Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 review: Still a decent compact tablet

Performance

Samsung has used its own octa-core Exynos 5 system-on-chip (SoC) processor to power the Galaxy Tab S 8.4, which was first seen on the 2014 model of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1. It’s technically a quad-core ARM 1.9GHz Cortex-A15 paired with a quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A7 filling in when only a less power-hungry processor is needed. There’s also an LTE model available which uses a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor running at 2.3GHz instead, but all models come equipped with a generous 3GB of RAM.

We reviewed the Exynos 5 model and in our BaseMark OS II benchmarks it scored 700 overall. This is a little lower than we were expecting, as it’s almost 200 points behind the Tesco Hudl2. Still, we had no complaints about its day-to-day performance, as apps opened exceedingly quickly and Samsung’s TouchWiz interface felt extremely smooth and responsive.

The tablet’s BrowserMark score of 764 was also below average, but this was more noticeable when we began browsing the web. Scrolling up and down web pages, for instance, was a little too juddery for our liking and sometimes there was a noticeable delay when zoomed in and panning round pages. We’d expect more from a £250 tablet, and but at least you’ll be able to play games on it without too much trouble.

^ Samsung’s Multi Window application lets you view two apps simultaneously

Despite its somewhat modest score of 14,111 on Medium quality settings in BaseMark X 1.1, averaging 13fps in the Dunes test and 18.7fps in the Hangar test, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 proved more than capable of playing demanding games such as Hearthstone, as we encountered almost no judder whatsoever. In-game animations in particular were noticeably smoother than on other 8in tablets we’ve tested and it certainly goes a long way to make up for its slightly lacklustre web performance.

Likewise, the Tab S 8.4’s battery life is outstanding, as it lasted 13h 54m in our continuous video playback test with the screen brightness set to our standard 170cd/m2, making it longer-lasting than the iPad Mini 3 and Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. The Dell Venue 7840 still has the edge with its battery life of 14h 20m, but you should definitely be able to get a full day’s use out of the Tab S 8.4 however you’re using it. 

Android 5.0 Lollipop

The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 runs Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box, but you can now download a free OTA update to Android 5.0 Lollipop. Not that you’d know it, as Samsung’s new design is more or less identical to the old KitKat interface. In keeping with Google’s Material Design scheme, app icons now look a bit flatter, but that’s more or less it. Of course, as with all Lollipop devices, you can now view your notifications from the lock screen and add multiple user accounts, but otherwise you’ll barely notice the difference between the two interfaces. 

^ Android Lollipop looks almost exactly the same as Samsung’s KitKat interface on the Galaxy Tab S 8.4

Regardless of whether you decide to upgrade to Lollipop, Samsung has included a few of its own tweaks to the Android operating system. One of the more notable inclusions is Multi Window mode, which allows you to use two apps simultaneously. This is useful if you’re watching a film and want to open up the browser to look up an actor, for example, and each app is resizable. Kids Mode has also been included, allowing a safe ecosystem for children through parental controls and a custom child-friendly interface – meaning you should be able to safely hand the tablet to your little ones.

Along the edges of the tablet you’ll find the usual headphone jack, micro USB charging port, power button and volume rocker. There’s also an IR blaster for controlling your AV kit plus a microSD reader which supports cards up to 128GB. This will allow you to substantially expand upon the built-in storage, which is limited to either 16GB or 32GB.