After a hiatus of 18 months, Apple finally launched the 7th Generation iPad – at around the same time Samsung released their Galaxy Tab S6.

So how do these two tablets compare against each other? Let’s pit the 7th Gen iPad against the Galaxy Tab S6 and find out!

Note : This is not a fair comparison because the 7th Gen iPad is a mid-range device, while the Galaxy Tab S6 is a flagship device. Yet, there are people who are actively considering these two options – this comparison is for them.

 

iPad 7th Gen vs Galaxy Tab S6 Compared!

Display : Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

They both have similarly-sized display – the 7th Gen iPad has a 10.2-inch display, while the Galaxy Tab S6 has a slightly larger 10.5-inch display.

The 7th Gen iPad has a resolution of 1620 x 2160 pixels, with a pixel density of 264 ppi. The Galaxy Tab S6, on the other hand, has a wider display with a resolution of 1600 x 2560 pixels and a slightly higher pixel density of 287 ppi.

But what won us over was the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6’s Super AMOLED display, which is certainly superior to the iPad’s IPS display.

Design : Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

Design-wise, they are very similar – large slabs of glass and metal. However, the Galaxy Tab S6 has a far more refined design with narrow bezels, while Apple maintained the iPad’s classic large bezels.

This allows the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 to give you a larger display in a 11% smaller form factor than the 7th Gen iPad.

Performance : Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150 – a 2018 flagship mobile SoC (like the Kirin 980 used in the new HUAWEI MediaPad M6).

So it runs rings around the Apple A10 Fusion, which was introduced in September 2016, as these results show!

Benchmarks	Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	Apple iPad 7th Generation	Difference
AnTuTu	441,406	260,080	+69.7%
Ice Storm Unlimited	78,767	38,262	+105.9%
Sling Shot	7,051	3,464	+103.6%
Sling Shot Extreme	5,277	2,559	+106.2%

RAM + Storage : Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 comes with a base configuration of 6 GB RAM + 128 GB of storage, with the option for 8 GB RAM + 256 GB of storage. It even comes with a microSD card slot, so you can add up to 1 TB of additional storage!

The Apple iPad 7th Gen tablet, in contrast, only comes with 3 GB of RAM, and either 32 GB or 128 GB of storage. Needless to say – the iPad does not come with any microSD card slot, or any other external storage option.

Cameras : Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

Unbelievably, Apple continues to use the ancient 1.2 MP front camera in the 7th iteration of the iPad. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 has a far superior 8 MP front camera, with a brighter f/2.0 aperture.

In the back, Apple retained the old 8 MP camera with f/2.2 aperture. The Galaxy Tab S6 offers a dual-camera system – a 13 MP main camera, and a 5 MP ultra-wide camera.

This is an easy win for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 over the Apple iPad 7th Gen.

Stylus : Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

Both the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 and the Apple iPad 7th Gen support the use of a stylus.

Apple has repeatedly declined to reveal the pressure sensitivity of their Apple Pencil, even while Samsung proudly declares that their S Pen supports 4,096 pressure levels.

On top of that, the Galaxy Tab S6 ships with the S Pen included, while the iPad does not – you need to pay an extra $99 for the first-generation Apple Pencil.

Connectivity : Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

Because it’s built around a newer platform, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 supports up to LTE Cat 20, WiFi-AC and Bluetooth 5.0.

The Apple iPad 7th Gen supports WiFi-AC as well, but falls short in LTE and Bluetooth connectivity – it only supports “Gigabit-class LTE”, and Bluetooth 4.2.

Audio : Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 comes with a quad speaker system tuned by AKG, as well as support for Dolby Atmos. The Apple iPad, on the other hand, only comes with stereo speakers.

Fingerprint Sensor : Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 has an optical fingerprint sensor placed under the display, while the 7th Gen iPad continues to use the same old Touch ID sensor that is integrated into the Home button.

Functionally, they are similar, but the more expensive optical in-display fingerprint sensor allows for a more compact form factor.

Battery : Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 comes with a large 27.11 WHr battery, while the Apple iPad 7th Gen has a 19.5% larger 32.4 WHr battery.

