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Apple versus Samsung is a somewhat constant comparison, but the field is usually the crowded smartphone market. Tablets, however, have almost always been dominated by Apple, with one iPad or another almost swallowed up by the entire industry.
However, that’s not to say the battle is won, and Samsung’s latest efforts, the Galaxy Tab S7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, might have what it takes to get Android tablets back in the spotlight.
But how do they compare to Apple’s iPad Air 4, the latest in its lightweight and powerful Air range? Let’s find out.
Price and availability
The first thing to keep in mind is that none of these tablets are what you would call “budget conscious” for the average consumer. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 starts at $ 649.99 / £ 619 / AU $ 1,149 for the 128GB model with Wi-Fi only.
Adding 5G (in supported territories) and increasing screen size (and display technology, but more on that later) with the S7 Plus pushes prices up to $ 1,049.99 / £ 999 / AU $ 2,049 at the higher end, still with 128GB of built-in storage in the UK (some other territories have 256GB and 512GB options).
Meanwhile, it’s not often that it offers an Apple product as a cheaper alternative, but you can get the iPad Air 4 for $ 599 / £ 579 / AU $ 899 with stingy 64GB storage.
As for the higher-end model, a 256GB version with 4G (Apple doesn’t offer a 5G device yet) costs $ 879 / £ 859 / AU $ 1,329.
The iPad Air 4 starts shipping in October, while the Tab S7 and S7 Plus are available now.
Design
In many ways, both the iPad Air 4 and Tab S7 range seem to have been inspired by Apple’s iPad Pro 11 (2018) update. They both offer rounded corners and narrower bezels than you’ll find on most tablets, and if you place them side by side it can take a second to spot the differences.
Apple’s newest Air comes in the usual options of silver, space gray, and rose gold, but it also adds green and sky blue to the mix. Meanwhile, Samsung is a bit more conservative and offers “Mystic” Bronze, Black and Silver for both Galaxy Tab S7 and S7 Plus.
While the iPad Air 4 offers a single 12MP wide camera module, the Galaxy Tab S7 range offers two rear cameras: a 13MP main and a 5MP ultra-wide, but we will see them later.
On the top edge of the iPad Air 4, you will find a new lock button. While it still activates the device, just as it would on an iPad Pro, it works smartly as a Touch ID sensor here. While that means there is no Face ID (as you’d find on its more expensive sibling), the front-facing camera still offers 7MP photos and video recording.
It’s a similar situation with the standard Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, which also includes a fingerprint scanner on the lock button. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus offers an in-display fingerprint sensor. It’s certainly a smart tech, but as we noted in our review, it doesn’t work as fast as it does on mobile phones.
You’ll also look at the respective connectors on each device for its own accessories, like keyboards, and yes, the iPad Air 4 is compatible with Apple’s Magic Keyboard, if you so choose, as well as the second-generation Apple Pencil.
Monitor
In terms of displays, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus diverge quite drastically here. The S7’s 11-inch screen is a 1600 x 2560 LCD screen, and while it’s a good canvas for whatever content you throw at it, there’s no denying that the S7 Plus is the golden boy here.
With a stunning 12.4-inch AMOLED display, it’s incredibly bright and bold, with a 1752 x 2800 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio. That means it’s a bit shorter when used in the landscape, but you’re unlikely to notice too much.
The standard Tab S7 also has this aspect ratio, and both slates offer a 120Hz refresh rate, making animations and inputs feel buttery smooth.
Meanwhile, Apple’s slate offers another Liquid Retina display (read: LCD) and has a resolution of 1640 x 2360. It’s also 10.9-inches, making it a bit smaller than even the basic Galaxy Tab S7.
Camera and battery
Apple has made great strides with its camera hardware and software in recent years, but the Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7 Plus are the clear winners, at least on paper, offering 13MP and 5MP sensors.
The 5MP is an ultra-wide option that allows you to capture more than one scene in a single shot. If you are the type of person who is looking for your tablet rather than your phone, then the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is hard not to recommend.
That’s not to say the camera is a flop on the iPad Air 4. Its 12MP sensor is great for taking photos during the day, but without a flash or the night mode found in the iPhone 11 range, it’s not going to be your choice. a for photos after dark.
In terms of video, both are capable of recording in 4K at 30fps, but the iPad Air 4 also offers recording at 60fps.
As for the battery, Apple has not revealed the battery size of the iPad Air 4, but has said that the slate offers 10 hours of battery life, down to 9 when using cell phone.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S7 has an 8,000 mAh battery, while the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus has a whopping 10,090 mAh. Despite that, Samsung claims that the basic Tab S7 lasts longer, apparently holding up to 15 hours of video playback, compared to 14 on the Tab S7 Plus. That can probably be explained by the larger and higher resolution screen on the Plus model.
Unlike Apple, the two Samsung slates also support fast charging, but all of these tablets offer a USB-C port.
Specifications and Features
The iPad Air 4 is powered by Apple’s new A14 Bionic chipset, with a neural engine that enables machine learning. While that may sound like a series of buzzwords, it all comes down to the iPad Air 4 being super fast and pretty smart too.
Applications that take advantage of machine learning will use artificial intelligence and algorithms to empower users, either allowing for finer photo editing or higher graphics performance.
iPadOS 14 may be a modest update, but it packs some great new features that Android devices still can’t match. If you buy an Apple Pencil, there is the new ‘Scribble’ feature that allows you to write text in any text field and automatically convert it to digital text, among other things.
Then there are the redesigned Home and Notes apps, a new Safari translation feature, and a greater focus on privacy within the App Store. You will also get mouse and keyboard support.
Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and S7 Plus each have an octa-core Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset, which also features a neural processor, one that’s 77% faster than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 that precedes them. These whiteboards also run on Android 10, which brings with it improved privacy settings, live transcripts, and more.
The Tab S7 and S7 Plus also come with a new and improved S Pen, the company’s optical device. It offers incredibly low latency and clings to the back of the tablet to protect it. In terms of functionality, it is similar to the Apple Pencil, but it’s nice that it comes with the tablet rather than having to buy it separately.
Also, with Samsung tablets you can expand storage up to 1TB with a microSD card, while iPad Air 4 owners are stuck with whatever they choose to buy.
As noted above, you can also optionally get 5G with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, while the iPad Air 4 only offers 4G.
To carry out
As with any Apple versus Samsung comparison, there is no real loser and it may depend on which operating system you prefer.
Then there’s the price, as Samsung’s offerings cost more than the iPad Air 4, but if you’re likely to buy an Apple Pencil in addition to the latter, things even out a bit more.
The latest revision of the iPad Air improves on its design, but it is still a fairly modest update outside of a not insignificant performance increase. Meanwhile, the standard Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is pulled out of the water in many ways by its slightly bigger brother with its beautiful AMOLED panel.
If you’re a fan of the Apple ecosystem, the choice is simple, but if you’re feeling adventurous, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7 Plus are very tempting.
