Our Verdict
It ’s a tough conclusion , and one that should be influenced mainly by what you ’ll use the pad for . If , for deterrent example , you ’ll be using it to watch over movies or take photos , you may want to go for the Tab S3 with its Super AMOLED display and 13Mp keister - facing camera . However , for those that want a high up - perform tablet that runs iOS with access to Siri and iCloud without drop over £ 500 , the iPad is a great option .
Is Apple ’s £ 339iPadgood enough to compete with the likes of the £ 599Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 ? While the Galaxy Tab S3 has had a lovesome welcome in the UK with its Super AMOLED video display and 6 mm thick body , Apple ’s iPad has a couple of tricks up its arm . Here , we breakdown the differences between the 2017 iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 to help you decide which is best .
concerned in buying an iPad , but not trusted which is right for you ? Take a aspect at ouriPad purchasing guide .
UK pricing and availability
Apple ’s unexampled iPad , the successor to the iPad Air 2 , was announced and expel in March 2017 . Before we go any further , this year ’s iPad is n’t related to the ‘ Pro ’ iPad series that Apple launched back in 2016 , and the pricing reflects this . In terms of Wi - Fi only models , interested users can pick up a 32 GB iPad for £ 339 , or can splash out £ 429 for the 128 GB strain – both are available from theApple Store .
What about Samsung ’s Galaxy Tab S3 , you ask ? It ’s safe to say that it ’s the more expensive selection , setting potential users back £ 599 from the likes ofCurrys PC Worldfollowing a March 2017 reveal .
That ’s enough to purchase the iPad with 128 GB of storage and still have change leave over . Is it deserving the superfluous £ 140 ? We ’ll let you make up one’s mind once we break down the specs of the two 2017 tablets .
Design and build
The blueprint of Apple ’s iPad has remain largely unchanged for years , offer the same aluminium unibody with curving edges for improved biotechnology and a burnished , high - settlement 9.7 in display . It measures in at a 240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm and matter 469 g , making it duncical and heavier than not only the extremist - silken Galaxy Tab S3 but also its herald , the iPad Air 2 .
Samsung ’s Galaxy Tab S3 is pep up by the society ’s smartphone pattern and much like this class ’s Samsung Galaxy S8 , the Tab S3 features an all - glass back . It ’s sleek and stylish if not a bite of a fingermark magnet , and manage to be small , tenuous and loose than Apple ’s iPad at 237.3 x 169 x 6 mm and 429 g.
Both the iPad and Galaxy Tab S3 feature physical Home release on the front of the gimmick , and each boast a fingerprint scanner for security - related intention . While the iPad only has a single Home button , the Galaxy Tab S3 have two extra signature capacitive buttons , allowing Android substance abuser to go back a single whole step or quickly get at the multitasking window . you’re able to also reach the multitasking menu on the iPad by double - clicking the Home button .
That ’s not the only similarity between the two 9.7 in tablet either : both the iPad and Galaxy Tab S3 feature four stereo speakers , two at the top and two at the bottom of the display . Both should cater exculpated , crisp stereo audio , although Samsung has a trick up its sleeve . While Apple ’s verbaliser were grow in - sign , Samsung ’s Galaxy Tab S3 speakers were tuned by HARMAN .
Oh , and on the colour pick front , the 2017 iPad is available in Silver , Gold or Space Gray while Samsung ’s Galaxy Tab S3 is available in Black or White .
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Features and spec
It ’s when you look beyond the intent of the two flagship 2017 lozenge that the differences get down to appear .
Display
For starters , the display technology is dissimilar : while both the iPad and Galaxy Tab S3 offer the same 1536 x 2048 resolution , equating to around 264ppi , Apple opted for the cheaper IPS LED display while Samsung decide to offer a Super AMOLED show .
The purpose of Super AMOLED technology means that Samsung ’s display can propose more pictorial colours and deeper Black than Apple ’s iPad , although the iPad display is n’t to be sniff at .
Processors
However , in damage of public presentation , it ’s a different story . Apple ’s 2017 iPad does n’t feature the same high - goal A9X chipset as the iPad Pro , or the A10 Fusion chipset featured in the iPhone 7 . Instead , the iPad features the twofold - core A9 chip that was first introduced back in 2015 as part of Apple ’s then flagship iPhone 6s , along with 2 GB of RAM .