But in our test, running full-screen YouTube through Wi-Fi with the display set to 50%, the Galaxy Tab S6 ended up with a longer battery life :

Battery Life	Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	Apple iPad 7th Generation	Difference
Full Screen YouTube	12.5 hours	10.7 hours	+16.8%

Weight : Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 weighs just 420 g, while the Apple iPad 7th Gen weighs 483 g (WiFi-only) or 493 g (LTE).

Price : Apple iPad 7th Gen

The biggest advantage the Apple iPad 7th Gen has over the Galaxy Tab S6 is its much lower price tag. Here’s a price comparison of the Wi-Fi only models of both tablets, with 128 GB of storage :

128 GB (Wi-Fi)	Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	Apple iPad 7th Generation	Difference
Malaysia	RM 3,099	RM 1,849	+67.6%
Singapore	S$908	S$649	+39.9%
United States	$649.99	$429	+51.5%
United Kingdom	£619	£449	+37.9%
Australia	A$1,099	A$689	+59.5%

Of course, the 7th Gen iPad does NOT come with an Apple Pencil, which adds RM 419 / S$138 / US$99 / £89 / A$145 to the price tag.

128 GB (Wi-Fi)	Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	Apple iPad 7th Generation + Apple Pencil	Difference
Malaysia	RM 3,099	RM 2,268	+36.6%
Singapore	S$908	S$787	+15.4%
United States	$649.99	$528	+23.1%
United Kingdom	£619	£538	+15.1%
Australia	A$1,099	A$834	+31.8%

 

iPad 7th Gen vs Galaxy Tab S6 : Which Should YOU Buy?

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 was always going to win over the Apple iPad 7th Gen, in all aspects except price. After all, it is Samsung’s flagship tablet.

However, not everyone needs a Porsche like the Galaxy Tab S6. A minivan like the 7th Gen iPad may better suit your needs. So here is our advice :

• If you want a powerful tablet, with the best possible performance, with the option to add storage through a microSD card, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is worth considering.
• If you want a cheap tablet to view photos and videos, and play simple games, nothing beats the Apple iPad 7th Gen.

 

iPad 7th Gen vs Galaxy Tab S6 Specifications

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	Apple iPad 7th Generation
Operating System	Android Pie	iPadOS 13
Display	10.5-inch Super AMOLED	10.2-inch IPS
Display Resolution	1600 x 2560 pixels	1620 x 2160 pixels
Display Pixel Density	287 ppi	264 ppi
System Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150	Apple A10 Fusion
Memory	6 GB / 8 GB LPDDR4x	3 GB LPDDR4
Internal Storage	128 GB / 256 GB	32 GB / 128 GB
External Storage	microSD card (up to 1TB)	None
Front Camera	8 MP camera (f/2.0)	1.2 MP camera (f/2.2)
Rear Camera	13 MP main camera (f/2.0) 5 MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2)	8 MP camera (f/2.4)
Stylus	S Pen (Included)	Apple Pencil 1st Gen (Not Included)
LTE Network	LTE Cat20 – DL : 2.0 Gbps – UL : 150 Mbps	Gigabit-class
Wi-Fi	WiFi-AC (dual-band)	WiFi-AC (dual-band)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 4.2
Connector	USB 2.0 Type C	Apple Lightning
Speakers	Quad speakers – optimised by AKG – supports Dolby Atmos	Stereo speakers
3.5 mm Audio Jack	Yes	Yes
Fingerprint Sensor	Optical In-Display	Touch ID
Other Sensors	Pressure, Gyroscope, RGB light, Geomagnetic, Hall	Three-axis Gyro, Accelerometer, Barometer, Ambient light
Battery	27.11 Whr lithium-polymer battery	32.4 Whr lithium-polymer battery
Dimensions	159.5 mm wide 244.5 mm tall 5.7 mm thick	174.1 mm wide 250.6 mm tall 7.5 mm thick
Weight	420 g	483 – 493 g
Price (128 GB)	RM 3,099 (with S Pen) S$908 (with S Pen) $649.99 (with S Pen) £619 (with S Pen) A$1,099 (with S Pen)	RM 1,849 (w/o Pencil) S$649 (w/o Pencil) $429 (w/o Pencil) £449 (w/o Pencil) A$689 (w/o Pencil)

 

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