Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 review: The top Android tablet of 2022

In that location aren't a lot of manufacturers making loftier-cease Android tablets anymore. That'south understandable. Not only has the marketplace shrunk considerably over the by few years, but customers also tend to hold on to tablets for far longer than smartphones. Samsung remains an outlier. It launches a high-end tablet annually and the Galaxy Tab S6 is its latest offering. Is it really the top Android tablet of 2019?

It will inevitably exist compared to the Galaxy Tab S5e. Samsung launched the mid-range tablet earlier this yr and we found it to exist an incredible value proposition. Does the Galaxy Tab S6 offer enough over and above that tablet for the average customer to justify the cost premium? This volition exist one of the questions that we volition reply in this review.

Galaxy Tab S6 design

Your heart volition skip a beat when you lot hold the Galaxy Tab S6 for the beginning fourth dimension, peculiarly if yous're coming upward from the before models. Samsung really refined its tablet design with the Galaxy Tab S5e. It'south the thinnest and lightest tablet that the visitor has ever made. The Galaxy Tab S6 retains those attributes in its total metallic build, which measures 244.v x 159.five × five.7mm and weighs 420g.

Gone is the glass dorsum that yous got on the Milky way Tab S4. I prefer the anodized finish since information technology doesn't quite feel as frail in your hands. The build quality feels top-notch and worth equally of the cost that Samsung'due south asking for this tablet. This also results in a much more comfy experience when using the tablet for extended periods of fourth dimension.

The front end is dominated past the 10.5-inch brandish which slots in a body that's actually more than compact than the Milky way Tab S4. That's because the bezels take been significantly trimmed. The Galaxy Tab S6 is Samsung'southward first tablet to feature an in-brandish fingerprint sensor.

The back panel instantly makes the Galaxy Tab S6 stand up out from every other tablet in Samsung's lineup. There are ii cardinal design elements that make it and then. In that location's the (vertically positioned) dual camera arrangement, the first on a Samsung tablet. At that place's likewise the groove where the Due south Pen attaches magnetically and charges. It'south non flush with the dorsum panel and so the tablet won't lie completely apartment on a desk when the S Pen is attached. Other than these attributes, the Galaxy Tab S6's pattern isn't all that unlike from the Galaxy Tab S5e, and that's not something you'll concur against information technology.

I do like this implementation for the Due south Pen. It'south always nowadays at the dorsum so it can be detached swiftly and used right away. The magnet that holds it in place doesn't experience also strong, though, so just be mindful of non accidentally detaching the stylus when switching betwixt orientations. It won't fall off even if yous shake the tablet vigorously simply if it catches against something as you're sliding it into your backpack, it may detach. Samsung would accept had to compromise bombardment life if it decided to put the S Pen inside the body itself as it does on the Galaxy Note series. That may also not allow the tablet to be as thin equally it is.

I really honey how premium the Galaxy Tab S6 feels in the hand and its shocking thinness takes a lot of credit for that. But while no points are being docked for this implementation of the S Pen, I do wish that Samsung uses stronger magnets next fourth dimension around.

Since the Galaxy Tab S5e didn't have one, information technology's not surprising that the Galaxy Tab S6 doesn't accept a 3.5mm headphone jack, either. What might sting a little is the fact that Samsung isn't aircraft a USB-C to iii.5mm dongle in the box like information technology does with the other tablet.

Galaxy Tab S6 display and sound

You can e'er bet good coin that the display in a flagship Samsung product is going to be acme-notch. The Galaxy Tab S6 has a x.5-inch WQXGA Super AMOLED display, with its 16:10 widescreen format being the correct fit for content consumption and working on the go.

It gets nice and vivid with vivid colors and very deep blacks. Using it out in direct sunlight isn't going to pose whatsoever issues. Switch between the Natural and Vivid color modes if y'all have a unlike preference. Samsung points out that this is the first tablet brandish with HDR10+ certification. Information technology uses dynamic tone mapping specific to each scene to continuously fine-tune settings and so that content plays with more vivid color and improved low-cal and shadow details. If that sounds too complicated, simply know that you will get your money's worth with this brandish.

The Galaxy Tab S6 is no slouch in the audio department, either. There are AKG-tuned quad speakers backed up with Dolby Atmos support. They tin can provide stereo audio when the tablet is in mural orientation. The speakers get actually loud with the presence of actual bass being hard to miss. Listening to music is a treat on the tablet. Information technology's a noticeable improvement over the Galaxy Tab S5e. There'due south really not much to mutter about when it comes to the Galaxy Tab S6's speakers and display.

