Samsung Galaxy Tab S2

A year ago, when Samsung debuted its original Galaxy Tab S, we noted how rare it had become to review a high-end tablet that wasn’t from Apple. Well, the situation hasn’t changed much today — in fact, it’s even more unusual to see a premium Android tablet. But of course, Samsung, ever tenacious and emboldened by its Android dominance, isn’t one to give up without a fight. Thus, we have the Galaxy Tab S2 ($499 for the 10-inch model), which does away with last year’s widescreen display in favor of a squarer 4:3 screen. Samsung also refined its tablet design even further, delivering a device that’s thinner and lighter than Apple’s iPad Air 2 (and that’s not the only similarity). But while it’s hard to mess up a good thing, Samsung somehow managed to do just that by severely hampering the Tab S2’s battery life in exchange for an even thinner physique.

There are plenty of reasons to invest in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 – especially if you’re after the best Android tablet on the market.

It’s reading and web surfing-friendly, while the new 4:3 screen and general size and shape is better suited for most things. Videos work better on its predecessor thanks to the more elongated aspect ratio – but they don’t exactly look bad here.

You can pick the Tab S2 up in 8-inch and 9.7-inch variants, to challenge Apple’s iPad and iPad Mini ranges, with the smaller option being more portable and cheaper.

Almost impossibly thin, pumped full of power and with a slicker version of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface on board the Galaxy Tab S2 manages to give the iPad Air 2 a real run for its money.

SUMMARY

The Galaxy Tab S2 is an impressively thin and light Android tablet — the only problem is Samsung did it better last year. With significantly less battery life than the Galaxy Tab S, the Tab S2 doesn’t feel like an upgrade.