Galaxy Tablet with Laptop Like solution

[maverick786us]

I am married to Apple Eco system. But my wife is married to Android Eco System of Samsung. She has a Galaxy S22 Ultra, A51 and a A Fossil Watch which uses Android too.

Now I was thinking that I should get her A Galaxy S9 Tablet (base model not + or Ultra) and I give her a Magic Keyboard and a trackpad so that she can use the whole combo like a laptop?
What's your opinion on it? I know with iPad Pro it works great, though I wouldn't say its a replacement to Laptop.

How reliable this setup is in case of Samsung Android? My wife will primarily use that setup for
1. Watching movies, YT, Netflix
2. Some of her work mostly with word document, filling online form
3. Online meetings, skype
4. For reading books (whatsoever is the android version of iBook, iMagzine and so on).

She won't upgrade this setup for 4-5 years. In nutshell she want to accomplish what I can achieve using an iPad Pro with a magic keyboard and a second generation pencil

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

I'd get a real keyboard instead of the tragic one. Samsung make keyboard covers for the Tab S9 if integrated keyboard covers are her thing

There will also be an S-Pen in the box, so don't buy one separately. .

 

[B. Diddy]

Here's Samsung's official keyboard case: https://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/m...xy-tab-s9-book-cover-keyboard-ef-dx715ubeguj/

There are many 3rd party options available, but if you want something really reliable, Samsung's is probably the way to go.

 

[Village_Idiot]

I have the Tab S9. If you don't want to use (or spend money on) the Samsung keyboard cover, any BT keyboard and mouse will work. There are plenty of inexpensive solutions out there. I have a Logitech MX keys BT keyboard and Triathlon mouse both allow me to pair them with up to three devices. For travel, I still use my Tab S7 keyboard cover (the keyboard only part) on my Tab S9. It gives me an error that it was not designed for this device when I connect it, but it works perfectly fine.

You can even use wired keyboards and mice, but you need a USB-C hub with at least two Type A ports to connect a regular ol' wire keyboard and mouse.

That's what I like about Samsung. You can mix and match to get to the solution that works best for you.

Whatever works for her is what matters.

 

[maverick786us]

I will probably go for the original Samsung keyboard that has a trackpad. Is this overall combination as good and reliable as an iPad Pro with the magic keyboard?

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

I will probably go for the original Samsung keyboard that has a trackpad. Is this overall combination as good and reliable as an iPad Pro with the magic keyboard?

It will be at least as reliable. As to how good it will be... It is the absolute best you will get using ann Anddroid tablet and should do anything that's needed from it. I've never used an iPad, but I hear there is still an app gap to contend with.

 

[Village_Idiot]

This may be a good time to snag one. It is Samsung Week.

Samsung US kicks off 10 days of discounts on smartphones, tablets, accessories and computers

The deals on the Galaxy S23 series and Z foldables are some of the best yet! Samsung Week has officially started, but it’s not like other weeks – for...

www.gsmarena.com

 

[maverick786us]

The base storage of these tablets is 128GB. So my wife will need storage for backup. How handy and reliable is it, for connecting external SSD like Samsung T7 and Crucial X9 using USB Type C 3.2

 

[danhartman26]

Don't forget that you can add up to 1TB micro SD card too.

 

[Village_Idiot]

Don't forget that you can add up to 1TB micro SD card too.

This.

 

[Village_Idiot]

I have a 512GB Samsung microSD card in mine. Works like a charm. I also have 2TB of OneDrive storage I can use for off tablet stuff.

If you go for the Samsung T7, you might as well get a USB-C hub that supports USB-C PD. You can plug the T7 in and have power all at the same time. I have the Belkin AVC006 4-in-1 USB-C adaptor. It has one USB-C PD3.0 port, two USB-A 3.x ports and an HDMI port; $50 at Best Buy.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/belkin-usb-c-hub-4-in-1-multi-port-laptop-dock-with-4k-hdmi-docking-station-with-100w-power-delivery-for-mac-pc-and-more-gray/6452574.p?skuId=6452574

 

[maverick786us]

I have a 512GB Samsung microSD card in mine. Works like a charm. I also have 2TB of OneDrive storage I can use for off tablet stuff.

If you go for the Samsung T7, you might as well get a USB-C hub that supports USB-C PD. You can plug the T7 in and have power all at the same time. I have the Belkin AVC006 4-in-1 USB-C adaptor. It has one USB-C PD3.0 port, two USB-A 3.x ports and an HDMI port; $50 at Best Buy.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/belkin-usb-c-hub-4-in-1-multi-port-laptop-dock-with-4k-hdmi-docking-station-with-100w-power-delivery-for-mac-pc-and-more-gray/6452574.p?skuId=6452574

I thought an external SSD like T7 can directly mount to USB-Type C port of the tablet with the right cable tablet just like the way it is in iPhone 15 Pro Max

 

[Village_Idiot]

I thought an external SSD like T7 can directly mount to USB-Type C port of the tablet with the right cable tablet just like the way it is in iPhone 15 Pro Max

It can. Using a hub like the one I mentioned allows you to use an external ssd and still charge the tablet. Plugging drive directly to the tablet in will work without any problems. It's power comes from the tablet though, which eats up battery.

