To switch, or not to switch. THAT is the question.

[SpookDroid]

Without getting too poetic here, I'm seriously considering selling my Note 10.1 2014 and getting a Tab S. Why? A bunch of issues with Bluetooth that plagued the Note 10.1 but didn't give issues before, until now that I have to work with WiFi and Bluetooth stuff for work.

So, I wanted to get real impressions from real users out there on this new Tab. I'm drooling over the fact that this has SAMOLED, but I know that I will dearly miss the S-Pen (although I have a Note 3, I guess I could do the note taking there). Any impressions on battery life? My tablet can give me about 6 hours of screen-on time, or 8 if I really push the envelope. Any issues with Bluetooth keyboards or interference with WiFi (this is the point that's killing me right now with the Note 10.1)? What about lag on the Exynos? Is it there as it's been there before or has it improved?

I've read the reviews and how most praise this new tablet, but I wanted REAL opinions. I might drive down to BestBuy and see if I can try it out for myself, but that won't beat the opinions of actual owners that have used the tablet for more than 2 hours, right?

 

[Golfdriver97]

Lloyd's Samsung. Act 3 Scene 1.

Holding the device yourself might answer some questions anyway. I don't have the tab myself, but hopefully some users will chime in and gice some advice.

 

[SpookDroid]

Yeah, but it won't answer two of the most pressing questions: How long does it last with REAL use and does it have any Bluetooth/WiFi bugs?

 

[Closingracer]

I have had the note 10.1 2014 edition and sold it because of light bleeding issues and gave up with it and love my tab s 10.5. I miss the s pen but I do have a note 3 as well. I don't notice issues with Bluetooth or wifi on my model

 

[SpookDroid]

I have had the note 10.1 2014 edition and sold it because of light bleeding issues and gave up with it and love my tab s 10.5. I miss the s pen but I do have a note 3 as well. I don't notice issues with Bluetooth or wifi on my model

So, what about battery life? Any impressions on how this tablet feels vs the Note 10.1?

 

[Closingracer]

So, what about battery life? Any impressions on how this tablet feels vs the Note 10.1?

Battery life is better and feels the same minus s pen

 

[MattKerwin]

I made the switch from the 2014 edition to the nexus 7...

I'm loving the stock android experience...if you want to stay with the larger tablet check out the nexus 10...if downsizing is an option I highly recommend the nexus 7

Posted via the Android Central App from my Nexus 5

 

[Closingracer]

I made the switch from the 2014 edition to the nexus 7...

I'm loving the stock android experience...if you want to stay with the larger tablet check out the nexus 10...if downsizing is an option I highly recommend the nexus 7

Posted via the Android Central App from my Nexus 5

Stock has its place but the specs are quite old and the tab s 10.5 is amazing....

 

[GatsbyGlen]

I went from a Nexus 7 to the Tab S 10.5. For reading, the Nexus 7 just felt too small. 10.5 seems ideal. Anything larger, then I might as well get a laptop.

 

[SpookDroid]

Thanks for the replies guys! They really help

I did look at the Nexus 10 even before buying the Note, and while I like stock Android and all, the tablet itself feels soooo outdated now, and I'm not talking just about specs (even though the tablet is still snappy), I mean the overall look; it just looks, well, old! Plus I'm reaaaally tied up into the Samsung environment (Samsung TVs, Note 3 as my personal phone, tons of stuff kept on S-Note and S-Health...).

I'm still adamant to make a change just for the S-Pen... I know I'll miss it! Haha I used to do my note taking on the Note 3, but since I got the larger tablet, the S-Pen on the phone has very much been gathering dust (OK, so not that much dust since it's actually in its holster, but you get the idea).

 

[Closingracer]

Thanks for the replies guys! They really help

I did look at the Nexus 10 even before buying the Note, and while I like stock Android and all, the tablet itself feels soooo outdated now, and I'm not talking just about specs (even though the tablet is still snappy), I mean the overall look; it just looks, well, old! Plus I'm reaaaally tied up into the Samsung environment (Samsung TVs, Note 3 as my personal phone, tons of stuff kept on S-Note and S-Health...).

I'm still adamant to make a change just for the S-Pen... I know I'll miss it! Haha I used to do my note taking on the Note 3, but since I got the larger tablet, the S-Pen on the phone has very much been gathering dust (OK, so not that much dust since it's actually in its holster, but you get the idea).

Trust me while I miss the s pen I love the amoled screen more. I got around 3 hours of screen time with the note 10.1 2014 edition but I get around 4-5 with my tab s 10.5

People have gotten alot better then me so don't use me as reference to tab s battery life. Just telling you my experience with both tablets

 

[SpookDroid]

Really? I usually get 6 to 8 hours out my Note 10.1 haha But I was hoping this tablet would last longer because of the AMOLED display. What to do? What to do? Haha...

And then there's the fact that the 32GB model is a BestBuy exclusive, and I don't think they'll bring the price down for their Labor Day sale

 

[Closingracer]

Really? I usually get 6 to 8 hours out my Note 10.1 haha But I was hoping this tablet would last longer because of the AMOLED display. What to do? What to do? Haha...

