Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Keyboard : How Fast Can You Type On It?
To showcase how fast you can type on the Book Cover Keyboard, Samsung brought in expert stenographer Jongheon Im.
Stenographers are trained to type as fast as a person speaks, so they need to be very fast!
In this video, Im is asked to transcribe a minute of speech on two regular keyboards, and then on the Galaxy Tab S7+ with the Book Cover Keyboard.
While Im is most comfortable with the special stenography keyboard, she felt that it was more comfortable to type on the Book Cover Keyboard, than an actual laptop keyboard.
In the end, she managed to type at around 700 strokes per minute on the Book Cover Keyboard, compared to 670 strokes on a laptop keyboard.
Frankly, most of us would expect to type faster on a laptop keyboard than a tablet keyboard… but as our review pointed out – the Book Cover Keyboard is really nice to type on, especially with its 26% larger keycaps and 18.3 mm key pitch.
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Samsung Malaysia will be offering free gifts worth up to RM 1,491 with every purchase of a Galaxy Tab S7 or Galaxy Tab S7+ from 28 August until 31 October 2020.
Samsung Keyboard Cover worth RM999
Samsung 128GB microSD card worth RM139
1 Day Pass to Colony Sdn Bhd worth RM60
6-Month subscription to Clip Studio Paint worth RM 221
4-Month subscription to YouTube Premium worth RM72
Note : The 128GB MicroSD card must be redeemed through Samsung Redemption Portal, before or on 15th November 2020, failing which the redemption submission will be disqualified and considered as null and void.
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We had some time with the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, and here is our in-depth review!
Find out why we love Samsung’s latest premium tablet so much that we gave it our Reviewer’s Choice Award!
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus : Ultra-Premium Tablet
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is not really just a larger variant of the Galaxy Tab S7 tablet. It is a larger, ultra-premium model.
While many of their key features are similar, the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus offers a large and better display, with a larger battery, and an ultra-low latency S Pen.
For an easier comparison, here is a table comparing their key specifications :
Take a look at what the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus ships with :
Here is a list of the items you will find inside the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus box :
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus tablet
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 S Pen
Quick Start Guide and Warranty Card
15 Watt Fast Charging adapter
USB Type A to USB Type C cable
SIM tray pin
We believe there are some minor differences between this unit and the actual retail unit, which should have these items too :
AKG USB Type C earphones
Set of four spare earbuds
Samsung Book Cover Keyboard : Unboxing
Here in Malaysia, the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus comes with a free Book Cover Keyboard, which is a separate item that usually retails for RM999, S$238, £189.99.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus : Key Features
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is designed for those who want the ultra-low latency S Pen, in addition to its bigger and better display.
120 Hz Super AMOLED Display
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus has a 12.4-inch Super AMOLED display, with a resolution of 1752 x 2800 pixels and a pixel density of 266 ppi.
This is a HDR10+ display with an NTSC colour range. It supports a dynamic refresh rate, which automatically adjusts the refresh rate from 11 Hz to 120 Hz.
This helps it deliver silky-smooth graphics when needed, and save power when a higher refresh rate isn’t necessary.
Performance
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ mobile platform – currently the fastest mobile platform money can buy.
It offers a faster 3.09 GHz prime core as well as a 10% faster Adreno 650 GPU over the “regular” Snapdragon 865, and is approximately 10% faster than Samsung’s flagship Exynos 990.
The base model comes with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage, with the 8 GB + 512 GB option in certain countries. Our mid-range model came with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage.
On a clean boot, you have 4.2 GB of free memory – 52.5% of total memory capacity. That’s more than enough memory to run multiple apps at the same time.
For perspective, high-end mobile games like PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9 use less than 1.2 GB of RAM.
Fresh out of the box, you have just under 221 GB of free internal storage – more than enough to store some 63,000 photos!
256 GB of internal storage is definitely more than sufficient for most users. But in case you run out of internal storage, you can add a microSD card for additional storage (up to 1 TB).
Front Camera
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus comes with an 8 MP front camera that is capable of recording up to 1080p video at 30 fps.
It’s hidden in the right bezel, to ensure it is at the top when you mount the Tab S7 Plus onto its optional Book Cover Keyboard.