Galaxy Tab S6 functioning

Some of Samsung's earlier flagship tablets didn't come up with the latest processors. We're glad that Samsung changed this habit for the Galaxy Tab S6. Information technology comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, the very same bit you lot'll find in variants of the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy S10 in improver to countless flagship Android devices from other OEMs. The base model features 6GB of RAM with 128GB of super-fast UFS 3.0 storage. An 8GB + 256GB variant is bachelor while the microSD slot supports expansion upward to 1TB on both. We're reviewing the quondam.

This is where the price premium over the Milky way Tab S5e makes sense. Its Snapdragon 670 tin't concord a candle to the 855. The performance always just felt adequate on the Galaxy Tab S5e. It never felt blazing fast and the animation lags take only become more than prominent over fourth dimension. The Galaxy Tab S6 stands tall above its sibling in the performance department. It's a ripper, thanks to the chip it sports and the 6GB of RAM on the base model.

Nosotros threw a lot at the tablet to encounter if it would buckle under the pressure. It remained unfazed by multiple tabs in the browser and multiple windows in DeX mode even when switching back and along between other apps. It will run the heaviest of apps without breaking a sweat so you could really get some serious piece of work done on the Galaxy Tab S6.

The chipset's Adreno 640 GPU has much to offer for gamers also. Simply put, if it tin run on a tablet, the Galaxy Tab S6 volition take no problem powering that game. I find myself playing PUBG at the highest possible graphics setting far besides often than I'd like to admit because it feels pretty skilful on the tablet, specially when the speakers are also doing such a proficient job of elevating the gaming feel.

Galaxy Tab S6 cameras

The Galaxy Tab S6 is the offset Samsung tablet with a dual photographic camera at the back. It consists of a 13-megapixel primary sensor that's capable of recording 4K video coupled with a v-megapixel ultra-broad sensor that has a 123-degree field-of-view. It may non make much sense to you lot to have this on a tablet since people don't unremarkably use them for mobile photography, simply perhaps Samsung idea it could aid in somewhat justifying the price tag.

This may exist a flagship tablet but the photographic camera hardware is anything but. The wide-bending sensor doesn't have autofocus and the Pro mode in the camera app is fairly basic. The Night manner is only for the rear cameras as well, not for the 8-megapixel front photographic camera.

Color reproduction is good when at that place's ample calorie-free and the primary sensor does manage to capture considerable detail in shots. However, the ultra-wide camera with its lower resolution will render shots that are nowhere as well-baked. The shutter lag is noticeable but not something that will bother yous too much. Yes, the cameras are meliorate than they have ever been on a Samsung tablet, but they will inappreciably be the reason that makes customers wonder whether or not they should purchase this tablet.

Galaxy Tab S6 software

The Galaxy Tab S6 ships with Android 9 Pie and 1 UI i.five. That's the latest version of Samsung'southward custom One UI skin. Many of the features volition already be known to you if you've been using a contempo Samsung device, like the system-wide Night manner and Bixby 2.0 with Bixby Routines support, for example. There'due south nothing really out of the ordinary here then you'll exist at home if you accept already been using a device with One UI.

Galaxy Tab S6 Southward Pen

The S Pen has picked up some new tricks since it is now Bluetooth-enabled. It tin be used as a remote shutter for the camera and as a clicker for presentations. The S Pen Air actions feature from the Galaxy Notation x is besides nowadays and lets you control media content using gestures with the stylus. Gestures like a long printing of the S Pen's button and swiping upward can plough upwardly the volume in YouTube, for example. At that place'southward a novelty augmented reality feature which lets you doodle on yourself in selfie way. Some of you might find this to be a gimmick but at least Samsung is trying new things. Samsung will open up the S Pen Air deportment SDK to developers so gesture support volition extend to third-party apps also.

Using the South Pen on the Galaxy Tab S6's brandish feels really good. The claim we ever hear with such products is that it feels like putting a real pen on real newspaper. While information technology'due south not quite at that place yet, at that place'south petty to no input lag when using the S Pen, so if y'all love drawing you'll happily spend a couple of hours just doodling on the tablet.

It also comes in handy when you want to take notes. Like the Galaxy Note 10, handwritten notes in the Samsung Notes app can apace be converted into digital text and and so exported to easily shareable formats like Microsoft Word with a single tap. This certainly boosts the productivity credentials of the Milky way Tab S6 and it's a feature that I personally quite like.