And then there's the fact that the 32GB model is a BestBuy exclusive, and I don't think they'll bring the price down for their Labor Day sale

You selling the note 10.1 2014 edition? You'll get around $150 for the note at best buy so it will be cheaper. Yeah from my experience the tab s lasts longer in the Sam conditions

 

[SpookDroid]

Yeah I'm selling it but not for 150 haha It's just as new, I even have the original packaging back home. I'll take my chances with eBay or Craigslist

 

[Closingracer]

Yeah I'm selling it but not for 150 haha It's just as new, I even have the original packaging back home. I'll take my chances with eBay or Craigslist

Even better

 

[Peaches36]

Without getting too poetic here, I'm seriously considering selling my Note 10.1 2014 and getting a Tab S. Why? A bunch of issues with Bluetooth that plagued the Note 10.1 but didn't give issues before, until now that I have to work with WiFi and Bluetooth stuff for work.

So, I wanted to get real impressions from real users out there on this new Tab. I'm drooling over the fact that this has SAMOLED, but I know that I will dearly miss the S-Pen (although I have a Note 3, I guess I could do the note taking there). Any impressions on battery life? My tablet can give me about 6 hours of screen-on time, or 8 if I really push the envelope. Any issues with Bluetooth keyboards or interference with WiFi (this is the point that's killing me right now with the Note 10.1)? What about lag on the Exynos? Is it there as it's been there before or has it improved?

I've read the reviews and how most praise this new tablet, but I wanted REAL opinions. I might drive down to BestBuy and see if I can try it out for myself, but that won't beat the opinions of actual owners that have used the tablet for more than 2 hours, right?

Just go to the store and test them at the same time..

From Peaches Galaxy Note 3

 

[SpookDroid]

Just go to the store and test them at the same time..

From Peaches Galaxy Note 3

I did, but again, that doesn't give you an idea of the REAL problems in the long run. I cannot compare true battery life, I cannot compare if it has heating problems after heavy use, I cannot compare day-to-day app compatibility, nor how many times this thing reboots itself in a week (if at all).

But, I still went ahead, tested one and since I get the 15 day return period at BestBuy, I thought what the heck, let's do this. And yesterday I brought home a new baby toy.

 

[SpookDroid]

But it's not all sunshine. I went to the store and SPECIFICALLY asked the guy to lend me a Bluetooth keyboard to test the issues I had had with the Note 10.1, and lo and behold, they were not present. So, after his assurance that I had 15 days to make up my mind and still get a full refund, I went ahead and purchased one (wish they had them in black, though).

4 hours later, after tweaking settings and installing apps and getting the tablet with as much information I use daily as possible already loaded, I tried my BT Keyboard. It worked. Tried downloading the Smart View TV companion, and just like when I got the Note, it was not compatible. But no biggie, I just got the APK for the Note 10.1 and voilá! It's working without issues.

So, what else to try? Of course! Side Sync! That handy little tool that lets me see my phone screen on the tablet. So I did. It works... And that's where hell broke loose.

I then turned to write a few e-mails for my morning meetings and what do I notice? A SUBSTANTIAL drop in WiFi speeds. How can this be? (I asked myself). Bluetooth! (I angrily reply, out loud). Turn BT on, WiFi slow. Turn BT off, WiFi speedy. But this worked perfectly in the store!!!

And when I was just about ready to throw the newly born out the window like a ninja star, my mind started to work again. So this tablet has the same BT issue as the Note 10.1? But the keyboard didn't disconnect! And WiFi, though sloooooow, was at least working to some extent. And remember, it worked fine in the store. Surely something else must be happening. I thought, then, it should be a problem with the modem. But where to test? Of course! My phone! So I go ahead, turn BT on on my phone to see if that slows down the network, and light shone down on me. SideSync, as soon as I turned BT on on the Note 3, connected itself to it with something called Remote Notification, which I assume, let's you receive phone notifications on your tablet. But the weird thing was that as soon as SideSync connected, WiFi got speedy again). Turn BT off on the Note 3, and WiFi slows down again. Turn BT on on the Note 3, WiFi speeds up, yet again. Eureka!

I turned BT off on all devices, went ahead and killed SideSync on the Tab S, turned BT back on and just as suspected, WiFi was perfect. Run SideSync to confirm, and WiFi slows down if BT is on and there are no other SideSync devices connected to the tablet. Kill SideSync (there are three processes running, actually) and WiFi started acting normally again.

Just for the sake of comparison I did the same on the Note 10.1 and yup, WiFi did not slow down when BT was on. But overall BT issues still persisted, like not being able to keep a constant connection to my keyboard or test devices unless there was something else in the background connected to it and constantly transmitting data through Bluetooth, like a speaker or a mobile hotspot.

Long post, I know, but I had to vent haha. It was a long night.

Anyway, so far I looooooooooooooooove the screen. The body is not that different from the Note 10.1 2014 but the screen is noticeably larger, and SAMOLED... Oh, my Guacamole! SAMOLED! Battery life seems to be better, but can't really tell as I had the device constantly on, downloading, and fiddling for about 5 hours, so let's see how it fares on a normal workday with a 100% charge. Still hate the button placement though. The power button gets in the way if you hold the tablet upside down in landscape mode, as well as blocking the speaker grilles (and if you have a book cover or similar, you WILL be holding it like that more often than not. I also wish the home and capacitive buttons were moved a bit higher, just to avoid the accidental touch when leaning your tablet against your belly hehehehe. I liked that they moved the charging port to the sides though; I can now charge the tablet while using it on a stand without having to turn it upside down.

 

[Closingracer]

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galax...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU3864181