At the back, it has a dual camera system, supported by a single LED flash :
a 13 MP main camera, with f/2.0 aperture, and
a 5 MP ultra-wide camera, with f/2.2 aperture
It can record videos with up to 4K resolution at 30 fps.
Quad AKG Speakers
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus comes with four AKG speakers – two at the top, and two at the bottom.
These speakers support Dolby Atmos, for a cinematic experience, whether you are gaming or watching movies
Hit The Road, Jack
Like the Galaxy Tab S6, it doesn’t have a 3.5 mm audio jack, which allows it to be less than 6 mm thin.
Samsung does not include a USB-C to 3.5mm adaptor. Instead, their retail box includes a pair of USB Type C earphones (not in our box).
Ultra-Low Latency S Pen
What people may not realise is that only Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus comes with the new ultra-low latency S Pen, with a 9 ms response time.
This is literally the larger version of the ultra-low latency S Pen that ships with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra smartphone.
The ultra-low response time gives you the same instantaneous feel of putting pen or pencil to paper, which will be especially important for artists.
Book Cover Keyboard
Samsung is bundling the Book Cover Keyboard at least here in Malaysia, but that doesn’t mean it’s part of the bundle in your country.
But it’s a great big bonus if it’s part of the package. The Book Cover Keyboard turns your Galaxy Tab S7 Plus into a virtual laptop, thanks to its integrated keyboard and touchpad.
On top of that, it comes with a magnetically-locked compartment for the S Pen, ensuring that it is properly secured while charging.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus : Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus has a massive 10,090 mAh battery, which promises to deliver up to 14 hours of video playback time.
To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, and set its display brightness to 50%.
Why 50%? That is actually slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day, and is what we usually use in all our mobile battery life tests.
It is important to fix the brightness level, to make sure the screen brightness does not change as the room brightness changed.
We then ran the PCMark Work 2.0 battery life test until its battery capacity dropped to 20%, repeating several times.
These are the best results we obtained at the standard 60 Hz refresh rate, and the dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz.
Just under 8 hours. Well, that’s far from the rated 14 hours… even with a 60 Hz refresh rate.
It gets worse if you turn on the dynamic refresh rate that automatically adjusts the refresh rate from 11 Hz to 120 Hz – it lasted just over 6 hours!
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus : Recharging Speed
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus supports the phenomenally-fast 45 watt super fast charging. Unfortunately, Samsung only bundles an anaemic 15 watt fast charger in the box…
Take a look at how fast its bundled 15 watt fast charger topped up its massive 10,090 mAh battery…
Not bad. The bundled 15 watt charger took just 2 hours 26 minutes to fully recharge its battery from 20% to 100%.
That gives it a recharging speed of about 55 mAh per minute, which is actually faster than some 25W or 27W fast chargers.
Even so, it cannot make up for the poor battery life, with a poor battery life : recharging ratio of 2.5:1. A general rule of thumb – for one of hour battery life, you just need to charge it for 23 minutes.
Just to give you an idea of how bad that is – the HUAWEI MatePad Pro has a battery life : recharging ratio of 8.5:1, and only needs 7 minutes of charging for each hour of battery life.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus Work Performance : PCMark
Work 2.0
Galaxy Tab
S7 / S7+
Galaxy
Note20 Ultra
Xiaomi
Mi 9
MatePad Pro
Black Shark
2 Pro
Mobile Platform
SD 865+
Exynos 990
SD 855
Kirin 990
SD 855+
Performance Score
(Average)
12348
10523
9471
8575
8384
Web Browsing
11864
8865
7792
6723
6768
Video Editing
7664
6232
6038
5656
5948
Writing
12659
11112
10919
10969
9226
Photo Editing
26230
30789
20161
15991
17595
Data Manipulation
9511
6825
7356
6952
6339
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus was, undoubtedly, the king of work applications. It was, on average :
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus : Our Verdict + Award
It should come to no surprise that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is the most powerful Android tablet money can buy. It has the price tag to back that up.
Powered by the speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+, it comes with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. It also has a large 12.4-inch Super AMOLED display with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz.
More than enough to handle any content creation work or gaming you throw at it. But the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is more than just a powerful tablet.
It comes with a new ultra-low latency S Pen, with a 9 ms response time – a larger version of the ultra-low latency S Pen that ships with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra smartphone.
The ultra-low response time gives you the same instantaneous feel of putting pen or pencil to paper, which will be especially important for artists.
