Published on August 13th, 2018 | by Biplab Das

Samsung Galaxy Tab S4: A Tablet that Costs You on the Higher Side

Tablets are not fancy these days. Nowadays, phones are getting bigger, laptops are getting cheaper and you have a lot of other options to get your work done.

I always have had problems with hybrid solutions like turning your tablet into a laptop: it just doesn’t feel right. However, thanks to the cutting edge advancements in portability, there are a lot of options today: the 13″ and 15″ MacBook Pros. You may end up giving your credit card a punishment to buy a MacBook, but there are cheaper options like the Pixel C tab, the Chromebooks and the Microsoft Surface Go (which I covered in my last article) that can keep your productive on the go and won’t hamper your credit. Also, there are the Apple iPads: with massive screen real-estate, lots of productivity apps and long battery life.

For other options, visit any online store and search for Android tablets. You will find many tablets starting at a meagre $100 and $250 with an attachable keyboard, featuring long battery life and bigger screens.

Now, I’m going to talk about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 which was launched a few days ago.

Let me talk about the specs first.

The Tab S4 comes with a giant 10.5-inch Super-AMOLED 1600×2560 resolution display. Under the hood its powered by last year’s silicon, the Snapdragon 835 with 4GB RAM and the base variant only comes with 64GB onboard storage. Moreover, there is the option to expand the storage via microSD up to 400GB. For some extra dollars you can get the 256GB variant.

You will see an upgrade in the camera department. Unlike the old Samsung Tabs, the Tab S4 has upgraded cameras: the rear with 13MP AF with f/1.9 aperture and the front with 8MP and f/1.9 aperture.

For physical connectivity, the tab has one USB type-C magnetic port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the wireless side, the tab support Bluetooth 5.0 and LTE.

Moreover, all major sensors are present except the fingerprint scanner. Instead there is an iris scanner.

You will not be disappointed by the audio. There are four speakers on each corner of the tab and they support Dolby Atmos.

All these are backed by a non-removable 7300 mAh battery which is enough to last a day long, and can be juiced up swiftly by fast charging.

Additionally, the tab supports a stylus. Samsung Dex is also supported, which will let you connect it with a bigger monitor. Out of the box, the Tab S4 comes with Android Oreo 8.1.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 release date is August 10 in the US, the day right after the Galaxy Note 9 launch event. It’s going to be a big month for Samsung fans.

It will also be an expensive month. In the US, the Tab S4 WiFi version costs $649.99 (or £599 or AU$880) on Amazon, Best Buy, and the Samsung Store.

Samsung is also planning an LTE version of the Tab S4 for August 10 at Verizon. Other major US carriers like Sprint and US Cellular will sell it in the third quarter. In the UK the LTE version will cost £649 (around $850, AU$1,150).

Tab S4 pre-orders in the US opened on August 1, with a 50% discount on the Book Cover Keyboard when purchased with a Tab S4 (normal keyboard cover price is $149.99, £119, around AU$200).

Meanwhile, pre-orders in the UK start on August 9, and if you do opt to pre-order you can get yourself a free keyboard case.

We’re waiting to know about the release date, availability, and price in other markets.

So, if you want to replace your regular notebook with any Tab lineup then the Galaxy Tab S4 is a good but an expensive choice. However, I never felt that a tablet can replace any notebook or laptop. As I mentioned earlier, you can get many options even in a very tight budget, so do check the alternatives before buying this one.

Note: if you have a smaller budget check out some tablet under $300.

Tags: Android, Android tablet, costs, Galaxy Tab, higher side, s4, Samsung, tablet

About the Author

Biplab Das My name is Biplab Das. I’m a writer, sometimes a tech YouTuber, blogger, ICT tutor and a part time website developer whose childhood obsession with science fiction never quite faded. A quarter-century later, the technology that I coveted as a kid is woven into the fabric of everyday life. I’ve spent the past years to learn these technologies, People say smartphones are boring these days, but I think everyone is beginning to take this wonderful technology marvel for granted.