Apple vs Samsung is a somewhat consistent comparison, but the pitch is usually the crowded smartphone market. Tablets, however, have almost always been dominated by Apple, and the entire industry has been almost completely taken over by one iPad or another. That's not to say the battle is won, though, and Samsung's latest efforts, the Galaxy Tab S7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, may just have what it takes to bring Android tablets back into the spotlight. . But how do they compare to Apple's iPad Air 4, the latest model in its light and powerful Air line? Let's find out.
Price and Availability
The first thing to note is that neither of these tablets are what you would call 'budget conscious' for the average consumer. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 starts at $649.99 / £619 / AU$1,149 for the 128GB Wi-Fi-only model. The addition of 5G (in supported territories) and the increase in screen size (and display technology, but more on that later) with the S7 Plus pushes prices up. 'at £1,049.99 / £999 / AU$2,049 up, still with 128GB of built-in storage in the UK (some other territories have 256GB and 512GB options). Meanwhile, it's not often that you offer an Apple product as a cheaper alternative, but you can get the iPad Air 4 for £599 / £579 / AU$899 with a stingy 64GB of storage. As for the top-of-the-line model, a 256GB version with 4G (Apple doesn't offer a 5G device yet) costs $879 / £859 / AU$1,329. The iPad Air 4 starts shipping in October, while the Tab S7 and S7 Plus are available now.
Integrated
![Evento de Apple 2020]()
The iPad Air 4 in its various color options (Image credit: Apple) In many ways, the iPad Air 4 and Tab S7 line seem to have been inspired by Apple's update to the iPad Pro 11 (2018). Both offer rounded corners and narrower bezels than you'll find on most tablets, and if you place them side by side it can take a second to spot the differences. Apple's new Air comes in the usual silver, space gray and rose gold options, but also adds green and sky blue to the mix. Meanwhile, Samsung is a bit more conservative, offering ``Mystic'' Bronze, Black, and Silver for the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7 Plus. While the iPad Air 4 offers a single 12MP wide camera module, the Galaxy Tab S7 lineup offers two rear cameras: a 13MP main and a 5MP ultra-wide, but more on that later. At the top edge of the iPad Air 4, you'll find a new lock button. While it still wakes the device, as it would on an iPad Pro, it cleverly serves as a Touch ID sensor here. While that doesn't mean Face ID (as you'll find on its pricier sibling), the front-facing camera still offers 7MP photos and video recording.
![Samsung galaxy tab s7]()
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (Image credit: TechRadar) It's a similar situation with the standard Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, which also includes a fingerprint scanner in the lock button. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus offers an in-display fingerprint sensor. It's definitely smart technology, but as we noted in our review, it doesn't work as fast as it does on mobile phones. You'll also notice the respective connectors on each device for their own accessories such as keyboards, and yes, the iPad Air 4 supports Apple's Magic Keyboard, if you like, as well as Apple's Apple Pencil. second generation.
Monitor
When it comes to displays, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus diverge drastically here. The S11's 7-inch display is a 1600 x 2560 LCD, and while it's a good canvas for whatever content you throw at it, there's no denying that the S7 Plus is the kid of the world. 'gold here.
![La Tab S7 Plus tiene la pantalla más grande del grupo]()
The Tab S7 Plus has the biggest screen of the bunch (Image credit: Future) Offering a stunning 12,4-inch AMOLED screen, it's incredibly bright and bold, with a 1752 x 2800 resolution and 16-inch aspect ratio. :10. This means it's a bit shorter when you use it in landscape, but you probably won't notice too much. The standard Tab S7 also has this aspect ratio, and both slates offer a 120Hz refresh rate, making for smooth animations and inputs. Meanwhile, Apple's Slate offers another Liquid Retina display (read: LCD), and it has a 1640 x 2360 resolution. It's also 10,9 inches, making it a bit smaller than the Galaxy. S7 basic tab.
Camera and battery
Apple has made big strides with its camera hardware and software in recent years, but the Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7 Plus are the clear winners, at least on paper, offering 13MP and 5MP sensors. The 5MP is an ultra-wide option that allows you to capture more than one scene in a single shot. If you're the type of person who reaches for your tablet over your phone, it's hard not to recommend the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7. That's not to say the camera is a dud on the iPad Air 4. Its 12MP sensor is great for taking photos during the day, but without the flash and the night mode of the iPhone 11 range, it won't. Your choice. in for pictures after dark.
![iPad Air 4]()
The iPad Air 4 has only one rear camera (Image credit: Apple) In terms of video, both are capable of 4K 30fps recording, but the iPad Air 4 also offers 60fps recording. As for the battery, Apple did not reveal the battery size of the iPad Air 4, but did say that the slate offers 10 hours of battery life, down to 9 when using a cell phone. Samsung's Galaxy Tab S7 has an 8000 mAh battery, while the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus has a whopping 10.090 mAh. Despite this, Samsung claims the base Tab S7 lasts longer, apparently with up to 15 hours of video playback, compared to 14 on the Tab S7 Plus. This can probably be explained by the Plus model's larger, higher-resolution screen. Unlike Apple, both of Samsung's slates also support fast charging, but all of these tablets offer a USB-C port.
Specifications and Features
iPad Air 4 is powered by Apple's new A14 Bionic chipset, with a neural engine that enables machine learning. While that may sound like a series of buzzwords, it's tantamount to saying that the iPad Air 4 is very fast and pretty smart too. Apps that take advantage of machine learning will use artificial intelligence and algorithms to train users for either finer photo editing or higher graphics performance. iPadOS 14 may be a modest update, but it comes with some exciting new features that Android devices still can't match. If you buy an Apple Pencil, there's the new "Scribble" feature that lets you write text in any text field and automatically convert it to digital text, among other things. Then there are the redesigned Home and Notes apps, a new Safari translation feature, and a greater focus on privacy in the App Store. You'll also get mouse and keyboard support.
![Samsung galaxy tab s7]()
The Tab S7's stylus comes in the box (Image credit: TechRadar) Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and S7 Plus each have an octa-core Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset, which also has a neural processor, a 77% faster processor than the previous Samsung Galaxy Tab S6. These whiteboards also work on Android 10, which offers improved privacy settings, live transcripts, and more. The Tab S7 and S7 Plus also come with a new and improved stylus, the company's Stylus. It offers incredibly low latency and sticks to the back of the tablet for better preservation. In terms of functionality, it's similar to the Apple Pencil, but it's nice that it ships with the tablet instead of having to buy it separately. Plus, with Samsung tablets, you can expand storage up to 1TB with a microSD card, while iPad Air 4 owners are left with whatever they choose when buying. As noted above, you can also get 5G as an option with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, while the iPad Air 4 only offers 4G.
To go
As with any comparison between Apple and Samsung, there is no real loser and it depends on which operating system you prefer. Then there's the price, with Samsung's offerings costing more than the iPad Air 4, but if you're likely to buy an Apple Pencil in addition to the latter, things even out a bit more. The latest revision of the iPad Air improves its design, but it's still a fairly modest upgrade aside from a considerable performance boost. Meanwhile, the standard Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is blown out of the water in many ways by its ever-bigger sibling with its gorgeous AMOLED panel. If you're a fan of Apple's ecosystem, the choice is simple, but if you're feeling adventurous, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7 Plus are very tempting.