And we should not forget the new Samsung Notes and Samsung Flow capabilities.
Leveraging on Samsung Cloud, Samsung Notes now automatically saves and syncs your notes and drawings, so you can access them on your PC and Samsung smartphones too.
Samsung Flow, on the other hand, lets you directly transfer files between your phone and tablet without the hassle of uploading them to the cloud.
We also like that Samsung is bundling it (at least here in Malaysia) with the Book Cover Keyboard. That makes it extremely versatile, while protecting its stylus in a special compartment.
We cannot emphasise enough just how useful the Book Cover Keyboard is. It not only protects the tablet and S Pen, it gives you a keyboard and touchpad, turning your Tab S7 Plus into a laptop.
It also comes with a nice set of cameras. A decent 8 MP front camera, when most laptops are still stuck with 720p cameras. That said, Samsung limited its video recording to just 1080p, instead of 4K.
And at the back, a combination of a 13 MP main camera and a 5 MP ultra-wide camera. Far better than what many tablets offer. Of course, most laptops don’t even have a rear camera!
All this makes the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus an extremely powerful and versatile tablet.
Priced at RM 4,599 (roughly US$1,100 | £836 | A$1520 | S$1508), it’s not cheap. But it is definitely much cheaper than the comparable 12.9-inch Apple iPad Pro, especially when you factor the bundled S Pen and Book Cover Keyboard.
It does have some downsides though. A rather poor battery life for one thing. At the standard 60 Hz refresh rate, it lasted just under 8 hours, and you get just over 6 hours if you turn on the Dynamic Refresh Rate.
And while it supports up to 45 watts of super fast charging, Samsung only shipped it with their standard 15 watt charger. Disappointing decision for such an ultra-premium device.
Finally, it is also pretty heavy, especially when used with the Book Cover Keyboard which weighs 502 grams. The tablet itself weighs 575 grams, so the total package comes up to about 1.1 kg.
Overall though, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is a killer tablet that’s well-positioned as a more affordable alternative to the 12.9-inch Apple iPad Pro.
We like it so much, we believe it deserves our Reviewer’s Choice Award. Nice job, Samsung!
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus : Where To Buy?
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus comes in three colour options – Mystic Black, Mystic Silver or Mystic Bronze, with these prices :
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Many of their key features are similar. The larger Tab S7+ however comes with a larger and better display, with a larger battery.
Here in Malaysia, they both come bundled with an ultra-low latency S Pen, and the Book Cover Keyboard. But in countries where the Samsung Book Cover Keyboard is optional, this is a must-get accessory.
Samsung Book Cover Keyboard : Price + Availability
The Samsung Book Cover Keyboard is available for both Galaxy Tab S7 models. They only differ in their sizes :
Samsung Book Cover Keyboard for Galaxy Tab S7+ : Unboxing
The Samsung Book Cover Keyboard comes in a separate retail box. Here is our unboxing video.
Samsung Book Cover Keyboard : A Must-Have!
The Samsung Book Cover Keyboard uses a two-piece design – a front keyboard cover, and a back cover that doubles as a kickstand.
It transforms your Galaxy Tab S7 or Tab S7+ tablet into a virtual laptop, thanks to its integrated keyboard and touchpad.
The kickstand with its “free stop hinge” lets you freely adjust the angle of the tablet all the way to 165°.
But the downsides with a kickstand design – it takes up more space, and works best on a flat surface.
It is rather heavy at 502 grams, but gives you not just a keyboard but a large trackpad as well. In fact, its trackpad is much larger than the trackpad from the Galaxy Tab S6‘s Book Cover Keyboard.
It also has 26% larger keycaps than the Tab S6 version, with a 18.3 mm key pitch. However, its odd-shaped Enter key will get some getting used to.
The Book Cover Keyboard also has an S Pen compartment which nicely fits over its dock, ensuring that you will never lose it.
This compartment is cleverly locked magnetically, and flips open when you need to take out the S Pen, or put it back.
The back cover is thick enough to properly protect the Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7+’s camera bump.
But that’s really not an issue because the S Pen compartment bulge conveniently keeps the camera bump off any surface you place it on.
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Just how fast is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus compared to the Samsung Exynos 990?
Let’s find out in our very own performance comparison!
Snapdragon 865 Plus vs Exynos 990 : What’s The Deal?
When Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra smartphones, they were criticised for using the Exynos 990 in the global edition, instead of the Snapdragon 865 Plus.
Samsung only chose to use the Snapdragon 865 Plus for Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra smartphones sold in South Korea, China, Japan and the United States.
But just how much faster is the Snapdragon 865 Plus, compared to the Exynos 990? Let’s find out…
Snapdragon 865 Plus vs Exynos 990 : A Quick Primer
The Samsung Exynos 990 isn’t a particularly old platform, powering the Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphones. But it lagged behind the Snapdragon 865, which received a performance boost in the 865+ variant.
They are both 7 nm mobile SoCs that support LPDDR5 memory, and UFS 3.0 storage, but lack an integrated 5G modem.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus is essentially an overclocked variant, with its single Prime core clocked at 3.1 GHz (instead of 2.84 GHz), and a 10% faster Adreno 650 GPU.
It has three sustained performance Kryo 585 Gold (A77) cores at 2.4 GHz, and four low-power Kryo 585 Silver (A55) cores at 1.8 GHz.
The Samsung Exynos 990 has two high-speed Mongoose 5 cores, clocked at a more sedate 2.7 GHz, two sustained performance A76 cores at 2.5 GHz, and four low-power A55 cores at 2.0 GHz.
Snapdragon 865 Plus
Exynos 990
Process
7 nm N7P
7 nm EUV
CPU Cores
1 x Kryo 585 Gold (3.1 GHz)
3 x Kryo 585 Gold (2.4 GHz)
4 x Kryo 585 Silver (1.8 GHz)
2 x Exynos M5 (2.7 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A76 (2.5 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A55 (2.0 GHz)
For those who are too lazy to drill down into the results, here’s a quick and dirty summary.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus is definitely the superior platform. In most benchmarks, it was significantly faster than the Samsung Exynos 990.
PCMark : +19.4% faster
Sling Shot Extreme (OpenGL) : +4.8% faster
Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) : +12.8% faster
Sling Shot : +8.2% faster
Geekbench (Single Core) : +2.2% faster
AnTuTu : +10.5% faster
The Samsung Exynos 990 was only slightly faster in a single benchmark :
Geekbench (Multi Core) : +0.5% faster
That said, these are benchmark results. You are unlikely to actually notice the performance difference in real world usage, even in high-end games.
Samsung appears to acknowledge this performance difference, and compensate for it by giving Exynos models double the storage – 256 GB instead of 128 GB.
So if you have the option to choose between the Snapdragon and Exynos versions of the Galaxy Note 20 or Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, it’s really a choice between the faster Snapdragon 865+ platform, or the slower Exynos 990 with double the storage.
Snapdragon 865 Plus vs Exynos 990 : PCMark
The Snapdragon 865+ was faster than the Exynos 990 in these tests :
Data Manipulation : +42%
Web Browsing 2.0 : +37.4%
Overall Work 2.0 : +19.4%
Writing 2.0 : +13.6%
The Exynos 990 was faster than the Snapdragon 865+ in one test :
Photo Editing 2.0 : +12%
Snapdragon 865 Plus vs Exynos 990 : 3DMark
The Snapdragon 865+ was faster than the Exynos 990 in all three benchmarks :
Sling Shot Extreme (OpenGL) : +4.8%
Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) : +12.8%
Sling Shot : +8.2%
The Snapdragon 865+ was faster than the Exynos 990 in all six tests :
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Snapdragon 865 Plus vs Exynos 990 : Geekbench
The Snapdragon 865+ was faster than the Exynos 990 in half of the tests :
Multi Core Crypto : +31.4%
Single Core Crypto : +11.5%
Single Core Integer : +3.8%
Single Core Overall : +2.2%
The Exynos 990 was faster than the Snapdragon 865+ in these other half of the tests :
Multi Core Floating Point : +5.2%
Single Core Floating Point : +3.2%
Multi Core Integer : +1.9%
Multi Core Overall : +0.5%
Snapdragon 865 Plus vs Exynos 990 : AnTuTu
The Snapdragon 865+ was faster than the Exynos 990 in all four tests, and the overall score :
UX : +22.4%
Overall : +10.5%
MEM : +10.0%
CPU : +9.9%
GPU : +7.3%
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Smartphones : Where To Buy?
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