Pros
- Great Productivity and Gaming Potential thanks to Snapdragon 855
- LTE ready so you don’t have to rely on just WiFi
- Lightweight
- Integrated S Pen is accurate and comfy to draw
Price
128GB/6GB : RM 3099
Cons
- Pen placement is weird and can detach if you’re a go-getter
- Take a bunch of time to charge
- On-display fingerprint scanner is slow
Colors
Mountain Gray
Cloud Blue
Rose Blush
Box Contents
- Galaxy S6 Tablet
- S Pen
- USB Type – C Cable
- SIM ejector tool
- Quick start guide
- Samsung 15W Fast-charger
It’s been awhile since i’ve last seen an Android tablet simply because there weren’t any that could shake me well enough to make the change from my 2018 iPad Pro. I’m not here to say that the Galaxy Tab S6 is so great until you should abandon your iPad, but to say that if you haven’t gotten yourself a tablet for any reason in 2019/2020 but actively looking, this is worth your ringgit.
Design Highlights
- Clean, minimal metal design language
- Medium thick bezels in the front
- In-Display optical fingerprint scanner
- Dual rear cameras
- Light 420G weight
- Magnetic docking at the back for S Pen
The Galaxy Tab S6 looks neat, very very neat. It’s a thin slab of aluminium that weighs a very inviting 420 grams, making it easy to hold with one hand and doodling with the S Pen with the other.
The 10.5-inch AMOLED panel is gorgeous, with a sharp 2560×1600 resolution. Even with the ‘medium’ thick bezels, viewing content on this tablet was pleasant. To me, the bezels add points to minimalistic charm. The screen’s 16:10 aspect ratio is versatile on both vertical and horizontal orientations, and nothing looked out of place on either side. I’ve done everything on this tablet, from watching shows, playing some games, handling my emails and even reading pages and pages of text and the user experience has been nothing short of great. It’s not even worth complaining about not having Android 10 nor a 3.5mm jack to start hating on this tablet. There’s AKG Tuned speakers for that and I even stopped using my desktop speakers for a bit because of how loud and clear the music playback was.
Performance
- Snapdragon 855
- 128GB + 6GB RAM (expandable to 1TB)
To even see an 8xx series Snapdragon processor these days is very rare. Here Samsung made a choice that cemented my recommendation of this tablet. 6GB of RAM is respectable and 128GB of internal storage space is still a relevant amount to start off with. Not enough? just pop in an extra card for $20 and you’re set.
Battery
Inside there’s a non-removable battery pack with a 7040 mAh capacity that you can charge up via USC Type-C. On light usage it can last for about just over 2 days, but if you’re anything like me (playing games, Spotify streaming, reading and social media stalking) 24/7, then you’ll actually still be able to end the day with about 20% left before starting to charge over night, which impressed me considering that I didn’t hold back on my usage.
Charging it is a different story. Using the box-provided 15W Fast Charger, a nil to full charge took a long 2 hours 15 minutes, something only a few people can accept, and that’s if they’re the kind of end-user that only charges to sleep and not topping it up mid day.
Using the S Pen
The S Pen comes free with the Tab S6, and in my experience it served me well in my doodling and note-taking. Taking notes was fairly easy on both orientations and for drawing I preferred horizontal, but that’s just me. I like looking like an executive taking notes in the field with this. My only gripe with the S Pen is the awkward way of charging it, where you attach it to the back magnetically similar to the iPad Pro. On it’s own it may easy fall out when kept in a loose bag, so I do recommending a folio case for it, where a flap keeps it in place.
Verdict – Recommended, if price drops a little.
Price aside, the Tab S6 can do it all, get your work done, play demanding games and watch you some crispy contrast HDR content without draining like a diesel sports car.
The S Pen does not disappoint, whether you’re taking notes, doodling or simply navigating through the menu.
The Galaxy Tab S6 is a fine Apple alternative. The price just needs to be more attractive, as I feel not many are willing to spend 3 grand for this yet alone cough out a few hundred more for the keyboard case.