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 feature a quadriceps femoris - burden Snapdragon 820 with double the amount of RAM , at 4 GB . While the Snapdragon 820 is slightly new and the Tab S3 features double the amount of Aries at 4 GB , benchmark trial run suggest that the iPad is the more brawny pad of paper of the two .
In Geekbench 4 bench mark psychometric test , the iPad scored 2359 in exclusive - core way and 4340 in multi - core mode compare to 1731 and 3961 of Samsung ’s Galaxy Tab S3 . With that being said , both the iPad and Galaxy Tab S3 should put up more than enough power to run intensive apps and offer the ability to apply two apps side - by - side at the same time .
Storage
Storage is another of import country to view , with Apple and Samsung take two unlike approaches . Apple offer the 2017 iPad in two repositing options : 32 GB and 128 GB , allowing users to opt for the punk option if they do n’t call for a lot of storage . However , as the society offer two storage solutions , Apple did n’t feel the need to offer a microSD posting slot to expand storage if required ( this is nothing unexampled though ! ) .
Samsung , on the other paw , offer the Galaxy Tab S3 in only a individual depot choice : 32 gigabyte . While it might seem expensive ( especially considering the 128 GB iPad is cheaper than the 32 GB Tab S3 ) , Samsung ’s pill features a build up - in microSD wit slot that can expand warehousing on the equipment by up to 256 GB if required .
So , while Apple may win in term of fundament reposition , the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 can offer more overall storage – as long you ’re well-chosen to pay extra for it .
Stylus support
Samsung also offer a destitute S Pen along with all orderliness of the Galaxy Tab S3 , offering pressing - sore stylus interaction . That do it well-off to take out and shade using the stylus , along with written material and annotate in a more natural fashion . The one drawback ? Unlike with Samsung ’s Note series , the S Pen is n’t construct into the pad of paper and it offers nowhere to keep it safe .
While it ’s an inconvenience , at least Samsung users have the option of using a force per unit area - tender style , which is more than can be said for Apple users . Why ? Despite offer sustenance for both models of iPad Pro , the Apple Pencil is incompatible with the 2017 iPad .
Cameras
While the features of the two pad of paper are similar in most respects , the camera department is one area where that is n’t true . Apple ’s 2017 iPad offer a rear - facing 8Mp tv camera with an aperture of f/2.4 and 1.12 µm pixels that produce decent quality photos , and a front - facing 1.2Mp television camera that ’ll suffice for FaceTime and Skype , but not much else . In terms of picture , the iPad can charm 1080p@30fps and 720p@120fps on the hind end - facing tv camera , but only 720p@30fps on the front - face camera .
It ca n’t quite compete with the Galaxy Tab S3 , which sport a 13Mp rearward face camera with ameliorate aperture ( f/1.9 ) for better humiliated - light picture taking and an LED flash for when that is n’t enough . It also features a higher quality 5Mp front - facing camera with f/2.2 aperture and is also able of record at 1080p@30fps , while the bottom - face camera can offer 2160p@30fps .
Connectivity
Both tablet offer standardised options in terminus of connectivity , sport Wi - Fi 802.11 a / b / gravitational constant / n / ac , Bluetooth 4.2 and GPS . The only real deviation is in terms of the physical ports as Apple ’s iPad use the ship’s company ’s Lightning port while Samsung decided to follow cause of other Android manufacturers and offer USB - C on the Galaxy Tab S3 .
The Tab S3 also offers a magnetic connexion interchangeable to that of the iPad Pro for usage with Tab S3 - compatible keyboards that do n’t rely on Bluetooth applied science . Apple ’s iPad , on the other hand , does n’t feature the ‘ Smart Connector ’ and trust on wireless applied science for communication with iPad accessories .
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Software
You should n’t be too surprised to learn that Macworld UK is staffed mainly by iOS substance abuser , and we do favour it to Android , but it does n’t entail that we ca n’t appreciate Google ’s rival operating system .
The 2017 iPad fall move Apple ’s recent version of iOS , iOS 10.3 , while the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 features Android 7.0 Nougat . Apple is set up to release iOS 11 in September 2017 and will definitely offer financial backing for the 2017 iPad , while the same ca n’t be tell for Android O on the Tab S3 , which was recently announced at Google I / O. Android is infamously fragmented , and it ’s difficult to say at this early stage whether a tablet issue in other 2017 will get an update .
If you want to learn more about the differences between iOS and Android , the two roving operating systems go head to guide here : Io vs Android .
