I’m a fan of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4, ditto Apple’s iPad Pro.
But both have one glaring flaw: They don’t come with keyboards. To get
one for the Surface you’ll have to shell out an extra $130; the iPad’s
will cost you an additional $170.
Samsung’s
new 12-inch Galaxy TabPro S is different. A productivity tablet in the
vein of the Surface and iPad Pro, the $800 TabPro S combines the
capability of a Windows 10 laptop with the portability and touchscreen
of a tablet. But unlike those other pro tablets, it comes with a
keyboard.
But is that enough reason to buy this portable powerhouse?
Slim and svelte
There’s
thin and light, and then there’s the TabPro S. Measuring 11.4 x 7.8 x
0.25 inches and weighing just 1.5 pounds, the TabPro S is an absolute
lightweight.
By
comparison, the Surface Pro 4 (which has a slightly larger 12.3-inch
screen) is both bigger (11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33) and heavier (1.7 pounds). And
Apple’s iPad Pro (with its ginormous 12.9-inch screen) measures 12.0 x
8.7 x 0.27 inches and weighs 1.6 pounds. But, to be realistic, those
weight differences are negligible; you probably won’t notice 0.2 pounds.
Of
the three slates, the TabPro S is easily the most comfortable to use as
an actual tablet. The Surface Pro 4 is a bit too bulky, while the iPad
Pro is just too big. I wouldn’t say the TabPro S is ideal for use
as a tablet: It’s still too large and heavy to hold for long periods of
time. And you’ll certainly want to avoid dropping it on your face
during your bedtime Web-browsing sessions. But it’s the still most
usable of the three.
Understated styling
There’s
nothing particularly lust-worthy about the TabPro S’ looks. If I had to
sum up its design, I’d say it’s understated and inoffensive. The slate
largely follows the same styling as Samsung’s other Galaxy tablets,
complete with an aluminum chassis and plastic back panel.
The
TabPro S looks like it was built for business users. Its buttoned up
design would look perfectly at home in your office next to your stack of
TPS reports.
That’s
not exactly a bad thing, either. Slates don’t have to be as fashionable
as smartphones; you don’t carry one around as often as you do your
phone.
In
fact, with its keyboard cover attached, the TabPro S looks more like an
attorney’s notepad than a tablet. So while the TabPro S might not be a
stunner, it’s certainly attractive.
Gorgeous screen
The
big selling point for the TabPro S, beyond the fact that it’s an
incredibly thin Windows 10 2-in-1, is its gorgeous 12-inch display. The
TabPro’s screen is the first 12-inch panel that uses Super AMOLED
(active matrix of organic light-emitting diodes). It’s also the first
Windows 10 machine with such a display.
That’s
a big deal because Super AMOLED displays are known for producing
incredibly vibrant colors and endlessly deep blacks. To date, they’ve
generally been used on smartphones and smaller slates. But seeing such a
screen on a large tablet running Windows makes for a completely
different experience.
While
using the TabPro S, I regularly found myself admiring little things,
like the way the Spotify logo on my desktop looked far more brilliant
than it did on the Surface Pro 4 or the iPad Pro.
Websites looked
better. Even Google’s iconic logo looked like it was painted on the
slate’s screen, compared to the way it looked on the iPad and Surface.
Movies and photos will look fantastic on the Samsung’s display.
Beyond
offering beautiful colors, the TabPro S’ display also helps with power
management. That’s because, when the the TabPro S shows blacks, it
actually turns off individual pixels. This, in turn, saves battery
power.
Keyboard included
It
might sound like a silly thing to harp on, but the fact that the Galaxy
TabPro S actually comes with a keyboard case is ridiculously helpful.
Like I said, neither Apple nor Microsoft provide keyboard cases with
their slates; as noted above, adding those keyboards will add $130 to
$170 to the price of the tablet.
Even
though the TabPro S keyboard is free, that doesn’t mean it’s subpar.
I’ve yet to find a keyboard case that’s as comfortable to type on as my
MacBook Air. I’m beginning to think I never will. One problem: I like a
lot of key travel, and keyboard covers must be so thin, they don’t
provide room for much movement.
Like
Microsoft’s Surface Pro Keyboard, Samsung’s keyboard features large
keys with a hair’s width of space between them. Going from my MacBook’s
keyboard to the TabPro S’ took a lot of getting used to: I still make a
lot of typing errors on it, in part because even a slightly misplaced
finger can cause you to hit the wrong key. It’s just not as forgiving as
a normal keyboard.
That
said, I’ve got to credit Samsung for including such a responsive
touchpad. The thing even produces a satisfying mechanical click when you
press down on it. It’s also exceptionally smooth, your fingers simply
glide across its surface.
As
with Apple’s Smart Keyboard, Samsung’s cover doubles as a stand for
your slate. But whereas Apple’s offering can only be used in a single
position while typing, Samsung’s has two: a 65-degree angle position for
when you’re at your desk, and a 25-degree angle for if you want a more
relaxed position.
Microsoft’s
Surface Pro has a stand conveniently built into its back panel; that’s
convenient some of the time, but it also makes it incredibly hard to
type on your lap. The TabPro S is actually quite easy use on our lap —
not as easy as an actual laptop, but if you’re commuting to work on the
bus or the train in the morning, you can still tap out some notes
without fear.
I
do have one concern about Samsung’s keyboard (which connects to the
slate via a magnetic connector): It’s incredibly flimsy. If you’re
holding it on your lap and lean on it a bit, you’ll feel as though
you’re going to break it in half. Still for a free keyboard, it’s not
half bad.
Performance and battery life
Here’s
where the Galaxy TabPro S kind of hits a wall. Samsung equipped the
TabPro S with an Intel Core M3 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of
storage space. For most people. that’s more than enough power for things
like browsing the web, streaming Netflix, and writing text documents.
If
you’re looking for something more powerful, though, perhaps for
hardcore photo or video editing, the TabPro S isn’t going to cut it.
If
you do need more computing horsepower, the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is
the way to go — but it’ll cost you. The base $899 Surface Pro 4 offers
the same computing power as the TabPro S for the same money. Right now,
however, Microsoft is also selling the Surface Pro 4 with a Core i5
processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage for $899 as well. So
Microsoft has Samsung beat for both price and performance.
The
TabPro S does beat the Surface Pro and iPad Pro on battery life. The
TabPro S is rated at 10.5 hours of battery life, while the iPad Pro is
rated at 10 hours, the Surface Pro 4 for 9. And the TabPro S has
fast-charging capabilities. According to Samsung, it’ll give you 2.5
hours of use when you charge it for just 30 minutes; a 60-minute charge
will get you 4.5 hours.
The bottom line
Samsung’s
Galaxy TabPro S offers an absolutely stunning display, decent design,
and adequate power in a slim, lightweight package. Naturally, I also
like that it comes with a free keyboard, even if that keyboard is not
the greatest one on the planet.
If
you’re looking for a Windows 10 slate that can double as a laptop, and
need maximum firepower, you should get the Surface Pro 4. But if you can
compromise on the power and want a relatively inexpensive 2-in-1 slate,
you can’t beat the TabPro S.
