Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Review

Introduction

Samsung is a South Korean multinational company that produces tech gadgets and is infamous with its Galaxy line. This year is no different. On the 5th of August 2020, Samsung announced a release of its newest tablet, which is Galaxy S7 that will be available later this year. It is a much-improved version of the previous Galaxy S6 tablet. It will be available both as wi-fi and 5G variant, where this option is possible. Fortunately, the 5G variant will be available in the United States and other countries that currently support the 5G network. Since this is a new release announcement, here is a full review of Galaxy S7 that will help you decide if this the right tablet for you.

Specifications

	Galaxy Tab S7
Size	11 inches
Screen	LTPS TFT capacitive touchscreen
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+
CPU	Octa-core Kryo 585
GPU	Adreno 650
Camera	13MP primary rear camera and a 5MP ultra-wide camera, 8MP front camera
Battery	Li-Po 8000 mAh
Features	Fingerprint sensor S Pen stylus ANT+ Samsung DeX, compass, accelerometer, proximity, gyro, stereo speakers

Design

Regarding the design, the Galaxy S7 looks very sleek. This is an 11-inch tablet. Therefore, the dimensions are 9.99 x 6.5 inches. This makes this tablet perfect for most tasks. It is big enough to make writing and watching tv a comfortable and enjoyable experience while still being compact enough to carry with you everywhere and will fit in most bags and backpacks.

It is only 6.3 mm thick. As a comparison, iPad Pro 11 is 5.9 mm and the small difference will not be noticeable in real life. Therefore, it can be concluded that this is a very thin tablet, making it lightweight as well. In fact, it weighs only 498 grams if you decide to go with the wi-fi version while the 5G version weighs 502 grams. The difference is minimal and unnoticeable.

Galaxy S7 has a full aluminum build with beautiful metal sides that provides a high-end feel. The corners are rounded, providing a sleek and modern feel to this tablet. Additionally, it comes in 3 different colors. That is mystic bronze, mystic black, and mystic silver. Therefore, you have the option to choose which tone will suit your style the most.

Display

The display is built from glass which will feel luxurious. However, it also means that a screen protector, as with most tablets, is required. The screen does have a bezel around the edges of the display. Therefore, the screen-to-body ratio is approximately 83.6 %. This is a decent ratio and will not affect the viewing experience.

Galaxy Tab S7 has the classic LTPS TFT capacitive touchscreen. This simply means that backlight is being used to produce the image. In general, the LTPS TFT screen is a good choice because it can provide a large pixel density and lower power consumption than other LCD screens.

The resolution is 1600 x 2560 pixels. This equals 274 pixels per inch. This is a good resolution. Additionally, this tablet has HDR10+ technology. This allows the dynamic metadata to continuously tweak the display settings, ensuring that each image will have the best color possible. Furthermore, this model has a 120 Hz refresh rate. This implies that the displayed image refreshes more frequently than on devices with a lower rate. For example, iPad Pro 11 has the same refresh rate as Galaxy S7.

Therefore, it can be concluded that it will provide a wonderful and dynamic experience while watching movies, working on your art, and playing games.

Performance

Galaxy Tab S7 uses Android 10, One UI 2.5 as an operating system. One UI 2.5 software improves the design and functionality of the previous One UI 2.1 version. It has been stated that this newer version will bring Google’s UI navigation gestures to third-party app launches and there might be improvements regarding camera features. However, there is no further information provided and only time will tell if this is an improvement from the previous version.

This tablet uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865+ chipset. Currently, it is one of the best mobile and tablet chipsets available on the market.  It has an Octa-core (Kryo 585) CPU and Adreno 650 GPU. This is a brilliant and fast-acting combination. For instance, Snapdragon 865+ improves the Kryo 585 CPU performance by 10% higher than the standard 865 version. Furthermore, the Adreno 650 GPU gains a 10 % faster graphics rendering capability.

It comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. This is more than enough to enable you to play the newest games and apps without issues. However, customers can also choose more memory if they feel the need for it. For this reason, it is possible to get this tablet with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. Additionally, it has a dedicated MicroSD slot, enabling you to expand memory up to 1TB.

Therefore, it can be concluded that you can expect a high-end performance for gaming and AI applications.

