do have an HTC One M8 that I do actually like with Sense UI.

 

[lancorp]

The Pro is on sale at BB $249 right now. it doesn't have the S-pen right?
I am considering between the Pro and the Nvidia Shield. Sammy's products have a reputation for becoming sluggish after using for a while. (because of Touchwiz UI ?) If the Tab S is on sale for around $350, which will you guys choose. Tab S, tab Pro or nvidia shield?

The Pro 8.4 does not have a pen. I, like you, considered the Shield and the Pro, actually getting both. I scored a great deal on the Shield (with ATT LTE) from Amazon, and with discounts, I figured it was a tremendous deal for a powerful tablet. I also picked up a $199 deal on a Pro 8.4. In a nutshell, though, if you don't play games, get the Samsung Pro 8.4. A buddy at a client of mine did the same thing, and got a Shield. Be both wound up returning them and keeping the Samsungs (he got the Tab S 8.4 in Bronze which is beautiful). In day-to-day use, there is no performance advantage of the Shield over the Samsung. The Samsung displays are better than the Shield. The Shield is a lower res, and has on-screen buttons (home, back, tasks) instead of physical buttons like the Samsung, and that takes up screen real estate. The battery on the Shield was not that great, either.

I put Nova Launcher on my Samsung and don't have to deal with Touchwiz.

If you are a big gamer and are buying the tablet to play games, you might want the graphics of the Shield, but otherwise, the Samsung is better in most other ways for daily use.

Look around for deals on refurbished Samsung tabs. My $199 refurb is just like new, and came with a $25 Google Play credit. With another $24 in cash back, I couldn't ask for a better deal on a Tab Pro 8.4.

 

[lancorp]

Just found a $199 manufacturer refurbished deal from Buydig on ebay here for the Tab Pro 8.4.
Everyone who gets these says they are like new. Mine sure was.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

The Pro 8.4 does not have a pen. I, like you, considered the Shield and the Pro, actually getting both. I scored a great deal on the Shield (with ATT LTE) from Amazon, and with discounts, I figured it was a tremendous deal for a powerful tablet. I also picked up a $199 deal on a Pro 8.4. In a nutshell, though, if you don't play games, get the Samsung Pro 8.4. A buddy at a client of mine did the same thing, and got a Shield. Be both wound up returning them and keeping the Samsungs (he got the Tab S 8.4 in Bronze which is beautiful). In day-to-day use, there is no performance advantage of the Shield over the Samsung. The Samsung displays are better than the Shield. The Shield is a lower res, and has on-screen buttons (home, back, tasks) instead of physical buttons like the Samsung, and that takes up screen real estate. The battery on the Shield was not that great, either.

I put Nova Launcher on my Samsung and don't have to deal with Touchwiz.

If you are a big gamer and are buying the tablet to play games, you might want the graphics of the Shield, but otherwise, the Samsung is better in most other ways for daily use.

Look around for deals on refurbished Samsung tabs. My $199 refurb is just like new, and came with a $25 Google Play credit. With another $24 in cash back, I couldn't ask for a better deal on a Tab Pro 8.4.

That $25 Google Play credit was a nice added bonus. I used it to finally buy the apps that I had been using for years (free versions).

I have Nova Launcher Prime on my Pro 8.4 and works extremely well. When a root is available for it, I'll root it and gut out Samsung's bloatware. I did that on my GTab 2 7.0 and I was amazed at how snappy it was after doing that.