I have reviewed another Galaxy Tab before this and it was more of a basic tablet that is good for normal use with some movie binge once in a while. I loved it because it’s great for entertainment and for my social media management works. But the previous Tab that I reviewed is focused more on basic use rather than full blast entertainment device.
Enter the Galaxy Tab S6, the best Android Tab of 2019 in my personal opinion. I wouldn’t count in the Galaxy Fold because that is on another epic level by itself. For me to say that the Galaxy Tab S6 is the best Android Tab in 2019 feels a little over reaction on my part. I know some other brands are making tablets that are as good but the Tab S6 comes with one advantage – the S-Pen.
First Look and Design
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is a 10.5″ screen beast and when I say beast, I am talking about the power that comes from within. It is powered by Snapdragon 855 octa-core SoC and we all know that the SD855 is currently the most powerful chipset for a mobile device in 2019. Also supported by either 6GB or 8GB of RAM with storage options of 128GB or 256GB.
Back to the look of the Tab S6, the S-Pen is magnetized so it will stick at the back of the Tab in its grooved place. It can be a little annoying having it there because you may tend to lose the S-Pen if you do not secure it properly in its place.
The volume rocker and the power button is on the right side of the Tab while there’s nothing much on the left. The USB type-C port is placed in between of two speaker grille at the bottom and there are two more speaker grille at the top, giving that stereo sound when you look at the Tab in landscape mode. Great for movies and gaming.
The main dual camera is located at the top left of the back section while the selfie camera is placed in the top center of the front. There is also an under display fingerprint sensor on the front around the bottom area. It uses the optical sensor which is slower than the ultrasonic sensor but it is quite responsive on the Tab S6.
Here’s a rundown of the Galaxy Tab S6 specifications:
- SoC: Qualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7nm), Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4×1.78 GHz Kryo 485)
- GPU: Adreno 640
- OS: Android 9.0 (Pie) with Samsung One UI
- Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM
- Expansion: MicroSD card support up to 512GB
- Display: 10.5 Inch Super AMOLED Display
- Resolution: 1600 x 2560 pixels, 16:10 ratio (~287 ppi density)
- Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Main Camera: 13 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide) + 5 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide)
- Selfie Camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide)
- Battery: 7040mAh
- Colours: Mountain Gray, Cloud Blue, Rose Blush
Performance and Usage
I mostly use the Galaxy Tab S6 for my social media management works and I come to love the S-Pen to jot down any notes along the way. If I have anything that I want to remark on a certain work I’m doing, I can just write it down on the screen itself just like how they portrayed it in the ads. So it’s not just for show, it’s kinda true you know.
The accuracy of the S-Pen when writing on the Tab S6 is phenomenal. I never have a good handwriting. I mean, my handwriting are mostly some messed up curls. I never liked my own handwriting. But writing on the Galaxy Tab S6 is a joy. It made me have a beautiful handwriting.
I tried writing on the Tab first, it’s beautiful. I tried the same with a normal pen on a piece of paper with the same text, it’s ugly. I never seen my handwriting being so beautiful before and that can only be done on the Galaxy Tab S6.
The sample handwritten name that I did above was done on the Galaxy Tab S6. There is no way I can write like that on a piece of paper even with a caligraphy pen. So… nice or not?
Having the ample storage space gives me another advantage – movie binge. The stereo surround sounds tuned by AKG with Dolby Atmos is so good. It is very loud and clear, along with the cool surround sound that makes me feel like I’m in a cinema. The large 10.5″ screen plays a good part with the overall experience.
And most of all, the powerful Snapdragon 855 is not put to waste. PUBG Mobile on the Galaxy Tab S6 is an absolute delight for me. I have never played the game on a large screen before that it does feels much better. Viewing angle is excellent and best of all, the graphic quality is so good.
Graphic settings for PUBG is at the maximum. Highest settings, highest frame rate and highest quality. No lags, no stutter and smooth as butter. I can safely say that I had the best PUBG game play ever with the Galaxy Tab S6. And it’s very hard to make me stop playing. I’m not kidding. It is that good especially with the loud, clear surround sound during game play. Simply awesome.
Antutu benchmark doesn’t disappoint as well. The Galaxy Tab S6 scored pretty high that sits in the top 10 devices list. Even with all the heavy graphics running and rendering on the Tab, it doesn’t heat up at all. It handled the whole process like a champ.
The 7040mAh battery can last me more than 2 days. When I have it on full charge, I get tired of PUBG gaming faster than the battery depletion rate. That is a good point. That is also a good indication that you can actually have this Tab S6 with you for more than 3 days without having to charge if you’re using it for normal tasks.
Camera and Photography
First of all, the Galaxy Tab S6 is made to focus on the overall usage mainly for work and entertainment companion, not much on camera. But the photography side of it still doesn’t disappoint. The dual camera setup at the back is pretty good. It may not be able to produce superb kind of photography imaging but it still managed to capture usable photos for Instagram and personal keeping.
Same goes for the selfie camera. It not that great but it’s not that bad either. I would say that it’s about 80% of what you will get from Note10 quality.
Outdoor shots are crispy clear with all the colours are vibrant and in good details.
I do notice a difference in colours while taking the normal wide angle shots and the ultrawide angle. The colours are more vibrant with the normal shot while it looked a little pale with the ultrawide angle.
Same goes with these two shots. Ultrawide angle seems a little darker in comparison. But the quality and details are good.
Close-ups are good. The details you can see is good. Balance of colours are also good.
So I would say that the Tab S6 camera is well enough to be used for that perfect Instagram moment. Noises are kept to a minimum as well.
Live focus works on the Galaxy Tab S6. As you can see from the selfie sample above, the blurred (or bokeh) background doesn’t look fake. It seamlessly blends with the overall photo. Not bad at all. Of course, the optimisation from normal selfie cam does tend to make my face look a little too smooth.
Conclusion
This particular Galaxy Tab S6 won my heart as the best tablet in 2019. I totally love writing with the S-Pen. Writing with the S-Pen on a Galaxy Note10 was good, but on this Tab S6 is 100% better. So my main use for this Tab is to see how I can turn my handwriting into a piece of art.
Other than scribbling endlessly with doodles and text, I also love this Tab S6 for its raw power. I’m talking about full high resolution graphics in gaming. And I can absolutely do this all day. PUBG is made more fun on the Galaxy Tab S6. And I got lots of chicken dinners with it too.
If you’re using it mainly for gaming and entertainment, this Tab S6 is an excellent choice. On the other hand, it can handle day to day work tasks with its hands tied behind its back (if it has hands). This is me trying to say that you can throw anything at it and it will handle anything with ease.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is now available for sale from Samsung’s official website. Retail price is RM3,099.00.