Galaxy Tab S6 DeX feel

Samsung is shipping an improved version of DeX with the Galaxy Tab S6. For those who are unaware, DeX is the software platform that powers a PC-like feel when the device is continued to an external monitor. Recent Samsung tablets accept been able to run DeX on the device itself and the Milky way Tab S6 is no exception. Overall, the experience and functionality are the same as the Galaxy Tab S5e. What y'all do notice is the relative ease with which the tablet can handle multitasking in DeX. That'southward all because of the meliorate specs.

App support is notwithstanding lacking for DeX but there's enough present to enable you to do more than with the tablet. The true potential of on-device DeX volition merely be unlocked when you use the optional BookCover Keyboard which costs $179. It comes with a touchpad and as well has a DeX part primal so that information technology tin be launched with a unmarried keystroke.

Galaxy Tab S6 battery

You get the same seven,040mAh bombardment with the Galaxy Tab S6 as the Galaxy Tab S5e. Samsung claims that it tin concluding for up to 14 hours simply we all know that these estimates aren't really representative of existent globe usage. The improved internals like the 7nm chipset and UFS 3.0 storage will depict less ability than what you get in the Tab S5e and so the new tablet should last a scrap longer.

I was able to get only over 10 hours quite easily with a mix of YouTube, Netflix and light gaming. Expect the battery life to striking that figure for you as well if you're not doing excessively intensive tasks. Information technology's more than capable of getting you through the 24-hour interval and and then some then you won't have much to complain about.

I exercise believe that Samsung has missed an opportunity to farther add value to this tablet by not providing 25W fast charging. Information technology retains the same 15W fast charging every bit the Galaxy Tab S5e. That would have significantly improved charging times and given customers a fleck more bang for their buck, specially seeing how 25W charging benefits the Galaxy Note 10+.

Galaxy Tab S6 Wi-Fi reliability

This isn't a department that you'd unremarkably discover in our reviews, but information technology's of import in this example. The Galaxy Tab S5e would drop the Wi-Fi connection if the tablet was held a certain way. It was basically Antennagate equally closing your palm around the lower left corner would result in weaker reception. It would drib the connexion entirely if you held on to the corner too tightly.

It's a hardware related issue so at that place'south no question of a software update fixing information technology. Moreover, information technology tin can oftentimes be actually erratic. My Galaxy Tab S5e will often drop the connectedness even when I make sure not to identify my hand over that item spot. What's frustrating is that it can lose connectedness even when my Galaxy Note 9 doesn't drib a unmarried bar connected to the same router and beingness the exact same distance away from it as the tablet.

Naturally, I wanted to check if Samsung had repeated the error with the Galaxy Tab S6. I'm happy to written report that it didn't. The Wi-Fi performance is stable and there don't seem to be whatever signs of an Antennagate-esque event yet.

Galaxy Tab S6 verdict

Sympathize that you lot need to be certain what y'all are looking to become out of a tablet before you decide to purchase the Galaxy Tab S6. If you just want something for casual utilise like web browsing, Netflix, maybe the occasional DeX session, just get for the Galaxy Tab S5e. Information technology'south a very capable tablet with the verbal aforementioned display and a really great value at just $400.

Starting at $650, the Galaxy Tab S6 is only really for those who want to get some serious piece of work done on their tablets. Information technology volition be overkill if you purchase it for the tasks mentioned above. There's no better option if you require the ability to rapidly have digital notes or need top-notch performance to run custom apps to manage your business. There is no other Android tablet on the market right at present that can provide the level of performance that the Galaxy Tab S6 does.

We have discussed this tablet's value proffer at length among ourselves and do feel that Samsung has missed the opportunity to provide customers with more value for money. We would have loved to see IP67 certification on the Galaxy Tab S6. It's common on smartphones and wearables now, then why non tablets? Information technology would then be able to withstand more demanding piece of work environments also. Samsung should have also considered adding a ToF sensor to the rear camera setup. That would take also opened upward new professional use cases. Perhaps we may go some of this with the next iteration of Samsung'due south flagship tablet, but that's merely wishful thinking at this phase.

Other than that, the Galaxy Tab S6 actually is the height Android tablet of 2019. One may say that this is past virtue of non-existent contest in this segment, but Samsung hasn't been slacking off. The Galaxy Tab S6 is well-made, feels exceptionally premium in the easily, has the latest internal specs and a superb display. It can most certainly justify its $650 toll tag for the right customer.