Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsBeautiful but with issues
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2019
I received the Samsung Tab S6 the day it was released, which was nice. It has a beautiful display. As a photographer, my pictures look really good. So far I've discovered a couple of downsides that would make me consider returning it. I purchased a 512 gb microsd card for it and that works super. The Samsung SmartSwitch software allowed me to transfer my current Note 8's information to the S6 in about 40 minutes. I had a ton of data on the Note 8 with a 128 gb microsd card and the wireless transfer was much faster than expected. It transferred all of my installed apps along with the data. I didn't realize it but my wake up alarm this morning came from both my phone and tablet! LOL
The magnetic stylus which is clipped to the back will fall off a lot of the time, especially if you put it down. The stylus is attached via a small grove and is connected via a magnet. I've already lost it several times and had to spend a lot of time searching for it. I have the keyboard cover on order which is supposed to arrive next week. That has a cover which I think will cover up the stylus and keep it in place. I would NOT recommend buying the unit unless you buy the cover which is another $170 or $90 if you buy soon.
The next problem is the unit is too big to hold with one hand and is slippery. It will slide out of your grip easily and there goes $800 to the floor. Depending on what you're doing the thin bezels mean that you have to put your thumb on the display to hold it with one hand and I found that I kept accidentally selecting a link on the side of the display. Plan on using it with both hands without a cover to hold onto. Hopefully the cover will make it easier to handle.
All of the videos hyping the unit seem to always show the tablet on a stand or with the keyboard cover attached. I've yet to see one review with someone trying to hold the tablet by itself. The tablet is so wide that it's a stretch for me to hold the opposite edge so my other hand is free to do other things. After a few minutes, my hand gets cramped from reaching across the tablet and hold it. If you put a thumb on the display to hold it with one hand, if there is a clickable area under your thumb, you will accidentally do something unexpected.
In retrospect, I would not buy this tablet. It costs almost as much as my MacBook Air which is a real computer but I'm a sucker for new shiny things. May revisit this review after a little time but I spent almost $900 after tax on the top of the line unit and it is not as neat as I hoped. It is unbelievably light!
Update 9/9/19 - After a couple of days of usage, my comments are still pretty much the same. By itself, the tablet is difficult to use one handed due to its size and tiny bezels. Plus, I've discovered that the screen lock will often lock up the unit and not allow you to unlock the screen. Swiping up the display does nothing and it doesn't recognize my fingerprint, or face. When this happens, it's taken a lot of trial and error to get it unlocked. It's like the unit sees the request to unlock but doesn't do anything. This only seems to happen when the tablet has been asleep for a while, such as overnight.
On a positive note, battery life seems really good. If you put the unit down overnight it will only lose a percent or two of battery after sleeping overnight.
The Samsung Tab S6 is FAST! I have a Nexus 7 and another 7 inch tablet and this one runs rings around them. Looking at photos which are 1-2 mb in file size, you can instantly flip between pictures. If I could hold it, I think I'd love it and Amazon has just updated the ship schedule for the Keyboard cover to arrive in three days. I can't wait.
Update: 1/3/2020 - After using the tablet for a few months, my opinion has only gotten slightly worse. The keyboard cover doesn't attach very well to the tablet and if you're not careful it will fall apart in your hands. If you're going to use the Tab S6 on a table or flat surface, it works great. In your lap, not so well. You have to use the little kickstand but that to me doesn't work well. Battery life is great, the screen is fantastic, it's really fast BUT for slightly more money I could have purchased a real laptop such as a MacBook Air. Unless you are planning on always using this on a desk, I would not recommend buying it as it is too much money and tries to bridge the gap between a tablet and a laptop but not very well.
