Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2015
Before I purchased this tablet, I owned the Tab A 9.7 and loved it, except the lower resolution. Finally, I decided to step up and upgrade to the Tab2 S 9.7 and I am so glad I did as I state the reasons why below:
PROS/SPECIAL FEATURES...
+ Size/Weight/Ease oh holding this S2 9.7 - I had the Tab A 9.7 and before that Tab4 10.1. Both of my old tablets were THICKER and heavier compared to the S2. This tablet is feather light for a 9.7 and more comfortable to hold and to carry in my purse or backpack.
Screen Resolution, Brightness and Other Info – The resolution on this is 264 ppi compared to 132 ppi (pixels per inch) of Tab A 9.7. This is more than double the resolution. And note that the colors, pictures, videos, everything is so sharp and clear. The screen just pops with color! And I find it easy to read eBooks, watch videos, etc on this tablet. Even at a higher price for this tablet, I find that the tablet has been a wonderful purchase.
* The screen aspect ratio is 4:3 vs the 16:1 type of screen. For me, I like this 4:3 screen because I found that the webpages are easier to read and clearer, I did not have to scroll to the right. Also I found that the pictures on a website were easier to view. I compared this tablet with my older Tab 4 10.1 tablet on my frequent webpages and while I viewed this tablet, I could read the larger text better, read my eBooks much clearer, emails better etc. This is my personal discovery from my testing of this and comparing it to my older tablet.
+ Battery life/Speed – Good battery life, but not quite as good as my oldercaTab4 or TabA. For me, I have found that I am constantly on WiFi (Internet). One of the reasons is the screen is noticeably brighter (Tab S2 has more brightness nits). So I had to lower the brightness.
The tablet I find is quite responsive and peppy with no lagging. The Lollipop 5.1.1 runs this tablet wonderfully.
WiFi Connecting/Speed of WiFi and MORE - This tablet connects SUPER quickly to my home WiFi and has never ever dropped the WIFi signal no matter where I am in my home. WiFi is VERY STRONG at 144mbps, vs 72mbps on my other tablets. Also, my internet loads super, super fast in all browsers that I tried.. And even when I am far from my router I still have 4.5 bars! I went to Settings, pressed on WiFi and it showed speed on my tablets. A,lso, to test this WiFi and compare it to my other Android devices, I went to the Playstore and got the free app called WiFi Analyzer. This is a MUST HAVE app for any Android device as it gives you a visual report on the WiFi strength of your tablet, phone etc.The Wifi speed on my Tab S2 is near double of what my TabA had.
Also, there is 32GB Ram in the Tab S2, this is double Ram of Tab A or Tab 4. And this tablet is super fast, no lagging at all!
+ SPECIAL INFO about INTERNET CONNECTION - Yes, this is a WiFi only, but when you are away from an WiFi internet hotspot location, there are ways to can get onto the internet such as MiFi and there are ways that you can purchase equipment so that you can have data when you do not have a WiFi hotspot available.
+ Internet & Webpage & Video Viewing - The stock browser does a wonderful job and it opens up webpages very fast. Also I tried Maxthon Browser and this worked very well yet I still prefer the Internet App. Also, I tried out the factory installed Chrome Browser and liked it OK, yet again, I went back the the stock Internet App (this is my preference). Note that the Playstore has many very good (FREE) internet browsers as Dolphin, Opera and many more!
+ EXTERNAL SLOT FOR MICRO SD CARD/Internal Storage. This is a must for me as I keep my personal files, photos, and music on my internal SD card. I installed a SanDisk 64GB SD card and it works great on this tablet and I placed my music and files on it and have plenty of space left. This tablet accepts up to 128GB SD card.
The internal storage of 32GB is double of my Tab A 9.7 or Tab 4 10.1 that have 16GB. Even after Android OS, factory apps, Facebook, Twitter, Kindle App and many more personal that I installed, I still have just at 23GB of internal storage left!
- + Camera / Video Camera - This has a camera of 8MP with no flash on this camera, however, in good lighting the pictures came out much better had I expected. However, I rarely use this camera as I prefer to use my Nikon digital camera for my overall picture taking...the camera on this tablet is OK for backup camera, taking pictures to send in an email, etc). Do not expect the camera on this tablet to replace your digital camera since it does not have a flash.
+ Home Videos - The stock video player is OK and plays MOST home videos, however, may I suggest QQ Player (Free App from Playstore and the ONLY one I recommend as it plays every home video I tried)..
+ Music Player/Sound Quality - This model has the regular MUSIC App, which plays by playlists, songs, albums and even folders. Also there is Google Music app is pre-installed in this tablet and does a fine job. However, I installed the FREE app called Rocket Player from the Playstore and love this music player! As for sound quality - The best way to really enjoy music is through a high quality Bluetooth speaker or Bluetooth headset as the sound quality is superb this way and you can walk about your home listening to your music!
+ OTG USB Compatible - This tablet comes with a free OTG On the Go adapter cable. Just plug in your flash drive and you can copy files to the flash drive so easily or view files that are on the flash drive. *Note that portable external hard drives and portable DVD/CD drives will not work using OTG in this tablet because they require a lot of power.
CONS:
- Battery life is so-so, not the best out there. In fact, I had close to 2 hours less per day on the Tab S2 over the Tab A! But this is not a deal breaker for me as I still have enough battery time, and I always keep a spare charger in car/purse.
- Cost is pricey compared to Tab A line or the Tab 4 line. The price difference us about 100 dollars more for the Tab S2 9.7, however, for me, I believe that I received a very high end tablet, so it was worth what I paid.
Bottom line- Yes, this is a pricey tablet, however, I believe that the old saying that you get what you pay for is true. This is a very high quality tablet.
Should you buy this or the Tab A or a less expensive tablet in my opinion? While this is an exceptional tablet, I also recommend a couple of others below....
TAB S2 ... Yes you may want to consider the Tab S2 9.7 if you want a higher resolution tablet with larger Internal space, 8MP camera and other high end features and you do not mind paying about 100 dollars more for higher end features etc.
TAB A 9.7... Yes if you want a good tablet for a reasonable price and do not mind lower resolution or 16GB Internal, 5 MP camera, etc, yet this is good because the battery lasted me 2 more hours daily than Tab S2. The TAB A is a wonderful tablet for the money) or Tab 4 10.1, or other lower priced tablet. A 5 MP camera us OK on a tablet for emergency pictures, 16GB Internal is OK if you watch how many apps you install on the internal storage.
Also, the Tab A is a GREAT BUY and excellent for someone new to tablets.
If you have questions, ask me in comments. I am kind of a techie person and will answer promptly.
Thank you for reading my review.