P.S. The hub I mentioned supports up to 100W; which is plenty to charge a laptop. That means it will provide plenty of power to both charge the tablet and provide power to most any external SSD.

 

[maverick786us]

Thank you , I will buy a Galaxy tab S9 Plus with that magic keyboard. I just have one question, when this combination is so good and reliable, when it didn't get that much popularity as iPad Pro with keyboard?

I know tablets with keyboard can never replace a full fledge laptops, but in case of my wife who doesn't does coding, its a very good solution for day to day use like documentation, meeting and watch netflix.

 

[B. Diddy]

Thank you , I will buy a Galaxy tab S9 Plus with that magic keyboard. I just have one question, when this combination is so good and reliable, when it didn't get that much popularity as iPad Pro with keyboard?

I know tablets with keyboard can never replace a full fledge laptops, but in case of my wife who doesn't does coding, its a very good solution for day to day use like documentation, meeting and watch netflix.

Some Android apps don't give as full-fledged an experience compared to laptops, in terms of features and functionality. I think that's been changing recently, as Google (and Samsung) renew focus on large screens. This history, along with the general bias in the media and the lay public that iPads are the end-all-be-all, contribute to the lesser popularity of these tablets.

I've been using my Pixel Tablet as a laptop replacement for the past few months at work and for travel, and it's done admirably well. I use it with a good BT keyboard and a USI 2.0 stylus. In the past, my main problem with using Android tablets has been the poor performance of the browser, but it's really caught up in the past couple of years.

 

[danhartman26]

My Tab S9 Ultra with book keyboard cover can do just about anything I need. Don't forget to use Samsung Dex mode too, which gives you a really PC like experience. I'd say it's as good as a chromebook. All I do is browsing, media consumption, etc. I love how Samsung also let's me take calls and messages on the tablet too since it is tied to my phone.

 

[Village_Idiot]

Some Android apps don't give as full-fledged an experience compared to laptops, in terms of features and functionality. I think that's been changing recently, as Google (and Samsung) renew focus on large screens. This history, along with the general bias in the media and the lay public that iPads are the end-all-be-all, contribute to the lesser popularity of these tablets.

I've been using my Pixel Tablet as a laptop replacement for the past few months at work and for travel, and it's done admirably well. I use it with a good BT keyboard and a USI 2.0 stylus. In the past, my main problem with using Android tablets has been the poor performance of the browser, but it's really caught up in the past couple of years.

True. There are many apps that don't support landscape orientation. Instagram and Snapchat are good examples. Even apps that support landscape and being windowed (i.e. Outlook, Word, etc.) can only have one instance open at a time. For example, you can't have two Word documents open at once. That is an Android limitation, not a Samsung limitation.

Samsung seems to be the only OEM that has pushed Android tablet capabilities forward. Especially with DeX and multi-tasking. All the other Android tablets are still trying to be like Apple.

Fun fact: Microsoft came up with a desktop like experience before Samsung. It was called Continuum. It allowed your Windows phone to connect to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and when turned on, looked like Windows 10. It only worked with certain models. Specifically, models that could run Windows 10 Mobile. I got it to work on my Lumia Icon. Had Microsoft not dumped Windows mobile, I think it would have gotten a bit more traction.

 

[maverick786us]

True. There are many apps that don't support landscape orientation. Instagram and Snapchat are good examples. Even apps that support landscape and being windowed (i.e. Outlook, Word, etc.) can only have one instance open at a time. For example, you can't have two Word documents open at once. That is an Android limitation, not a Samsung limitation.

Samsung seems to be the only OEM that has pushed Android tablet capabilities forward. Especially with DeX and multi-tasking. All the other Android tablets are still trying to be like Apple.

Fun fact: Microsoft came up with a desktop like experience before Samsung. It was called Continuum. It allowed your Windows phone to connect to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and when turned on, looked like Windows 10. It only worked with certain models. Specifically, models that could run Windows 10 Mobile. I got it to work on my Lumia Icon. Had Microsoft not dumped Windows mobile, I think it would have gotten a bit more traction.

I've heard that Android 14 lets you clone apps so that you can use 2 instance of that app at the same time

 

[Village_Idiot]

I've heard that Android 14 lets you clone apps so that you can use 2 instance of that app at the same time

If that's the case, then Android is going to be even more useful.

 

[maverick786us]

How would you compare that entire setup with a google tablet with a magic keyboard, which doesn't have an S-Pen