Battery

Galaxy Tab S7 has a non-removable Li-Po 8000 mAh battery. Unfortunately, Samsung has not specified a battery life-figure. However, based on the battery size, you should expect around 8-hour performance capability before needing to charge the tablet again.

It also comes with 45W fast-charging technology. With this technology, the device can be charged from 0% to 50% in just 20 minutes. However, to take advantage of this, a specific charger will be required and, unfortunately, it does not come with the tablet.

Camera

It has a rear camera, as well as a front camera. The rear camera has a dual-camera system. It consists of a 13MP primary camera and a 5MP ultra-wide camera. Additionally, it has an HDR feature, panorama feature, and 4k resolution videos that can be recorded.

The front camera consists of a single 8MP camera, which is decent when compared with other tablets. For example, iPad Pro 11 has only a 7MP front camera. That said, Galaxy S7 does not have any additional features attached, such as a face-detection feature.  Regarding the positioning, it has been moved to the right-hand side edge. This is brilliant if you plan to use your tablet for video or conference call, or prefer taking photos in a landscape mode. However, it can take some getting used to for selfie-taking.

It can be concluded that good-quality pictures can be achieved and will satisfy the average user.

Sound

This tablet comes with 4 stereo speakers, which is the usual amount 11-inched tablets come with. A couple of speakers are positioned on the top and a couple on the bottom. The loudspeakers are tuned by AKG technology. This ensures that a truly pure sound, which is free from any sound distortion, can be provided. Therefore, precisely tuned sound for gaming, for videos and for listening to music is achieved.

Unfortunately, it does not have a 3.5mm jack. This means that wired earphones cannot be used with this device and will require a wireless headset. This is not a big con. However, if you plan to use your tablet while commuting and do not have a Bluetooth compatible headset, this may not be your perfect tablet or will require you to purchase a new pair of earbuds.

Features

The most noticeable feature is the S Pen stylus which is similar to one that came with Galaxy Tab S6. The stylus can be magnetically attached to the back of the tablet. It has a specifically designed place at the back of the tablet. Therefore, you will not have to worry about losing the stylus. Furthermore, the S Pen stylus has been improved. The latency of the stylus has been cut down to just 9ms, which is great news. This will provide a more life-like experience while writing or drawing with the stylus.

This tablet has a fingerprint sensor. Unfortunately, this sensor is not positioned on the display. Instead, it is allocated on a side button. In practice, this should not cause problems but it may take some getting used to since most devices nowadays have an in-display fingerprint sensor.

Furthermore, Galaxy S7 has an ANT+. This is a wireless protocol used for monitoring sensor data. For example, it should enable you to monitor your heart rate and sports and fitness activities. Additionally, there multiple other features, such as Samsung DeX, compass, accelerometer, and gyro.

Pros

• It can be purchased with a 5G network in countries where it has been enabled.
• Lightweight.
• Galaxy S7 has a full aluminum build.
• Improved S Pen stylus for a more life-like experience.
• Fingerprint sensor.
• 120Hz refresh rate.
• 8MP front camera.
• The rear camera has 13 MP primary and 5MP ultra-wide camera.
• The stylus can be magnetically attached to the back of the tablet.
• Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865+ chipset, which improves CPU and GPU efficiency by 10%.
• 6GB RAM.
• Available with 128GB and 256GB memory.
• TFT LCD screen.

Cons

• Galaxy S7 does not have a 3.5 mm jack.
• Does not have a Super AMOLED screen.
• The fingerprint sensor is positioned on a side button.
• It does not come with a keyboard.
• The camera is positioned on the right-hand side edge.

Conclusion

Galaxy Tab S7 is a good and well-rounded device. It is lightweight and a thin device, making it travel-friendly and easily portable. Performance-wise, this tablet will not disappoint. It is powerful enough for fast internet surfing since it has a 120Hz refresh rate and you should be able to play any game without problems. In fact, the Snapdragon 865+ chipset improves CPU and GPU efficiency by 10%.

Furthermore, this tablet comes with an S Pen stylus that has been improved from the previous version. The latency of the stylus has been cut down to just 9ms. This is wonderful news if you are looking for a tablet to use for drawing and creating illustrations because it will feel more like a real pen than a stylus.

Therefore, it can be concluded that Galaxy S7 will be the perfect tablet for you if you are looking for a tablet with great performance that you will be able to use both for studies and creative projects.