Samsung is about to unleash a whole mess of high-end tablets on us. With four Galaxy Pro tablets – the Galaxy Note Pro, Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2, Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1, and Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 – to choose from, we thought we'd line them up and take a look at their features and specs.
Size
The two 12.2-in tablets, the Galaxy Note Pro and Galaxy Tab 12.2, are enormous. Just consider that the Tab Pro 10.1 is roughly the same size as the iPad Air, and it looks pretty small next to the two 12-inchers. The Tab Pro 8.4, a bit larger than the iPad mini, is absolutely dwarfed by them.
For the rest of this comparison we're going to prop up the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 in portrait mode. Apparently that's how Samsung sees you using it, as it's the only one in this bunch with its navigation buttons positioned below the screen for portrait use.
Weight
All of the tablets feel very light relative to their respective sizes. The most interesting item to note here is that the Galaxy Note Pro is a little heavier than the Tab Pro 12.2, despite the two slates being almost physically identical. Maybe Samsung included the Note Pro's S Pen (stylus) with its official weight?
Build
It's pleather all around, as Samsung's new favorite material adorns all of the new Galaxy Pro tablets.
Colors
All of the slates are available in both black and white color options.
Display
The two 12-inchers give you much more screen real estate than the other two, but is all that screen necessary? For the majority of customers, we imagine the 10.1-in screen will be more than enough space. It will be interesting to see if many shoppers respond to these humongo-tablets.
If you prefer mini-tablets, then the Tab Pro 8.4 has one big advantage. With the same 2,560 x 1,600 resolution squeezed onto a smaller display, it's the sharpest of the bunch with a terrific 359 pixels per inch.
Stylus
This is the big differentiator between the Note Pro and the Tab Pro 12.2. You get Samsung's famous S Pen (familiar from other Galaxy Note phablets and tablets) and all of the stylus-based software tweaks that go along with it.
Software
All four tablets run Android 4.4 KitKat with a thick layer of Samsung TouchWiz slapped on top. This time that includes the new Magazine UX, which puts Windows 8-like live tiles on your home screen.
The Note Pro and Tab Pro 12.2 also feature a pretty generous selection of bundled premium services, including Dropbox, Bitcasa, NY Times, Evernote, Bloomberg Businessweek＋, Blurb, and Cisco WebEx Meetings. Samsung says that these services are worth around US$700.
Storage
The big boys also have higher storage tiers than the two smaller (relatively speaking) tablets. All four support microSD cards, a Samsung standard – even as most of the mobile world has moved past microSDs.
Wireless
As you'd expect, we have both Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi with LTE models for all four tablets.
Cameras
It looks like we have the same cameras in all four tablets as well. The 8-megapixel resolutions on their rear cameras are higher than most competing tablets.
Battery
We'll have to wait before jumping to any conclusions about actual battery life, but all four tablets hold quite a bit of juice.
Processor
At least three of the four tablets are sold with different processors, depending on the wireless configuration you pick. For the Tab Pro 8.4, Samsung only lists the Snapdragon 800, but adds the footnote "the selection of [application processors] will be different by markets."
RAM
The twin towers give you an extra 1 GB of RAM over their two little brothers.
Starting prices
Is a stylus worth an extra $100? Of course the cheap piece of plastic known as the S Pen isn't, but perhaps you'll decide that the software-based perks of using a stylus are.
The Tab Pro 10.1 matches its biggest rival, the iPad Air, at $500. And go figure, the Tab Pro 8.4 matches its biggest rival, the iPad mini with Retina Display, at $400.
For more on Samsung's new tablets, you can check out our hands-ons with the Note Pro and Tab Pros from CES.
Much as I like these devices, I won't buy one because my aesthetic sense is so utterly revolted by the horrible retro chrome flat edges and the even more horrible finish of them that looks as if it will start flaking real soon (probably won't but that's how it looks.) Snug after market bumpers to hide that, please!
Are you serious? I handled and reviewed one this morning and there is nothing wrong with its aesthetic—nothing at all. The tablet remains secure in one's hand(s) owed to the backing; the edges look to have an additional clear protective film around the bezel. Buttons, cameras, and speakers are where they should be too.
I would have liked more PPI, but who wouldn't? The stylus is huge plus for me. SD card slot is a winner. My wife and I are holding out for the LTE version. This marks the end of our iPad ownership; we've both had iPads since the very beginning, but lack of swipe input and enterprise level abilities—for what we do—spells the end of our iPad era.